Good afternoon, dear Fermata Parents & Students!
We hope this update finds you well and sound! It’s hard to believe that in less than two weeks we will be BACK TO LESSONS! Yes, the lessons are resuming from Monday, 4 September. The summer break is looming to another epic end, and we are only 2 WEEKS AWAY from returning to our weekly school routines!!! How time flies!
We understand how busy we are all, but please, we encourage you to read this email as it consists of essential information that may be relevant to you and your children resuming or starting lessons with Fermata this September.
Like the previous year, Patrycja & myself will try to keep this message short and sweet – all the information listed will also be available in the Student/Parent portal on the News Page
Again, we are pleased to inform you all scheduled music lessons will resume from Monday, 4th September 2023. If there is any delay to your starting date or change to day/time we will be in contact with you separately.
The newsletter will cover aspects such as REFER A FRIEND PROGRAM, LUCAN FESTIVAL, CALENDAR for 2023/2024, CLOSURE DATES, LESSON FEES, MUSIC CLUBS SCHEDULE and MORE…
We will maintain the format of music lessons with Fermata as in-person with an option to take online classes only or combine both for convenience. Hybrid teaching proves to be an excellent solution for all our families and works brilliantly when it comes to unplanned absences. Combining online and in-person lessons gives the student great flexibility and complete control over the progress.
Let’s start with key stuff that will be important for this NEW Term!
LUCAN FESTIVAL 2023
Similar to last year we love to share our talents with the broader Lucan Community, sharing our joy, passion and love for music. One of such events we attend regularly is Lucan Festival.
This 3 day long festival holds amazing amount of activities, family friendly events, site visits and includes the largest in the SOUTH DUBLIN FIREWORKS DISPLAY on the evening of Friday, 8 September – NOT TO BE MISSED! Contact our Office for best watching spots for FRIDAY evening! 🙂
Most importantly for Fermata Team and students is Family Day that is held on Sunday, 10 September. Join Fermata School of Music for family fun day and a chance to present our talented students to broader audience.
Our school will have 30 minutes performance window at the MAIN STAGE (next to Bank of Ireland). We are looking for bunch of students who would love to come forward and present their talents to broader audience at the Lucan’s Festival Main Stage.
Student should be proficient with the piece without any guidance from the teacher or stops. We will provide our free guidance. Piece should be no longer than 3 minutes. Rehearsal with Fermata Team will be required at no cost to you, except of for meeting at the school.
Please send you children names no later than by 30-August to info@fermatamusicschool.ie or contact Tomasz directly at 085 125 7503 with the piece child wishes to perform.
NEW! REFER A FRIEND
Refer a friend to Fermata School of Music and once they get signed in for a course you will get €25 MyMusicStaff credit! Referrals must be new students and cannot currently be enrolled in any of our services. Please note that referral credit cannot be used against arrears and the recipient’s account must be in good standing. You can recommend as many referees as you wish. Once the referred person makes a min deposit you will receive your €25 credit. At that stage new student can refer a family member or friend too to start their savings. If you cancel lessons before full payment is made your credit cannot be redeemed. Referral credit cannot be redeemed in cash. Just get in touch to find out more – T&Cs apply.
AUGUST Special Referral Offer:
To help make this decision a little easier on your pocket, we’re delighted to introduce a special offer! For every new student you refer to Fermata, you’ll receive a €25 credit in MyMusicStaff. So, if you introduce us to two friends, you can enjoy €50 off your bill in September. What’s more, each newly signed student will be gifted a €25 welcome lesson credit. 10 new students that is whopping €250 in credit for music lessons at Fermata!
NEW! PARENTS WORKSHOPS, Sunday 24 September
Welcome to series of Workshops For Fermata Parents! These NEW initiative brought to live by Fermata Team will give YOU, dear parents an opportunity to chat to your teacher, raise a problem that you encounter with your music education. We will prepare handful of TIPS & TRICKS to help you and your children tackle the challenges of the music journey!
The Workshop is FREE OF CHARGE to our parents, but we recommend advance booking as there will be only 20 SEATS available.
First PARENT WORKSHOP is scheduled for Sunday, 24 September, TIME TBC and our guest speaker will be Alan Guerreiro.The workshop last approx. 60 minutes.
More details about the subjects we will cover in the workshops will be presented along with the further email and social media posts. All the parents from outside from Fermata Community can join the workshop for as little as €10!
FERMATA MUSIC CLUBS – TERM 1 SCHEDULE
For all the students joining Fermata Music Clubs this September, please see below the latest schedule of group classes:
FERMATA GUITAR CLUB
Tuesday, 16.45 (Max. 4 students)
Thursday, 16.45 (Max. 4 students)
FERMATA VIOLIN CLUB
Thursday & Friday, 16.00 (Max. 4 students)
Saturday, 15.00 (Max. 4 students)
FERMATA THEORY CLUB
Tuesday, 16.00 (Max. 6 students)
Saturday, 15.00 (Max. 6 students)
LITTLE MUSIC ROOTS CLUB
Wednesday, 15.00 & 16.25 (Max. 8 students)
Saturday, 09.30 (Max. 8 students)
THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024 in dates
The Academic Year 2023/2024 will start on Monday, 4 September 2023, and will last over 36 teaching weeks (3 Terms) until Sunday, 23 June 2024. Term 4 is non-compulsory but offer diverse music activities during the summer time.
Term 1 will commence on Monday 4 September 2023 and will last over 12 teaching weeks until Sunday 3 December 2023
Term 2 will begin on Monday, 4 December 2023 will last over 12 teaching weeks until Saturday 16 March 2024
Term 3 will begin on Monday, 18 March 2024 and will last over 12 teaching weeks until Sunday 23 June 2024
Term 4 2024 will commence on Monday, 24 June 2024 and will last over 6 teaching weeks until Sunday 6 August 2024
PLANNED CLOSURES
Each year, there are several closures related to Bank Holidays, RIAM Examination Day(s), or St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations. Note, that all the PLANNED CLOSURES dates are deemed non-chargeable. Thus it is not required to provide a replacement date for such closure.
| Winter Examination Session with RIAM: Sunday, (Date TBC) |
| February Bank Holiday: Monday, 5 February 2024 |
| St. Patrick’s Day: Sunday, 17 March 2024 |
| May Bank Holiday: Monday 6 May 2024 |
| Summer Examination Session with RIAM: Sunday, (Date TBC) |
| June Bank Holiday: Monday 3 June 2024 |
FERMATA MID-TERM BREAKS
During the academic year 2023/2024 there are no. of mid-term breaks where school remains closed for the regular lessons – additional activities such as replacement days, seasonal camps, master classes, or seasonal courses might be scheduled during those times. Kindly note the following periods of time when school is closed:
| MID-TERM BREAKS FOR 2023/2024 |
| Halloween Break: Monday 30 October 2023 until Sunday 5 November 2023 |
| Christmas Break: Friday 22 December 2023 until Thursday 4 January 2024 |
| Spring Break: Monday 12 February 2024 until Sunday 18 February 2024 |
| Easter Break: Monday 25 March 2024 until Sunday 7 April 2024 |
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CHECK YOUR SCHEDULE FOR TERM 1
We encourage you to log in and check your scheduled lessons, o/s payments, or even personal details, such as the student’s Date Of Birth, which is now required for all students attending RIAM exams. Another advantage of using My Music Staff is to follow your weekly lesson notes and online resources that are accessible to all students with login and have proven to be very helpful when doing your home routine. Please check your dates/times, even names and contact details or email addresses. If you discover any discrepancies, please liaise with our office directly.
Students/Parents Portal Link:
FERMATA’s ATTENDANCE POLICY
At Fermata School of Music, we understand that sometimes our students may miss a class. However, please note that if a student misses a class, they are not entitled to a refund as the teacher’s time is reserved for that time slot for the entire term. Regardless of the student’s attendance, the teacher will be present at the school during the designated class time. In some cases, where we receive a notice, we might be able to offer a replacement from a pile of cancelled lessons. In such scenario we might be able to reschedule the missed lesson depending on the teacher’s availability, but this is subject to the circumstances and the amount of notice given. In case lesson is cancelled by teacher you are entitle to full refund or matching replacement class at agreed upfront schedule. Full details about Fermata Attendance Policy can be found here:
LESSON FEES FOR 2023/2024
To continue providing the best possible musical education and to account for rising operational costs, there will be minimal adjustments to your lesson rates starting September 4, 2023. We are committed to ensuring that our students receive quality instruction from experienced professionals, and this rate change reflects that commitment.
In below table you will find our current fees applicable to new students joinign for Music Lessons in 2023/2024:
| Lesson Type | 30 Min | 45 Min | 60 Min |
| SOLO 1:1 | €28 | €42 | €56 |
| PARTNER 2:1 | €20 | €25 | €40 |
| MUSIC CLUBS (Guitar, Violin) | N/A | €20 | N/A |
| LITTLE MUSIC ROOTS | N/A | €15 | N/A |
| MUSIC THEORY CLUB | N/A | €10 | N/A |
| Accompanist | €49 | N/A | €80 |
| 1h Exam Recording | N/A | N/A | €100 |
| Workshops/Events | N/A | N/A | €10 |
OUR DISCOUNTS POLICY
SOLO & PARTNER lessons – family discounts applicable from 3rd attendee registered to one family account. MUSIC CLUBS – €5 Student/Sibling discount for Music Clubs & Little Music Roots. Music Theory Club for students: €10. RIAM EXAMS: Students earn 10% discount from accompanist hire and exam recording fees. All the exam recording fee including processing the recording and uploading via Fermata account. Fee do not include examination fee (https://www.riam.ie/riam-exams/) and cost of relevant books. WORKSHOPS & EVENTS – students receive 50% discount for any Fermata Workshop/Event. REFER A FRIEND – Earn €25 credit with every student referred to Fermata. T&Cs apply.
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INVOICES AND PAYMENTS for TERM 1 LESSONS
We will start issuing invoices from Monday, 21 August 2023 for Term 1, with initial payment due by the 4th of September 2023 (full-term payments). Through the Students/Parents portal you can log in and verify that the correct charge is applied to your account. The security deposits or advance payments were already credited to each family account. All Term 1 fees MUST be paid no later than 1 week after the lessons are resumed (no later than 11-September).
If at any point you struggle to pay your bill, please contact our office, so we can discuss all the available options.
Payments Done Upfront can be made by Bank Transfer, Card, or Cheque in the school. You can also make a Card Payment at any given point by login into the Student/Parent Portal. All Monthly Payments are automatically deducted on the agreed date (usually 1st of each month) and in an amount stated at your invoice. Monthly payments are only available by registering your card in our secure system. Standing Orders are accepted on a case-by-case upon agreement with the school manager, Tomasz.
SEE YOU ALL SOON DEAR FERMATA COMMUNITY!
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And we all made it to the end to this August catch-up. You can expect more blogs within the next couple of weeks, as we will inform you about team changes, and new courses or critical dates for exams.
As always, if you wish to ask any questions or express any concerns or feedback feel free to email us or contact me directly on 085 125 7503.
We can’t wait to see you ALL BACK soon!
Patrycja, Tomasz & Fermata Team!
