General

Do you need an Instrument to practice on?

Yes, students need one to practice on a regular basis.

Who should I contact about confirming my lessons or being absent from lessons?

Your tutor is the first point of contact for any and all lesson bookings, scheduling and absences. Their contact details can be found under Studio Info in the My Music Staff Portal.

Do schools notify tutors of student absences?

No. Primary, Intermediate and High Schools DO NOT notify tutors of student absences. It is the Parent and Student's responsibility to do this for ANY and ALL absences. Some schools may notify a tutor out of courtesy but this is not a requirement or responsibility of schools.

Where can I find my lesson times?

Your lesson bookings can be found or viewed on the My Music Staff Portal from the Home or Calendar page. Some schools will have the timetable posted up on the music room noticeboard.

How do I access the My Music Staff Portal?

When your enrolment has been confirmed and your lessons are booked in, you will receive a Website Login via email with a link and instructions to create password. If you have forgotten your password, contact Jade to reset your login.

How much practice should I be doing?

For beginners you should aim for at least 20mins a day or as often as possible, sometimes multiple times a day. For students getting lessons after one year, or NCEA assessments, at least 30mins or more per day is strongly recommended.
 

Are there lessons in the holidays?

No lessons during Term Holidays, Public Holidays or Christmas and Summer Holidays unless specified and arranged with your tutor.

Can I hire Instruments?

Possibly. Please check with Jade for availably.

What happens to my lessons at the end of the term or year?

As mentioned in the Terms & Conditions, your lessons are ongoing until discontinued. This means your lessons will be scheduled and carried over into the next school term or year automatically until you request you lesson to be discontinued by contacting your Tutor or JD Music.

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Accounts, Payments and Invoices

Where can I find my account balance?

Login to your My Music Staff Portal and click on the Account & Invoices page.

What bank account do I pay for lessons?

Bank details can be found at the bottom of your Invoices.

How do I pay for lessons?

Online payments are the easiest and most reliable way to pay for your lessons especially if you have set it up for regular weekly payments. If lessons cancel, your weekly payments will keep you in credit for future lessons.

Why are Invoices sent in advance? 

Tutors need to be paid for the lessons they have taught without waiting for payments to come through. In the past we used to invoice after lesson’s occurred but encountered serious problems with parents / caregivers not paying on time which affected the Tutor’s income.

How many days do I have to pay an invoice?

You have 28 days to pay your invoice. The due date is found in the top right corner of your invoice.

What happens if I miss a payment or forget to pay my invoice?

Two things will happen. You will received an auto-generated email reminder of what is owing from your current invoice and your balance owing will be applied to the next invoice (if payment is not received by the next Invoice).

Why hasn't my payment shown up on the portal yet?

Payments have to be manually entered into the system. This can sometimes take up to 48hrs but may be delayed further if you have chosen to pay on a Public Holiday, Long Weekends or over Summer Holidays.

Why did I receive an Invoice Reminder?

If you had not paid for an invoice in full  by the specified due date, then an automated email reminder will be sent to you. This can also happen even if you paid the full amount on the due date because the administrator was unable to process the payment manually before the auto-generated email was sent.

Why is there a "Balance Forward" on my Invoice?

If you have not paid your previous invoice in full, or if you have an amount owing from previous lessons then the amount owing will be carried forward into the next invoice.

Do I pay the full amount even if I know a lesson cancelled?

If possible Yes. This is because invoices are sent to you in advance under the assumption that all lesson will go ahead as planned. Any lessons that are cancelled or rescheduled after the invoice was generated will not appear on pre-made invoices, but they will appear on your portal Account and Invoices. Any credit from cancellations will show up on the next invoice, but only if you have paid before the due date and have paid the full amount.

Why is there a Balance Forward on my next Invoice even though I have paid the previous invoice?

This can occur if you made a payment after the due date around the same time the new invoice was generated. Payments have to be manually processed and entered into the system. 

Why are the dates on my invoice different to the ones on my portal account?

This is because invoices are sent out in advance. Any changes or alterations to your scheduled lessons will not appear on these pre-generated invoices. You can follow or check any charges made from the Account tab and click on the Calendar icon to adjust the date.

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Lessons

What happens to my lesson if I'm sick or absent?

Your account will still be charged because the tutor is already present at your lesson and reserves your spot each week for you and time set aside for planning and preparing your lesson. If you are able to give 24hrs notice, your tutor can issue a Make-Up credit which you can exchange for a Make-Up lesson at a later date.

How do I cancel a lesson?

You can cancel lessons by contacting your tutor directly via email or txt

What is a Make-up Credit?

A Make-Up Credit is a unit of measuring how many Make-Up Lessons are owing. They are NOT cash /currency, or a cash / credit transfer, or reimbursement. Think of them as a point system to track a cancelled lesson so that a Make-Up Lesson can be scheduled at a later date. You can book Make-Up Lessons from the Home or Calendar page on the My Music Staff Portal.

What is a Make-Up lessons?

A Catch-Up lesson is an extra lesson that is not your usual time in order to make up for a previously missed lesson where 24hrs notice was given.

Can I use Make-Up Credits at my next usual lesson time?

No. It is preferred you arrange a separate time for a Make-Up Lesson outside of your normal lessons. This is because you have already been invoiced in advance for scheduled lessons and helps minimize the confusion to your overall account balance and invoices. In some cases where the tutor has limited options for Make-Up Lessons, you may negotiate alternatives with your tutor.

 How do I schedule a Make-Up Lesson

Contact your tutor directly to arrange this by emailing them. Their email address is found on the My Music Staff Portal from the Contact Info page.

Do Make-Up credits expire?

Yes. They expire after 60 days from being issued. You must contact your Tutor and schedule a Make-Up Lesson before they expire.

What happens to my lesson if the tutor is sick?

The Lesson will be cancelled and there is no charge to your account. There is also no need for a Make-Up credit or Make-Up lesson since there is no charge for the cancelled lesson by the tutor.

How are attendances marked?

Your attendance can be marked in several ways and can be viewed on the My Music Staff Portal from the Attendance & Notes page:

• Unrecorded - The lesson has not occurred yet or has not yet been marked off by the tutor.
• Present - Student and Tutor both attended the lesson. This will be charged to your account.
• Present, Use Make-Up Credit - Student and Tutor were present for a Make-Up Lesson. There is no charge made to your account. Make-Up Credit is deducted.
• Absent, Give Make-Up Credit - Student was absent but was able to give 24hrs notice and was issued a Make-Up credit. This will be charged to your account.
• Absent, Use Make-Up Credit - Student did not attend the Make-Up Lesson and the Make-Up credit was used in the student’s absence. There is no charge to your account. Make-Up Credit is deducted.
• Absent, No Makeup - The Student did no attend the lesson and did not provide notice within 24hrs. This will be charged to your account.
• Absent, Notice Given - Student did not attend lesson for other reasons and there is no charge to your account and no Make-Up credit issued. Only under unique circumstances does this occur.
• Teacher Absent, No Make-Up - Tutor did not attend lesson and gives notice to parents, school and students. There is no charge to your account and no Make-Up Credit issued.

Can I cancel lessons for a period of time without charges?

Depends. You may cancel lessons and can negotiate with your tutor but may fall under the Terms & Conditions. Other arranged plans with the tutor will be at their discretion. Lessons cannot be reserved as there may be students on the waiting list that tutors could be teaching. Alternatively you can email JD Music and request discontinuing your lessons. You can ask to be placed on the waiting list or re-enrol when you can commit to lessons again.

When do lesson finish?

Lesson are ongoing from each term to the next, and from one year onto the next until you decide to discontinue lessons by emailing Jade with 3 days notice. Tutors will notify you of school start and end dates.

Jade may suspend or discontinue your lessons if your attendance is sporadic or if you have not been paying for your fees on time.

Can I reschedule my Lessons for a different time or day?

Yes. Please contact your tutor directly to find out the times available. In some cases there may not be alternative times available and you’ll have to either keep your usual lesson time or inquire with your tutor about group lessons.

Can I sign up for group lessons?

Yes you can but this is always limited by the number of students that are available to form a group and depending on similar age and skill level. It's always best to sign up with a friend or family member when just starting out but tutors are open to having a mixed variety of skill levels and ages if all party members are ok with it.

Why was I not given a group lesson when I requested one on the enrolment page?

If no group lessons are available, Tutors will always email and notify you and ask if you are ok with individual lessons instead or a shorter lesson time e.g. Half-Hour changed to 20mins. Group lessons depend on the number of groups and students that are available as well as similar age and skill level.

What happens if I miss my lessons?

Your account is still charged because the time is reserved and set aside for you. The tutor has already set time aside to be present at your lesson and time is not refundable. You can however receive a Make-Up Credit if 24hrs notice is given in order to exchange for a Make-Up lesson.

What if I miss my Make-Up Lesson?

Your Make-Up Credit is used and redeemed and you cannot schedule another Make-Up Lesson. This is because the tutor has already scheduled extra time outside of your normal lesson time for a previously missed lesson.

How do I stop my lessons?

Contact Jade to discontinue your lessons with the date you'd like to stop.

What happens if I’m late for a lesson but still attend a portion of it?

Your lesson starts at your scheduled time regardless of late attendance. If you miss 10mins of your 20min lesson then you only have 10mins left. Tutors will often have other lessons after yours and cannot go over time as this is unfair to other student lessons.

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Band Practice

Do Make-Up credits work for Rock band?

No. Make-Up credits only apply to Instrument lessons.

What happens if I am away or sick for a Band Rehearsal?

Your account or school account is still charged and you will be marked as Absent, No Make-Up.

What happens if the Tutor is away or sick for a Band Rehearsal?

There will be no charge to your account or school account and the tutor will notify you and the rest of the band. Your attendance will be marked as Teacher Absent, No Make-Up.