How much do you charge?

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I charge £19 for a 30 minute lesson and £27 for a 45 minute lesson in my home teaching room.  I allow ample time in between pupils and encourage you to arrive up to 5 minutes early to set up so you get a full 30 minutes of teaching time.  

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Should I go for a 30 minute or a 45 minute lesson?

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The majority of my pupils have a 30 minute lesson once a week.  Experience has shown that this is the optimum amount of time for me to listen to the student, provide some feedback and give suggestions for things for them to work on during the week.  It is worth noting that progress is largely dependent on work done by the pupils in between lessons and so longer lessons do not necessarily translate to quicker progress. I like to really dive into how practice has gone at each lesson.  I want to know how much practice has been done, what has been practised, what they enjoyed, what they found difficult.  I will also want to know if they have encountered any obstacles that prevented them from doing as much practice as they would have liked. Please refer to my Practice blog for more on this subject.

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For younger pupils or those with special needs, I sometimes offer 20 minute lessons whilst we get to know each other and until the pupil’s attention span is long enough to merit a longer lesson.

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For pupils who have already been learning their instrument for some time I  offer 45 minute and 1 hour long sessions as the pieces they are learning become longer and there is also a need to spend significant amount of time each week on wider musical skills including listening, technique, scales and arpeggios, and music theory.  

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Where can I find your term dates?

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Term Dates for 2023-2024 academic year.

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Do you teach during the school holidays?

 

When you decide to commence lessons on a permanent basis I will ask you to sign up to a teaching contract that covers 38 weeks of the year during term time.  The number of lessons taken throughout term time is added up and divided by 11 so that you pay in an equal amount each month ending in July.  If you would also like to have lessons during the school holidays I do make myself available on selected days and lessons are offered on a pay-as-you-go basis. 

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How do I pay for lessons?

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For the first few lessons I operate on a pay-as-you-go basis and accept payment by cash, cheque or faster payment.  Once you / your child is settled in their lessons, usually after 4-6 weeks, I will at that point ask you to sign up to a standard Musician’s Union Teaching Contract and set up payment by monthly Standing Order .  

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What is the difference between a Standing Order and a Direct Debit?

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The Direct Debit service tends to be offered by larger companies, they decide how much to charge you, you decide a date each month that money can be collected and the company will take the amount they have calculated from your account on the relevant date.  A Standing Order is an instruction that you set up with your bank and tends to be set up for the same amount every month. You are in complete control of a Standing Order and can cancel or amend this at any point.

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Do I have to sign a contract?

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This is not necessary until you've had your first few lessons. Once you've decided you are ready to commit to lessons on a permanent basis I will ask you to sign a standard Teaching Contract provided by the Musician’s Union.  I will provide you of a copy of this to review a week prior to asking you to sign up.  The main thing to be aware of is that I ask for a 24 hour's notice of cancellations and there is a four week notice period.  If you would like a contract prior to your first lesson please let me know.

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What is your notice period?

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If you decide that you no longer wish to continue lessons, I will firstly attempt to understand the reasons that have contributed to this decision to see if there is anything I can do differently either for yourself or for future students.  The formal notice period is 4 weeks.

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Do you have a DBS certificate?

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Yes, this will be available for your to view during your initial lesson or at any other time.

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My Question isn't listed here, how do I get in touch?

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Please call me on 07366 861 304; e-mail me at mail@marie-claire.org.uk or fill out my contact form.

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