Year 1 pupils - Recorder is best for our very young pupils.  We assess Year 1 enrolments on a pupil by pupil basis - in some cases it is best to wait until pupils are in Year 2.

Year 2 pupils - Recorder would be a great option, but some Year 2 pupils can manage the Mini Clarinet or the Mini Saxophone.

Year 3 pupils - Mini Clarinet, Mini Saxophone, Curved Head Flute and Cornet are perfect for children at the start of Key Stage 2. 

Year 4 pupils - Year 4 pupils can usually manage standard Clarinets, Flutes and Trumpets.  Smaller Year 4's might need the smaller instruments (Mini Clarinets, Curved Head Flutes, Cornets or Mini Saxophones).

Year 5 pupils - All Year 5's should be able to manage standard Clarinets, Flutes, Cornets and Trumpets, and should not need the smaller instruments unless they are particularly little. Some Year 5 pupils can manage the Alto Saxophone, or they can start on the Mini Saxophone if necessary. 

Year 6 pupils - All pupils in Year 6 should be able to manage any of the standard instruments we offer, and a smaller instrument should not be needed. 

There's no need to worry though, if the instrument chosen in the first instance doesn't work out, there is always the option to swap to a different instrument, often at no extra cost, if you need to.

Everyone enrols for three lessons initially. If you choose the "Lessons Only" or Normans "Recorder Package" the first payment of £25.50 will be taken when lessons are scheduled. If you choose one of the standard Normans Instrument packages for Clarinet, Flute, Trumpet, Cornet or Saxophone (either a Purchase or Rental package) then your first 3 lessons are free. Reduced priced lessons are available for children eligible for Pupil Premium. Just let us know and we'll adjust your prices. Lesson payments are made via the Go Cardless Direct Debit system meaning children don't need to take money into school.

Music for Schools provide 30 lessons over the course of an academic year (September to July). There are more than 30 teaching weeks available, however we always leave room to allow for School Trips, SATS test and in case our tutor is ill or cannot attend.  Payments of £25.50 (covering 3 lessons) are made on the 1st of the month.  No payments are due in July and August.

Not a problem. We can start your child's lessons at any time of year, whether or not we have visited school to recruit new musicians, or even if we have but you're a little late enrolling!

Initially, you will receive your child's lesson start date and time via email. After this, our administration system SpeedAdmin will contain the details of your child's timeable of lessons, and this can be accessed at any time with the login that will be sent to you.  If we are notified of any changes, we will communicate this to you, but please remember that there is not necessarily a lesson every week.  SpeedAdmin has both a desktop site and an app so that you can check regularly to make sure of your child's lesson details.

Our tutors are in many ways super-human, but in others they are just like everyone else - they get poorly sometimes, or their cars break down, or sometimes they get stuck in traffic. On these occasions we will notify parents via text or email as soon as we can, and of course we do not ask you to pay for these lessons. Usually we can use one of our spare weeks to replace the lesson, or timetable permitting, the tutors can give double-length lessons to replace the time missed.

Unfortunately this lesson cannot be replaced. If your child has a long term illness or a broken limb resulting in them not being able to attend lessons then please contact us at the earliest opportunity so that we can discuss the options available.

We advise that all children attend their lessons even if they have forgotten their instrument. This enables the children to continue learning the theory element of the lessons. If for any reason it is not appropriate for the tutor to give a theory lesson, we are under no obligation to replace the lesson.

We know that schools have a lot of activities going on, which is why we publish our tutor's teaching weeks well in advance. We ask that both schools and parents share the responsibility of letting us know if a clash occurs so that we can arrange the timetable accordingly, either by rearranging the order of pupils, or even rescheduling lessons for a different day. We ask for a minimum of 48 hours notice - any less than this and unfortunately we will not be able to replace the lesson. Things that may affect lessons are School Trips, Tests, Sports Days, Bikeability, Swimming, Juggling Workshops (ok, not that last one, but you get the gist!). The more information we have, the better prepared we can be to ensure that all lessons are delivered.

If you have obtained your instrument through Normans Musical Instruments and have had it for less than 2 years, in the first instance it may be possible for your tutor to repair it. If they are unable to make the repair, they will advise you to contact Normans at support@normans.co.uk. Normans will then arrange for the collection, repair and return of your child's instrument. Please note that your maintenance agreement does not cover wilful or excessive damage. Please do not take the instrument to be repaired by a non-affiliated Normans repairer, as Normans would be unable to reimburse repair fees.

Pupils attending lessons with a non Normans instrument must ensure the instrument is in good working order. Should a minor fault occur, the MfSF tutor will attempt to repair the instrument in order to ensure the pupil can participate in the lesson. If you do not wish the tutor to make repairs to your child's instrument, please advise Head Office in writing before tuition commences. Should our tutor be unable to repair the instrument, please make arrangements to have it repaired before your next lesson.

We advise that all children attend their lessons even if they have not instrument for that week. This is because the children can continue to learn the theory element of the lessons. If for any reason a theory lesson cannot be given the lesson will be made up at a later date. If your instrument is going to be away for an extended period, please contact us as soon as possible.

Our tutors will advise when your child is ready for the full size instrument, usually via a note sent home with the child and the instructions on how to return the instrument should be included (please note that you are responsible for the cost of returning the instrument, however this is usually a maximum of £15). Once Normans have received the instrument they will then allocate and dispatch your full size instrument to you. You can choose to have the instrument sent back to your home, work or even school address for convenience.

Music for Schools are a group learning scheme and as such we prefer to teach in groups wherever possible. Sometimes, it is more beneficial to teach children individually for educational reasons.  We advise that pupils arrive a few minutes early in order to maximise lesson time. Lesson length depends upon the number of pupils in a group:

4 or 5 pupils - 30 minute lessons

3 pupils - 25 minute lessons

2 pupils - 20 minute lessons

1 pupil   - 15 minute lessons

Most instruments require some equipment to ensure they are playable and in good working order. Please visit the Resources section by clicking here to learn more about instrument consumables.

Whilst we hope that all pupils enjoy their lessons, we do understand than in some instances it may be necessary to cancel your lessons. If this is the case, please notify Head Office as soon as possible - cancellations CANNOT be taken by your tutor or school. Payments are made on the 1st of the month, so we ask that you let us know you wish to cancel lessons at least two weeks before the next payment is due.  

Unfortunately we cannot refund tuition fees already paid. Pupils are of course more than welcome to take any lessons you have paid for before stopping. In addition, if upon closing your account we find that your child has attended more lessons than your payments have covered, we reserve the right to take payment for the additional lessons via your usual payment method.

If you are stopping lessons with Music for Schools, you can cancel your Direct Debit payments directly with your bank. Please ensure you also contact our Head Office to close your tuition account. If you need to change your Direct Debit details, you will need to change this directly with your bank. Please note we are unable to change the date of the Direct Debit payments.

It is really important to us that pupils are kept safe and that parents and schools have confidence in us, so we are happy for you to read our policy HERE.