Locomotion Music – School Policy

 

Music Teachers

Selection & Placement:

All Locomotion Music teachers are carefully screened for competence, level of training, relevant experience and personality. All prospective teachers must complete an interview, audition, reference check and Vulnerable Sector Screening or Police Check through their police department. Teachers may not begin to teach for Locomotion Music without completing their check. Students are carefully placed with teachers that match their level, instrument, location and availability.

Staying With Your Teacher:

All current students of the music teacher are contractually students of Locomotion Music. If a music teacher leaves or is dismissed from Locomotion Music, the music teacher and/or student, cannot in good faith and contractually work together for a minimum of 12 month afterwards. All efforts will be made by the Locomotion Music team to place students with a new comparable teacher.

Lessons

Commitment:

Locomotion Music offers the 1st lesson at a reduced rate with no commitment necessary beyond that. After the first lesson, Locomotion Music students commit to one weekly lesson for one month of lessons at a time which follows our monthly billing cycle. Your scheduled day and time will continue month to month unless the teacher or student requests a change and it can be accommodated.

Parent’s Role/Involvement: 

All students are required to practice their instrument in between lessons. Parents can support the student(s) by creating and encouraging a routine for practice and debriefing with the teacher at the end of each lesson to be familiar with their homework, progress and expectations.

Supervision During Your Lessons

Music students under the age of 18, need to have a parent or guardian present in the home for the entire duration of the music lesson.

Cessation of Lessons:

A student that would like to discontinue lessons shall provide 2-weeks notice to Locomotion Music. There are no refunds for lessons already paid.

Termination of Service:

Locomotion Music reserves the right to terminate lessons at any time for non-compliance of these policies or non-payment of the tuition. Unpaid accounts will be forwarded to collection. Locomotion reserves the right to change a teacher for non-compliance of their contract.

Lesson Cancellations

Student Cancellations:

To ensure our students and teachers have a consistent learning environment, students can cancel a maximum of four lessons (one per term listed below) during the Locomotion Music year – September to June. There will be NO charge for the one cancelled lesson per each term.

• The student & teacher can attempt to make up the cancelled lesson at a mutually convenient time online or in home, at their discretion and availability before the end of each term. If a make-up lesson is completed, it will not be deducted from your bank of 4 cancelled lessons – one per term.
• Any cancellations beyond one per term, will be considered a paid lesson, unless a make-up lesson is completed before the end of each term. This is not mandatory and will be at the discretion and availability of the teacher and student.
• One cancelled lesson per term cannot be combined with another term or carried over. No refund will be issued for cancelled lessons beyond the one each term.
• Statutory holidays, Christmas and March Break are not included. There are no lessons
scheduled on these dates.
• Cancellations are tracked monthly and any credits will be applied to your following month’s invoice unless a pending make up lesson has been scheduled. Your monthly invoice will indicate how many lessons remain in your bank.
• A new bank of cancelled lessons begins each September.

Fall Session 1: September/October (9 weeks – Sept. 1 – Oct. 31)
Fall Session 2: November/December (9 weeks – Nov. 1 – Dec. 31)
Winter Session: January/February/March (12.5 weeks – Jan. 1 – March 31)
Spring Session: April/May/June (12.5 weeks – April 1 – June 30)
Summer Session: July & August (9 weeks – July 1 – Aug. 31) (Cancellation Policy not
applicable. See Summer Term Policy below)

Last Minute Cancellations:

Students must report absences by 9:00am the day of the lesson- when cancelling a lesson. Last minute cancellations affect a teacher’s work schedule and their income. Last minute cancellations will be considered a paid lesson for the student, unless a make-up lesson is completed at the discretion and availability of the teacher. Special consideration will be given in emergency situations.

NOTE: Last minute cancellations do not come from your bank of cancelled lessons because it is a paid lesson.

Student – No Shows Lessons

If a student fails to inform the teacher of a cancelled lesson and the teacher shows up at a student’s home or online, where the student is NOT available for the lesson, this will be considered a lost paid lesson.

NOTE: No show lessons do not come from your bank of cancelled lessons because it is a paid lesson.

Extended Absences/Pausing Lessons

In the event of an extended absence (3 consecutive weeks or more) spots cannot be held or guaranteed. Locomotion will do its best to maintain the same teacher and schedule upon the student’s return, but this cannot be guaranteed. The cancellation policy listed above will apply. In the case of any emergency, the Locomotion admin team will provide special consideration.

Teacher Cancellations:

Music teachers are also allotted a bank of 4 cancelled lessons per the Locomotion Music year Sept. to June, one per term as listed above. If a music teacher has to cancel a lesson for any reason, the music teacher will attempt to make up the lesson at a mutually convenient time before the end of each term.

The music teacher agrees to notify the student as soon as possible of any absence or lateness. If the lesson cannot be made up online or in home before the end of the term, the tuition will be credited back to the student’s invoice.

NOTE: Teacher cancellations will NOT count towards your bank of 4 cancelled lessons per year it will count towards their bank.

Reporting Cancellations:

Students should report cancelled lessons directly to their music teacher and not the Locomotion Music admin. Teachers submit their hours, cancellations and any make up lessons to Locomotion every 2 weeks, as well as any student vacation dates. Real time changes to your invoices cannot be completed. Locomotion tracks and adds credit(s) as needed, to your following month’s invoice.

Weather Related Cancellations 

In the event of inclement weather, music lessons will be cancelled at the discretion of the Locomotion Music admin and there will be no charge to the student. A banked lesson will NOT be used. The music teacher will attempt to make up the lesson at a mutually convenient time if possible.

Statutory Holidays:

Music lessons follow the same holiday schedule as schools. This includes Christmas, March Break, and statutory holidays. Consideration will be given to other religious holidays our students celebrate and honour.

Lessons that fall on these dates will not be charged in the monthly student tuition unless the teacher and student have agreed to do a lesson. Please see the yearly email outlining the statutory and school holidays for the year.

The entire weekend before or after an official stat holiday are not considered statutory holidays. If a student is absent on a day that is not an official statutory holiday, it will count towards their bank of cancelled lessons.

Summer Terms & Vacations:

Students must inform their teacher, not the Locomotion Music admin, with ample notice of any upcoming vacation plans during the summer term.

Summer scheduling & music lessons continue as usual, unless the teacher or student requests a new (temporary) schedule change which can be accommodated by both parties.

Please note – a lesson day and time cannot be held if a student chooses to take more than 3 consecutive weeks off. Locomotion will do its best to maintain the same teacher and schedule upon the student’s return, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Payments

Payment Method:

Each student will receive a monthly invoice on the 1st day of every month for their upcoming monthly lessons via QuickBooks. All tuition fees are paid directly to Locomotion Music (and not the teacher) via e-transfer to mailto:sabrina@locomotion-music.ca or by credit card. Payment is due within 7 days. Depending on the circumstance, alternative payment methods and frequency may be arranged with Locomotion Music.

Late Payments:

Locomotion Music invoices are sent out on the 1st of each month to all students. All payments need to be received before the last day of that month. A $15.00 late payment charge will be applied to your subsequent invoice if payment is not received by the last day of the month. Locomotion Music will not continue lessons the following month if the current tuition has not been paid.

Other Charges and Fees:

Locomotion Music does not charge registration fees, travel fees to come to your home or taxes, other than fees that may be incurred for late payments or cancelled lessons. See cancellations above.

Music Teachers

Selection & Placement

All Locomotion Music teachers are carefully screened for competence, level of training, relevant experience and personality. All prospective teachers must complete an interview, audition, reference check and Vulnerable Sector Screening Check through their local police department. Teachers may not begin to teach for Locomotion Music without completing their check. Every 5 years, an updated vulnerable sector screening check must be submitted to Locomotion Music. In between those 5 years, teachers must submit an Offence Declaration each year. Students are carefully placed with teachers that match their level, instrument, location and availability.

Staying With Your Teacher

All current students of the music teacher are contractually students of Locomotion Music. If a music teacher leaves or is dismissed from Locomotion Music, the music teacher and/or student, cannot in good faith and contractually work together for a minimum of 6 months afterwards. All efforts will be made by the Locomotion Music team to place students with a new comparable teacher.

Changing Teachers

As with any business, at times we have teacher turnover. Many teachers are also professional musicians and/or work in other capacities outside of Locomotion Music. Although we try our best to keep you with the same teacher for an extended period of time, there are benefits to working with a new teacher such as exposing students to a new teaching style, techniques and experience. In order to create a seamless transition for the student, outgoing teachers will prepare a student debrief to share with the new teacher so they can pick up where they left off.

Other

Multimedia & Marketing Release

You understand and agree that Locomotion Music teachers and administrative staff may record videos or take pictures of your musical activities for promotional purposes on social media or print advertising at any time during your lessons and at Locomotion Music events. Should the student(s) not want to have their photo or video taken, you may opt out of this at anytime.

Occupational Health & Safety:

Locomotion Music is committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment for its contractor music teachers and integrating health and safety into all workplace activities. Our goal is a healthy, injury-free workplace for all students and music teachers.

Locomotion Music is committed to complying with safety requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Music teachers and students are required to report any unsafe or hazardous workplace conditions, or any workplace injury, accidents, or illnesses to management

Violence Prevention:

The management of Locomotion Music is committed to the prevention of workplace violence and is ultimately responsible for worker health and safety. We will take whatever steps are reasonable to protect our workers from workplace violence from all sources.

There is a workplace violence program that implements this policy. It includes measures and procedures to protect workers from workplace violence, a means of summoning immediate assistance and a process for workers to report incidents or raise concerns.

Workplace Harassment:

Locomotion Music is committed to providing a work environment in which all workers are treated with respect and dignity. Workplace harassment will not be tolerated from any person in the workplace including the principals of Locomotion Music, employees, contractor music teachers, students or student’s families.

Management will investigate and deal with all complaints or incidents of workplace harassment in a fair, respectful and timely manner. Information provided about an incident or about a complaint will not be disclosed except as necessary to protect workers, to investigate the complaint or incident, to take corrective action or as otherwise required by law.

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination:

Locomotion Music is committed to providing music instruction services that are free from unlawful discrimination and harassment. All workers and students are entitled to a learning environment where they are treated with respect and. All individuals are required to conduct themselves in a professional manner and refrain from engaging in discrimination or harassment.

All music teachers and students have the right to be free from discrimination and harassment based upon characteristics protected under the Human Rights Code. Including race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status and disability.

Locomotion Music will make every reasonable, practicable effort to ensure that no worker or student is subjected to unlawful discrimination or harassment. If Locomotion Music becomes aware of a potential incident of discrimination or harassment, it will investigate the complaint or incident in a fair, timely and confidential manner.

Liability:

The student and/or student’s parent/guardian agree not to hold Locomotion Music employees and contract workers (teachers) liable for any injury or accident and discharge Locomotion Music employees and contract works from any actions, causes of actions, claims, damages of every nature of kind arising from enrollment in, in-home music lessons or the acts, omissions or negligence of Locomotion Music.

Amendment of Policies:

Locomotion Music reserves the right to change and/or modify our policies at any time without notice.