Frequent Questions

Key Points

Public Holidays

Make-up Lessons

Cancelling Enrolment

Ongoing Enrolment

Lessons run during the school term, but not during public holidays with the exception of Adelaide Cup Day and Easter Saturday in 2026

Make-up lessons are not always available for any missed lessons that are not the fault of a teacher.

You can complete the lesson makeup form in the student portal to be put on the waitlist for a cancellation appointment.

We need to know by week 5 in the preceding term if you won't be continuing in the next term so that we can plan for staff requirements. Late cancellation will attract a late withdrawal fee of $200

Students are automatically re-enrolled each term, unless notice is provided as described below.

Please make sure you contact the admin team and NOT your teacher if you are not returning.

Lesson Structure

Our lesson structure follows the South Australian school calendar.

This means there are 40 teaching weeks in a calendar year. The year is split up into four terms : usually 11, 10, 10 and 9. If you don't know about school terms, your teacher can guide you and let you know when we take our breaks.

When invoicing, we always invoice 4 x 10 weeks - so it's always the same rate each term - with the shorter Term 4 and longer Term 1 cancelling each other out. In the event you join us for the first time in Term 1 however, you will be billed for the extra teaching week.

How do I pay for lessons?

There are a few options.

By Invoice : Students and parents can pay for lessons termly, in advance. You will be sent an invoice upon beginning lessons for the remainder of that current term and then all invoices from that point are sent in week 9, with the due date being two weeks later. You can pay invoices by Card, Cash or Bank Transfer. Cash and Bank Transfer don't attract a processing fee however we charge 1.9% processing fee for card payments.
By Direct Debit : Students and parents can opt to pay the invoice in six equal fortnightly installments. There are no transaction fees or interest charged.

What happens if I miss a lesson?

In the case of a missed lesson that is the fault of the student, we don't offer any credits or refunds against future or previous invoices.

In the event of a last minute cancellation by a student, that lesson is lost.

In the event you know at least 24 hours in advance, please text your absence to 0488 26 19 26.

If you let us know with more than 24 hours of notice that you will be away, all students are eligible to complete the 'Makeup Request Form' which can be found in the student portal above.

I'm sick! Can I come anyway?

As with all medical advice, if you are suffering from any cold and/or flu symptoms, please do not come to your lesson. We can arrange a zoom lesson for you, so that you can catch up with your teacher from the comfort of your own home. We do need some time to set up a zoom lesson so please try to notify us with 24 hours of notice.

Can I contact my teacher directly?

Yes! Their email address is their first name, followed by '@pathwaysmusic.com.au' and when you meet them for a lesson, simply confirm this information with them.

We don't give out teacher contact numbers as we need to be kept in the loop with all communications, to ensure consistency, quality and child safety - and teachers need to be able to focus on quality teaching. For any music related enquiries outside of your lesson time either email your teacher or arrange to speak with Nate, our Music Director.

What happens if my teacher is away or unwell?

Our Admin team will reach out to arrange to make up the lesson at some other time.

Sometimes this may be on a different day or time, or in the school holidays. While we try to work around your schedule in this instance, please try to be as flexible as possible as illness and holidays are a reality of life.

I'm going away on holiday. Can I hold my spot?

If you want to reserve your timeslot with us, we do have the option of paying a 50% reservation fee for the lessons that you won't be able to attend due to protracted absence. This is only available for holidays of three weeks or more.

Do you teach on public holidays?

We do not teach on public holidays in the main. These lessons are not billed for; nor are they made up.

If your lesson is on a Monday or a Friday, this may apply to you. We are closed for the Christmas and New Year period, since schools are also closed. We do teach the Saturdays of public holiday weekends and are open on Adelaide Cup Day.

Can I change teachers?

One of the benefits of having multiple teachers is that they all offer something different : whether that's a change of instrument or differing styles and techniques - each is an expert in her/his field.

If you would like to change teachers then please contact us and we can arrange for this to happen. Most importantly, all teachers benefit from this arrangement - so don't feel guilty - let us do the work for you.

[Primary School Lessons] Do you charge for pupil free days? What about excursions?

We check with the school in advance about pupil free days. We can't always know about excursions in advance but we can usually make these lessons up or make up the time by either adding an additional day of teaching at some point through the term, or extending lesson lengths to make up for the missed lesson. For example, 10 lessons of 30 minutes is equal in time to 8 lessons of 40 minutes.

Do you offer concerts and performance opportunities?

Yes - We offer multiple concerts throughout the year - hosted in beautiful venues across the state, including in our own studio in Flagstaff Hill, Adelaide.

Signup sheets will be available periodically in the Pathways Reception/Foyer and emails will be sent to notify parents when there is an opportunity approaching.

Photo Release Permission

Please note that Pathways Music School and VIVA! Performing Arts will, from time to time, take photographs and/or video recordings of events and for promotional purposes. Please advise our team if you would NOT like this to occur. Send this request to info@pathwaysmusic.com.au

How do I cancel my lessons?

You or your child is contracted to have lessons for the full term. All enrolments are ongoing until cancelled.

If you wish to cancel your lessons, you should notify us by week 5 of the current term you are enrolled in, so that the cancellation is effective at the beginning of the next term.

We invest a lot of administration time post week 5 to make sure that change of time requests and new lessons are arranged in time for the start of the next term.

Failure to give proper notice will result in cancellation fees, as detailed in our enrolment forms, but typically amounting to $200.

Please note that giving verbal notice to your teacher does not constitute giving proper notice - they may forget to let admin know - all notice must be written and sent to info@pathwaysmusic.com.au or text on 0488 26 19 26.

We will acknowledge all requests.

Please send a second communication in the event you do not receive a response.

Do you take SA Sports Vouchers?

Yes, we do! You'll find information on how to use them in Student Portal > Sports Vouchers. Please follow the process there and you'll be able to claim your $200 against lesson fees. Please note that we don't control eligibility: We lodge your request but it is up to the Sports Voucher Team to approve or deny it.