Terms & Conditions
The following Terms and Conditions apply to all lesson agreements made between Apollo Music Academy and its students and the parents / carers of its students (“the student”) and includes references to Apollo Music Academy - Schools Program students.
The Terms and Conditions described below may seem relatively strict but have been discussed at length amongst the Apollo Music Academy leadership team with the endeavour of making them as fair as possible for both client and provider. As Apollo Music Academy is a social enterprise that functions with minimal margins, such lines in the sand have had to be drawn and are not a reflection of how awesome the majority of Apollo Music Academy Families are. They are a reflection of the small margin of people that have taken advantage and never paid for services rendered that jeopardise the livelihood of our tutors and managers.
We try to approach each individual case in good faith with an open ear and we hope that you will also approach us in the same manner. There will be times that the terms and conditions are more in favour of Apollo Music Academy but there are also other times that they are more in favour of the student/caregiver.
1. Term Dates
1a. Teaching weeks at Apollo Music Academy roughly adhere to the Greater Geelong City Council School Terms. However, there are occasional differences and our term dates are sent out before every term begins.
1b. At all times it is the responsibility of the student to be aware of the first and last dates of term at Apollo Music Academy.
2. Communication
2a. All correspondence is sent out to the student by email. If this causes a problem, please let Apollo Music Academy know.
2b. It is the responsibility of the student to make Apollo Music Academy aware of any changes to their contact details. Apollo Music Academy will not be held responsible for any missed communications, late / overdue payments, missed lessons, etc. if this is due to incorrect contact information.
2c. Due to the size of our student roll, most of Apollo Music Academy communication is done via bulk delivery services e.g. mail merge, therefore there is a level of potential error associated with this. If you notice something incorrect e.g. lesson details or account details, it is not meant offensively. In these cases please let us know via email to info@apollomusicacademy.com.au so we can rectify the situation as soon as possible.
2d. Apollo Music Academy has implemented specific email addresses for streamlined communication. The student is required to use the appropriate email address as outlined in Academy communications. Emails sent to outdated addresses may not receive a response. Updated contact details can be found on our website or in official Academy announcements. All general updates and important notices will be sent via email or the My Music Staff portal. Parents/guardians must ensure that their email addresses are current and monitored regularly to avoid missed communications.
2e. For urgent matters, parents/guardians can contact Apollo Music Academy directly via phone at 0402 367 457.
2f. Apollo Music Academy collects and uses personal information, such as contact details and payment information, solely for operational purposes, including lesson scheduling, communication, and billing. This information will not be shared with third parties except as required for processing payments or as mandated by law.
3. Billing:
3a. Apollo Music Academy teachers CANNOT accept payments in any form.
3b. Apollo Music Academy starts following up term fees with an assumption of good faith that it is an unintentional mistake.
3c. The student will be billed for each future term in full towards the end of the preceding term. Payments must be made in full via the My Music Staff portal by the due date indicated on the invoice. Late payments will incur a $40.00 penalty after 28 days and $20.00 for every additional 14-day period of non-payment.
3d. Full payment must be received 2 weeks after the new term starts, unless an agreed instalment plan has been put into place.
3e. New students will receive an invoice when their enrolment is processed.
3f. If the student commences lessons part way through a term, the remainder of that term will be billed in full and payment must be received or an instalment plan via My Music Staff needs to be agreed, within two weeks of the invoice being issued.
3g. Upon enrolment the student will be set up with a Customer Portal log in. All termly lesson details are accessible there.
3h. Weekly, fortnightly or monthly plans covering the full amount of the invoice can be set up via My Music Staff.
3k. Penalties for late payments will be applied as per the below.
4. Payment methods:
4a. CREDIT CARD details can be phoned through to our office on – 0402 367 457 or email accounts@apollomusicacademy.com.au and Apollo Music Academy will contact you.
4b. All payments are processed through the My Music Staff portal using Stripe. The student must ensure their payment details are up-to-date in the portal to avoid missed payments or penalties. Failure to maintain valid payment details may result in penalties or suspension of lessons.
4c. All payments must be made through the My Music Staff portal using the available payment methods, including Credit/Debit Card. By using this platform, the student agrees to the terms set by My Music Staff and its payment processor, Stripe.
5. What your debt collection/ suspension/ penalty process is
5a. Overdue accounts can accrue penalties of $40 when overdue for 28 days and $20 for every following 14 day period.
5b. LATE PAYMENT Penalties will be added to accounts that are 28 days in arrears. If the account remains overdue, further penalties will be added every 14 days. Missed or overdue payments exceeding 28 days may result in temporary suspension of lessons until the account is brought up to date. Apollo Music Academy reserves the right to fill suspended students’ lesson slots with students from the waitlist if accounts remain overdue.
5c. The student is responsible for any and all charges that their bank may levy for rejecting any payment to Apollo Music Academy.
5d. Apollo Music Academy does reserve the right to temporarily and fully suspend students from lessons with unpaid term fees during term time. A temporary suspension means that Apollo Music Academy will keep the lesson time slot available for the student in the hopes that payment will be made. A full suspension means that Apollo Music Academy has the right to fill the students’ lesson time slot with another student from the waitlist.
5e. Debt Collection details.
(i). Payments more than 60 days in arrear may be handed over to the relevant debt collection agency for debt collection.
(ii). Apollo Music Academy will attempt numerous contacts prior to resorting to this unfortunate measure.
(iii). All costs incurred for sending an account for debt collection are added to the student’s outstanding balance.
6. Cancellation process
6a. If the student wishes to cancel the lesson agreement with Apollo Music Academy, written notice must be received by Apollo Music Academy Management at least 1 week prior to the intended last lesson. Any lessons remaining after the end date will be credited to the student's account if payment has already been made.
6b. Verbal notice given to the tutor will not be acted upon and is not considered sufficient unless confirmed in writing to Apollo Music Academy’s main office by the student.
6c. If the student is unable to give 1 weeks’ notice, they will be charged a late notice fee equivalent to one week of lessons.
6d. Exceptions on medical grounds may be made to this as decided by Apollo Music Academy management.
6e. No refund or credit will be given for any cancellations part way through a fixed length program (such as an Apollo Music Academy - Schools Groups Program).
6f. If Apollo Music Academy has to cancel a lesson agreement it will endeavour to give two weeks’ notice to the student. Any lessons remaining after the lessons’ end date will be credited to the student’s account if payment has already been made.
6g. If, in exceptional circumstances, Apollo Music Academy has to cancel the student's lesson due to damage of Apollo Music Academy property or harassment of Apollo Music Academy staff by the student, this may be done with no notice and no credit or refund for any outstanding lessons.
6h. Every student stops taking lessons at some point. Please make this decision thoughtfully with plenty of discussion between the teacher, parent and students so that lessons can continue with a positive sense of closure. In the event that a student should quit lessons in the middle of a semester, all remaining fees will be due as agreed upon.
7. Catch up lessons:
While we understand that life happens, you will get the most out of your lessons with us by attending regularly. However, if you need to miss a class or lesson, see our policy below:
7a. We do not offer makeup classes for group classes because every group is working on different material.
7b. For missed private lessons, a catch up lesson will be arranged by Apollo Music Academy.
7c. A catch-up lesson is obligatory when Apollo Music Academy is notified of a student's absence 24 hours or more before the scheduled lesson.
7d. In instances where there is an excursion, incursion, or school-related event conflicting with the lesson time, a catch-up lesson will be arranged.
7e. In the event that a music teacher is unable to instruct the student, whether due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, and a suitable replacement cannot be identified, a catch-up lesson shall be scheduled.
7f. No catch-up lessons or credits will be provided for an individual's absence from a School Program / group lesson / band class / choir / or any other group-based (more than one per class) Apollo Music Academy offering.
7g. Credits will be issued if a catch-up lesson cannot be conducted before the conclusion of the term. These credits will be manifested as a free lesson in the subsequent term.
8. Bad weather:
8a. In the event of an inclement weather cancellation, you will be notified of a studio closure. Classes/Lessons cancelled due to inclement weather or other circumstances beyond our control will not be rescheduled.
9. Sickness
9a. Students, parents, and staff will be asked to refrain from coming to lessons if in any way unwell during any Government mandated restrictions. No refund or credit will be given if a student is not attending or asked to leave if at all unwell.
10. Timetabling & Changes
10a. The student will be informed of the lesson day, time and the date of their first lesson before their teaching commences, either by phone, in person or by email. Apollo Music Academy will aim to confirm all the lesson details by email, but does not guarantee that this will be the case if it deems sufficient confirmation has been provided by other means.
10b. Site-based lessons - if the agreed lesson times or days need to be changed, the student will be contacted as far in advance as possible and alternative arrangements will be made to continue the lessons at times and days that suit the student and Apollo Music Academy.
10c. School-based / School Program lessons –
i. If the agreed lesson day needs to be changed, the student will be contacted as far in advance as possible and alternative arrangements will be made with the school and the student for a suitable new lesson time.
ii. If the agreed School Program lesson time needs to change to a new time, on the same day of the week and within school hours, the student will not be informed in advance and will instead be collected at the new time by the tutor.
iii. Students scheduled for lessons on a rotating timetable will be given the details of the varying lesson times, as will the tutors and the school, so that attendance at the School Programme lessons is not impacted adversely.
11. Absences from students
11a. Individual lessons –
i. If the student is unable to attend a lesson please let Apollo Music Academy know at the earliest time possible, either by email to info@apollomusicacademy.com.au or via our online absence form on our My Music Staff portal. Emails and Absence forms will be passed on to the relevant tutor(s).
ii. All absences should be reported by cancelling the relevant lessons available through the My Music Staff portal. Parents are encouraged to use this system for accuracy and efficiency.
iii. Where less than 24-hours’ notice is given for missing a lesson, no catch-up lesson or credit will be provided. The lesson is considered forfeited unless otherwise determined by management.
iv. Catch-up lessons will only be offered under specific circumstances, including adequate notice of 24 hours or more, and are subject to tutor availability.
v. Apollo Music Academy will arrange a replacement/catch-up lessons for up to two lessons per term for explained absences with you at a mutually agreeable time. This often happens in the form of an extra 30 minutes on your next lesson or an extra 15 minutes on top of your next two lessons or if this isn’t possible with the tutors schedule, Apollo will choose a day or two during the first week of the term break to provide this lesson.
vi. It is only by managerial discretion that customer credit is placed on a students account to the value of a missed lesson. Customer credit is not transferable for money but will be used at the earliest convenience - usually the next term’s fees.
vii. Refunds will not be provided for missed lessons unless there are exceptional circumstances approved by Apollo Music Academy management.
11b. Group and School Program lessons –
i. No catch-up lessons or credits will be provided for an individual's absence from a School Program / group lesson / band class / choir / or any other group-based tuition activity.
ii. Where the entire group is absent we will endeavour to provide a replacement/catch-up lesson later that term, if we are unable to do this, we may choose instead to place this on your students’ account as customer credit.
iii. Where an Apollo Music Academy School Program tutor is not able to teach, due to illness or a vehicle / mechanical failure, Apollo Music Academy will arrange for the missed lessons to be caught up at a time that suits the affected school.
12. Absences from teachers:
12a. Tutor Absences –
i. If the student's tutor is unavailable to teach, Apollo Music Academy will attempt to arrange a cover tutor and give you as much notice as possible.
ii. If this is not possible, the Apollo Music’s Administration Team will arrange catch up lessons for the student.
iii. A tutor’s absence is not counted as one of the two explained absences per term but as an additional replacement/catch up lesson owed.
13. Other Absences:
13a. Unavoidable cancellations –
i. Apollo Music Academy cancels any lessons due to events out of its control, customer credit may be given at the discretion of Apollo Music Academy management.
ii. Apollo Music Academy diligently attempts to exclude all events planned by the school that conflict with lessons at the start of each term. However we appreciate any parent who notifies us of events that may have been not communicated by the school.
13b. Ongoing absences –
i. If a student will be absent for more than three weeks due to medical reasons, a credit may be given, at the discretion of Apollo Music Academy’s management.
14. Rolling Enrolment:
14a. The lesson agreement between Apollo Music Academy and the student is a rolling agreement that continues into each new term and new year.
14b. The students are emailed their invoices towards the end of each term in respect of the following term’s lessons, until a cancellation notice is received, as discussed above.
14c. We consider any absence longer than 4 weeks as a cancellation of lessons, even if for a long holiday and standard re enrolment rules apply. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of Apollo Music Academy’s management.
15. Photo/Video policy:
15a. Unless requested in writing, Apollo Music Academy is granted permission to take photographs/videos of the students to use in brochures, websites, posters, advertisements, and other appropriate promotional materials Apollo Music Academy creates. Permission is also hereby granted for Apollo Music Academy to copyright such photographs in its name.
16. Gift Vouchers
16a. Gift vouchers purchased from Apollo Music Academy are valid for 36 months from the date of issue unless otherwise stated.
16b. Vouchers can be redeemed for any lessons, programs, or merchandise offered by the academy and are not transferable or redeemable for cash.
16c. To redeem a voucher, the recipient must contact Apollo Music Academy to book their lesson or service in advance.
16d. Apollo Music Academy is not responsible for lost, stolen, or expired vouchers, and no replacement or refund will be provided in such cases.
16e. Any remaining balance on a gift voucher after use can be applied to future purchases within the validity period.
16f. Gift vouchers can be applied to lesson fees but must be manually processed by contacting Apollo Music Academy. Vouchers cannot be directly applied through the My Music Staff portal or Stripe. The student/parent/guardian is encouraged to notify the Academy in advance when intending to use a gift voucher.
17. Trial Lessons
17a. Free trial lessons are offered to new students only and are limited to one per student.
17b. Trial lessons must be booked in advance and are subject to availability.
17c. Apollo Music Academy reserves the right to reschedule or cancel free trial lessons at its discretion, with appropriate notice given to the student.
17d. Free trial lessons are not redeemable for cash or transferable to other students.
17e. If a student cancels or misses a free trial lesson without providing at least 24 hours’ notice, Apollo Music Academy reserves the right to forfeit the trial offer.
18. Changes to the Terms and Conditions:
18a. The Terms and Conditions described above are agreed to upon enrolment and may be changed at any point by Apollo Music Academy without providing notice to the student. A copy of the Terms and Conditions will always be available on our website and may be emailed to the student on request.
18b. By continuing lessons, making payments, or using Apollo Music Academy’s services after changes to the Terms and Conditions have been communicated, the student/parent/guardian acknowledges and accepts the updated policies.
Contact Details
For questions about our programs, new enrolments, or general information about Apollo Music Academy: info@apollomusicacademy.com.au
For notifying us about student attendance or absences, or handling any ongoing administrative needs related to current students: admin@apollomusicacademy.com.au
For any questions or issues related to invoices, billing, and payments: accounts@apollomusicacademy.com.au
To call us Ph: 0402 367 457