Well, the phone went at 1.30pm this afternoon (in the middle of another pupil's lesson) and it was the father of the 4pm pupil. His school (prep school, so he has school on Saturday) had been given the afternoon off to watch the England match and so he wouldn't be coming to violin today. I couldn't say anything too rude as I was within earshot of young pupil + her father but I did say rather sharply that I would expect them to video the game if it happened again! I bet his mother doesn't know about this because I can't imagine her letting him miss his lesson. So I'm rather hoping that she hits the roof when she finds out! Btw, the family concerned are neither English nor Paraguayan so I'm not sure why it was so vital to see this match live.

The England match was over by 4! Lazy *ss! He could easily fit a lesson in between games, I know this because I'm fitting lessons in around games!

That's outrageous. I would expect payment for this lesson.
It's 1) under 24 hours and 2) not a good reason.
If they don't like it - find another teacher. You have to be tough, or they will do it again...and again!

Ann

At least you got paid for the lesson! You did didn't you?

D**n it, I didn't know that! I don't follow the football at all but I'll now have to start looking at the match times!




Oh yes! (Termly billing!!)

If you have the money and they don't have an exam next week or anything then just put up your feet and have a cuppa - not your problem.

I'm more worried about you answering the phone during a lesson - those people were there and paying for your time - let the machine take it.

That's an interesting point. If my pupils need/wish to cancel they generally ring me on my mobile number. I will always answer that whilst I'm working. I keep such calls as short as possible, but I need to answer them incase someone is cancelling/rearranging a lesson for that evening.

What does everyone else do?

I agree, it can be a tricky one - in the particular case yesterday, the pupil pays for a 20 min lesson (she's only little) but the 'slot' is 30min so I didn't feel I was short-changing them. Usually there is someone else in the house to answer the phone and screen calls so that helps but if not, I will pick up the phone and deal very quickly with whatever it is - like JohnS, because of cancellations/ rearrangements at short notice.

I always let the answerphone pick up every call when I'm teaching-and that's the joy of the phone and caller display in particular-I only have to answer when it's convenient. I did get caught out by opinion poll canvassers at the door the other evening who got sent away very quickly. I did wonder what other people teaching at home do about certain times of the year-eg Halloween-when o there's endless interruptions with trick or treaters knocking at the door in the middle of lessons?
In answer to the original question-if you got paid then it's definitely their loss and I wouldn't worry about it-but as you say it's worth letting the Mum know about it so it doesn't happen again. I offer my students make up lessons in the holidays if they have missed for a good reason-but this certainly wouldn't count as one!

Oh My Goysh, Halloween!

I worked through the last one, with kids knocking at the door constantly, me ignoring it. The only time it got weird was then my next pupil arrived at the same time as a load of track or treaters - I answered the door to a barrage of "TRICK OR TREAT" with my teenage pupil standing somewhere near the back of the group looking slightly bemused.

I just said, "no thanks" and "***, would you like to come in and we'll make a start"... .. .

This pupil, once settled, told me off for being mean! bah.

At the moment, I'm rather prickly about the telephone, so tend to pick up calls more quickly (imminent arrival in family expected), also the telephone may also be the afterschool club (fridays's only) telling me something has happened to one of my children. But otherwise the answerphone tends to pick up my calls during lessons.

As for football calshing with lessons, take comfort that you were paid, however I do side with you over this, parents need to take their pupils lesson times seriously.

And on Saturday when the footie was on I was at a Trinity/Guildhall seminar in Norwich. Some of us work despite the world cup!

Good for you! I know this is going off-topic, but what did you think of the seminar? I sat through the Sunday one, trying hard not to nod off in the heat. It was pretty well attended for a hot Sunday afternoon but I had to rush away at the end so didn't get a chance to compare impressions with anyone.

I would be so mad if my pupils cancelled because of the football! I can't understand what the big thing is about a bunch of men kicking a ball around a bit of grass!

Anyways, I let the answer machine get calls while I am teaching but I keep an ear out and if it is a later pupil calling to rearrange times etc I get the phone then but keep it short.

My teacher always used to answer the phone in my lesson and it used to do my head in. Her friends would call for a chat and she would try to get rid of them but they would just chatter on. Not great if it was your last lesson before a concert or exam! However she always gave her pupils a free lesson in the summer hols to make up for the times that the phone or door had gone.

It was an excellent seminar, I like what they are doing, and will continue to use both ABRSM and TrinityGuilldhall for exams depending on the repertoire lists and particular strengths of my candidates. The Norwich lot were fairly vocal, and I felt the board were very receptive to teacher comments.

As for footie and teaching, I had to teach through some kids loud hailer on Friday. My poor pupil was trying to learn G major and all she had was football chants going off loud during her lesson. Thank goodness I wasn't trying to teach Aural at the time.

I must admit, I was fuming the other day, about the football likely to be interfering with teaching, why can't people work around it, or record it as people have said. So far, I have only had to rearrange one family of children, but hopefully there won't be anymore. Fingers crossed ...

Well, I had a pupil yesterday who was so tired that she could hardly keep her eyes open to play the piano! She is twelve, and she and her mother are Big Brother fans and they both stay up until eleven o'clock every night to watch it. Her playing was really poor and she had not bothered to trim her nails either, as requested. I was not pleased at all. I told her to make up her mind what she wanted to do; Watch TV or learn the piano. The choice will be hers, and I suspect that I may not see her again. Also told her that if she wants to keep her nails long to go for singing lessons instead, but not with me! Missing lessons because of A level study is one thing, but for football, certainly not acceptable. I will make an exception if they want to watch the final match. Then I will re arrange a lesson.

I'm quite prepared to re-arrange lessons to accommodate a pupil's GCSE, AS or A2 exam time-table but not for TV. If a pupil misses a lesson as they are involved in a school concert then that's par for the course and I'm excited for them. But Big brother and the World Cup!...especially now there's Sky plus, PVRs and Video!

TV is ruining children's education more and more, no doubt. They would rather watch all this drivel (because that's what TV is nowadays) than practise, go to lessons, or revise. Many children are too young to know the line between what is enough entertainment and what encroaches on more important things. Things like Big Brother, X Factor, football, other reality TV, and general mind numbing, bad example to youngsters programmes. Computer games have a similar effect.

The sad thing is said entertaiments only care about money, so it's basically their profits vs children's education. I can see a vicious circle starting soon if we're not careful.

If I was teching kids, I would not take TV as an excuse.

There are still a lot of worthwhile TV programmes around, and there is no harm in watching some TV. But it's the excessive amounts of TV that some people watch that's a problem, and some of the quality. Reality TV was quite original when it first started out, and there are still a few quite original programmes being aired (I'd count, for example 'The Singing Estate' as reality TV), but generally there is far too much reality TV around now, and most of the shows are poor, tired, unimaginative or a combination of these.

Having taken the thread rather off topic (oops), no Neil you shouldn't take TV as an excuse, you are quite right (even if it is the World Cup, and I'm a football fan!). Not in these days of recordable DVDs , video recorders and the like. Rachel, I think you would be well within your rights to ask for the lesson fee should this ever happen to you again.

Many years ago (1982 it must have been) I remember my trumpet teacher juggling and re-arranging most of his lessons so he could watch all the matches! I had a lesson start 15 mins after its re-scheduled time after we sat and watched a Germany-France penalty shoot out in his living room.

I suppose that's what you might expect from a trumpet teacher with an Italian mother!

I have just emailed all of my students to remind them that the World Cup will not be seen as a vaild reason for missing a lesson and that if they do miss a lesson to watch a match then they will be billed. Will have to wait until Thursday now to se whether it has worked!

Excellent Kix, well done!

I don't have a TV and at the moment I'm so pleased about it! However, if someone uses football as an excuse to miss a lesson I won't be so pleased. I'm trying to weed out one or two time wasters anyway, and in my present mood might well tell any football-related-non-showers not to bother coming back. (Have a court case on July 12th, against someone who smashed up my car then lied about it, then my grade 8 sax and 8 students' exams the next day. Hopefully will be feeling less stressed soon.)

I too have had cancellations from adults relating to "football" Just a sobering thought you realise you are contributing the the sweeping remarks that we all make disparaging adult learners I have been taken to task for making jokes about adult learners on their forum

WRONG - I am rude generally about everyone who costs me money - Its a funny habit I have got into

I am not rude about adult learners who

1 Pay up front
2 Don't cancel at 3 hours notice
3 Always turn up
4 Don't make last minute lessons changes
5 Don't want to bring their 18 month old child - what am I a bleeping creche
6 Always remember to pay
7 Remember their music

I am not concerned adult learners as such - they comprise most of my pupils - its the above the cause me to be rude

I would not accept watching a football match on TV as a good reason for missing a lesson (most of my pupils are local, so I would argue that they can see some of the match, have their piano lesson, and then see the final few minutes of the game, so they would not be missing much!!)

I leave the answerphone on in the hall so that I can hear the caller, and only answer the phone if it's a real emergency. And if it was halloween, I would only answer the door at the time I was expecting the next pupil. Tough to anyone else.

Well done you Suzie. We've turned off the ringer and volume on our end of the answerphone so all I here is a bleep when the message is left.

Hubby and school/afterschool club are some of the few people who know my mobile number, so if the mobile rings I answer it as that is likely to be an emergency that I need to sort out.

We have visitors at the moment from NZ and he is obssessed with the football it's driving me nuts!

You will all be pleased to know that his addiction has caused myself and the kids to escape to the front room whilst they practise their music. Just think of how much they are improving and it gives me the perfect excuse to leave them to it without appearing rude. I've just got to hear the exam practise haven't I?

I'm not a football fan, but I would not put football in the same league as reality TV shows.

There is a lot to be said for the adrenaline rush that an individual receives by joining with a big group to watch a sports event. I love to see the flags around as people support their team. In this age when so many people seem to feel separated from society it can only be good to be united in such a way.

Yes, football games can be videoed, but much of the good can only be realised when the game is watched live.

I used to live within sight of the Arsenal football ground. I loved watching the anticipation on the supporters' faces as they travelled to the games, and the (sometimes) joy on the way home.

I lived there when they did the triple. (Whatever that is!) For several hours supporters were driving up and down the main road flying their flags and tooting their horns at anyone in team colours. People in the streets were talking to each other, and singing their chants. Yes it was noisy, but oh the pleasure of seeing an inner London community act like a community.

(That said, I don't know how I would react to a cancelled lesson if I were a teacher, especially at such late notice.)

One of mine has just cancelled tomorrow's lesson -
he's tired and has had exams this week (he's about year 4).

Hmmm. Maybe just a bit too convenient??!

Why can they not video BB and watch it the next day?? Missing lessons is definitely not acceptable and there is no way I would rearrange lessons for anyone to watch the final football match. Anyone can watch it at their own expense. I don't arrange my schedule round football. GCSE and A level exams are one thing, but football, - no way!

I'd say so! Could parents get him to bed at a decent time last night ready for tonight's lesson?

I called their bluff. He needs a new book anyway, so I e-mailed them to suggest a session where he simply listens to some new pieces and comments on them. No preparation needed, and no effort.

An ideal opportunity etc etc, I'd just been to the music shop and chosen a load of lovely new books ... hehe (no I had, really)

Mum has agreed to get him here for a (short) lesson.

A bit off the main subject but may offer some light relief to some of the teachers. My nine-year-old daughter had her first trombone lesson yesterday. Last night at about 10.30 I could hear she was still up so went to see what she was doing - she was still busy practicing the breathing exercises her trombone teacher had asked her to do. She was quite indignant when I told her it was very late and she really had to go to bed. She said that her teacher had told her to do them as often as possible because they were very important and that she would be telling him next week that I hadn't let her do them properly.

This sounds just like my daughter! What a star!

Love it! What a meanie you are! You could always suggest she gets up half an hour early to practice them and see how keen she is! BTW, my daughter who is 9 plays trombone - she started in September and has just got in to the habit odf a bit of practice in the morning cos she loves the idea of wakig the whole house up!

The youth orchestra has its end of year concert tomorrow night, after theory exams in the morning. I was wondering why the warm up concert from 11th June was postponed to the 24th - I mean having a concert after the end of year concert... ???
Then we heard it had been postponed not because of the concert venue or anything, no, it was postponed because of the football on the 11th.

School here starts at 8.30 so getting up early to practice is not really an option.

I was actually quite glad I hadn't let her take the mouthpiece up to her bedroom as otherwise she would probably have been keeping younger sister awake too!

Nice one, maggiemay