Successful lessons require a Team effort between Teacher, Parent and Student - we all need to be on the same page and working towards a positive and happy outcome.
Parents should endeavour to refrain from allowing their own negative music lesson experiences - or lack of musical knowledge affect the student. Many parents have had poor experiences learning music as children, or no experience at all, and therefore consider themselves unmusical - whereas, they may in fact be extremely musical, but just haven't had the opportunity to develop those skills. Parents quickly learn during the lessons how to help the student at home.
Assist the student by always bringing Music, Instrument and accessories (if required), homework book and any homework assignments to the lesson
Make a commitment to create an environment and schedule that allows for practice at least 5 days per week. Young children will require the assistance of a parent who attends lessons to supervise their practice. No practice means no progress.
Parents should listen to the advice of the teacher who has many years of Conservatorium/University training and over 35 years teaching experience. If a student requires more time to develop basic skills of rhythm, intonation, note reading, then time needs to be given to their development, and the student should not be expected to accelerate learning beyond what they are capable of.
All students develop at their individual rate and with individual needs.
String students who consistently play out of tune, need time to develop their aural skills and be prepared to do extensive technical work to facilitate this development.
If Students are given m.p.3 s or Youtube links to practice to, it is expected that the ability to use these resources will be supplied by the parent.
When time permits FREE group Zoom theory classes are provided and all students have attained excellent Theory results of High Distinctions and Honours. It is expected that when these classes are offered, students will complete their assignments and email them back by the due date. This service is provided FREE of charge, whereas other teachers would charge a separate Fee, or take up valuable private lesson time to work on Theory. Marking of these assignments takes several hours. If students consistently fail to submit assignments, they will not be invited into the Zoom theory sessions.
String Ensembles are held weekly, Piano Play Dates when time permits. Again, these services are offered FREE OF CHARGE, and are designed to facilitate rapid development. Regular attendance (with music) is expected, as is the care and maintenance of any music provided - again Free of charge. Advanced Piano students are offered the opportunity to accompany and perform with the Senior String Ensemble.
Once String students are sufficiently advanced they are encouraged and prepared to audition for the Qld Youth Orchestras.
2. Fees, Terms & Length of Lesson Time
All fees except for Kinder Beat are charged by 10 week Term, payable in advance.
Kinder Beat is payable by 8 week Term and initial purchase of required book, in advance of commencement date.
Available lesson times are on a first come, first served basis. Preference given to ongoing and long term students. Check this website for current available times. A current student may not be prepared to swap a lesson time to accommodate a new student's desired time.
No lesson time will be locked in if Fees have not been paid, and you may lose your spot to another who wants that time and pays the Fees.
A %10 Discount for family members is only available to Term paying accounts and for a 3rd family member.
Young beginners, aged 4 only require a 15 or 20 minute weekly lesson. Beginners 5 years old and upwards have a 30 minute weekly lesson.
Students doing an A.M.E.B. Grade 3 exam (not Leisure Syllabus) require a 45 minute lesson.
Students doing Grade 4 A.M.E.B. or higher (not Leisure Syllabus) require a 60 minute lesson.
If only a 30 minute lesson can be managed then the student will require more months or Terms to cover the material. Piano students should switch to the Leisure syllabus and String students can switch to the Trinity College London syllabus if they can only manage a 30 minute lesson. Students will still make good progress.
Single 'pay as you go' lessons are available at an increased rate out of high demand times. Please check available lesson times listed on this site prior to contacting.
Inclusion in weekly FREE String Ensemble Session and FREE Piano Play Dates and FREE Zoom Theory and Aural classes are only available to paid Term Account students.
3. School Music Scholarships and Private Tuition Scholarships
Parents/care-givers should acquaint themselves with the requirements for School Scholarships well in advance, and understand the years of lessons and practice required to reach the higher AMEB Grades. Occasionally a parent who is unaware of the standards required, will expect a teacher to prepare a student with limited prior knowledge to a high level of playing within a year or two - which is impossible unless the child is a prodigy. Most Ipswich Private schools will be looking for an AMEB standard of Grade 6 or higher for Violin, Grade 4 or 5 for Cello, and Grade 3 or 4 may be acceptable for Viola and Bass. Scholarship Candidates should be able to provide a portfolio of AMEB (or other recognized body) Practical & Theory results, as well as Eisteddfod results, and Community performances. An Audition is then required. Private schools in Brisbane expect a higher level of achievement and are extremely competitive. Years of planning, practice, lessons and preparation are required to achieve a school music scholarship.
Piano students, regardless of level, are rarely offered Music Scholarships. However a good intermediate level piano student of Grade 3 or 4 may quickly develop skills on a much needed Viola or Double Bass. So that is worth considering 18 months to 2 years prior to audition.
Ipswich Music and Drama Academy Scholarships offer a reduction in Private Lesson Fees to excellent students in financial need. If, however, the student does not maintain excellent progress, the scholarship will be terminated.
4. Payment of Fees
Clients are required to provide full payment of term fees before a permanent class position will be allocated.
Ipswich Music and Drama Academy will not provide a refund on cancellation of lessons, however, the paid lessons are redeemable for any family member within the TERM.
5. Make Up Lessons due to illness or natural disaster.
In order to maintain the highest quality of music lessons for all students, Ipswich Music and Drama Academy will make every effort to re-schedule a lesson(s) when required. Prior notice of 24 hours must be provided of an absence to qualify for re-scheduling of a lesson. With a late notification of absence (i.e. less than 24 hours), the lesson can be re-scheduled given that there is a valid medical certificate.
If the student cannot re-schedule a lesson at any of the times offered by the teacher, his/her name will be added to the End of Term make up list for arranging a time during the school holidays.
Only two make-up classes for missed lessons per term can be entered on the End of Term make up list. Make up lessons are not transferable from term to term and refunds for further missed lessons are not available. Please note that the makeup lessons during the school term or school holidays may be scheduled with a different teacher.
A make-up lesson is not offered due to storms or traffic or head-aches. Obviously if there is a significant weather event e.g. roads cut due to flooding, then a lesson can be re-scheduled. If a student has a head-ache or feels tired, they can focus on theory.
If a student is unwell with a cold/flu, please notify in advance. Please wear a mask to the lesson and I will wear one also. If a student is ill with a stomach virus/vomiting etc, please notify in advance and do not attend the lesson. If you obtain a medical certificate, we can organise a make-up. I realize these sicknesses can come on suddenly.
Please ensure students understand the basic hygiene of hand washing, covering mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing, and using and disposing of their own tissues.
If a make-up lesson is arranged and subsequently a new enrollment is booked on the same slot, then priority will be given to the new enrollment and the current student will be offered another time-slot for the make-up lesson in consultation with the parent/care-giver.
If the lesson is cancelled due to a teacher absence the students will be notified by SMS, e-mail or phone. In this case, a makeup lesson will be arranged in consultation with the parent/care-giver. If the student then fails to attend the scheduled make-up lesson, no further make-up time will be provided i.e. you cannot have a make-up for a missed make-up. If you miss the make-up, that lesson is forfeited.
Where several lessons in a row are missed due to serious medical conditions, a credit toward lessons to be taken next term may be granted. A valid medical certificate must be provided. All such credits must be used in full during the next term and cannot be redeemed for cash. A refund of fees is not available under any circumstances.
6.Late Start
When a lesson is started late due to a student’s late arrival, the lesson will be completed on time and no make-up time will be offered.
When a lesson is started late due to a teacher’s late arrival, the lesson will be completed on time and a make-up lesson for the time that was missed will be offered.
7.Trial Lessons
Ipswich Music and Drama Academy offers all new enrollments, who are interested in takingindividual music classes, a trial lesson. The trial lesson is a single, non-lock-in music class and must be paid on the day of the arranged lesson.
The charges of the trial lesson are that of the official prices for music classes at Ipswich Music and Drama Academy (Fees are listed below). Trial lessons can only happen when there is available time, generally in the school holidays or some Sundays. Please look at the Book a Lesson page for available times for a Trial Lesson.
No trial lesson is provided for group classes as it is disruptive to students.
If you decide to further pursue music classes, after the trial lesson, I will invoice you accordingly. If, however, you decide against attending any classes then there will be no further charges for the rest of the term.
A trial lesson requires you to already have an instrument. String players bring their own instrument. Keyboard/piano players already own an instrument to practice on.
If you have no instrument and wish to discuss lessons and requirements in person, that can be arranged outside normal lesson times, at no charge.
Under no circumstances are potential students allowed to 'observe' a current student's lesson. A student is entitle to a private and discreet learning experience.
A Trial Lesson does not guarantee a place for future lessons. Depending on the outcome of the interview with regards to commitment levels, parental supervision, and whether a student has already developed poor technique from previous teaching, a student may or may not be offered ongoing tuition.
8. Extended Leave
If you will be going on an extended leave (e.g. holidays or business trips) during the school term, the timetable slot for your lesson will not be retained for you. The allocated slot for your lesson can be reserved for you only if 50% of the fees (for the time period of your leave) is paid.
9. Entrance for exams and eisteddfods will be at the discretion of the teacher and not the student or parent. Teachers are best suited to know when a student is ready for examination or competition. 10. Performance of original SCRIPTS, arrangements or compositions by Brenna Lee-Cooney or Eugene Gilfedder taught during lesson or group rehearsal must not be performed publicly or in competitions without written consent of Brenna Lee-Cooney or Eugene Gilfedder. 11.Purchase of an Instrument.
Every student needs an instrument and required appropriate music books. If buying a string instrument please seek advice from a professional string instrument shop eg. Simply for Strings, Animato, Ilya Grawert.
You will not buy a reliable and value for money instrument from a 'general' music shop, and there will be limited 'follow-up service'. A string instrument needs to be fitted to the player and instruments, shoulder rests, chin rests come in many shapes and sizes and a professional can assist you buy what is most appropriate.
Buying from Ebay, Gumtree or Cash Converters may seem a cheap option initially, but it is a risky venture that could end up being very expensive to fix.
If planning to learn Piano/Keyboard, then it is essential to own a piano or quality weighted keyboard with sufficient keys to simulate a piano. Old pianos that are severely out of tune or have keys missing are generally a poor investment and cannot be fixed easily without huge expense and are damaging to young players' aural development and technique.
If looking to buy an old piano, I can recommend a Piano Tuner to thoroughly inspect the instrument prior to purchase.
Alternatively many music shops will have a 'hire to buy' scheme, especially for more expensive instruments such as Pianos, Double Basses and Cellos.
12. Appropriate behaviour is expected during lessons; this includes
Friends who are brought to the lesson will be asked to wait outside or sit quietly in the Studio. Preferably - do not bring friends as this is your private learning environment. Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles are always welcome to attend a lesson. Friends are always welcome at Concerts.
No food or drink (other than a water bottle) is to be brought into the Studio
Appropriate clothing and footwear is to be worn to facilitate ease of playing
Impolite, rude and demanding initial inquiries, indicate a pattern of behaviour and interactions - and such parents are not encouraged to join the Studio.
Repeated inquiries with no subsequent follow-up or take up of lessons are 'noted' and will be disregarded in subsequent inquiries, unless there is a valid reason for having repeatedly inquired about lessons.
If correspondence via texts or emails is ignored, it will be assumed that you no longer want lessons. And no place will be held for you without Term payment.
Students who leave to 'try out' another teacher, or who take on a 'second teacher' will not be continued or re-admitted for lessons.
Threatening, violent or verbally abusive behaviour will not be tolerated. eg students who punch piano keys, pianos or drums, or threaten to damage their instrument will be asked to leave. It is the duty of parents/caregivers to ensure their child behaves acceptably.
This is a non-violent Studio and parents are expected to refrain from either physically or verbally abusing their or other children whilst on the premises.
If a student, parent or care-giver exhibits verbally abusive or violent behaviour or threats, or deliberately and consistently disregards the Terms and Conditions, the lessons will be terminated immediately and where appropriate, the behaviour will be reported to the relevant authorities. Under such extreme circumstances, no refund of Fees will be provided.
Feedback (Compliments, Suggestions, Complaints) Ipswich Music and Drama Academy aims to provide you and your children the best possible service. We take any complaints about our services very seriously and will implement the proper measures to resolve any issues that have arisen in a reasonable time frame. Any compliments or suggestions will always help us improve the quality of our services. If you are, at any time, unsatisfied with any part(s) of our services that we provide, please contact Brenna Lee-Cooney to further discuss the matter.
Update! New Tuition Fees in Accordance with MTAQ will commence for new students from Semester 2 2018. TERM FEES follow the Qld State School 10 week blocks. Individual lessons Beginner to level 6 AMEB or Trinity College 30 mins - $40 per week x 10 weeks = $400 60 mins - $80 per week x 10 weeks = $800 SINGLE 'Pay as you go' LESSONS (check available times on the Book a Lesson page) 30 mins - $45 per lesson 60 mins - $90 per lesson
General Knowledge, Analysis of Pieces and Aural Training Level 7 AMEB - Licentiate level 60 mins - $80 These are 'pay as you go' only. Check available times on the Book a Lesson page.
FRACTAL YOUTH THEATRE - MUSIC THEATRE- ACTING $25.00 per session. 10 sessions per term. Term Fees $250. There are no 'one-off' lessons available for group classes. Student intake is at the start of the school year. Classes have been suspended due to Covid.
Kinder Beat Pre-School Program Kinder Beat (Levels: 1, 2, 3 ) 30 mins Group of 4 45 mins Group of 5+ $15 per student per session. 10 sessions per Term Term Fees $150 Plus purchase of official Kinder Beat book/CD and toy There are no 'one-off' lessons available for group classes