Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Beethoven at Home?
• How often do students take lessons?
• What is your cancellation policy?
• How does Beethoven at Home Guarantee the Safety of Clients?
• What are the rates for instruction?
• Are there discounts for families?
• Do you offer a free trial lesson?
• Can I speak with the instructor before I book the lesson?
• Can I pay at the lessons each week?
• Can I pay cash or money order?
• Do I need to have my own instrument in order to take a lesson?
• What is your rescheduling policy?
• What ages of student can enroll in lessons with Beethoven At Home?
• How do I get to the studio? What is the instructor's address and phone number?
• Can I change the day, time, or duration of my lesson?
• Am I required to take a certain number of lessons each month?
• Where are you located?
• Are you a referral service?

What is Beethoven at Home?

Beethoven at Home is Canada's leading provider of at-home and in-studio music. Lessons from our teachers take place either in your home or the teacher's studio. Just tell us the instrument you wish to learn as well as where and when you would like to learn it and our consultants will place you with a music teacher near you. All Beethoven at Home teachers have passed a police database background check and have been evaluated by Beethoven at Home looking at experience, education and attitude. Additionally we monitor our client and teacher experiences to ensure that our customers are satisfied with the service we provide. Beethoven at Home is the only coast to coast service of its type operating in Canada.

How often do students take lessons?

A student should take lessons according to their needs. Most young children just beginning an instrument will take a half hour lesson weekly to start. Adult beginners will be able to sustain focus and interest longer and as such should take a 45 minute to 1 hour lesson. All students take weekly lessons to ensure progress. Some of our clientele take 2 lessons a week if they are preparing intensively for a recital or other project. Biweekly lessons while technically possible are difficult to negotiate with teachers because essentially they cannot fill the other two weeks slot with another student. If you start with a half hour lesson you can always increase your lesson time as you progress and it becomes necessary.

What is your cancellation policy?

With Beethoven at Home you are not bound by any long-term commitments and with proper notification, you can cancel your lessons at any time.

Proper notice for an absence not due to illness with Beethoven at Home is 72 hours. Most teachers will want to make up lessons that are missed whether due to illness or unavailability as this part of their income. Students are charged for no shows and cancellations outside of the aforementioned terms.

For new students if you want to stop after your first or second lesson, contact us within 72 hours and we'll either find another instructor to suit your needs or refund your remaining balance. If your reason for cancellation includes a verifiable complaint against teacher decorum we'll refund the lessons taken already as well.

For existing students, you must give us 30 days notice to cancel your lessons. If you want to cancel your lessons as of January 30th you must inform our office by December 30th in order to cease billing as of that date. If you cease lessons suddenly your teacher will still be paid for 30 days to allow Beethoven at Home to find them a replacement teacher.

How does Beethoven at Home Guarantee the Safety of Clients?

Beethoven at Home screens our applicants for teaching positions weighing education, experience and attitude. Additionally, all applicants complete a background check with www.backcheck.ca which provides a police database check. This database would inform us of any transgressions or crimes other than minor traffic offenses and teachers that cannot pass are ineligible for hire.

What are the rates for instruction?

Beethoven at Home charges $55.00 per 60 minute lesson, $45.00 per 45 minute lesson and $35.00 per 30 minute lesson.

Clients that travel to their teacher’s studio pay the above rates only.

If you want to have instruction in your home an additional per visit travel fee of $15.00 will apply. Families with multiple children taking multiple lessons are charged only one travel fee per teacher provided all the lessons are grouped together on the same day for in home lessons.

Are there discounts for families?

While we do not offer a family discount per say families with more than one child do save on the convenience of in-home lessons as they are charged only a single travel fee as long as the lessons are grouped together on the same day.

Families may not for example group children together in a 1 hour lesson rate for 20 or 30 minute intervals as the teacher must prepare for each student separately. The teacher may at the client’s discretion combine a group of students initially in the case of multiple children being beginners at the same stage within a family. This is to maximize value to the client by accelerating progress by eliminating repetition in the first few lessons (how to hold a violin, how to clean a flute etc.). This is practiced only at the outset and the students will be taking individual private instruction as soon as possible. There is no rate change as a result of this as all Beethoven at Home students are enrolled in private instruction.

Do you offer a free trial lesson?

There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home. The first 2 lessons are considered as trial lessons where the student and teacher can get to know each other. You can cancel your lessons at anytime with no future obligation within 72 hours of the second lesson.

Can I speak with the instructor before I book the lesson?

Beethoven at Home will not release personal information of our teaching staff until we have a booking confirmed and a credit card is provided. This is for our teacher’s privacy and safety. We will not charge your card until we have a confirmed lesson date after you have spoken with the teacher.

Once you have provided your credit card either by online registration or by phone we will release your teacher’s full contact information to you via email. We will also contact your teacher and your teacher will be in contact with you within 24 hours. You can ask your teacher any questions about their teaching and experience on the phone at this time.

Can I pay at the lessons each week?

Unfortunately our system cannot accommodate this kind of payment relationship. In our system students and teachers have a musical and pedagogical relationship only. All billing etc. is handled by our administration. Students are billed at the outset of each month for the amount of weekly lessons in a month minus any pre-reported absences etc. This enables us to pay the teacher right away at the end of the month.

Can I pay cash or money order?

At this time, we can only receive payments via credit card or VOID cheque.

Do I need to have my own instrument in order to take a lesson?

Yes. In any musical instruction you will need an instrument to practice on in order to make progress. Instruments can be purchased or rented from Beethoven at Home.

What is your rescheduling policy?

To miss a lesson you need to give your instructor 72 hours notice so that they can reschedule your time. If a make-up is impossible then you will be credited the amount the following month's billing. Teachers are not obligated to make up more than 2 lessons within a 4 month period. Lessons cancelled without proper notice will not be credited or rescheduled.

What ages of student can enroll in lessons with Beethoven At Home?

Students of all ages can enroll at Beethoven at Home. Typically the youngest age we have students studying music is 4 years old. We even have students starting to learn in their seventies so at the other end of things there are no limits!

How do I get to the studio? What is the instructor's address and phone number?

For privacy reasons we cannot divulge any information about our teachers until a registration is booked. This information is provided to you immediately upon receipt of payment.

Can I change the day, time, or duration of my lesson?

Certainly, if you and your instructor agree to reschedule your lesson time your instructor will inform our administration to adjust your billing day.

Am I required to take a certain number of lessons each month?

It is easier to make progress with a weekly lesson. More so even than a sport or like activity musical progress is dependant on consistent practice. It is better to practice and study 20 min daily than to do an 8 hour session one day a week. While technically possible bi-weekly lessons are more difficult to schedule because the teacher can't teach the lesson time the other two weeks of the month.

Where are you located?

Administratively we are based in Haileybury Ontario Canada. Our teachers and local territory reps are located in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal.

Are you a referral service?

No. We are a school of music. Referral services are often unchecked and anyone can belong. Beethoven at Home checks backgrounds and evaluates teachers in order to ensure the best possible experience for our clients. In a referral system the relationship and responsibility to the client begin and end with the referral. Many of our clients are busy professionals who want to ensure the best possible music education for their children or themselves. They do not have time or the resources to interview and acquire new teachers when people relocate, change instruments etc. Beethoven at Home provides consistency to you or your family's musical experiences.