information for students
lesson fees
Lessons are currently (2022/23) charged as follows:
30 minutes: £20.00
Ideal for younger children and adult beginners up to Grades 2/3
45 minutes: £30.00
Ideal for adults and older children around Grades 4-5, or those approaching exams
60 minutes: £40.00
Ideal for advanced students at Grades 6-8.
Payment can be made either via bank transfer or in cash on the day of your lesson. Once we have an established working relationship, the option to pay monthly is offered.
location of lessons
Lessons take place in Sydenham, SE26 about a ten minute walk from either Sydenham or Forest Hill mainline stations. A frequently-running bus stops nearby, or, if you are driving, there is also plentiful unrestricted parking on the road outside.
Update July 2021: In-person lessons are now available after the lifting of COVID restrictions. Online lessons via Zoom are still available for those who prefer not to attend in person, or those who aren't local to me.
trial lessons
New students are very welcome to come for an individual trial lesson with no obligation to see if we are a good fit for each other. This will be charged at the usual rate. If you decide to continue lessons with me, you will be allocated a weekly slot at a time convenient for both of us.
instruments
It (hopefully!) goes without saying that you’ll need an instrument for your lessons, and, since most of your progress will come from the work you put in at home, to practice on in between lessons. If you do not have an instrument, I have a spare clarinet that you may try for your trial lesson – please ask in advance.
I usually recommend that my beginning students hire an instrument if they do not already have one, as this is a very good low-obligation way to get started. You can hire a clarinet or a saxophone via the scheme run by Dawkes Music, which is excellent value for money from a respected local company; a proportion of your hire fees can be put towards the cost of an instrument if you decide to continue.
For more in-depth information about options for instrument purchase/rental, see this article.
cancellation policy
If you need to rearrange or cancel a lesson, please give 24 hours notice to avoid being charged for a missed lesson. Lessons cancelled on the day will not be chargeable if another slot within the same week can be found. Lessons cancelled without 24 hours notice must be paid for in full.
lesson times
Please come at your allotted lesson time, as I often teach back to back and do not have a waiting area. Parents are very welcome to sit in on lessons with their child; this can be beneficial in terms of helping you to direct their practice at home!