TERMS AND CONDITIONS
AKA THE NITTY GRITTY:
Let’s learn about the nitty gritty! Every beautiful community and exciting business relies on a solid system to keep everything rolling smoothly. We have put loads of research and thought into our terms and conditions to ensure that we are taking care of the students and parents, the teachers, and the music school at large. We toe the line between existing in an expensive world and needing our prices to reflect that, whilst at the same time striving to be always accessible to all people.
If our rates do not feel accessible to you, please contact us on hello@thebutterymusicschool.com as we are developing programs and sponsorships for people who require some financial aid to access music lessons.
Term dates:
Our music lessons are taught in line with the 10 week public school terms. The 2023 school terms are:
Monday 23 January to Friday 31 March
Monday 17 April to Friday 23 June
Monday 10 July to Friday 15 September
Tuesday 3 October to Friday 8 December
During school holidays we hold workshops, band camps and other super fun community events. Keep an eye on our Instagram, Facebook and website to stay up to date! You will also receive emails about the school holiday programs when it is time to sign up.
using the buttery portal:
The Buttery Portal will often have all of the information you need. You receive an email with your login details when you first sign up to The Buttery. If you cannot login please send us an email and we will resend the login details. On The Buttery portal you can access:
Your calendar which shows the date and times of all your upcoming lessons
Your payment account which tells you exactly how much money is left on your Buttery account
A list of all of the lessons you've had in the past and have been charged for
Notes and information written by your teacher during every lesson which is helpful in remembering what to practice each week
Communication
If you ever have any questions or concerns that cannot be answered on The Buttery Portal, please contact Jaymee on hello@thebutterymusicschool.com at any time
If it is between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday you can call her on 0409668210
Billing
Lesson Prices:
$40 for group 45 minute lessons
$65 for 1 on 1 45 minute lessons (paid in bulk for the term)
$75 for 1 on 1 casual lessons (paid 1 at a time)
$30 for 30 minute little rockers
Lessons are always paid for in advance.
For all students, we begin by invoicing for just the first two weeks while we ensure that we are the right fit for you.
Once these two lessons are completed and you are keen to continue (this is inevitable as you will love being part of the gang) you receive an invoice for the rest of the term, and then at the start of each term after that.
Our Buttery online portal will automatically email your invoices.
You can view your payment account at any time by logging into The Buttery portal.
Payment methods
All payments are made online via Paypal
what happens if payments remain unpaid:
Following the first two lessons, your invoices will be sent one week in advance. You will receive an overdue notice if the invoice has not been paid by the due date.
If an invoice remains unpaid after the due date you will receive a phone call checking in and making sure everything is ok
If an invoice becomes 1 month overdue a $40 penalty rate will be added
If an invoice remains unpaid for 6 weeks, lessons will be suspended
If you are ever having a difficult time with money and require an extension, please swing Jaymee an email on hello@thebutterymusicschool.com or a phone call on 0409668210 and we will discuss whether we can sort something that works for you.
We want your adventures at The Buttery to feel supported and warm, and we know sometimes money gets tough!
Timetabling and changes:
Everybody’s lives are crazy! If you need to request a change to your lesson time, please email Jaymee at hello@thebutterymusicschool.com and we will try our best to accommodate you.
When it comes to group lessons, we work very hard to form groups of students of similar age and skill level for the most productive, harmonious lessons. This does mean it is often difficult to move people to different groups. Alas, we shall try our best!
Cancellation policy:
Unless you are paying for casual lessons, you are paying to secure your spot for the entire term, and so the lesson must be paid for whether you are there or not. But don’t you worry! We have created tasty ways to deliver a lesson for you to do at home on the weeks that you are unable to attend. Unless it is a special circumstance, we do not do make up lessons.
We must do our best to protect all of our teachers and students from illness, and the best way to do your part in this is to please stay home if you are sick. We ask the same of our teachers.
hOW TO CANCEL A LESSON:
If you are unable to attend a lesson, please cancel by logging into the Buttery portal, going to the calendar page, and cancelling your lesson. Please do not cancel via text or email.
WHAT YOUR LESSON LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU CAN'T COME TO CLASS:
For students in group lessons, teachers will always record lesson notes which can be found on the Buttery portal. This can be accessed when you are remembering what to do for homework, and also is to be accessed when you miss a lesson. Our Buttery workbooks have been created so that you will be able to do the lesson from home when you cannot attend.
For students in 1 on 1 lessons, if you are unable to attend a lesson, your teacher will put together a lesson package and email it to you during your lesson time. The lesson will include:
1 or 2 short videos of them demonstrating what to practice
A link to an album, song or video that they believe you would enjoy
Typed instructions on what to practice
For students paying for casual 1 on 1 lessons, if you cancel more than 24 hours before the lesson then no fee is charged and we do not send you a lesson package. If you cancel within 24 hours, the full fee is charged and we will send you a lesson package.
If you are having a difficult time with money, please contact Jaymee on hello@thebutterymusicschool.com or 0409668210 for us to see if we can sort something out.
Ending your lessons all together:
If you have to end lessons with us (very sad), just swing an email to hello@thebutterymusicschool.com informing us. Except for in special circumstances, we do not do refunds for money left over in your account, so it is advised that you party with us all the way through until your account is back to $0.
If your teacher is absent:
The trouble with hiring amazing professional musicians is that sometimes they go away on tour, need to play a show, or you guessed it, get sick. In the event that a teacher is unable to make a lesson we will:
Attempt to have one of our other amazing Buttery teachers fill in for them. We find this to be a beneficial experience as we love developing community at The Buttery and the more our teachers and students get to meet and form connections, the better.
If we are unable to organise a substitute teacher we will carry your payments over to the following term and you will not be charged for the lesson. If you choose not to continue in the following term, we will organise to do make up lessons with you throughout the holidays to utilise the left over payment.
Rolling enrolment
Once you are enrolled, you will automatically have that same lesson time secured in the following terms.
Photo/ video policy
We love to celebrate our amazing students in so many ways, one of which is by sharing their funk on our website, Facebook and Instagram. We also take photos and videos to spread the Buttery word through ads on the internet and printed media. All new students receive a media release form requesting permission to have our students feature in our media. We also take photos and videos at a lot of our workshops, performances and events.
Who to contact with questions
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact Jaymee on hello@thebutterymusicschool.com or if it is between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday you can call her on 0409668210.
