Policies

Last updated on 12/Jun/2026

Our Ethos

These policies exist to protect what we care about most: your learning, the wellbeing of every student and family in our community, and the trust between us.

Every section is designed to be fair to everyone here. Where we ask something of you, it’s because doing otherwise would compromise someone else’s experience. Where we offer something, it’s because we believe it makes the journey better.

We lead by example. We communicate with respect, listen carefully, and respond with care. We ask the same of the families we work with. When something isn’t working, whether for you or for us, we’d rather talk about it than let it grow.

If anything in this document raises a question, please ask. We’d rather discuss it than leave you wondering.

1. Monthly Payments

Monthly payments are made in advance on the 1st of each month. Fees are automatically debited from the student’s (or parent’s/carer’s) bank card through the My Music Staff portal.
The monthly payment is calculated by evenly dividing the total programme cost over the number of months it spans (for example, 11 months from September 2026 to July 2027). The monthly tuition fee remains the same whether there are 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 lessons in a given month.
For ad hoc plans with a payment other than a monthly flat fee, the agreed fee is automatically debited from the student’s (or parent’s/carer’s) bank card through the My Music Staff portal on the specified days and at the agreed frequency.
Late payments incur a 10% late fee.
Academic calendar. Lessons follow the general school term calendar. No lessons are scheduled during school half-terms, holidays, Bank Holidays, Christmas, or Easter breaks. Monthly payments remain the same throughout the year, as these breaks are already factored into the annual fee calculation.

2. Registration Fee

A non-refundable registration fee of £44 per student is required at the start of each academic year. Re-enrolment is required annually, and the fee applies on each new enrolment. For families enrolling two or more members, a £2 discount is applied for each student on their first monthly payment of the year.

The registration fee secures your place in the studio and provides access to:

The lending library of music books, flashcards, and games.
Learning apps and tools, including Supersonics and the Piano Express App.
Recitals, Workshops, and Masterclasses throughout the year.
Between-lessons support (see Section 6: Fair Use of In-Week Support).
Intentional Practice booking (see Section 5: Intentional Practice Booking).

The registration fee supports the all-rounded learning experience we offer beyond the weekly lesson and helps us reserve your place in the studio.

Other expenses, such as competitions, festivals, exams, and exam books, are the responsibility of the student or parent/carer and are not covered by this fee.

3. Automatic Payments

Pianista Music Studio exclusively accepts automatic card payments processed through Stripe.
To set up payment, please add your payment card via your Student Portal at https://www.pianista.co.uk/studentportal.
Online payments. Transactions with your bank are processed exclusively through Stripe (https://stripe.com/gb/guides), a third-party online banking service known for its security and convenience.
Invoices. Invoices are automatically dispatched from My Music Staff on the first day of each month, instructing Stripe to charge them directly to your card.
Data security and privacy.
- Your payment card details are encrypted and stored directly with Stripe, our PCI DSS-compliant payment processor.
- Student information (non-payment data) is managed through My Music Staff in accordance with UK GDPR requirements.
- Pianista Music Studio never has access to, nor stores, your actual card or bank account details.
- We maintain PCI DSS compliance for secure payment processing.
- For full privacy details, please refer to My Music Staff’s privacy policy: https://www.mymusicstaff.com/privacy-policy/.

4. Missed and Cancelled Lessons

Lessons missed or cancelled cannot be carried over to subsequent weeks or refunded. However, you will receive makeup credits equivalent to the length and type of your lesson if you provide notification at least 24 hours in advance.
Cancellation process. Use your Student Portal Calendar to cancel the lesson. Only lessons cancelled via the Student Portal with sufficient advance notice qualify for makeup credits.
Booking a makeup session. Use your Student Portal Calendar to find a slot opened as a makeup session. Locate one that matches your cancelled lesson’s type, duration, and age range.
- If an appropriate slot is available and you have makeup credits, you may register for it.
- Availability is dynamic; checking the calendar regularly improves your chances.
All makeup sessions are subject to availability. Unused credits cannot be carried over to the next academic year and are not refundable.
Teacher’s absence. If we need to cancel a lesson, options for a makeup session will be presented. If a reasonable mutual agreement on timing cannot be reached, a refund will be offered.
Illness. If you know you’re unwell ahead of your lesson, please tell us as early as you can. Communicating early, even when you’re hoping you’ll feel better in time, gives us the best chance of issuing a makeup credit and offering the slot to another family. Cancellations made on the day of the lesson, when illness was clearly building earlier, may not qualify for a makeup credit. Each case is assessed on its own; what matters most is timely, honest communication.
Extended absences. For longer absences (illness, travel, or other reasons), you may cancel future lessons in advance and receive makeup credits. These credits can be used at any point during the academic year, even before the actual absence. For example, if you know you’ll be away for the first two weeks of July, you can cancel those sessions now and book makeup sessions earlier in the year as they become available.

5. Intentional Practice Booking

Intentional Practice is dedicated time at the studio to practise on one of our instruments, in a focused, learning-conducive environment. It is included in your programme, and no makeup credit is needed.

Booking. Use your Student Portal Calendar to book an available 1-hour slot on one of our practice instruments. Slots open as our schedule allows.
Cancellation. If you can’t attend a booked Intentional Practice session, please cancel through the Student Portal as soon as you know. This frees up the slot, and the parking space, for another student.
Repeated no-shows. If we notice a pattern of bookings that aren’t attended or cancelled, we’ll talk with you first. We assume there’s a reason, and we’d rather understand it. Suspending booking access is only considered when conversation hasn’t changed the pattern, and is decided case by case.
Shared space. Lessons may be in progress in neighbouring rooms during your practice. Please be considerate of others using the studio at the same time.

6. Fair Use of In-Week Support

Between lessons, we’re available to help you make the most of your home practice. You can send a message, an audio recording, or a short video of a section you’re working on, and we’ll respond when we can.

Students under 18. For children and teenagers, all in-week support runs through a parent's or carer's channel: your phone number, your messaging account, or your family's Student Portal account. We never message a student under 18 directly, and we don't communicate with children on social media. If your child sends us a message or a practice video themselves, we'll reply to you. This isn't distance; it's how we keep every conversation about your child open to you.

This support is offered on a fair-use basis. The principle is simple: every minute and resource we dedicate to one student is one we cannot dedicate to another. We aim to be fair to everyone.

What in-week support is for:

Help with what you’ve already been taught, such as clarifying a passage, fingering, rhythm, or technique.
Quick guidance when you’re stuck.
Sharing your progress with us.

What it isn’t:

A second lesson. If a question requires substantial new teaching, we’ll suggest covering it in your next lesson rather than over messages.
A guaranteed response time. We aim to be responsive, but we don’t promise specific turnaround.

We extend the same fairness to Intentional Practice bookings (Section 5). When slots are held but not used, they aren’t available to others. Our first response is always to talk with you.

7. Communications

How we talk to each other shapes the experience for everyone: students, families, and staff alike.
We commit to communicating with you respectfully, listening carefully, and responding with care, even when there’s a disagreement or concern to work through. We ask the same of you.
We won’t accept aggressive, hostile, or disrespectful communication toward staff, students, or other families, whether in person, on the phone, or in writing.
If something has gone wrong or hasn’t met your expectations, please tell us. We’d much rather hear it directly and have the chance to put it right. The same applies in reverse: if there’s something we’d like to discuss with you, we’ll do so openly and constructively.

Preferred channels

Please contact us by email or WhatsApp. These are the channels we monitor most closely and respond to most reliably.
We don’t recommend using the My Music Staff messaging system for general communication, as it isn’t a convenient channel for either of us. The Student Portal Calendar remains the right place for booking and cancelling lessons.

Persistent breaches of these standards may lead to termination of tuition (see Section 12).

8. Studio Conduct

The studio is a shared space. The following expectations help everyone enjoy it.

Care of the space and instruments. Please treat our pianos, music materials, library items, and shared spaces and furniture with care and respect. Damage caused through negligence or misuse will be charged to the responsible student or family.
Cleanliness. Please leave the toilets, kitchen, and waiting area as you found them. We don’t have full-time cleaning staff between lessons, and small considerations from everyone keep the studio pleasant for the next family.
Water. Please bring water in closed bottles, and keep them properly closed when not in use, particularly near the instruments.
Snacks and allergens. We share the studio with families who may have severe allergies, including to nuts. Please don’t bring snacks containing nuts or other common allergens into the building. We also ask families to take responsibility for the cleanliness of shared spaces. If children need a snack, please have them eat it before arriving rather than in the waiting area, where crumbs in the carpet and on furniture affect every family who comes after.
Hand hygiene. Please wash hands after eating or using the toilet, both for general hygiene and to protect the instruments.
The few minutes before and after lessons. The waiting room sits next to rooms where lessons are running, and it greets every family who comes after yours. Please keep children with you and engaged while they wait; please save snacks for before you arrive (crumbs and sticky hands always find their way to keys and screens); and the pianos and screens in the shared areas are not for play, though we are always happy to be asked.
Shared spaces and supervision. The waiting room, kitchen, toilets, stairs, and car park are shared by every family who visits. Parents and carers remain responsible for their children's behaviour in these spaces at all times: being present in the room is not enough; we kindly ask that you actively supervise your children.
Instruments and screens in shared areas are used only with our permission, with clean, dry hands, and never while eating.
Disruptive behaviour. Behaviour that disturbs lessons in progress affects everyone in the studio that day. This includes loud conversation in shared areas, running on the stairs, leaving children unattended, jumping on chairs, or interrupting a session. We will ask for it to stop.
We will ask kindly and directly when something needs to change in the moment, and we expect the request to be respected, by adults and children alike.
These standards bind everyone equally: our team, contractors, visitors, parents, carers, and students. If you ever feel that we have fallen short of them ourselves, please tell Maria or Roberto directly; we mean Section 7 in both directions. Where the same concerns persist after we have talked, Section 12 applies.
Illness. If you, or your child, have a contagious illness (cold, flu, stomach upset, infectious conditions), please don’t attend the studio. Contact us early. See Section 4 for how illness is handled in our makeup policy.
Lending library. Materials borrowed from the library should be returned in good condition by the agreed date. Lost or damaged materials may be charged at replacement cost.

Persistent breaches of these standards may lead to termination of tuition (see Section 12).

9. Safeguarding

We take the safety and wellbeing of every child and adult in our care seriously. The following measures are in place to protect everyone.

Staff DBS status

All members of the Pianista team hold an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate, renewed in line with regulatory guidance.

Photo and video consent

At registration, every adult student, or every child's parent or carer, chooses whether and how photos and videos from lessons and events may be used. The choices are separate:

Internal training of Pianista's own teachers (clips never published, never leaving Pianista, deleted when no longer needed);
Pianista's website and social media;
Studio listings such as Google;
Printed local media;
and, very sparingly, paid advertising for our lessons and events.

Ticking none, some, or all are equally welcome choices. We honour each family's decision and apply it consistently, and you can change any choice at any time by writing to us, after which we take the image down everywhere it has been used. Our full privacy notice is at https://www.pianista.co.uk/privacy-notice.

Demonstration and practice videos made during lessons are shared with you through your own channel or your family's Student Portal account, so you always see what your child sees.

Physical contact in teaching

Teaching piano occasionally involves brief physical contact: adjusting a hand position, a wrist, or posture. We prefer showing over touching, and we use demonstration, copying, and verbal guidance first. Where contact helps, it is brief, purposeful, limited to hands, wrists, arms, or shoulders, explained to the student before it happens, and stopped at once if the student prefers. We never touch a student on the trunk of the body, including to teach breathing.

At registration, we ask every parent or carer (and every adult student) to read and sign a short description of this approach before lessons begin. If our approach ever needs to change as a student progresses, we will tell you first.

Child supervision

For safety reasons, please accompany your child at all times outside the music classroom, including the waiting room, toilets, stairs, and car park.
Never drop your child off at the Pianista door, or let them proceed to the stairs and waiting room area on their own. We cannot guarantee their safety in common areas, as we are not able to supervise these during lesson times.
Timely arrival and collection of children are essential to ensure smooth transitions between lessons.

Collection of children

At registration, we ask you to tell us who is permitted to collect your child. We will not release a child to anyone else, and we will never let a child leave alone, without your written permission.

If a child is not collected at the end of a session, their teacher stays with them at the studio and contacts you, then your emergency contacts. Please keep both up to date through your Student Portal.

Health needs and emergency contacts

At registration, we ask for any health needs or allergies that might require attention during a session, and for emergency contact details. Telling us is what lets us respond well; we hold this information securely and use it only for your child's care.

If a child feels uncomfortable

Children are encouraged to tell their teacher, their parent or carer, or another trusted adult immediately if anything makes them feel uncomfortable, whether during a lesson or in the studio more broadly. We listen, take it seriously, and act.

Adult conduct around children

All adults at Pianista (staff, parents, carers, and adult students) are expected to behave appropriately around children at all times. Personal contact details, photos, and information about students are not shared between adults at the studio without explicit parental consent.

Illness and hygiene

Please don’t attend lessons or visit the studio when contagious. If a child becomes unwell during a lesson, we will contact the parent or carer immediately.

Accessibility

We aim to make our lessons and resources accessible to learners of all needs. If your child or you have specific accessibility requirements, whether physical, sensory, neurodivergent, or otherwise, please let us know at registration, or whenever they become relevant, so we can adapt accordingly.

CCTV monitoring

For security purposes, 24/7 CCTV recording (video only) operates in some common areas (stairs, waiting room, kitchen, and car park). Recording is not in place inside lesson rooms.

10. Parent/Carer Observation

A waiting area is provided for parents and carers. Parent observation of lessons is not generally permitted, though we will occasionally invite parents/carers into the classroom when we deem it beneficial for the student’s development.

11. Car Parking

We have six complimentary parking spaces at the rear of our property, accessible via Stockwell Head Road. Spaces are reserved for our students.

Equal access. Every student with a booked session is equally entitled to use our car park, whether their booking is a regular lesson, an Intentional Practice slot, or another studio event.
Arrival and departure window. Please arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before your booked session, and vacate no later than 10 minutes after it ends.
Why this matters. Parking outside this window denies the space to other families. This includes leaving a car for hours before or after a session, or using the spaces to run errands. In the past, families have arrived late to their lessons because the car park was unfairly full.
First come, first served. Within the window, spaces cannot be guaranteed.
Liability. All vehicles are parked at the owner’s risk. Pianista Music Studio accepts no responsibility for any loss, damage, or incidents in the car park.
Misuse. We reserve the right to report unauthorised use of our private parking facilities to the appropriate authorities.

12. Termination of Tuition

Notice from you

If you decide to discontinue lessons, please provide one month’s notice by email. Lessons continue until the end of the notice period. For example, an email sent on January 15th means lessons and fees continue until February 15th. The final invoice reflects the lessons the student was entitled to up to that date.

Makeup credits during notice. Any unused makeup credits remain available until the end of the notice period or the end of the current academic year, whichever happens first. Makeup sessions remain subject to availability, and unused credits are not refundable.

Notice from us

Pianista may terminate this agreement at any time, with appropriate notice for the circumstances. In ordinary cases, we will provide one month’s notice. We reserve the right to terminate immediately, by written notice to the student or parent/carer, in the following circumstances:

Persistent late or non-payment.
Inappropriate, aggressive, or hostile behaviour whilst in our premises, during lessons, in communications with us, our team, or other community members (see Sections 7 and 8).
Repeated lateness in dropping off or collecting a child before or after a lesson.
Consistently failing to follow our safeguarding guidance (see Section 9).
Any conduct that places the safety or wellbeing of a child or another community member at risk.