Welcome back!!!! We hope you had a wonderful Easter break. We are looking forward to Term 2J
First up, the important stuff…
Our term 1 practice competition will be decided at the end of the 1st week of term 2. We want to factor in holiday practice! So PLEASE BRING YOUR PRACTICE CHART TO YOUR LESSON THIS WEEK for collection!!!!!! If you forget, the charts can be scanned or photographed & sent, but must be submitted by Saturday the 24th of April. Let the term 2 practice competition begin!! Good luck!
HEADS UP!! We are currently making some BIG changes & updates to our policies. These changes will be published mid-term so you can wrap your head around it for the new financial year. All clients will be required to sign our terms and conditions agreement at the beginning of term 3.
One issue we are experiencing at the moment is very short notice cancellations, with a request to make up the lesson. Please realise that makeup lessons under these circumstances are not possible, and payment for the cancelled lesson will be required in full.
We always try to be as flexible as possible & understanding when circumstances are unavoidable but please understand that this school is our livelihood. We need to ensure our job security & protect our income. It is reasonable and fair that both our teachers and our clients respect the time that has been carefully scheduled with everyone’s requests considered before each year begins.
Maria is currently at full student capacity with a growing waiting list, so her time is in short supply. If you are experiencing difficulties keeping to a regular schedule of lessons, we may need to discuss commitment.
It is a good idea to look ahead in your schedule at the beginning of term and email Maria if you expect to be absent for whatever reason (school camps, excursions, work, etc.) that way, we have the entire term to work out make-up lesson times. Make-up lessons will be done via Zoom or FaceTime if no other alternative can be reached.
For those of you who prefer to pay for your lessons weekly or fortnightly, we request that you pay with cash. It is simply much easier for our administration to manage.
If you are having trouble with practice at home, please address this with your teacher and he/she can assist with ideas and ways to motivate your child to explore their music at home. We want our musical education to be enjoyable, not a boring chore. Please refer to our term 1 newsletter for ideas on how to encourage & motivate.
Monday the 14th of June is the Queen’s Birthday public holiday. Maria will be available to teach so if you’d like to keep your lesson as usual, please let her know. If you are taking a long weekend or would prefer to enjoy the holiday with no commitments, please advise Maria (preferably at the beginning of the term) that you will be requiring a make-up lesson at some point during the term.
We have installed a baby gate at the entrance to the deck. Please ensure you close the gate after you enter. Not only does it keep the boys safe, it keeps my two little chickens (who you may be getting familiar with) nicely contained & also safe. Thank you!
The YVSM kitties WERE indoor only kitties but they have evolved & now occasionally do enjoy the great outdoors. Please don’t worry if they get out.
Our website development was put on hold due to Covid. We will be getting it up & running ASAP. You may be contacted for consent to use a photograph of you/your child. If you have any photos from concerts and you consent to these being used, please forward to the YVSM email.
We are currently offering private tuition for the following: Vocals, Piano, Guitar, Self-Accompaniment, Ukulele, Music Theory & VCE Tutoring.
IMPORTANT!! DIRECT DEPOSIT PAYMENT POLICY
READ CAREFULLY & FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. Please only make a payment into the YVSM bank account if you are paying the full discounted term fee upfront and on time. If you are paying weekly or fortnightly, we request that you pay with cash, but please speak to Maria if you have another payment method request and she will do her best to accommodate.
If you are making a payment directly into the YVSM bank account, it is important to keep the descriptions consistentsopaymentsareeasytolocate. Pleasefollowtheinstructionsbeloweachtimeyoumakeapayment.
If you have one child with us please enter the child’s full name as well as what term you’re paying for. For example, ‘Jane Jones T2’. If you have more than one child with us please put just the surname followed by the term. For example, ‘Jones T2’.
If everyone consistently enters each term with a capital T followed directly by the number of the term with no space (i.e. Term 2 would be T2, it makes payment verification much simpler. Thank youJ
Yarra Valley School of Music Bank: CBA
BSB: 063 689
Account Number: 1023 8099
TERM 2 FEE STRUCTURE
Term 2 of 2021 is 10 weeks duration commencing on Monday the 19th of April & ending on Saturday the 26th of June. The lesson fee is $35.00 per half hour not including $120.00 yearly fee for vocalists or $80 yearly fee for other instruments. To be eligible for a 5% discount on lesson fees, the full term’s amount must be paid upfront by the 2nd lesson of term. If your lesson is for an hour or more, you have multiple children with us, or see multiple teachers, please ask Maria for your total lesson fee if unsure.
Instrument
VOCALISTS & OTHER INSTRUMENTS
Lesson x 10 30 mins = $350.00
Yearly School Fee – Paid Term 1
Total Less 5% discount If paid by 2nd Lesson – 30 minute lesson = $332.50
Please note: If 24 hours notice is not given for a lesson cancellation, the full lesson fee will still be charged. In extenuating circumstances, such as illness, school camps, etc. please try to give as much notice as possible & we will try to reschedule the lesson. If you pay the discounted fee after the 2nd lesson you will be invoiced the remainder of the fee. If a term has been paid upfront, lessons that have not been attended will not be deducted from the following term’s fees. Thanks for your understanding.
ZOOM/ONLINE LESSONS
The gift of flexibility that Covid & technology has given us! Here are some reasons why you or I may opt for an online lesson on any given week:
- You/I don’t feel 100% and think it’s best to stay home, but you/I feel well enough to receive/teach a lesson.
- You’re running late or you’ve forgotten your appointment & know you’ll lose valuable lesson time.
- You’re not feeling up to the drive.
- Someone in your household is sick or isolating & you don’t feel comfortable leaving the home.
- A make-up lesson is required & we’re having trouble finding a mutually convenient time. POLICIES The following lesson and payment policies are to be followed by all please, regardless of how you pay for lessons. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to converse with Maria.
- A lesson period is assigned to each individual student and is of value to no one else, therefore it is important that you are responsible for prompt attendance at lessons. It is not possible to extend the lesson period if you are late, reschedule the lost time or refund any part of the lesson fee.
- A 5% discount is available to those who are paying a FULL term of lessons up front by the 2nd lesson of each term. The fee to pay is provided in the newsletter each term. Please DO NOT decide you are going to attend 8 out of 11 lessons (for example), deduct 5% and pay that figure. ONLY FULL TERM PAYMENTS will be eligible for the discount. For weekly or fortnightly payments, cash is preferred.
- YVSM will charge a yearly school fee of $120.00 for vocalists and $80.00 for all other instruments. YVSM require payment of school fees upfront at the beginning of the year. School fees are charged to cover the costs of overheads such as admin, printing, CDs, iTunes, Internet, sheet music, Spotify, concert expenses, etcetera. Please note: School fees are separate from lesson fees, and are not subject to discounts. If you decide to discontinue with tuition, school fees are not refundable. School fees will be invoiced at the beginning of the year. If you absolutely cannot pay school fees upfront, please contact Maria to arrange a payment plan.
- We require a minimum of 24 hours notification for lesson cancellations. If short notice is received for a lesson cancellation the full lesson fee will still be charged.
- If you need to cancel a lesson and make one up, please realise that it is your responsibility to contact us to arrange a mutually convenient time. We will endeavour to be flexible whenever possible. Be aware that we do not carry over make-up lessons to the next term. Any cancelled lessons must be made up within the same term they are cancelled otherwise it becomes impractical, as I’m sure you can understand! Please note: If you cancel a make up lesson, you will still be charged the full lesson fee, and the make-up lesson will be forfeit. COVID & GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING
- Please sanitise your hands with the sanitiser provided outside of the entryway into YVSM.
- Hand sanitiser is also available in dispensers in the doorway of each studio, as always. If you cough, sneeze or blow your nose during a lesson, you will be asked to sanitise your hands again.
- The pianos & stools are disinfected after every lesson.
- Social distancing is observed wherever possible during lessons. Social distancing is not possible when playing duets. If you do not feel comfortable with this, please communicate this to your teacher.
- Students & parents are not required to wear a mask inside.
- One Parent is welcome to sit in on each lesson or in the waiting room. If you have other children, they are of course welcome to be inside with you.
- Siblings may come to lessons together.
- Music exercise books for weekly journaling will be provided by YVSM along with a practice chart. Please bring this to each lesson so the teacher can keep students and parents up to speed and make practice at home more straightforward.
- YVSM singers are required to have a display folder to keep their lyrics and music organised and neat. Recordings of singing exercises are available to be emailed upon request. Recordings will be done during lesson times.
- Exam & book fees will be required before being submitted/ordered. You will be notified verbally or via email. An email or text will be sent if follow up is needed.
- Please drive slowly (no faster than 30km/hr) & carefully on our dirt roads – complaints from neighbours have been filed with the council.
- Please park your car sensibly. We realise that it’s difficult where we are. Use the shoulder directly in front of the house. Use the driveway and please have patience with others in regards to drop-offs/pick- ups if you happen to get parked in. Please don’t park in front of the neighbours’ cars. You may also park horizontally in front of the garage.
- Grant Crescent is a through road and loops with Graceburn. Can make drop offs/pick ups easier to utilise this loop.
- Please remove your shoes before entering YVSM.
- Due to Covid we have had to remove the luxury of the tea & coffee facilities as well as our shared fruit bowl. Apologies if this causes any inconvenience. Thank you all for taking the time to read our newsletter.
20 GRANT CRESCENT, HEALESVILLE, VIC 3777 PHONE: 0439 995 208 EMAIL: yvmusicschool@gmail.com ABN: 85919594190