Regular and Extra Lesson Terms and Policies
This webpage sets out the regular lesson terms and policies of Canary Music School Ltd (“the school”). It also contains provisions governing extra lessons. It does not include the terms and policies of other types of lessons (including trial lessons).
By signing up for, arranging payment for, and attending a regular lesson and extra lesson organised by the school, students and their parents or guardians (for students under 18) indicate their acceptance of the policies set out on this webpage.
On this webpage, the term "students & parents" refers to "students along with their parents (for students under 18)". The term "parents" refers to "parents or guardians".
This webpage is not the sole source of our terms and policies; it should be read in conjunction with any further communications provided by the school, including emails and forms. It should also be read together with our Privacy Policy and our Group Lesson Terms and Policies (once available).
The school may change its terms and policies from time to time. Please refer to our websites and review our communications for the latest terms and policies.
Please review this information carefully and contact us if you have any questions.
(Last updated: 19 Aug 2025)
Teaching Philosophy
Canary Music School is dedicated to providing high-quality instrumental, vocal and music lessons and workshops to students of all ages and levels. Our teachers are professional musicians.
Our main goal is to cultivate a profound appreciation for music, support students in reaching their potential, and guide them towards achieving their musical goals, whether for exam success, scholarship acquisition or personal enjoyment.
We organise two student concerts each year to encourage students to share their music with friends and family. These opportunities enrich the learning experience, motivate students, boost their self-confidence, and foster personal growth.
Regular Lesson
Regular lessons are scheduled at a consistent recurring time of the week, either weekly or fortnightly, as agreed between the school and parents and take place during the published term dates of our academic calendar.
Our teachers will reserve this time slot for the students.
Our academic year consists of six terms which take into account half-term breaks, school holidays, and bank holidays. For our term dates, please refer to: https://www.canarymusicschool.co.uk/term-dates/
Regular lessons represent a mutual commitment between students and teachers. This mutual commitment ensures consistent access to lessons, promotes steady student progress, and must be respected by all parties.
Details about regular lesson terms and policies are outlined below.
Extra Lesson
Extra lessons may be arranged for students who are already registered in regular lessons, subject to teacher availability.
Extra lessons are confirmed only once full payment has been received, and payment must be made at the time of booking. The payment schedule and lesson reservation provisions that apply to regular lessons do not apply to extra lessons. Extra lessons, once booked and paid, are non-refundable except where the school or teacher cancels.
Unless otherwise specified, all other terms and policies applicable to regular lessons (including safeguarding, attendance, behaviour, and rescheduling) apply equally to extra lessons.
Lesson Formats
(a) Lessons at Student’s Home
For the well-being and safety of our students and teachers, it is imperative that the home learning environment is safe and conducive to learning. Students & parents are responsible for ensuring that the learning area where lessons are conducted is safe, secure and free from any potential hazards (e.g. exposed wires, slippery floors, etc.)
The school and our teachers shall not be liable for any potential loss or damage arising from an unsafe home environment.
Students & parents must provide all required instruments and equipment in safe and good working condition.
For all students under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must be present at the home during the entire lesson. Students must not be left home alone with our teacher. If, upon arrival or during the lesson, the teacher finds that no parent or guardian is present, the teacher may cancel the lesson immediately for safeguarding reasons. In such cases, the lesson fee will be forfeited.
(b) Lessons at Our Teaching Centres
Some individual and group lessons may be organised at our teaching centres, currently including but not limited to Christ Church Isle of Dogs and Royal Wharf Community Dock.
All students must arrive and depart punctually. Lessons begin and end at the agreed time. Teachers cannot extend lessons to compensate for late arrival.
For students under the age of 18, parents or guardians must collect students promptly at the end of the lesson. Teachers have very full teaching and professional schedules and cannot supervise students beyond lesson time. If a student is left unsupervised because a parent or guardian is late to pick them up, the school and teachers cannot be held liable and responsible for their safety. Repeated lateness may result in a late collection fee or, in serious cases, a warning that could affect the student’s place at the school.
Parents are strongly advised to accompany students during the lesson, particularly for younger learners, to help them feel secure and supported.
Students & parents are expected to respect the venue environment. Food, drink, and disruptive behaviour are not permitted in lesson spaces. Facilities such as waiting areas and restrooms may vary depending on the venue and are not guaranteed.
Lesson times and availability are subject to venue schedules and may occasionally change due to church, community, or external events. In such cases, the school will provide as much notice as possible and arrange a make-up lesson or refund if a suitable alternative cannot be scheduled.
Surveillance devices (including CCTV cameras) may be present in our teaching centres. These may or may not be monitored directly by the school. By arranging lessons at our teaching centres, students & parents acknowledge and agree that their image and, where applicable, their voice may be captured by the surveillance system.
The school and our teachers shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or injury occurring within the venue, except where caused by our negligence.
(c) Online Lessons
No refunds will be given for poor internet connection during online lessons. This is because the school incurs technical costs such as subscription to Zoom services and is contractually obliged to provide notice to teachers, which cannot usually be recovered if lessons are cancelled at short notice.
If there are concerns about internet connection stability, a trial lesson can be arranged before committing to regular lessons. However, once a student & parent decides to go ahead with regular online lessons, the school cannot issue refunds for paid lessons in relation to subsequent complaints related to internet connection.
Booking Timeline & Lesson Slot Reservation
We follow a strict booking timeline and first-come, first-served system to ensure fairness and fulfil our contractual duty to give teachers sufficient notice of any changes to their teaching schedule.
It’s important that we receive timely confirmation from students & parents ahead of a new term to ensure efficient planning of our teaching schedule. Any lesson slots not fully confirmed through completion of the payment process may be offered to students on our waiting list.
How it works:
30 days before the new term, we email each student (or parents) to ask whether you’d like to continue lessons next term and whether you will miss any lessons. This is the 3‑day “Confirmation Period”. During this Confirmation Period, students & parents may apply for rescheduling or cancellation, but each student is allowed only one lesson change or cancellation per term (as detailed below under “Requests for Rescheduling by Students & Parents”). This limit includes requests made during the Confirmation Period and throughout the term.
If we don’t hear back within the Confirmation Period, we will assume students & parents are continuing and available for all lessons, and we will issue term invoices accordingly.
From invoice date, students & parents regular lesson slots are reserved for 7 days. This is your “Reservation Period”. To secure your regular lesson slot, payment must be paid in full within this period. If payment is not made, the regular lesson slot may be offered to other students on our waiting list.
Important Notes:
Lesson changes (rescheduling or cancellation) requested after the Confirmation Period (but still within the Reservation Period) may result in a revised invoice. Nonetheless, the Reservation Period deadline will not be extended.
We cannot reserve a regular lesson slot for students if they pause or discontinue lessons.
Once a student confirms a regular lesson time following their first trial with the school, the Regular and Extra Lesson Terms and Policies (as revised from time to time) apply immediately and will continue to govern all future regular and extra lessons and subsequent terms with the school.
Lesson fees are non-refundable once lessons are paid, except as expressly stated in these terms (for example, where a refund may be given upon a valid request for rescheduling under “Requests for Rescheduling by Students & Parents” below) or as required under applicable laws. This is because the school incurs venue hire costs and is contractually obliged to provide notice to teachers. These costs cannot usually be recovered if lessons are cancelled at short notice.
Attendance and Punctuality
Regular attendance is essential for musical progress.
Students are responsible for attending their lessons at their reserved lesson time.
Missed lessons, except under specific circumstances as detailed at “Requests for Rescheduling by Students & Parents”, will not be refunded or rescheduled.
Students must arrive on time for their lessons. If a lesson is shortened due to a student's late arrival, or if a student needs to end the lesson early for any reason, we cannot reschedule or make up the missed time because our teachers typically have other students or commitments immediately afterward.
If students are late for more than 15 minutes for an in-person or online lesson, teachers may consider the lesson forfeited without refund and teachers may leave the lesson location or online teaching platform.
Safeguarding and Child Protection
The school is fully committed to safeguarding and child protection. We strive to provide a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for all students.
Any safeguarding concerns reported to the school, including those raised with our teachers, will be treated seriously and addressed in line with our school’s procedures. If you have a safeguarding concern, you may also contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead at jessica@canarymusicschool.co.uk
If you require a copy of our Safeguarding Policy, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead at jessica@canarymusicschool.co.uk to request a copy.
Rescheduling Lessons
Requests for Rescheduling by Students & Parents
Regular lessons are crucial for music learning so we encourage our students to commit to their lesson schedules with the school.
In the event of illness, family emergency or school events, students can reschedule or cancel one regular lesson per term provided that 24 hours’ advance notice is given to the school at info@canarymusicschool.co.uk. In such cases, we will try to schedule a makeup lesson. If a suitable time cannot be agreed upon between the school and the students, students will receive a refund of the missed lesson. If notice is not given in accordance with this term, the lesson is forfeited without refund.
Further terms and policies about makeup lessons are detailed under “Makeup Lessons” below.
Requests for Rescheduling by the School & Teachers
While we strive to offer lessons regularly, our teachers are busy professional musicians and may not be available on certain weeks due to other commitments like performance. However, we will always do our best to provide as much advance notice as possible to students and parents in such cases.
If our teachers are unavailable to give lessons, students may choose to:
(a) receive makeup lessons on another day. Further terms and policies about makeup lessons are detailed under “Makeup Lessons” below;
(b) receive their lessons taught by a deputy teacher (subject to availability and as detailed under “Changes to Lesson Arrangements” below); or
(c) receive refunds for the missed lesson.
Makeup Lessons
Makeup lessons can only be scheduled under the terms and policies outlined under “Requests for Rescheduling by Students & Parents” and “Requests for Rescheduling by the School & Teachers”.
Makeup lessons are arranged by mutual agreement between students & parents and the school regarding the time, format and location.
By accepting in writing a proposed makeup lesson arrangement, students & parents agree to waive any right to refund or fee adjustment for differences in lesson format or arrangement. For example, if a lesson is scheduled in a different location, or if a shorter lesson is scheduled to replace a longer lesson, no reimbursement will be given.
If a scheduled makeup lesson is missed, it cannot be rescheduled again and is forfeited without refund.
Payment Method
The school accepts payments for regular lessons and extra lessons through payment links. Students & parents will need to provide their credit/debit card details which are processed by an external third party platform, Squareup Pte. Ltd.
We endeavour to select secure payment services but shall not be liable for any losses or errors resulting from the use of this payment platform.
Any payment issues and concerns must be addressed directly with the payment platform. Please review their terms carefully before making a payment.
Changes to Lesson Arrangements
Each student is assigned a main teacher for each instrument they learn with us. The main teacher is responsible for providing the student’s regular lessons, and extra lessons upon request (subject to availability). Where a main teacher is temporarily unavailable, the school may offer a deputy teacher, who is vetted. Parents will be informed in advance and may choose to accept or decline a deputy teacher substitution. If declined, a refund or rescheduling with the main teacher will be offered instead.
If students & parents want to change their regular lesson time, format (in-person or online), location or main teacher in the middle of a term, this can be discussed on a case-by-case basis, subject to availability. Students & parents are strongly advised to notify the school as early as possible, as this makes it easier for us to assess availability and improves the chance of accommodation. The school may not be able to accommodate all requests and cannot issue refunds for lessons already paid.
If the school needs to change lesson time, format, location or main teacher, the school will notify the students & parents as soon as possible. Changes will only be made if that is agreed by students & parents.
Communication
All communications between students, parents and the school (including requests for lesson rescheduling or cancellations and notice of termination) should be conducted by email at info@canarymusicschool.co.uk.
Any email sent before 5pm on a business day (a day, other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in England, when banks in London are open for business) will be deemed delivered on the same day. Emails sent after 5pm or on a non-business day will be deemed delivered on the next business day.
Students & parents should ensure their contact information is up-to-date and regularly monitor their emails for any communications from the school.
Alternative communication channels (such as WhatsApp and telephone call) are not regularly monitored and thus any communication made via alternative communication channels may not be received timely by the school. Thus, they do not count as valid communication under this policy.
Lesson Materials
Lesson fees cover lesson time and operational expenses (such as concert venue hire and programs), but not the cost of music scores or other learning materials.
While our teachers will try to provide links to free online sheet music, students must purchase required music scores if it is not available.
Students must also bring all necessary lesson materials to the lessons.
Exams, Concerts, Scholarship and Activities
Students interested in exams, external concerts, competition, scholarships or other external music activities should first discuss with their main teachers. It is important so their main teachers can support them achieving their musical goals and set realistic yet appropriately challenging goals for a rewarding experience.
Students must email the school about their exam plans. Students are responsible to apply for exams and secure their preferred exam date.
Students are responsible for all costs associated with exams, concerts, scholarship and other external music activities. There may be application fees for signing up for student concerts organised by the school.
Our teachers work hard to support students achieving their musical goals, and our students usually achieve satisfactory results in exams. However, the school and our teachers cannot be held responsible if our students do not achieve their desired results in exam, audition or scholarship outcome.
Practice Guidelines
Regular and dedicated practice is essential for progress.
Parental support is crucial, especially for younger students.
Students & parents with any concerns about progress should discuss with their main teachers and the school.
Students & parents must ensure a suitable instrument is available at home for practice outside lesson time. Consistent practice on an appropriate instrument is vital for building skills and achieving musical goals.
Health and Behaviour at Lessons
If a student is sick, ill, unwell, asleep, misbehaving, disruptive or physically threatening to others (including other students, our teachers or other parents) during a lesson, our teacher has the right to stop a lesson immediately without a refund.
If such behaviour persists, the school may permanently discontinue lessons for that student.
Force Majeure
The school shall not be liable or responsible for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under these terms where such failure or delay is caused by events outside the school’s reasonable control. Such events may include but are not limited to public health restrictions, strikes, lock-outs, industrial action, extreme weather, venue closures, power outages, or acts of government or regulatory authority.
In such circumstances, the school will use reasonable efforts to provide alternative arrangements (such as rescheduling, online provision, or refunds where appropriate), but cannot guarantee full continuity of lessons. If lessons cannot continue for an extended period due to a force majeure event, the school may issue refunds for prepaid lessons that cannot reasonably be delivered.
Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the school’s liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from or in connection with lessons shall be limited to the total fees paid for the lessons giving rise to the claim. This does not exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.
Termination
Students & parents must give at least 30 calendar days’ advance notice at info@canarymusicschool.co.uk to the school by email if they decide to discontinue lessons. This allows us to fulfil our contractual duty to give teachers sufficient notice of any changes to their teaching schedule.
Lessons already paid within the notice period will continue. Refunds apply only to fees paid beyond the notice period (if any).
The school reserves the right to stop lessons immediately if the students & parents repeatedly violate our terms and policies (such as failure to pay lesson fees on time).