First of
all, an enormous ‘thank you’ to you all for your continued support through the
last 18 months. By going online, we kept things going as smoothly as possible
during very difficult times.
The good news is that while we can’t say that things
are back to normal, I plan to restart face-to-face lessons in September. There
will be some restrictions in place to keep us all as safe as possible. These
are listed below:
I will be
asking that those of high school age and above do a lateral flow test on the
day of their lesson. Primary school children will not need to unless they are
showing symptoms. As far as I know, these measures are the same as those
required for attending school with the exception of specifically doing a test
on the day of the lesson, so I wouldn’t think to be too much of a burden.
For the
time being, only the pupil will be allowed in. Sorry but no parents. This will
change as soon as it is deemed advisable. Also, could I ask that you wait until
the last pupil has left before coming to the door?
Hand sanitizer
will be provided at the beginning and end of each lesson to reduce the risk of
transmission through the piano. Face masks may be worn for your own comfort but
are not seen as essential. I will, as always, try to maintain a comfortable
distance.
As we all know, online lessons were not seen as option before the pandemic
began, yet I have to admit to be more than a little surprised at the success of
them. Yes, I do prefer face-to-face lessons but I do understand that for their
own reasons, some may prefer to stay with Skype, at least for now. This is fine, and as a result I am asking could you please let me know which option
you would like for September?
This may mean some alterations to lesson times to
facilitate this, so the sooner the better, please.
I have also been thinking about the use of Skype for face-to-face pupils when they
are generally ill or isolating. Also, during severe weather when driving could
be seen as dangerous. I can’t think of any reason why not to in the short term
so will be offering that, too.
One final
thing, fees will be going up from September.
The last time they were changed
was in September 2015, 6 years ago. I was going to put them up last year but put
it off as a way of saying thanks during the height of the pandemic.
So, from September, fees will be £16.00 for a weekly 30min lesson. Bills will
be half termly as usual.
And that’s
about it.
We’re back week
commencing September 6th.
Stay
well, stay safe and see you soon.
