GENERAL INFORMATION & POLICIES

This page sets out important information you need to know about my piano lessons and seeks to address any questions you may have. It also sets out the terms & conditions under which my teaching business operates, acceptance of which is implied when starting or continuing lessons. Please take some time to read it through as it contains important information that you may need to refer to in future. 

Contact Details

Piano Hands is run by Johnny Morrissey, based at 2 Horton Road, Gloucester GL1 3PR. You can contact me by email at johnny.piano@outlook.com, by phone on 07799 266632 or via my website www.pianohands.mymusicstaff.com.

Lesson Location

Lessons (other than online) are held in my teaching studio at the above address. Parking is available in the marked bays on Horton Road opposite Wotton House school, or via the side entrance on Royal Lane. 

Lesson Length

30, 45 or 60 minute lesson slots are available. Usually 30 or 45 minutes weekly is about right for most learners, however the “optimum” lesson length is determined by various factors including age, ability level, etc. and can sometimes change as learning progresses. This is discussed prior to starting and reviewed regularly. 

Lesson Fees

Currently my fee for lessons at my teaching studio is £32 per hour, pro rata. eg. £16 for 30 minutes, £24 for 45 minutes. Periodically lesson fees increase, but this will never happen without advance notice. My next lesson fee increase is scheduled for September 2025. 

Other Payments & Costs

To begin with, the only additional costs to factor in are those for learning materials. After your first few lessons, I will choose one or more books for you to start off with - typically, these will include a lesson book plus one or two other books that will support your learning. Because each pupil works through these books at his or her own pace, there is no set “time limit” to complete any given book – as a rough guide, you are likely to need one or two sets of books per year. These materials can be supplied to you and invoiced separately, alternatively I can supply the relevant details for you to purchase them yourself. The only other cost that potentially needs to be factored in is an exam fee, relevant only to pupils working towards the "grade" exams - these tend to be around £50-60 for each of the early grades. 

Billing & Payment Of Lesson Fees

Lessons are taught in teaching blocks that align with Gloucestershire school term dates, with invoices issued twice termly. Payment is due within two weeks of issue, with payment details and due date listed on each invoice, along with confirmation of your regular time slot and the dates of all lessons during the current teaching block. Please note that in case of non payment, or persistent late payments, I reserve the right to discontinue lessons. 

Attendance Policy

In agreeing to take you / your child on as a pupil, I am reserving a specific slot for you each week, which means that your lesson time is always protected. Equally, because I am unable to offer this slot to another pupil, you undertake to commit to this slot and payment for all scheduled lessons, so you should only proceed with lessons if you are able to make this commitment. It is expected that all lessons are paid for irrespective of attendance, except in the case of illness. It may occasionally be possible to rearrange a scheduled lesson if enough notice is given (a minimum of two weeks in advance), however please note that my teaching timetable is now almost at capacity which means there is no guarantee that a suitable replacement slot will be available. I reserve the right to discontinue lessons where there are persistent absences and reallocate the teaching slot to a pupil on my waiting list. In the unlikely event that I may need to cancel a lesson that has already been billed, the cost of this lesson will be credited to your next invoice.  
 

Late Arrival

If you are unavoidably late to a lesson, it may occasionally be possible to make up the time at the end if there is no lesson following on from yours. However, this cannot be guaranteed and therefore lesson time may be lost as a result of late arrival. 

What To Bring

After the first few lessons, you will need one or more lesson / technique books as well as a notebook to record your progress – it is very important that you bring these with you to each lesson. I provide notebooks for children, while I encourage adults to bring their own. 

Between Lessons

In a word, PRACTICE!! So regular access to an acoustic or good quality digital piano is essential. The key is “little and often”, but it’s important to try to find 10-20 minutes or so most days if possible. Many people find it easier to split this into two chunks – eg. morning & afternoon/evening.  Parents of younger pupils have a critical role to play in overseeing a practice routine at home. Without one, meaningful progress is impossible to achieve no matter how much we do in the lessons, and it is unlikely that your learning journey will progress very far.   

Lesson Structure

No two pupils are the same, so no two lessons are the same. And naturally, a typical child’s lesson will have a very different feel to an adult’s lesson. However, at the heart of every single lesson one thing is always the same – learning the piano should be challenging but motivational. As a general rule every lesson will be a mix of piano-based activities that develop practical skills with activities designed to establish a solid grasp of music theory. Music theory plays an important role in learning any instrument, as well as being a fantastic skill to develop in its own right.

Transfer Pupils / Adult “Returners”

If you are / your child is transferring from a different teacher, or if you are an adult “returner” who has previously had piano lessons elsewhere (even if that was years ago!), please bring along to your first lesson any books or other learning materials that you still have. This helps to form a picture of your experience to date, highlight any specific issues and make a plan for your learning as we move forwards. 

Piano Exams

Many people (particularly adults) learn to play the piano simply for the pleasure it gives them and have no desire to perform to an audience let alone an examiner. However, there is nothing quite like the sense of pride and achievement you get when you pass your first piano exam and receive that certificate, and for children especially it can be hugely motivating. There will be plenty of opportunities to discuss exam options as your learning progresses.    

Parental Involvement In Children’s Learning

Parents play a critical role in their child’s musical development, from bringing them to lessons to making sure they fit in regular practice, and of course giving them as much support and praise as possible as they progress through what can be a very demanding musical journey. Parents are always encouraged to add their own comments each week in their child’s practice notebook. Parents are also welcome to sit in on lessons, alternatively it is fine if they wish to drop off & pick up.

Stopping Lessons

Occasionally, for whatever reason people find that they just aren’t able to give themselves the time needed to make the kind of progress they’d like. With children, practice time has to compete with everything from spellings to swimming and so much else, while adults can sometimes get frustrated that the learning process is slower than they'd anticipated, and the motivation to keep on plugging away can easily drop off. What’s sad about this is that some people give up piano lessons before they’ve given themselves a proper chance – in fact, many adult learners are “returners” who learned for a while as a child, gave up, and decided to give it another go later in life. So, before making a decision to stop having piano lessons, it’s always worth having a chat first, to see if it really is the best option. Progress can only really be measured over the longer term - months & years, not days & weeks. Having said that, if it is felt after a period of sustained effort, practice and patience that progress really is proving hard to come by, there is no shame whatsoever in considering the possibility that piano may not be quite the right instrument or hobby for you / your child. I'm always here to offer advice and guidance on any and every piano-related topic, including this one, so do feel free to chat with me at any point about any questions or concerns you may have about your / your child's progress; likewise, if I feel the need to raise the topic I will seek to do this in a pragmatic but sensitive way. If you do ultimately decide to stop having piano lessons, please give me as much notice as possible, with a minimum notice period of one month. 

Johnny Morrissey / Piano Hands 2025