Playing a musical instrument is an art which relies on various aspects. The most important are your inherent feeling/talent for music, your technical proficiency and your willingness to work towards achieving the best of your abilities. Because music is an art which relies on technical abilities, one never really masters playing of an instrument. Neither should this be the goal, as it is the making of music that brings the pleasure to the performer and the listener.
Having said that a rough guide to time time it will take you to perform a basic piece of music, can be taken at between six months and a year. This is highly individual as it depends on the level at which you start lessons (beginner, advanced, etc.,) your age, the time available for practicing, and quality of your instrument. As a general rule, most musicians (in the classical field) are able to begin working as professional musicians after 5 to 7 years of intensive study.
Since many learner do not intend to become professional musicians, they can assume that after a year or so, they will be able to play the more minor pieces of music.
If you give notice to your teacher that you will be unable to attend a lesson, arrangements will be made between you and the teacher to make up the lesson at another time.
If you do not inform the teacher 24 hours before the lesson that you cannot make it, or if you simply do not turn up, then the lesson is forfeited.
If your teacher is unable to attend a lesson, he/she will make arrangements with you to make up the lesson at a time that will suit you both.
The contract is designed to protect the interests of the learners, the teachers and the CMA as an organization. By accepting the clauses contained in the contract you indicate your agreement with its contents.
If you do not agree with any of the contract’s clauses, do not sign it.
Like any other contract that you may enter into, all the clauses of the CMA contract are legally binding once you have signed it and it has been accepted and counter-signed by the management. You are advised to take note of all the clauses and should you have any reservations or questions, discuss such with management and/or your attorney before signing the agreement.
By signing the CMA’s year contract, you agree to pay the full year’s fees in advance. To make it easier for some learners (or their sponsors) to repay the year fee, arrangements may be made to pay off the annual fee over an up to 10 month period. This arrangement is made with the management and any decisions in this respect rests exclusively with the management of the CMA.
The fact that an allowance may be made for you to pay of the annual fee over a certain period, never implies that you are paying a “monthly” fee for lessons received during the month of payment. It always remains a payment towards the total amount of the year’s fees.
Initially, you sign up for a whole year’s tuition (or a remaining part of a year). However, you will be able to cancel the contract with two calendar months’ written notice. Any fees that you may have prepaid past the notice period will be refunded on receipt of your written notice.
The CMA provides a special form for giving notice.
There are no lessons during holidays, neither are any included in the annual fee.
The annual fee is based exclusively on school weeks and do not include any weeks that fall in holidays. Therefore you never pay for any lessons that fall in school-holidays or on incidental holidays.
There are about 40 school weeks in a year, and the annual fee is based on a 40 week year.
However in collaboration with the administration of the CMA and your teacher you may arrange for lessons on holidays, for which you will be invoiced separately.