Thursday, March 19, 2020 | Notices

We've had a lot of questions about what will happen regarding lessons in the event of a school closure due to the Covid-19. At this stage the Ministry of Education have not made this decision yet and say that it is unlikely at this stage. However Amplify has a plan in place should this happen and the short answer is"Yes," lesson can still occur and we have 3 options available for families and students to choose from, all of which are interchangeable based on each person's circumstance:

1. Catchup Lessons
2. Skype Lessons
3. Tutor In-House Teaching / Alternative Locations

We believe these are reasonable solutions to allow lessons to continue undisturbed, to allow students to practice and stay motivated, and to keep our wonderful tutors employed. Below is a description of what each option would look like.

In-School and Catch-up lessons

If there is a School Closure, lessons at schools between 8am - 3pm will be canceled. Your account will still be charged however you will be issued a "Make-Up Credit" to be used and scheduled at a later date for a "Catch-Up Lesson". These catch-up lessons will not necessarily be immediate when the closure has been lifted but slowly and surely, Catch-Up Lessons will be arranged over the course of the term / year.

Lessons at Amplify or After 3pm Lessons

Depending on the severity of the outbreak, lessons after 3pm could still occur undisturbed at our Amplify / YAT location.

All other locations for after 3pm lessons outside of Amplify / YAT (e.g. Rawhiti School between 3pm - 6pm) would have to be canceled and parents will need to choose from one or more of the 3 options listed above.

Skype Lessons

Some of our tutors are equipped with Skype and webcam teaching. The My Music Staff programme also has Skype features integrated into its systems to make it easier for scheduling lessons. To use this feature parents and students will need:

• Skype installed onto your PC or Laptop
• A webcam (some laptops already have this built in)
• A steady internet connection (Skype has a connection strength testing feature)
• Register your Skype name on your My Music Staff portal / profile or simply email/txt it to your tutor.

Tutor In-Hour teaching or Alternative Locations

Some tutors will be able to teach from their home studios while others may be available to teach from Amplify / YAT studios. You would have to arrange this with your tutor and travel to their studio location for lessons. Some tutors may be open to traveling to you but again this would have to be arranged with the tutor.

Final Note

Tutors will do their best to be as flexible and understanding to the situation as it unfolds. Tutors could also offer to move your usual lesson times around if needed and be flexible to teach either during the day, afternoon or evenings.

If and when the time comes, or if wanting to plan ahead (just in case), please be sure to notify and arrange these directly with your tutor to let them know which of the 3 options best suits you. Their contact details can be found on your My Music Staff Portal under "Studio Info."

If you have any questions in general please contact Amplify@yat.org.nz

Kind Regards

Amplify School of Music