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 students commit to one month of lessons at a time. There are no contracts, except for agreeing to these policies. Your scheduled day and time will continue month to month unchanged until a student requests to cease lessons. Scheduling changes can be made upon request. Locomotion Music does not provide free lessons.
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.
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 six lessons during the Locomotion calendar year term (September to August). This is a total bank of six cancellations per year. Any absences beyond these, will be considered a paid lesson. The student & music teacher will attempt to make up the lesson at a mutually convenient time online or in home, at their discretion and availability. If a make up lesson is completed, it will not be deducted from your bank of 6 cancelled lessons.
The new bank of cancelled lessons begins each September.
Cancellations are tracked monthly and any credits will be applied to your following month’s invoice. Your monthly invoice will indicate how many lessons remain in your bank.
Last Minute Cancellations:
Students must provide a minimum of 24 hours notice when cancelling a lesson. This is a standard in all music schools. 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. 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.
NO SHOWS – In Home 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, unless a make-up lesson can be arranged.
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. These cancelled lessons will count towards the bank of six for the year. In the case of any emergency, the Locomotion admin team will provide special consideration.
Teacher Cancellations:
Music teachers are allotted a bank of 4 cancelled lessons per Locomotion year (Sept. to August). 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. 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, the tuition will be credited back to the student on the following month’s invoice.
NOTE: Teacher cancellations will NOT count towards your bank of 6 cancelled lessons per year it will count towards their bank.
Reporting Cancellations:
Students should report cancelled lessons directly to their music teacher. Teachers submit their hours, cancellations and any make up lessons to Locomotion every 2 weeks. Locomotion tracks and adds credit(s) as needed to your following month’s invoice.
Statutory Holidays:
Music lessons follow the schedule for school breaks, Christmas, March Break, religious and statutory holidays. 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.
Consideration will be given to other religious holidays our students celebrate and honour.
Summer Program & Vacations:
Locomotion Music must be provided with ample notice of any upcoming vacation plans.
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.
The music teacher will attempt to make up the lesson at a mutually convenient time. Vacation dates are considered cancellations. (Refer to our student cancellation policy above).
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 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 will provide a 5-day grace period for late payments after the payment due date, which is on the 7th day of each month (7 day pay period). After 5 days, a $5.00 late payment charge will be applied to your invoice. Locomotion Music will not continue lessons the following month if the current tuition has not been paid by the end of the month.
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.
Covid-19:
Locomotion Music is committed to the safety of our students, families and teachers. Students and teachers should check & follow the Ontario Public Health guidelines and recommendations for proper quarantine, treatment & reporting of Covid-19. These guidelines may continue to change as the situation evolves.
Other
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.