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Original poster

Need advice re music tuition

36 replies

EvilTwinsAteRudolph · 17/12/2010 19:53

I'm coming at this from the POV of a teacher, and would like to hear some POV from parents please.

I'm Head of Performing Arts at a secondary school - newly returned to post after 4 yrs off as SAHM. Same school though (lucky coincidence) One of my jobs is sorting out peripatetic music tuition. We had a really slow (and small) take up this year - rural area, low income families, credit cruch etc. We always say that unless 2 or more students want to learn the same instrument, we can't offer it, as single lessons are expensive - the county music service bills us, and we pass the cost on to parents, splitting it into termly amounts, and dividing by the number of students in the lesson (usually group lesson of between 2 and 4 (not ideal, IMO, but the way it seems to have been done for years). About 3 weeks into term, it came to my notice that one student - a lovely Yr 8 boy, was having an individual lesson with one of the peri teachers, which I had no idea about - it wasn't arranged via me or school - the boy's mum had (I think) sorted it out directly with the teacher, as he taught the boy last year too. I spoke to the mother about this - just let her know that it wasn't the usual way to sort it, and that school had to arrange it with County. Thing is, he's the only one learning this instrument, and so when we got the bill from county, we've had no option but to pass on the whole thing to her. She's livid - our letter (which she did not wait for before arranging her son's lesson, and hasn't signed and returned the slip anyway) states a certain amount per lesson, and of course she's been landed with a bill for double that.

I need to contact her to sort this out, but would value some opinions from wise MNers as to how to handle it - how would you feel in her position?

TIA

OP posts:
NoahAndTheWhale · 17/12/2010 23:28

Where we are, you apply to the County Music Service and it is clearly stated how much lessons would be in the event of your child being in a small group of 2, 3 or 4 (not sure if you can do individual lessons or not).

It goes through the school inasmuch as there only are certain instruments offered at the school (is a primary school) but the billing is all direct with parents.

flowerytaleofNewYork · 17/12/2010 23:25

Did the letter actually say it had to be arranged through the school though? Did she know she wasn't allowed to sort it with the teacher directly?

If the letter said the school would be unable to run lessons without enough students and there must be at least two, she probably thought it was ok for this particular instrument as the teacher had gone ahead with the arrangement rather than saying no, as he/she ought to have done. And then the mother had a letter confirming the hourly rate was as she thought.

cat64 · 17/12/2010 23:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
EvilTwinsAteRudolph · 17/12/2010 22:15

Just to clarify, at the beginning of term, I spoke to County Music Services, to clarify a) which instruments they were able to offer and b) what they would be charging this year. I then sent a letter to parents of any student expressing an interest in music tuition stating that the hourly rate was £XXX (works out at £35ish per term) but that we would be unable to run lessons if there were not sufficient students, and that there must be at least two students for each instrument. This is exactly what happened last year, so the mother in question ought to have been aware of the procedure. This particular boy did not return a letter (all parents have to sign to say that they understand costs etc and that lessons are to be paid for termly). I realised that he was having his lessons before I had actually called County Music to arrange which tutors would be coming in, which is why I spoke to his mother. She was lovely, but quite obviously unaware of how expensive music lessons can be - she was keen for her son to take up a second instrument, but thought that she was more likely to find a cheaper teacher if she looked independently rather than going through school.

I guess I'm just going to have to phone her and tell her that she was wrong to go ahead with arrangements without the school's agreement and that the cost is up to her to cover.

OP posts:
DanZZZenAroundTheTreeAgain · 17/12/2010 20:28

I'm a bit surprised though that it did not occur to her that a private lesson would be more expensive than a group lesson with 3 participants.

flowerytaleofNewYork · 17/12/2010 20:17

Sounds as though she was wrong/ignorant of procedure to arrange the lessons directly, assumed they would be £70 then received a letter confirming that cost.

flowerytaleofNewYork · 17/12/2010 20:16

If she was written to stating her son's lessons would cost £70 how can you justifiably charge her £140? Did the letter say anything like 'lessons are £70 when given in twos because the cost is split'?

DanZZZenAroundTheTreeAgain · 17/12/2010 20:09

"our letter (which she did not wait for before arranging her son's lesson, and hasn't signed and returned the slip anyway) states a certain amount per lesson, and of course she's been landed with a bill for double that."

Who sent her the letter with the incorrect sum on it? Someone has failed to notify her that as it is a private lesson (as in 1:1) she will need to pay the total amount as I see it, presumably the teacher with whom she directly organised the whole thing, bypassing the standard procedure for some reason.

Not sure how to resolve this really.

harpsichordcarrier · 17/12/2010 20:02

Music lessons are clearly charged per hour and will be more if it's one to one. £140 is about right isn't it?

So, what did the letter say?
Has she been misled?

Original poster
EvilTwinsAteRudolph · 17/12/2010 19:58

It's about £140. She was expecting it to be about £70 - two term's worth of weekly lessons. She'll be basing it on what she paid last year, when her son was one of a group of 3 students learning the same instrument together.

OP posts:
harpsichordcarrier · 17/12/2010 19:56

OK let me be clear about this - she arranged these lessons without sorting out the cost in advance? and she did it privately? then she CAN'T complain imo.
How much is it, out of interest?