Fermata Calendar & Rules

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure Fermata School of Music Lucan has the correct contact details; the student/parent should communicate any changes to Fermata School of Lucan at the earliest possible time. We cannot take responsibility for MISSED COMMUNICATION,  late/missed payment, exam entries that will occur due to incorrect contact details provided.

Fermata School of Music Lucan uses an advanced school management system, My Music Staff, for its daily operations. Most of the communication will be triggered using this system and send over as a bulk message. Occasional errors can occur when bulk sending the message or when the lesson reminder is issued. If you discover any inconsistencies, please let us know as soon as possible by reaching our office’s email: info@fermatamusicschool.ie.

Scheduling music lessons is the core aspect of a successful music school. Our scheduling policy is on a term-by-term basis. After completing your ASSESSMENT CLASS, we will discuss how to fully embed you as a Fermata Student. You can book your time slot for the term or the full academic year—minimum booking length after completing the assessment class: 1 month. We will inform the student of the lesson day, time and the date of their first lesson.

Fermata School of Music will aim to confirm all lesson details by email, but does not guarantee this if it deems sufficient confirmation has been provided by other means.

If the agreed lesson times or days need to be changed, the pupil will be contacted as soon as possible. We will make alternative arrangements to continue the lessons at times and on days that suit the pupil and Fermata School of Music.

Every student who attempts the RIAM/ABRSM examination above GRADE FOUR MUST have at least one 45-minute private class every week. The school recommends two 30-minute classes every week to maintain appropriate learning progression.

Students taking the BOARD EXAM are required to attend weekly Music Theory lessons. Lessons are provided weekly on Saturday Afternoon (See Calendar), and the fee is €12.5/class, charged monthly.

Enrolment for individual or group classes can be done by completing the website enrolment form (https://www.fermatamusicschool.ie) or by contacting the Fermata School of Music office directly (Phone: 01 621 8673). To secure a guaranteed place for the upcoming Term, submit a security deposit with your application. The current security deposit is €75 per student.

To secure a guaranteed place in the upcoming term, we recommend paying a security deposit with your course application. The deposit for Term 1 is due by the last week of lessons in June. Should you decide to cancel your Term 1 booking, your deposit is fully refundable up to 2 weeks before the 1st lesson.

We will credit the deposit when issuing an invoice for the Term of lessons the deposit refers to.

The lesson agreement between Fermata School of Music and the pupil is a rolling agreement that continues into each new term and new year, without the additional notice required. That process operated in good faith, and in case of discontinuance, we would ask for two weeks’ notice, so we opportunity to fill your place with a student from the waiting list.

Families are emailed their invoices at the end of each term for the following term’s lessons, until a 1-month cancellation notice is received.

Fermata School of Music politely suggests enrolling as soon as possible as the number of candidates might be larger than the slots available at each instrumental course. Specific teachers might be only available on selected days of the week – please check carefully without a manager.

We are a small, family-operated school, thus our capacity is limited, and we will accommodate all applicants on a first-come-first-served basis, with priority given to all customers that decide to pay a security deposit.

Welcome to Fermata Family! Here you can understand our billing system. We are a small, family-operated, non-subsidised school. Thus, the design of the Fermata School of Music billing system is to provide optimised cash flow to finance our school and provide income stability for any Fermata Team. Timely Payments are critical for the continuity of our business. We believe that our staff aim to deliver the highest standard of music lessons and the best possible value.

All automated invoices with the pay by debit/credit card option will be issued on the 1st of each month. There is a 3% processing fee for any card transaction made via the MyMusiStaff system. Bank Transfers are FREE and must reach the school account no later than 1 week after the start of the lesson batch. the appropriate amount to a bank account. New term invoices are given approximately 2 weeks before the start of each Term.

All invoices must be cleared before the 1st class commences unless the MONTHLY PAYMENT plan is agreed upon and set up. For all students starting mid-term, billing will continue until the end of the Term.

We base our billing policy on the assumption that each student will continue their education into the next term. That means we will invoice each student for each future term of lessons within the 2 weeks before the new term commences.

We will set up each student/parent with access to the Fermata Student/Parents portal, where all payment records and invoices are stored. You can also use this portal to set up an automated or partial payment of your invoice.

New students joining our school will receive an invoice upon completing the registration process and before the first regular class of the term commences.

OUR DISCOUNTS in the 2026/2027 Season

FAMILY DISCOUNTS: 12% discount applies when 3 or more courses are attended by the same family; 6% discount applies when 2 courses are attended by the same family.  The Family Discounts are ONLY applicable for Term payments. NO FAMILY DISCOUNTS APPLY TO MONTHLY PAYMENTS

FERMATA GROUP LESSONS – Music Theory Workshop for Fermata Students: €12.5/class. Orchestra Workshop (OPEN TO ALL): €12.5/class *- for non-Fermata members, joining is subject to a complimentary assessment session (15 minutes) with Orchestra Lead (min. Grade 1 skills).

REFER A FRIEND PROGRAM – Earn €25 lesson credit with every NEW student referred to Fermata Music School. To receive credit a NEW student must pre-book at least 1 FULL TERM of 1:1 lessons.

Fermata School of Music recommends setting up a standing order for on-time bank transfers, cheques, or online debit/credit card payments as payment methods for your music lesson fees. By reading our calendar, it is easy to predict payment slots.

Each Debit/Credit Card processed is subject to a convenience fee of 3% of the lesson fees. If you’re paying by the month, your convenience fee will apply when using your debit/credit card.  We encourage our customers to pay their music lesson fees via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to our bank account to avoid processing fees. Please ensure to provide your name and invoice number in the bank transfer title to quickly identify your payment.

If you have difficulty processing payment online, you can contact one of our team members to take payment over the phone.

All LATE PAYMENTS (over 14 days old) are subject to a €15 fee – all explained in Section 7

We are a small, independent school and 100% self-funded. On-time payments are critical to the correct functioning of our business. If you are having trouble with your payment, please contact our office immediately. For all family accounts with arrears lasting over 14 days, Fermata School of Music applies a late payment fee of €15.  If the account is unpaid for more than 30 days, all future lessons are automatically suspended until a payment agreement is reached and arrears are cleared.

We may hand over any accounts with arrears of 180 days or more for Debt Collection; however, we will make numerous attempts to recover the debt before this happens.

We understand music lessons aren’t cheap. We will do our best to reach out to you and agree on a payment plan that suits all parties. In rare cases, the Fermata School of Music reserves the right to temporarily and entirely suspend pupils from lessons with unpaid term fees during term time. A temporary suspension means we will keep the lesson time slot available for the student in the hope that you will make a payment. A full suspension implies that the school has the right to fill the pupil’s lesson time slot with another pupil from the wait list.

The notice of withdrawal applies to all classes/courses (whether 1-to-1, group lessons or seasonal camps). All cancellation requests must be in writing, addressed to the school office, and require a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice before the final class is due. We will not accept verbal notice from students or parents.

We do not offer refunds after completing the second class of the purchased package.  We maintain a strict no-refund policy for other courses and seasonal camps, as the time is pre-booked in advance for the teacher for the full duration of the course. During the Term, you may request to change the teacher or move your outstanding credit to another course.

Fermata School of Music reserves the right to terminate the contract with immediate effect for payment arrears exceeding 180 days, failure to comply with the Code of Behaviour, or breach of the Internal Regulations. All future lessons with payments in arrears of 30 days or more are automatically suspended.

The year-end security deposit paid to secure a place in the upcoming term is non-refundable if the student notifies the school of discontinuance less than two weeks before the 1st scheduled class.

Fermata School of Music reserves the right to remove a pupil from the student list in the case of:

• Internal Regulations or Code & Behaviour Policies breach
• Non-payment for more than three lessons,
• Frequent non-attendance, in such circumstances, we will give two weeks’ notice to the applicant or parent.
• Having notorious payment arrears with Fermata.

In case of a severe breach of the Internal Rules or the Code of Behaviour, we reserve the right to terminate the course with immediate effect.

Fermata School of Music reserves the right to dismiss any student for frequent absences, disciplinary reasons, failure to follow our policies or code of behaviour, or overdue tuition payments. Dismissed students are not entitled to any refund of tuition fees.

Our approach to timetables and assigned teachers represents a rolling booking from Term 1 to Term 3, so we will maintain the time/teacher assigned during your first class until the end of Term 3.

As a bonus, we maintain the same time/teacher when you re-join us in next Academic year unless you request a change to your schedule (subject to €75 security deposit paid)

If students ask to change the assigned time slot during the existing term of lessons, we can facilitate that, subject to teacher availability.

We don’t recommend changing a teacher during the Term of lessons, as this can affect the development plan set up at the start of each Term by the individual teacher.

If you require to change a teacher between two terms of the lesson, a two-week notice will be required to ensure we can facilitate hand-over to another tutor (subject to availability).

At Fermata School of Music, every lesson time is reserved exclusively for the student for the duration of the term. Our teachers commit their time to each scheduled lesson and are present and ready to teach, regardless of whether the student attends. For this reason, regular attendance is an important part of each student’s musical progress.

Student Absence

If a student is unable to attend a scheduled lesson, the lesson will normally be considered forfeited.

As the teacher’s time has been reserved exclusively for the student, missed lessons are not eligible for refunds, fee reductions or credits, except where outlined in this policy.

We kindly ask that you notify Fermata School of Music as soon as you become aware of an absence. The easiest way to do this is through the Parent/Student Portal or by emailing info@fermatamusicschool.ie. You are also welcome to inform your teacher directly.

Video Lesson Alternative

If a student cannot attend in person, parents or adult students may request a short personalised video lesson from the teacher instead of forfeiting the lesson.

To facilitate this:

• The request must be made in writing before the scheduled lesson begins.
• The video lesson is provided in place of the missed lesson and is considered the lesson delivery for that week.

Online Lesson Option

Where in-person attendance is not possible, we are happy to deliver the lesson online via platforms such as Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or WhatsApp.

To allow sufficient time for the teacher to prepare and reconfigure the lesson, we require at least 6 hours’ notice.

Where an online lesson is delivered, the lesson is considered fully attended.

Replacement Lessons

As a goodwill gesture, Fermata School of Music may facilitate up to one (1) replacement lesson per Term, subject to:

• sufficient notice being provided;
• the teacher’s availability;
• suitable room availability, where applicable.

Please note:

• Replacement lessons are not guaranteed.
• Replacement lessons cannot be carried forward into another Term.
• Replacement lessons are not available for family holidays, trips or vacations.
• If a student does not attend a replacement lesson, that lesson is automatically forfeited, and no further replacement will be offered.

Exceptional Circumstances

We recognise that exceptional situations can arise.

Where an absence is due to one of the following circumstances:

• Hospitalisation
• Family Bereavement
• State Examinations (Junior Cycle or Leaving Certificate)
• Other exceptional circumstances approved by the school management

Fermata School of Music may, at the Manager’s discretion, arrange a replacement lesson or apply account credit.

Supporting documentation will be required (such as a medical certificate, hospital letter or school confirmation) clearly outlining the dates and reason for the absence.

Requests should be submitted to the school office as soon as reasonably possible.

Any approved account credit will be applied only towards future Fermata School of Music tuition fees and cannot be exchanged for cash or transferred to another family account.

Attendance Expectations

Students are expected to attend lessons regularly throughout the academic year. Consistent attendance is essential for developing musical skills, building confidence and making steady progress. Fermata School of Music does not schedule lessons on Irish Bank Holidays.

Late Arrival Policy

Students arriving late will receive only the remaining balance of their scheduled lesson. Lessons cannot be extended beyond the allocated finish time, as this would impact other students’ schedules. If a lesson starts late due to circumstances on the Fermata School of Music’s side, the student will receive the full lesson duration.

Family Holidays & No-Shows

Lessons missed due to:

• family holidays;
• weekends away;
• social events;
• travel;
• forgotten lessons; or
• any other “no-show”

are treated as unattended lessons and are forfeited.

These absences are not eligible for refunds, replacement lessons or account credit.

Our Commitment

Our Attendance Policy has been designed to be fair to both our students and our teachers.

By reserving a dedicated weekly lesson time, we ensure continuity of learning, consistent teacher availability and the highest quality music education. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us provide a reliable and professional learning environment for every member of the Fermata community.

When a missed lesson is classified as a replacement (see section 10 for exceptions), replacement lessons can occur during regular weeks or mid-term breaks. Alternatively, we can offer an extension to the current lessons. For example, an extra 15 minutes over two weeks will cover the time for a 30-minute class. All changes would need to be mutually agreed upon between the student/parent and the teacher.

We go the extra mile to ensure our replacement lesson suits your busy schedules. However, if you prefer not to have the replacement class, such lessons are considered forfeited.

We encourage all students and parents to work with your teacher to find a mutually beneficial time for a replacement lesson. We instruct our teachers to engage with you on this matter, so please let us know if this is not happening. If a student or parent cancels the replacement lesson, it will be considered forfeited and will not be rescheduled, refunded, or credited.

It is the manager’s discretion to apply credit for missed class to the family account. Please note that we will not transfer credit for money; instead, we will offset it against the next term’s fees.

Fermata School of Music recognises that some students, particularly those attending secondary school, may wish to conclude their music lessons before the end of the Academic Year due to examinations, changing commitments or family arrangements.

To support this, we offer an Accelerated Academic Year Programme that allows eligible students to complete the full Academic Year programme of 39 lessons within a shorter timeframe.

Under this arrangement, students attend additional lessons, double lessons or pre-arranged catch-up sessions throughout the Academic Year, ensuring that all 39 lessons are completed by the agreed-upon finishing date. The overall tuition programme, lesson content and annual fees remain unchanged; only the lesson schedule is accelerated.

Conditions of Participation

• Participation must be approved in writing by School Management before the Academic Year commences.
• Approval is subject to teacher availability, studio capacity and timetable feasibility.
• Fermata School of Music will work closely with families to schedule the additional lessons required to complete the annual programme.
• All 39 lessons must be completed by the agreed-upon completion date.
• The programme is available to a maximum of 20 students each Academic Year, ensuring sufficient timetable flexibility for all students.

The Accelerated Academic Year Programme is offered as a courtesy to provide greater flexibility for families and is not an automatic entitlement.

Students who choose to discontinue lessons before the end of the Academic Year without prior approval under this programme remain responsible for the full Academic Year fees. Any untaken lessons will be forfeited and are not eligible for replacement lessons, credit or refund.

This programme does not alter any other provisions contained within Fermata School of Music’s Attendance Policy or Terms & Conditions.

If your current teacher cannot make a lesson/s, the school will cover this period with a substitute teacher known to the school and who has the relevant experience. In this instance, all lessons will continue until the teacher returns. We will expect all students to attend classes during the substitution period.

If the school cannot provide a substitute teacher, the lesson (s) will either be rearranged upon the teacher’s return or credited to the next Term of lessons offered.

Fermata School of Music reserves the right to cancel any group course, summer camps and seasonal courses because of insufficient enrolment levels. In such a case, we will refund tuition and deposit fees.

Each academic year, Fermata School of Music assists several students in preparing for the Royal Irish Academy of Music Graded Exams (RIAM), ABRSM, or Rock School of Music. In the academic year 2026/2027, we will offer the in-person exams for the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Fermata School of Music also sends students to various music competitions in Ireland and Europe. Each year, numerous Fermata students take part in various National & International Competitions.

Each exam session or competition date is outlined in the school’s Year Calendar and cannot be changed. The Competition dates are subject to the organisers and may involve additional charges, such as transport and accommodation.

Your teacher’s decision about attempting the graded exam or competition is final and is appropriate for each student’s level of performance, knowledge, and age.

When a student is absent on the day of the exam/competition, we will treat the absence as a forfeiture of the exam/competition. We will not refund any associated fees.

Please note that Exams & Competitions are only part of music education at Fermata School of Music, and are not mandatory during your musical journey with the Fermata Team.

Fermata School of Music aims to ensure that every student approaching the exam/competition has the knowledge and skills to achieve the highest possible marks. However, we take no responsibility for the final marks of the exam due to 3rd-party circumstances affecting participants, such as stress, lack of student preparation, and examination pressure of performing in front of the external examiner.

Neither teachers nor administrators are responsible for supervising children outside of teaching time or during the seasonal concerts, events or waiting times.

Fermata School of Music is not liable for any injures, or personal damages that occurred outside of teaching hours in the building curtailment or the area outside the building.

During wet weather/wintertime, we advise to pay special attention when moving across the interiors of Fermata School of Music. Management suggests having spear pair of shoes to use exclusively to move inside the building during such conditions.

Any student under the age of 10 will not be permitted to leave the school without a parent/guardian or informing the leading teacher or staff member.

All teachers in Fermata School of Music are highly qualified instrumental experts giving You or Your child a unique opportunity to become an independent musician.

Fermata School of Music is fully committed to safeguarding its young students’ well-being. Teachers must, at all times, show respect and understanding for the rights, safety and welfare of students and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the school.

The Child Protection Policy aims to promote best practice in protection and set out a procedural framework to ensure that all who have contact with the young students are equipped to make informed responses to specific issues and minimise the risk of protection and welfare issues.

All teachers and assisting staff in Fermata School of Music must sign the Self-Declaration Child Protection Form and are Gardai Vetted.

Occasionally, we record movies or take photographs of students from lessons, performances, and concerts for possible use on our website, share them across Social Media channels, or create school promotional materials, such as leaflets and brochures. We will offer no compensation to individuals who appear in the photographs.

Please let us know ASAP if you do not wish your or your children’s photograph to appear through any of the mentioned media channels. 

Reception/Office: Ph:  01 621 8673

Tomasz Mikiciuk – School’s Manager; Mob: 085 1257503

Patrycja Mikiciuk – Head of Fermata; Mob:  085 1251712

General E-Mail: info@fermatamusicschool.ie

Our office is only staffed on a limited amount of hours during the day, so any attempt to visit our school should precede with appointment booking query send to info@fermatamusicschool.ie

A copy of the most recent Terms & Condition will always be available on our website and upon request PDF copy will be e-mailed to student or parent.