Frequently Asked Questions

All fees are based on a school term. Fees are payable within two weeks of the receipt of the account. Please contact us directly to enquire about lesson cost.

PLEASE NOTE: there is a minimum notice of five weeks written notice for lesson withdrawal.

We teach in the hills at Concordia, St Peters Campus in Blackwood. At this location we offer several times for students of the school from lunchtime onwards. After-school hours, lessons are open for all.

We teach west of the city at Immanuel College in Novar Gardens.

We teach north/north east of the city in Campbelltown.

We teach east of the city in Kensington Gardens, this is our home studio location.

Lessons are held Monday-Friday.

You can see our music lesson locations here.

We provide a one-on-one bespoke individual teaching environment, and this is what we pride ourselves on.

We do offer a very limited duo opportunity for instrumental lessons, but it’s very much on an individual basis. For example, duo lessons may be offered to two siblings who are close in age, and close in ability on the same instrument.

We do this to ensure that each student is getting the attention they need, and a personalised learning program which is just right for them.

We offer two group learning experiences (outside of instrumental tuition:

• For pre-schoolers we offer our Music Explorers program in a group setting to learn foundational music concepts through movement, rhythm and song. These small group experiences are the perfect start for a young child before moving into individual tuition.
• Musicianship Club is our small group online class for students already having individual instrumental tuition. In this weekly online class, students learn music theory, music history, ethnomusicology and learn how to understand and interpret music in the world around them. It is the perfect addition to individual instrumental studies to accelerate your learning and knowledge as a well rounded musician.

We currently provide lessons in our four convenient locations around metropolitan Adelaide. Unfortunately we are unable to offer lessons in homes.

We suggest instruments are purchased prior to commencing studies. We always recommend that students buy the best they can afford, as a higher quality instrument will have a more beautiful sound and will be more enjoyable to play.

For some instruments (such as violin, where different sizes are available for different aged students), hiring may be a better option. Please contact us for more information and advice.

If you look for an instrument in the right place, it’s possible to find a real gem for a good price. If you need help, ask us and we can point you in the right direction.

We look at it from a neuroscientific perspective: when your brain practises a task effectively and with the right amount of repetition, the task will be performed with increasing efficiency and finesse. In music, this translates to heightened skill and control, and more comfortable music-making. We recommend that students practise five or six days a week minimum.

The amount of practice required depends on the length and number of pieces a student is working on. We suggest that a beginning student who is five or six years old should be practising 15 minutes a day, five days a week. While the duration of each practice is important, it is even more vital to be consistent with a daily routine.

If you would like help to develop a consistent practice routine, please contact us or speak to your teacher.

45-minute and 1-hour classes for older or more advanced students are available on request. Fees are invoiced each term, not lesson by lesson.

Lessons align with the school terms and tuition is due in advance before the term begins. If you have any challenges with paying the fees on time please get in touch and we can make arrangements.

Yes. We suggest that parents put aside $200 a year for essential music equipment, such as music books, metronomes, and music apps.

If your child learns at an average rate, $200 a year for new repertoire would be more than adequate. If they’re very studious and learn new repertoire and skills very quickly, they may require more.

There is also a $69 annual enrolment fee. This pays for their music diary and all of their performance opportunities throughout the year. This is payable upon enrolment, and then annually in term one.

Just as schools don’t refund missed days from school, we cannot refund a missed lesson. In reserving your lesson time we are keeping that time especially for you. Obviously, we would love for you to let us know that you can’t make it. If a student is unwell, they may have the option to have an online with their teacher during their lesson time to discuss what to continue with for the week.

If a student is absent, the teacher will make use of the allocated time to develop the student’s learning program; it is never wasted.  It’s also important that our teachers don’t become unwell, so please keep this in mind when deciding whether to send your child to their lesson.

In exceptional circumstances and emergencies, we can be flexible, so please let us know and we can see what can be done.

We have wonderful vocal teachers that are great at helping students to develop their sound, and listening skills (aural skills).

You might just surprise yourself.

We have quite a few adult students wanting to do something in their retirement that keeps their brain active. There are studies that suggest that the more active you keep your brain as you age, the more you can stave off illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.

Older students tend to have different expectations of themselves, but it can be extremely rewarding. They approach learning music from a different perspective to children because they’re choosing to do it for themselves.

Piano and violin are the instruments we suggest for our younger students. These instruments and their programs can be modified for tuition from 5 years of age.

Singing lessons are offered to children from the age of 8 or 9. We always have the child’s health and wellbeing as our first priority and the voice at this age is a fragile instrument. We would suggest joining a choir prior to that or starting piano lessons as this helps develop well-rounded musicianship skills prior to commencing individual vocal lessons.

Guitar and woodwind lessons are offered from 8 years of age.

For children aged 3-5 we offer our Music Explorers program.

Not at all. We would suggest that new students (especially younger children) have their parents with them for the first couple of lessons so that they can get used to the teacher, and the teacher can get to know the parent. It’s also helpful for the parent to see what the teacher would like to be happening at home.

We also suggest that parents might like to come in and watch the last part of the last lesson of the term, so they can see the progress that the student has made. Of course, we also encourage parents to come to all our performance opportunities to support their child.

From our experience, we have found that the younger the student, the more parent input is required. A great relationship between teacher and parent is important to us as it helps create the best learning experience for the child.

Performance is optional. We always offer performance opportunities, but it’s entirely up to each student whether they choose to. Through a variety of different types of performance, we aim to develop our students’ confidence and stagecraft skills so they can not only perform well, but enjoy it too!

It’s the same for examinations. We offer our students the opportunity to sit for examinations through the AMEB, so if that’s something they want to do, that’s great. If not, also completely fine.

Exams and performances are optional learning tools we offer here at Novar Music.

At Novar Music, we offer students the opportunity to sit Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) exams on their chosen instrument.

We also offer tuition and preparation for Music Theory and Music Craft examinations, Trinity College and ABRSM, Universal Music Exams and Con Brio Examinations.

As a growing business, we are regularly looking for new teachers who are engaged, well-trained, have a professional manner and place a high value on their own professional development in pedagogy and performance.

If this sounds like you, please contact us.