Silk House Piano Studio – Terms and Conditions, Prices & General Guidance for all lessons

By taking lessons with me you accept these Terms and Conditions.

Contact: all lessons are booked with my wife Silke, and she administers all payments too. She can be contacted on our restaurant phone 07463 897435 preferably by WhatsApp. Students / parents can contact the studio via WhatsApp on 07463 897435 (which is also our restaurant number) but Silke may not see this immediately so if urgent please call. Students must attend with clean hands please. No one likes sticky keys!

Prices: are for one-to-one lessons at Silk House Piano Studio. Lesson costs may be subject to change for inflation annually on 1 January each year. I don’t “clock watch” so lessons may over-run by several minutes (if you are OK with that) as I’m more interested in achievement than the time, and always fully focussed on my students i.e. I get down to work straight away. I understand that life sometimes has other plans so I do my best to be flexible on times and days, and very occasionally we may have to re-arrange as well. Please be aware that I often take time in advance to prepare for lessons and run through your repertoire and lesson objectives before you arrive. This takes time. You may get periodic written feedback and suggestions for practice as well.

• Half hour lesson (Inc trial lessons) £30 This is a bit short if you want to make good progress

• 45-minute lesson £45 Almost all children do this

• Full hour lesson £55 This is the most popular option for adults

• Two-hour lesson & guided practice £110 This is really for advanced students learning advanced repertoire above Grade 7

• Half or full day tuition & guided practice: By arrangement, typically pre-examination where students require rehearsal & at higher grades a mock exam.

Payment: All lessons must be paid for in advance please. We do not provide credit facilities. Usually Silke invoices monthly in advance in blocks of 4 or 5 lessons at a time, depending on how many lesson days there are in a month. But feel free to discuss with her an arrangement that works for you. Silke will send an invoice by email every month. We offer a “make up” opportunity for unavoidably missed lessons where proper notice has been given and try to be flexible.

You can pay Silke by cash or BACS. You can also pay by credit card or debit card using our restaurant card machine. This unfortunately incurs an extra cost of 1.6% which is what the Point Of Sale provider charge us. Bank account details for BACS payments: Silke will provide these on request.

Term period: I don’t follow school terms as I find adults want to work throughout the year and children slip back in long holidays if we have big gaps. Generally, I don’t provide group lessons as experience has taught me that piano students progress best with one-to-one attention. However, if siblings or couples want lessons together then please discuss that and we can trial it.

For students under 16 I prefer a parent or guardian to be present at the lesson please at least until the student relationship is well established. This greatly aids student practice in my experience as collaboration between me, student and parent is optimised. Parents are welcome to have a cup of coffee and parents (but not children) can sit outside the studio if you need to make calls etc. If family members / siblings wish to attend the lesson that is fine as long as they are quiet in the studio and not a distraction.

Piano: my studio uses, and you will learn to play on, a 2019 German Tier One Steingraeber & Söhn Phoenix professional concert grand piano made in Bayreuth that is regulated and tuned to perform at studio recording and performance level. Very fast carbon fibre repetition action. Exceptionally I may visit student homes on request, but unless it can be arranged so that I am passing anyway, travelling time is charged at the hourly lesson rate pro rata, with lesson time on top. It is sometimes worth me doing one student visit so I can understand what piano you are working with. Entirely up to you though.

Music taught: I don’t mind what kind of music students wish to learn to play - classical, pop, by ear, chordal, hymnal, show tunes - whatever you like, and I encourage different styles without a prescriptive approach. However, please be aware that I’m classically trained and I’m not an expert on advanced jazz. Of course, I am happy to teach both practical and theory for ABRSM or Trinity examinations, or otherwise. As a former organ scholar, I may be able to help if you are looking for assistance, but I am not a church organ specialist anymore. The most important thing is to enjoy it!

Practice: parents and students always ask about this. For beginners I usually suggest half an hour a day at least 4 to 5 times a week. Young children a bit less. If you don’t do this, then progress will be slower. Always warm up. Probably the most important thing is to practice effectively - which I will teach you about from day one. It's a good idea for children to have a notebook so that we can jot down what they are supposed to be focussing on.

Exams: I prepare students for exams, but parents need to be aware that they can a) be limiting to a good musical education at the lower levels (because it becomes a slog for some people) and b) put students off if they dislike the syllabus selections. If you are using them for university entrance points then that is fine, but remember that if you get to Grade 8, no one cares what you did in grades 1 to 7. Grade 8 is a steppingstone into more advanced work and by no means an end in itself. I cover most theory as we go along though theory lessons and study revision are needed for the Grade 5 exam. You must have a Grade 5 theory pass to progress to Grade 6 practical under the ABRSM system.

I’m often asked if I teach violin as there is usually one in my studio. I do not consider myself to be qualified to teach violin. As an ex-session and band player, I do teach electric and acoustic guitar occasionally, but playing by ear and tab: mainly rock, pop, folk etc, but not notated classical guitar.

Lateness: You are paying for my time and expertise in a pre-agreed time slot. Charges apply from the start time you reserve with me so if you are late, then the time is still charged, and the lesson may still end at the scheduled time, especially if I have another appointment or lesson.

What if you can’t make it? You must try to give me at least 48 hours’ notice of any cancellation please, so that I can offer slots to other students or use my time in another way, otherwise you may still be charged unless I am able to fill the slot that you have booked. I apply this policy on the basis of courtesy and politeness: for a student who has built up trust between us we may be more flexible as long as it is only occasional. In the event of illness, please notify the studio via Silke by WhatsApp, call, email or text as soon as possible and she will endeavour to re-arrange your lesson for when you or your child feels better. If you notify me just before the lesson start time or after the start time, then you will forfeit the lesson as I will be prepped and sat in the studio waiting for you.

No liability: Piano lessons are not exactly a hazardous activity, but for the avoidance of doubt, you as parent, guardian, student, or observer attend our premises and music studio at your own risk. Parking at the studio is also at your own risk, though the premises are rather secure and may be covered by CCTV.

Parents will often hear me talking to students about posture and arm position. This is very important as there is a risk of injury such as carpal tunnel if students do not adopt correct posture, hand and arm position and stay relaxed. It is important not to overstretch. Injury usually occurs in advanced players who have embedded bad habits. It is unlikely in beginners, but good posture and technique is still essential.

Music scores: You will need to purchase the music, books and scores that we use. If you wish I will do this for you, usually via my teacher account at the Brittens music shop in Tunbridge Wells. That gets you a 10% discount on normal retail. I’m fine with students using electronic tablets. I won’t waste your money: we will not buy new things often. Some online music score websites are scams - be careful.

Please note we cannot use materials that you download from the internet and print off at home. This is because we do not wish to risk copyright violations, and I prefer to work from proper books (or large size tablets) with students, usually Urtext or equivalent. Sometimes I do photocopy a new piece so that students can keep going until we get the book for you. Please be aware that I often make pencil marks in your books for things such as reminders, dynamics, phrasing, fingerings etc. If you do not want this, please let me know

Assisting with piano purchases: totally impartial: I have no affiliations with any piano company and never accept any fee or gift or suchlike from any piano or keyboard seller. Though I’m happy to assist with purchases of second-hand pianos, by playing and assessing them for you, and offering advice, this is always strictly without liability, and I charge a fee for time spent. I’m not a piano technician, though I can recommend an excellent tuner and technician (the one who I use), and I have only bought new pianos for myself. Some flaws in especially old used pianos are not evident without taking the action out and close inspection of soundboard, which sellers may not agree to. It is also very hard to assess a used piano properly if it is badly out of tune and not in a good state of regulation. Bear in mind pianos always sound different in the acoustics of your house.

Please do not buy into seller hype about “antique” or “golden age” pianos. They age, they lose their vibrancy, tuning pegs get looser, strings deaden, hammers get hard and soundboards dry out. Old pianos are rarely anywhere near the standard of a modern instrument as age takes its toll and they can be money pits if you don’t buy carefully. Don’t take any notice of the “Steinway’s are an investment” mantra. This is hype and it relies on inflation to retain “value”. In real terms all pianos depreciate. In this country though many people will pay a premium for the Steinway name versus another brand. Buy a good piano over a well-known brand: if you aspire to be a musician a piano is a musical tool not a status symbol or ornament.

Upright versus grand: uprights can have just as much string length as a small grand, but they feel different because the key beds are shorter, and the action geometry is different. I’m indifferent between them up to a point, but serious advanced pianists will usually gravitate to a performance level grand eventually, especially if recording. Don’t put your upright right up against a wall - it deadens the sound and tone. Don't put stuff on the lid - it is meant to be opened.

Electronic keyboards: I spent several years using an electronic keyboard instead of an acoustic piano. In my case I had a Yamaha Clavinova, with wooden touch weighted keys and replica piano action. Perfectly satisfactory. Good quality electronic keyboards are very good for learning piano, as long as they have touch weighted keys and the requisite expression pedals. It is best to have a full size 88 key keyboard though as a lot of what we will play uses the lower reaches. Keyboards can be played with headphones of course, so may be ideal for late night practice, however, they are not silent as the keys still make a clicking noise audible to anyone else nearby.

Adrian Barnwell

Last amended 2 February 2026