Frequently asked questions(FAQ)
Your account will be set up during the course of your initial 8 week introductory course.
Click the “Forgot Password” link beneath the Account Login button, then enter your email address assigned to the account and a new password will be emailed to you
You can view the videos in full screen mode by clicking the “fullscreen” icon located in the bottom right corner of your player.
You must be a student of Play Piano and have an account manually activated to be able to login to our site and view all the videos
You will need a highspeed broadband connection to view our video’s. If you press play and then pause, your video will be downloaded to memory before playing. This will improve your video playing quality. You can also download our videos and view them from your PC hard drive for a better quality viewing. You can view the videos in full screen mode by clicking the “fullscreen” icon located in the bottom right corner of your player.
A room which is adequate in size and heated, ventilated and properly lit. A fully functioning tuned piano with adjustable stool. Easy access to suitable toilet / bathroom facilities. Experienced tutor for the lesson being taught.
All lessons whether private / group are time tabled from the outset with the consent of the student or parent/guardian of the student to indicate the day, time, and duration of the lesson. The tuition is set out on a term by term basis and the relevant fee and number of lessons per term indicated. There are three teaching terms in operation at the music school. A music term must be paid for in full in order to proceed to the next term.
No: Once the 8 week course has commenced it is up to you the student to be here weekly to attend for your lessons. Any lesson/s not taken during this period will be forfeited. A refund will not be offered for any lessons not taken during this probationary period.
In general we do not have parents sit in on lessons but in the instance where a child is a little nervous on his / her first lesson we do permit a parent to sit in for a few minutes while the student is getting comfortable with the tutor. We may also ask a parent to sit in from time to time for updates on a students progress.
Yes: We always encourage a parent / guardian to drop in on a regular basis for a few minutes on the commencement of a lesson in order to be briefed on their child’s progress. We do not e-mail / post home monthly reports!
Yes: However this may not be at your usual time slot. If you rerquire / need an extra lesson preparing for an up coming exam, your tutor will notify the office and attain a time slot for you. Payment for an extra lesson/s when agreed must be paid to the office in advance. The normal lesson fee will apply in this instance
Yes: However summer lessons are only put on if there is enough interest. If you are interested in summer lessons your name will be added to the summer lesson list and a day/s selected. Please be aware that you may not have your usual tutor or time slot for summer lessons.
Yes. Lessons are offered and rolled out on a term by term basis and in this instance you can opt out of a full term of tuition but you must give adequate notice to the relevant tutor of your intention to do so. In this instance your name will be transferred to our priority waiting list should you wish to re-join the school at a later date.
Yes, in so far as possible. When you sign up with Play Piano you are enrolled as a student of the school and assigned to a teacher. However in circumstances such as teacher absences there may need to be a reshufflre which may see you being taught by another teacher for a short period of time. If your normal teacher is absent / ill for a period of time then you will have a substitute teacher for that period. In the instance of your teacher leaving the school you will be assigned to another appropriate available teacher in the school. The school also reserves the right to recommend / move you to another teacher should it be deemed relevant / favourable to your academic progress. Should you wish to change your lesson time / opt out of a term of music then you may be assigned to a different teacher on your return.
Yes: All teachers at Play Piano are very experienced musicians in their own right and are educated to degree / masters level. Every tutor has also been garda vetted.
Yes. We prepare students to sit our pwn internal online theory exams or external exams set out by the board of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. We teach the practical and written theory grades in all instruments from Elementary to Diploma Level.
Yes: If you are taking a practical grade exam at Play Piano then you must also prepare to sit the equivalent theory exam. Allowance may be made for the written theory to be a grade lower than the practical but no more than that. An original theory book must be used in class.
No. The skipping of grades is not permitted at the music school. If a student fails a practical / written theory exam they will be asked to re take the exam before moving to the next level.
No. While the grades are numerical in order ie 1 2 3 4 etc It is not a given that a student will keep moving from grade to grade year on year owing to the workload needed to be completed for each grade. You tutor will guide you through each grade, working at your pace and validate you when you have attained the level of expertise required at Play Piano in all components of the exam grade for which you are undertaking.
No: Learning in life for everyone is dictated by the individuals own momentum. At Play Piano when a new student commences a certain work load will be given out over a certain period of time in order to recognise the students individual learning pace. This in turn will dictate the movement through the grades in both practical and theory. A parent will never be allowed at Play Piano to try and force a students learning pace.
No. The Junior Recital is compulsory. Students sitting the classical grades will enter this programme once they have completed grade 3. This is a very important year where you will look at other repertoire and learn a lot more about techniques that will improve your mastership of the piano. The Junior Recital is a year long programme and upon completion the student will be moved on to grade 4.
Yes: Firstly, if you are a weekly student of the business you will have access to the online tutorials as part of your package. However if you are not attending as a weekly offline student, you are welcome to go to our subscription page and sign up as an external online member.
No you do not need to have a piano in the home a keyboard will suffice for a beginner adult / child. We can recommend the relevant music shops from which to purchase.
Yes you must have your own piano accordion in order to start these lessons.
Accordion Content
If you are late for your lesson you will receive only the balance of your lesson time.
All lessons run on time at Play Piano. However in the unusual event that your tutor is running a little late you will still receive your full lesson and in this instance all subsequent lessons will run a little late and all affected students will be advised of same by the tutor.
Yes: All lessons in a term must be paid for whether taken or missed. We do not hold slots for free. A time tabled lesson missed by a student is therefore forfeited. Exemptions will only be considered in the event of hospitalisation, bereavement or educatonal leave. These are outlined in our Rules and Regulations under our ‘missed lessons policy’ A lesson missed by the tutor will be made up at a mutually convenient time or a refund /credit given..
If you miss a lesson and it falls under our ‘missed lesson policy’ then this lesson will be re arranged. If it does not then your missed lesson will be forfeited. If you are missing lessons throughout a term owing to your own schedule changing then you can ask for a change of lesson time for the next term or ask to book in for for an extra lesson. Your tutor will assist you in this regard.
If throughout a term of music your own circumstances change and you need to change your lesson time/day please notify your tutor first who will guide you through the process verbally. A notification must then be sent to the office either by text / email confirming the situation and a request for a change of time. No changes will be made to a students rostered time until these steps are undertaken.
Yes. Whether you take holidays at the beginning, middle or end of a term the complete term must still be paid for in order to secure your time slot. If your holiday period is 3 weeks or more and does not fall under our “missed lesson policy” then a retention fee must be paid in order to secure your place. We do not hold slots for free at the school.
Yes. However if a student will not be in a position to attend a lesson or lessons during your exam period please notify your teacher in advance and work will be assigned to you for this period. You also have the facility to log into to your account and view the tutorials which are appropriate to your exam grade.
No, there are no lessons scheduled on Public Holidays. However Play Piano does operate as normal on a “Bank Holiday only day” i.e Easter Friday. If a student wishes to make up a lesson missed owing to his / her lesson falling on a Public Holiday this may be arranged with the same / alternative tutor at the end of the given term.
All new learning takes time especially as an adult learner. At Play Piano the tuition commences with an Introductory 8 weeks course and if you are not content with the lessons or find that learning an instrument is taking longer than you expected then you are under no obligation to continue after this period has elapsed.
This music practice at all times has an up to date public liability insurance policy in operation. Roller blading is strictly prohibited while on the premises. Activities such as smoking, chewing gum and answering mobile phones are strictly prohibited during lessons.
Yes you should practise every day once you have begun music lessons and as a beginner practice should be about 15 minutes and increasing gradually as you move through the grades. Your tutor will always advise you on the practice time required in order to aid your continued musical development.
Yes students undertake to attend lessons regularly, on time and for the full duration of the lesson. To always bring the relevant books (i.e theory, piano book, manuscript, etc). To have practised in between lessons as recommended by the tutor.
When you have commenced lessons at the school you will automatically be added to our monthly newsletter which will keep you up to date on events unfolding and important dates to keep in mind regarding the school calendar. You may follow us on facebook where we do regular postings and News Flashes or check out the website noticeboard www.playpiano.ie which is updated regularly
Yes all tutors, parents, guardians and students are insured under Play Piano’s public liability insurance policy while on the premises.
The John Thompson Beginner Book and other piano albums we use at Play Piano are generally available from The Book Haven or the Music Outlet in Swords. Alternatively you may get them from McCullough Piggott Music shop on South William Street in Dublin 2. When you commence sitting piano exams here Play Piano will supply you with the theory books you need for your exams.
N.B photocopies of pieces may be given on occasion.