Agreement

I operate under the ISM's Agreement for Private Music Tuition, which gives details of how and when fees are to paid, periods of notice, what happens if lessons are missed. Full details are printed on the back of the Agreement which both I and students (parents if under 18) sign.

Fees

My fees are £13.00 per thirty minute session (2006). I revise fees in January each year. The fees are payable in arrears. I send invoices at the end of each month, payable to "Fergus Black" within ten days. Exam and Competition fees, purchase of music, and the provision of pencils and rubbers, are additional. If you are wondering why it costs so much, click here.

Time

In terms of lesson time, half-an-hour is fine up to about grade 5. After that 45 minutes, or an hour a week is usual.

Lesson Duration	2007_08 fees	2006_07 fees
30 minutes	£14.00	£13.00
45 minutes	£19.95	£19.00
60 minutes	£25.20	£25.00

Holidays

I teach in series of lessons during school term time (i.e. not in Peterborough school half terms, the week after Christmas, the week after Easter, and during August. If I take other breaks, I’ll let you know as far in advance as I can.

Children

Parents must accompany children 16 and under, and wait through the lesson.

Insurance and Clearance to work with Children

Through my membership of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, I have Public Liability insurance up to £10m in relation to my professional work. My latest Enhanced Disclosure from the CRB is dated 10th September 2005, and was undertaken on behalf of Lincolnshire County Council.

Other Information

Practice

It would be best to look on the lessons as a kind of ‘check-up’. The work of learning music is done between lessons, not at them. The student should be practicing regularly, preferably daily. Each time there should be a variety of different activities: posture, warm-up exercises, technical work / scales, pieces at different stages of preparation – some new, some well-known. The general rule of practice is that it should be purposeful, not simply dutiful. For example, to get a difficult bit right, slow it down, and take it apart: for pianists, practise hands separately before putting them together; for singers, separate the words and the music. Simply playing through from the beginning each time you make a mistake will not do!

Concerts and performances

From time-to-time I arrange student concerts to give everyone a chance to meet other students and parents. Also, to give students performing experience in front of an audience – so that they are not fazed in exams and performances.

Curriculum

I don’t follow any strict curriculum for students, since we are all individuals. However, I encourage students to take Associated Board exams and to enter the local Competition Music Festival. These provide objective assessments of standards, and help students prepare for performance.