TERMS OF SERVICE AGREEMENT
*By enrolling into our academy, we thank you for accepting and respecting the following terms and conditions, policies and procedures:
General lesson procedures
All students must adhere to the scheduled booking time as discussed at the beginning of the term. Any changes or exceptions are at the discretion of the teacher in accordance with the lesson timetable and is subject to availability. This ensures our academy remains consistent and fair with our bookings, and students can have a reliable and secure lesson schedule at all times.
If parents or legal guardians are present at the lesson, we ask to refrain from communicating with students and teachers during lessons. Exceptions include: reasonable instances whereby teachers relay information (such as homework and practice requirements). This is to ensure our lessons run on time and as structured.
Casual Lessons
Casual lessons are offered and due to bookings, are subject to availability. All casual classes will align with our INSPIRE program. Payments for casual lessons are to be made at least 7 days prior to the lesson to secure the date and time. We do not offer refunds for change of mind.
Punctuality
Students are encouraged to arrive to their lesson 5-10 minutes early in order to be relaxed and prepared for their lesson. It is expected that students will bring their materials to each lesson.
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Without any given notice, students who do not arrive within the first 10 minutes of their lesson will result in a non-refundable cancellation.
Students are expected to arrive on time for their scheduled lesson. Lessons that start late due to student tardiness will not be extended.
Please be advised that upon the arrival of your lesson, a lesson may be in progress. Therefore, we ask that you please patiently wait under the awning outside our studio until your session time begins so it does not obstruct or distract the lesson in progress.
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Video/Sound Recording
If you intend to take a video for online publishing, please advise us beforehand. Please do not record your lesson without your teacher knowing and kindly note that teachers may not want to be featured in the video/sound recording (we may not be camera ready!). Sound recording during lessons for the purposes of personal study (and not for online publishing) is permitted in consultation with the teacher.
Our Portal
Upon joining our academy, a one-off payment of $20.00 + GST is required to generate a student profile within the MyMusicStaff portal.
MyMusicStaff is our lesson management portal. Within this portal you will receive your own login whereby you can see all lesson schedules, access educational resources, be notified of any changes or updates to your weekly lessons, receive any news updates and allows you to communicate with us in an efficient and easy way. In addition, MyMusicStaff, sends friendly reminders via SMS or Email regarding lesson bookings, cancellations or reschedules. In addition, this portal also provides access to your vocal workouts and any tailored resources such as recordings, worksheets and more.
Cancellations
A minimum of 24-hour cancellation notice is required to qualify for a makeup lesson. Cancellations made in less than 24 hours will incur full fees with the exception of emergencies. Written notice via email/text must be provided 24 hours prior to the lesson.
Students under the age of 18 are not permitted to cancel their own lessons as we may not be in a position to confirm that parents are aware of the cancellation and the safety and location of the student. Cancellations must come from parents/guardians. If we receive a cancellation from a minor, we will contact parents for confirmation.
Due to a high demand for our tutors and our limited lesson availability, students will incur a 30% penalty of the total term fees if a significant amount (4+ lessons) of cancellations occur during the term, or there is a cancellation of enrolment.
We kindly ask students and families to check the MyMusicStaff login frequently to lesson times and potential lesson changes. Rise Academy of Music highly appreciates open and honest communication and expect a high level of student/parent responsibility regarding lesson bookings.
Make-up Lessons
Makeup lessons are non-refundable, and in the event that a student is unable to confirm any of the proposed available dates provided by the academy, the makeup lesson will also be considered forfeited. Due to high demand, we cannot guarantee your place will be available in the event of a change of mind. It is important to note that makeup lessons must be utilized within the designated term to remain valid. It's important to note that rescheduling makeup lessons is not permissible once booked. If a student is unable to attend the agreed-upon makeup lesson date, the lesson will be forfeited.
For those enrolled in a 10-week term, only two makeup lessons are available. Participants in a 5-week term receive one makeup lesson credit, while casual lessons do not accrue any makeup credits.
In cases where a teacher cancels a lesson, a makeup lesson will be arranged, contingent upon availability. If the regular tutor is unavailable for a makeup lesson, another specialist tutor will conduct the lesson. Occasionally, our teachers, who are also professionals, may have prior commitments. In such cases, lesson bookings will be rescheduled within the term, subject to the tutor's availability. If rescheduling is not feasible, the lesson fee will be credited towards the following term.
Illness
For the health and safety of our staff and students at our academy we ask all students to refrain from attending any classes if they experience any signs or symptoms of illness. If the teacher deems the student unwell upon the arrival of the lesson, the teacher has the right to forfeit the lesson.
In the instance that a student is unwell, please provide 24-hour notice to us via phone or email. Our cancellation policies apply to cases of illness however, teacher discretion is used to determine whether a make-up lesson is required and is subject to availability.
Online Lessons
Skype/Zoom Username: Rise Academy of Music
Online Lessons are made via Skype or Zoom (if requested) and are offered to our international students and to those who may be travelling or are currently on tour. Online lessons are also offered as an alternative when students or teachers are experiencing symptoms of illness but feel well enough to sing or teach. This ensures the safety and hygiene of our teachers and students without missing a lesson.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they have the proper setup and internet connection for these lessons. Missing your scheduled booking time without reasonable explanation will forfeit the lesson (refer to cancellation policy). If you are late for your online lessons without notice, the teacher will wait and keep the class open for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the teacher will end the session and the lesson will be forfeited.
At request, online lessons can be recorded via Rise Academy of Music and will be provided to you for your own private learning. Confidentiality agreement applies and must not be shared publicly or for any other reason than your own personal learning resource.
Online Etiquette
In order to optimise our online lessons, we would like to introduce a few points of etiquette to follow. These are;
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Please place your camera/ computer at head height where possible. We want to be able to see your torso and head when standing up to observe proper breath support.
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A plain background like white is preferred.
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Please ensure you have adequate lighting so we can see your face
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A quiet space free of distraction is essential
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No use of mobile phone, messaging is permitted during the lesson
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Please keep siblings, relatives and pets out of the space as this can be a distraction
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Please have a your vocal workouts and backing tracks prepared prior to lesson commencement
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Students are expected to dress appropriately at all times similar to a face-to-face lesson.
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Please ensure you keep some room temperature water or tea nearby to consume during the lesson
Any students who displays inappropriate behaviour or abuses the online video platform will forfeit their lesson.
Payments
Lesson fees must be made two weeks prior to term commencement of the 5 week or 10 week course.
A 10% discount applies for 10 week vocal courses that are paid in full, two weeks prior to commencement.
If payment is not received by the due date (two weeks prior to term commencement), lessons will be forfeited and offered to the next available student.
Payments for casual lessons are to be made at least 7 days prior to the lesson to secure the date and time. We do not offer refunds for change of mind for casual lessons. We allow a maximum of two makeup lessons per term, per student.
Music, Materials & External Performances:​
Rise Academy of Music will supply photocopies where sources are available, backing tracks, and vocal warmups are complimentary for all students in all programs who book a 10-week term. HSC and/or professional singers who require our teachers/singers to travel and/or perform at rehearsals, external performances, examinations and/or auditions, a fee applies.
Bullying & Harassment Policy
Rise Academy of Music is committed to each student’s success in learning within a nurturing dedicated, and safe environment that is free of any discrimination, violence, and bullying.
We require all students to maintain respectful behaviour in all lessons, and all activities associated with the academy and towards teachers and fellow students/singers, and parents. We also require all students and families to display respect towards our students and teachers in all online correspondence, including social media, email and/or related forums.
Our teachers have the right to withhold all services from students in instances where disrespectful behaviour towards our teachers and/or any of our students (online, in studio or externally, such as school concerts) is displayed.
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Child Safety Policy
Our studio adheres to the state guidelines, policies and principles on child safety in accordance with the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian. We have a specific child-safe policy in place and welcome parents/guardians to read this policy.
If students are permitted to travel alone to their lesson (such as from school), by their parent/guardian; please advise us of this. In typical circumstances, and for young students, parents are required to drop-off and pick-up their child as close to their lesson/class time as possible. If a student is required to be dropped off earlier or picked up later, please let us know and we will endeavour to accommodate this where possible.
Privacy
With respect for our tenants, please be aware that the physical address of our studio must remain confidential at all times and is provided for bookings and registered students only. The location and physical address of our studio must not be publically displayed on any form of the World Wide Web including, social media posts or comments. However, providing only the suburb of our studio and/or our PO Box address [Po Box 7 Forestville NSW 2087], is permitted and can be provided in all forms.
Confidentiality Agreement
Rise Academy prides itself on quality pedagogy, respect, and care for all our students. As part of being a part of the community, we ask that all materials, lessons, structures, recordings and information obtained from the school remain solely for private student use and rehearsal (refer to Video/Sound Recording section). These materials are the essence of the school and we kindly ask them not to be shared publically or on any social platform without proper authority and permission.