The following Terms and Conditions apply to all lessons held at the Music Education Centre (MEC) and its students and the parents / carers of its students (“the student”). The Terms and Conditions described below may seem relatively strict but have been discussed at length amongst the Music Education Centre (MEC) leadership team with the endeavour of making them as fair as possible for both client and provider. As MEC is a Music School that functions with minimal margins, such lines in the sand have had to be drawn and are not a reflection of how awesome the majority of MEC Families are. They are a reflection of the small margin of people that have taken advantage and never paid for services rendered that jeopardise the livelihood of our teachers and staff. We try to approach each individual case in good faith with an open ear and we hope that you will also approach us in the same manner.

Term Dates

• Teaching weeks at MEC roughly adhere to the QueenslandEducation School Terms. However, there are occasional differences and our yearly calendar is distributed at the end of each year for the following year and termdates are sent out before every term begins. We ask that when planning your activities that you plan around your chosen lesson time at the Music School.
• At all times it is the responsibility of the student to be aware of the first and last dates ofterm at MEC.

Communications

• All correspondence is sent out to the student by email and occasionally SMS. If this causes a problem, pleaselet MEC know.
• It is the responsibility of the student to make MEC aware of any changes to theircontact details. MEC will not be held responsible for any missed communications, late /overdue payments, missed lessons, etc. if this is due to incorrect contact information.
• Due to the constant growth of the Music School, most of MEC’s communication is done via bulk delivery services e.g. email, therefore there is a level of potential error associatedwith this. If you notice something is incorrect e.g. lesson details or account details, there is no offense intended. In these cases please let us know via email at info@musiceducationcentre.com.au​ sowe can rectify the situation as soon as possible.

Timetabling of Lessons

• The student will be informed of the lesson day, time and the date of their first lessonbefore their teaching commences, either by phone, in person or by email. MEC will aimto confirm all the lesson details by email, but does not guarantee that this will be thecase if it deems sufficient confirmation has been provided by other means.
• If the agreed lesson times or days need to be adjusted, thestudent will be contacted as far in advance as possible and alternative arrangements will be
  made .

Absences

Individual Lessons

• If the student is unable to attend a lesson please let MEC know at theearliest time possible, either by SMS (0432 937 766) or via our online absence notification within your customer portal. You can register and login to your customer portal through this link: Customer Portal Login
• Where no notification is given before 7am on the day of your lesson, no Masterclass/makeup lesson will be given. This lesson is considered forfeited.
• Where notice is given prior to 7am on the day of the lesson, we will arrange a Masterclass/makeup lesson. Each student is eligible for 2 Masterclasses per term for explained absences 

Please note:  Masterclass can be booked through the Customer Portal which will be activated upon enrolment and for our current students it will be available at the start of Term 1, 2020.  Maximum of two Masterclass per term.

Some instruments do not have the option of a Masterclass therefore these lessons will be offered as makeup lessons. This will be scheduled as an additional lesson outside your normal lesson time..  Maximum of 2 makeup lessons per term.

• MEC staff always go above and beyond to assist in facilitating Masterclasses/ makeup lessons, however If you decide that youwould prefer to not have this, this lesson is considered forfeited.Please note the onus is on the student/caregiver/parent to work with staff tofind a mutually beneficial time.

Group Lessons

• No catch-up lessons or credits will be provided for an individual’s absencefrom a group lesson / band class / choir / or any othergroup-based tuition activity.
• Where the entire group is absent we will endeavour to provide areplacement/makeup lesson later in the week or later that term.

Teacher Absences:

• If the student’s teacher is unavailable to teach, MEC will arrange asubstitute teacher and we will give you as much notice as possible. Not attending your lesson because of the change in teacher, is not an acceptable reason not to attend.
• If this is not possible, MEC will arrange to credit this lesson to the student’s account for next Term.

Unavoidable Cancellations

• If MEC cancels any lessons due to events out of its control, a customercredit may be given at the discretion of MEC.

Ongoing Absences

• If a student will be absent for more than two weeks due to medical reasons, it is vital that you maintain communication with the Music School as we will assess each situation on an individual basis.

Please note:  When you enrol you are paying for your chosen time spot each week and it’s the responsibility of the Customer/Student to be available for lessons each week. If a student does not attend for say, 4 weeks, there will only be 2 Masterclasses/makeup lessons available to you.

Duration of the Lesson Agreement​ ​– ongoing

• The lesson agreement between MEC and the student is a rolling agreement that
  continues into each new term and new year.
• The students are emailed their invoices towards the end of each term in respect of thefollowing term’s lessons. This process will continue until we receive a notification of conclusion.

Cancelling  Lessons at MEC

If the student wishes to cancel their enrolment, written notice must be received by MEC by email, at least four weeks prior to the intended last lesson. Any lessons remaining after the end date will be credited to the student’s account if payment has already been made, or the remaining lesson fees will be refunded.

• Verbal notice given to the teacher will not be acted upon. Notice must be given in writing as stipulated above.
• If the student is unable to give four weeks’ notice, they will be charged a cancellation fee equivalent to four weeks of lessons. Once notice has been received a completion payment will be arranged to finalize the Account.
• Exceptions on medical grounds may be made to this. In this circumstance please contact MEC as soon as possible.
• If MEC has to cancel lessons, it will endeavour to give four weeks’ noticeto the student. Any lessons remaining after the lessons end date will be credited to thestudent’s account if payment has already been made or remaining fees will be refunded to the student.
• If, in exceptional circumstances, MEC has to cancel the student’s lessons due to damage of MEC property or harassment of MEC staff, or failure to pay lesson fees (as defined in our payment schedule) by the student, this may be done
  with no notice and no credit or refund for any outstanding lesson fees.

Payments at MEC’s Browns Plains Office – First Floor, 129 Browns Plains Rd, Browns Plains

Please note, the office is not always staffed, so check in advance to ensure payment can be accepted

• An EFTPOS machine is available for processing EFTPOS, VISA and MasterCard payments.
• CREDIT CARD details can be phoned through to our office on – 0432 937 766 oremailed to us with your details and MEC will complete the transaction and email a receipt.
• CASH payments may be made in person – but are discouraged for the safety of ourstudents, teachers and admin team.

Tuition Fees and Accounting

• MEC teachers CANNOT accept payments in any form.
• The student will be billed for each future term in full towards the end of the preceding
• Full payment must be received before the new term starts, unless an agreed
  instalment plan has been put into place via INTEGRAPAY or a cash payment arrangement has been discussed.
• MEC’s bank details are – Account Name: Music Education Centre, WESTPAC Account number: 605013 BSB: 034 115. Please usethe surname of the Customer or Invoice Number. Please Note: the Customer  is the main point of contact with us and the invoicenumber (found at the top of the MEC invoice) as a reference.  If you don’t add a name in the description we cannot be responsible for allocating funds accurately.
• MEC prefers direct debit payments or online / Internet banking payments.
• ​New students will receive an invoice when their enrolment is processed. We will then forward an email link for Direct Debit Registration. Enrolment will be confirmed upon receipt of the Invoice & lodgement of the Direct Debit Registration Form.
• If the student commences lessons part way through a term, the remainder of that termwill be billed in full and payment must be received or an Instalment Plan established via INTEGRAPAY. This must be completed prior to the students first lesson commencing.
• Fortnightly plans covering the full amount of the invoice will be scheduled via INTEGRAPAY. A list of dates of when the debit is likely to take place will be sent toyou before the term begins, so any changes must be requested then.
• INTEGRAPAY debits may change each term as they are related to full term fee which isbased on the number of lessons – i.e. Some terms may consist of an eleven week term, others 10. This will change the amount of payment deductions.
• Fees associated with payment plans.
• There is a $4.40 dishonour fee if an instalment is unable to be debited on
  the appointed day. Again this is charged directly by INTEGRAPAY not by MEC. If a Payment fails it will be automatically re-scheduled for the following day. MEC will send an sms to notify you of this failed payment. If this payment fails for the second time, a students lessons will be placed on temporary suspension. If no communication has been made with the student/caregiver within 24 hours of receiving an sms from MEC, full suspension of lessons will be implemented.

Penalties

• The student is responsible for any and all charges that their bank may levy for
  rejecting any payment to MEC.
• MEC does reserve the right to temporarily and fully suspend students from lessonswith unpaid term fees during term time.

Photography & Filming

• MEC may use film or still photographs of students for appropriate promotional
• You (or your parents, if you are under 18 years of age) must inform MEC in writingif you will not allow the use of such images.

Changes to the Terms and Conditions

The Terms and Conditions described above are agreed to upon enrolment and
may be changed at any point by MEC without providing notice to the student. A copy of the Terms and Conditions will always be available on your Customer Portal, and can be emailed to the student on request.

Contact Details

General Enquiries:  ​info@musiceducationcentre.com.au
Student  Absence:  Customer Portal
Accounts:  Customer Portal
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/musiceducationcentre

Music School Mobile: 0432 937 766

Music Education Centre Browns Plains

First Floor 129 Browns Plains Road, Browns Plains Q 118

Please Note:  The front desk at the Music School is not always attended.  If you need to contact us just phone the Music School Mobile as shown above or email us, as shown above.  You can always make an appointment to come in to chat with one of our Customer Service Team.

By reading this document you are confirming you understand the content.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at the Music School.