The summer holidays are fast approaching and after last year I introduced new terms and conditions stating that taking more than 4 weeks back to back off from lessons would mean their slot wouldn't be kept open as this is too long to take off from regular lessons(not ideal for progress and for my bank balance!) I've just had a pair of siblings say they will be off for 8 weeks as they're off to visit family abroad. I do understand this can't be helped, they're not in the country and I wasn't happy last year to have pupils off all summer who weren't going abroad but wanted a break, which is why i brought in new t&cs. what would everyone else do if the student/s are going abroad all this time? Would you make them pay a retainer fee or alert them to the fact you can't keep spaces as they're off for so long, or do you make exceptions in these circumstances? I did say to the mum they may need extra lessons when they return to catch up...just after some other points of view.

How badly do you want to keep the siblings on? I think most parents would be pretty annoyed to be told their slot had gone because they were away over a summer holiday. Unless you want to risk losing them, I would suggest that you make an exception in this case.

I think the majority of parents expect lessons to stop over the long holidays, in line with most other activities. Perhaps a more fruitful approach would be to increase your fees for term time lessons to compensate for loss of income in the holidays.

Last time I had this happen I referred them to my terms and said that they would need to pay for any lessons over my maximum holiday agreement if they wanted to be sure I'd have a place for them in September.

They didn't and I didn't....

All my pupils have two months off. School holidays are two months here and all activities stop.

Like dolce I am in France. Last lessons for the children are this week. I have managed to convince my teacher that I need a lesson next week but that will be my last one Lessns don't start again until September 15th so that's something like 10 weeks without lessons.

I think this is far too long but all the French people think it normal.

I carry on in the Summer for those who want it, but to be honest the youngsters that come may as well not have bothered as they rarely practice during the long holiday anyway.

This is what I do. I have now stopped with all my pupils until September as this is the norm in Ireland. To be honest, I had never heard of anyone having lessons in the summer until I came onto this forum!

While we might not like admitting it, music lessons are not most people's top priority and so we can't really expect them to treat it differently from the children's other activities. (Except for the practise element of course!)

I don't think that's as important as keeping a sense of continuity. There are always lots of things we can do in a lesson, whether a student has practised or not.

I agree.

I make it clear to prospective families that I teach most of the year - September to July. It usually becomes fairly clear during the first year whether the arrangement is going to work or not. if the family holidays are too much at odds with my teaching year I may suggest that learning at school would be a better fit.

We all need a rest over the summer!

I didn't used to teach over the summer, but a couple of years ago I offered lessons to anyone who wanted them during the school holidays. A couple took up the offer, and this year so far I've had two parents asking me if I'm going to teach during the holidays. I do it on an ad hoc basis. If they indicate they want lessons we arrange them as and when it suits them and me, both as to what day they come, how often, and what time - most opt to come in the morning. It means that they get 2 or 3 lessons if they want it. I'm pretty flexible about it.

Specifically in reply to your question, do you want to keep these siblings? Are they generally good pupils? Could you phone the mother and explain your reasoning behind not wanting too long a break in the summer?

As they are going to visit family far away it seems to me that for good pupils I would be prepared to make an exception. Could you suggest that they have 2 lessons a week for the first 4 weeks back to make up the deficit, both in terms of work covered, and financially for you?

As someone who teaches privately for a living, Summer can be a pretty thin time ££-wise.

The adult education groups that I teach were told that there would be 4 weeks off during the summer - and all the students were unhappy about having so much time off. So, fortunately, at their request, 3 weeks were reinstated. I had also informed "the management" that I would have been entitled to a retainer fee during that period, had it gone ahead.

Another young pupil is having 8 weeks off to spend time abroad with a parent. I have said that I shall re-assess his place on my schedule when / if I am contacted on his return.

When I was still a self employed GP, we were paid quarterly and had to budget at home accordingly. Perhaps the thing to do, difficult at the start, I know, would be to work out what you can bring in over a year, accounting for the summer slowdown, and put aside a few funds to cover that? That way if you do get any tuition over summer, you can count it as a bonus . Anyone working primarily as a peri would in any case expect work to stop then. Just as well that summer brings weather warm enough for things like fuel bills to drop back rather...it is horrible having financially lean times during the year, I know. And before anyone jumps down my throat about overpaid doctors, bla bla, although I'm comfortably enough just now, I've been in far more straitened circumstances in the past.

I generally don't teach during the school holidays I suppose mostly because I never had lessons myself during the holidays and because I expect attendence and levels of practice to be quite low. This is my first summer self employed so I'm officially off for 6 weeks, however I've put aside 2 weeks for teaching and have told people it's completely optional and just cash on the day. I'm pleased to say that about half of my students will be coming back for lessons in July and it's not just the adults either.

On the financial side I know some people might laugh, but I thought it would be a good fun to try some busking during the Edinburgh Festival to bring in some extra pennies. I'm hoping that will see my through as I haven't earned enough this year to have 4 whole weeks off. If that doesn't work out I'll be off to a temping agency

I am doing something fairly similar - for the first time this summer. Since we are unavoidably away at the beginning of the new academic year, meaning that teaching will resume a week later than usual, I am offering three days of teaching spread out over the holiday (approximately one day every other week) on an entirely optional basis. But I wouldn't want to do more than that - I need a holiday too.

This makes such interesting reading for me. Need a holiday over summer??? What a preposterous idea apart from the fortnight for midsummer, in Japan everybody is supposed to be working like crazy on their music while school is out! Everything has to be "goal-directed"...

On the earnings side, as a freelancer, when I was single I used to set aside 10% of earnings as longterm savings, and 20% as "rainy day" savings.

You could take the Japanese model of "summer is the time to work on technique" and offer ensemble days or 2-3 day short group courses to boost your summer income - that would give students a different experience, and also enable you to concentrate your summer teaching in one short block?

Slightly ironic question: Why would I stop teaching over summer if most of my students are adults?

On a more serious note: Of course attendance goes down over summer, but I don't see the point why I should close down for 2 months.

I take the point that if people depend on income then it's difficult if pupils don't want to come during the summer. However, disregarding the financial side of it, all other things being equal, it's much better to have a break - yes a substantial break over the summer for the sake of pupil, teacher and parent (yes, it can be like trying to push an elephant uphill for them as well in that they try to supervise and cajole offspring to practise all year round and this can be mighty tiring. I've been all in all three roles and my view is that for parents of young children it is certainly a good idea not to have the daily battle / reasoning session / mixture of stick and carrot etc which occurs at all other times of year.

Here in N. Ireland kids get a school holiday of approximately 8 weeks and only exceptional ones ask to continue lessons and even then it's only for about three weeks or so.

Small wonder then that fewer candidates are entered for December practical exams; periods A and B are by far our busiest.

LR

My general practice is to stop regular lessons at the same time that school term ends for the summer, but I make the offer of a one-off lesson sometime in August to keep pupils ticking over. Take-up varies year by year - if pupils have just done an exam, they're often keen to have a break over the summer, but others who are preparing for an exam in the autumn season find it useful to have one lesson to keep them motivated. On the whole, I find it's a reasonable solution - it gives both the pupils and me a pretty good break, but offers some chance at connecting pre- and post-summer lessons.

Martin

I agree that it's better to have a substantial break - for all concerned. I teach much more effectivly afterwards, and usually try to give the pupils a new goal to work towards, or something else to boost their enthusiasm. Because the pupils have had a break, they are usually ready to buckle down again, and even some of the parents show renewed interest in what their kids are doing. There are the odd few who ask for holiday lessons, and I am happy to oblige if it's only the odd day here and there.

But the December practical exams are usually November here, and even if we have started to plan for it before the long summer break it always seems to be a rush to make sure that everything is up to scratch in time. But there are still takers - partly because we don't have a period A here, so the next opportunity after November is the following summer.

Last year I carried on doing some teaching over the summer and it was A Big Mistake in terms of my health. I desperately need the time off this year, so I'm going to Hungary for a three-week summer course in order to refresh and develop my skills (oh, dear, I don't get a piece of paper for it, so I'm not sure if that's approved of ) and to put myself back in the 'taught' seat, then I'm having THREE WEEKS OFF.

SO THERE!!!!!!!

There is one student I may, for various reasons, make an exception for, but otherwise I am chilling out - I so need the break as I'm utterly exhausted and currently running on empty. Even my lesson plans aren't what they were...

Oh - and, for what it's worth, when I was learning piano as a child, my teachers (I had four) never taught in the school holidays - it was strictly term-time only and this seemed the norm.

I'll give you a piece of paper, C. I'll put one of my special stickers on it!!!

I spend most of the academic year frantically juggling finances knowing the summer will be lean. Fulltime teaching stops next week for me but I will offer lessons to those who would like some up to around mid-August. I then STOP until 12th September.

My new (academic) year resolution is to be even more cunning with my meagre hard-earned pounds so I can ****er off for most of the summer break next year and SEE THE WORLD!!!!!!!!! (from various pool-side vantage points.... )

Stressed-Bag x

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Hope you both manage a restful, relaxing break during the summer.

Interesting post. My daughter doesn't get any lessons in the summer which I always think is crazy as that's the time when she actually has the time to practise and plays so much on her own that it is possible for bad habits to develop and become entrenched.

Could you not do something completely different in the summer holidays which would benefit pupils like my daughter who is desparate for some musical activities. Obviously you can't teach someone else's pupils but what about offering things like music theory or group activities. We would jump at the chance to do a once a week theory lesson over the summer or join some other children in group music.

I think if you feel your child need music stimulation during the long summer break then you really should investigate summer courses. Rhinegold publish a booklet every year Here with over 200 courses in the Uk and another 100 in Europe.

Local Music centres also offer a week or weekend courses and of course many Secondary School's music groups go on tour at the end of term.

My kids would have a school tour somewhere in Europe followed by either Centre for Young Musicians (CYM) when they were young or the excellent EYSM when older. The Stables is also highly recommended.

Regards the residential courses, if it does seem out of your financial pocket, please do ask for assistence with fees when applying for a place. I have found if you calculate tuition, meals and accommodation quite often its a lot cheaper than having your kids at home. Plus me and him indoors get precious time alone.

After the course we then go on a music free family break. This year youngest comes back from a music course and joins us camping in a field straight from the airport!

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