Posted on: 1 November, 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

Our top priority is serving our customers, so we wanted to ensure that you can find answers to some of our most commonly-asked questions. 

We hope this will give you some peace of mind as well as useful information, and ensure you can get in touch with confidence!

How do I sign up for instrumental lessons in a school or Centre?

To sign up for lessons, please visit the Music Lessons page. On this page you will find useful information including our parent guide to learning a musical instrument, lesson prices instruments you can learn and more.  

When you’re ready, click on the Apply Here button. 

A new page will open, our online course platform where you can select your school or Music Centre of choice as the venue. You can then browse the available lessons. 

Once you’ve selected your chosen courses, go to your basket to complete your application. You will then be prompted to log into your Kent Music online customer account. 

If you don’t have an online customer account, then don’t worry – you can still easily apply at the ‘Apply Here’ button. You’ll be taken through some simple steps to create an account and your application will be processed the same as someone with an existing account. 

After your application is complete, you’ll be emailed further information about your lessons to confirm. 

What age is appropriate for my child to start learning an instrument?

Most instruments are most appropriate to start from age 8 and up. However, some instruments like piano or violin could be started from age 6. Whether we can offer lessons to your child will depend on your local teachers’ experience and availability.

We encourage you to apply through as usual with details about your child’s age and experience.

How do I sign up for an ensemble at a Music Centre?

To apply to join an ensemble at one of our Music Centres, just navigate to your chosen centre’s webpage and click on its unique ‘Apply Here’ button.  

A new page will open with the application form. Once you have completed and submitted the form, you will receive a confirmation email with more information about the next steps. 

Find all our Centres and see the available ensembles on our website. 

My child is less than a year younger than the age listed for an ensemble at a music centre. Can I still apply?

It’s always worth contacting the music centre of the ensemble you’re interested in if your child is less than a year younger than the age listed. Depending on your child’s experience and the makeup of the ensemble they may be able to join in, although this is not guaranteed.

Please email musiccentres@kent-music.com detailing the centre and ensemble you’re interested in along with details about your child’s age and experience.

My child has special or additional needs. Do you have any lessons or ensembles they could attend?

Where possible we aim to accommodate everyone in accessing excellent musical education, and have many students with additional needs attending Kent Music lessons and ensembles.

If your child has additional needs and would like to either attend a lesson or one of our ensembles, please get in touch detailing their needs and what they would like to attend. Our team can then look into whether we can accommodate you.

For lessons, contact customerservices@kent-music.com

For ensembles at Music Centres, contact musiccentres@kent-music.com

If your child attends a special school, the first port of call should be a discussion with your school. We work with special schools around Kent, and may already have an opportunity in place with them, or can look into arranging one.

I am over 18, can I have lessons or join ensembles?

Yes, our Music Centres which run across the county outside of school hours are great places for adult musicians to continue their lifelong learning. You can find an ensemble which works for you through the Music Centres webpages or apply for a lesson at a Centre through our Music Lessons page.

How do I join a County Group?

Our County Groups, Kent County Youth Orchestra, Kent Youth Choir and Kent Youth Wind Orchestra, are auditioned groups. To apply for an audition, please click this link and complete the form. You’ll be sent more information once you complete it.  

What happens after I sign up for Instrumental lessons/an ensemble?

Once you have signed up for lessons on the Kent Music website a confirmation email will be sent to you with your SpeedAdmin login details.  

The waiting list is viewed by each area team regularly and you will be contacted by a member of the team as soon as a space becomes available.  

You will not be invoiced for your lessons/Ensembles until after your lesson has been added to our system.  

Why haven’t I heard back after I applied for lessons?

When you apply for lessons, our team gets to work trying to match your needs with available teachers, timetables and locations. This can sometimes take some time! 

If you haven’t heard back from us within a half term, then it’s likely we’ve been unable to place you immediately. However, we will place you on a waiting list and work towards finding a way for you to have a lesson with us as soon as possible. 

What can I do if I would like to change my lesson details? (e.g. time or length of lesson)

If you would like to make any changes to your lesson, please email customerservices@kent-music.com 

Any lesson detail adjustments, for example an increase from twenty minutes to thirty minutes, are usually actioned at the end of each term.  

Whilst Kent Music will try to accommodate your change request, approval is dependent on teacher availability amongst other factors so we cannot guarantee your lesson details will be adjusted. You will be contacted each term by email to ask if you need to make any change requests ahead of the new term commencing.  

If Kent Music needs to make changes to your lesson details, for example a change of teacher, we aim to give you at least 5 weeks’ notice before any changes take effect.  

For more information, please refer to our Tuition Terms and Conditions 

When does teaching start each term?

Unless you have been notified by your teacher or school otherwise, lessons in schools will resume in the second week of each normal academic term.

Music Centres have their own term timetables which are detailed on each Centre’s page.

Kent term dates can be found on the Kent County Council website. Find your local Music Centre and their term dates on our website.

What happens if I cannot attend my lesson?

We understand that a pupil may miss a lesson due to absence from school or illness. Conflicts between school activities and music lessons, such as Forest School, sports day, or other clubs, will be treated similarly to a pupil forgetting to attend.  

We encourage parents to speak to their child’s classroom teacher or the school’s music lead if extra measures need to be put in place to help a child attend lessons in these instances.  

A teacher may offer a re-scheduled timeslot or online lesson but is not obliged to do so. 

What is the best way to get in touch with you?

Unless the matter is extremely urgent, please email us. This allows us to get to you in an organised and timely way, with all the information you need. 

For general or lesson enquiries: customerservices@kent-music.com 

For Music Centre (ensemble only) enquiries: musiccentres@kent-music.com  

For County Group enquiries: countygroups@kent-music.com  

I need to get in touch about something very urgent. How should I do this?

If your enquiry is extremely urgent, please email us in the first instance. If you haven’t received a response in an appropriate time to solve the issue, you can call us on 01622 691 212.  

This page will continue to be updated. If you have questions which you think would be worth adding, please get in touch to let us know.