Policies & FAQ

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Bananas Lesson Program

*Automatic Billing w/ safe and secure processing 
*Safe & clean lesson spaces with air filtration in each room
*Experienced Teachers offering In-Person and Virtual lessons
*Lessons in Guitar, Bass, Piano, Voice, Ukulele, Drums, and others including saxophone, clarinet, and more. Some lessons offered off site. See the Teachers list above for a listing.
*Easy communication with teachers and Lesson Administrator
*48 hour Cancellation Policy

Interested in taking music lessons? Here is an overview of how our program works

We utilize an online scheduling system powered by Teacherzone that allows teachers AND students the ability to see their schedules, access appointment information and see their payment records. After initial registration, you will be send a Welcome Email that will give you access to the account.

Want help scheduling your first lesson? Here's a helpful walkthrough!

Most students start off scheduling one initial lesson to meet the teacher and make sure it is a good fit for the student. After that first lesson, if things go well (and we are sure they will!), get in touch with the Lesson Administrator to secure your regular day and time for weekly lessons. You can do this via email at lessons@bananas.com, text 415-457-7600 OR call 925-695-7228.

The first lesson is paid up front at the time of Registration. After that, once your payment card is securely stored in your account, you will be billed once per lesson for the upcoming lesson for recurring lessons. Our system is set up for advanced billing. This means that the lesson is billed up front and when that credit is used towards a lesson, you will be billed again at that time for the next lesson.

Appointment Reminders

You will receive a courtesy appointment reminder 2 days before each lesson to the email on file. Be sure to check your spam folder and mark any emails from 'lessons@bananas.com' as NOT spam to be sure to receive them. You can also adjust your personal notifications inside Teacherzone so that you receive either an email reminder, SMS text reminder OR a reminder inside TZ only. 

Waiting During Appointments

Parents and family members for the student are asked that only 1 person wait in the designated waiting area outside the lesson rooms or in your vehicle. We always welcome questions and inquiries to our sales staff if you need assistance with purchasing items, however, please allow the staff to assist those who need help with their purchase so that we can keep our showroom less congested. 

Cancellations

Please see below for our full cancellation policy.
We require 48 hours notice to cancel or reschedule a lesson without charge. 

Additionally, lessons payments made are non-refundable. If for any reason you cancel the first lesson, and do not desire to reschedule, we can provide store credit to you for purchasing other items online or in-store. 

It's easy to contact the Lesson Administrator with questions or schedule changes. Simply use the Teacherzone messaging inside the app or on your desktop. You can also email directly to lessons@bananas.com. She is available by text or email between 8am and 2pm Monday through Friday. Any correspondence received after 2pm will be responded to by the next business day. Thank you for understanding!

Student Discounts

We provide students with a 15% discount on books and accessories and stock what students need! If your teacher recommends a particular book or tool for your lessons (tuners, metronomes, sticks, manuscript paper), just ask any of our friendly staff to help! If we need to, we can order it for you too! 

Ready to purchase your first (or next) instrument? When you (or your child) are enrolled in regular lessons with us for at least 2 months, you can get 10% off your new instrument! *some exclusions apply - see store associate for details.

We also offer a Rewards system for all customers that give you discounts on purchases. See more info here.

Registration

All new students are required to pay a $25 Registration Fee. Additional students in the same family will be charged $10 each. First time students will be assessed the fee at the 2nd lesson.

If you have any questions, about this, please let us know!

Accessing My Student Account

Need Help with your Teacherzone Account?

Check out some helpful tips here

Tuition

All lessons scheduled online are prepaid. Upon booking online, you will be prompted to pay at the time of booking.  

For subsequent lessons, students are required to have a credit card on file within their account for automatic tuition processing. If you opt into regular lessons (weekly or bi-weekly), you will be enrolled in automatic payment. The initial lesson will be charged to your card on file up front and as that lesson credit is used, your card will be automatically billed for the next one.

  • Billed at Lesson Booking: 1 lesson credit
  • Scheduled Lesson: 1 existing credit is used - 1 credit is billed (for next lesson)

If you have questions about payment or need assistance setting it up in your account, please reach out to lessons@bananas.com.

Declined Tuition Payment

If a payment is declined, we will attempt a second transaction on the next business day. If it is not resolved, we will contact you regarding the discrepancy. If we are unable to correct it within 5 business days, the student will be removed from the schedule for any subsequent lessons until such time that the tuition is brought current. Time slots cannot be reserved if the account is not kept current.

Lesson Schedule

All  students are scheduled within an available day and time that works for their schedule.

For students who arrange a regular schedule, your time is reserved specifically for the student and will not be scheduled for any other student. If at any time you were unable to make your scheduled lesson (see the Cancellation Policy), we reserve the right to fill that time spot on that day if it meets the needs of the teacher and/or other student. However, your future lessons will continue as scheduled.

In some cases, if you are unable to maintain your regular time slot and are cancelling your lesson more than once per month, we may need to cancel your future scheduled lessons to allow for a student on the waitlist to take the available day and time. You are still able to schedule on a "floating" basis, but will be dependent on the teacher's available lesson times.

Summer Cancellations - if a student needs to cancel more than 3 lessons consecutively for the summer, they will have the option to reserve their regular day and time for their return after summer break by placing a deposit on file. Please speak to the Lesson Coordinator if you have questions regarding the deposit. The deposit will be equal to 3 lesson credits and is applicable to lessons once the student returns to the schedule in the fall. 

Cancellations

48 Hours Notice is required for ALL students to cancel a scheduled lesson. Same day cancellations will not be excused unless by teacher directly. Cancellation notice will only be accepted through the following ways:

Email to: lessons@bananas.com or text 415-457-7600 and ask for Shaana. You may also contact the teacher directly, but please cc Shaana as well. 

Message the Lesson Administrator inside Teacherzone. See how to message here.

Lesson Coordinator Office Hours:  Mon-Friday 9:00am – 2:00pm

Before or After Hours: Send an email to lessons@bananas.com. If sent after hours, your message and/or email will be returned or responded by the next business day. You can also text to the number above. It will be responded to during the next business day.

Saturdays or Sundays: Email the Coordinator or notify your teacher directly. Texts or emails on weekends will not be received until Monday morning. Any phone or email cancellations received over the weekend for Monday or Tue lessons will be handled on Monday morning. Teacher contact info can be found on their teacher page.

Please leave a message with your name and the name of the student (if a child) and their regular scheduled time and teacher’s name.  If available, we would prefer to reschedule the lesson to an open time in the schedule. If no makeup lesson can be scheduled, any prepaid lesson credit will roll over to the following lesson.

No-Shows

If a student does not give 48 hours notice to cancel a lesson and does not show up for their scheduled lesson, they will be charged for the lesson.

Two no-shows on any student account will place the student in a Probationary account status and the student will be removed from the regular schedule. No refund will be issued for the missed lessons or account credits.

If no communication is received from the student family and lessons are discontinued, and at such time the family wishes to continue their lessons, the student will be required to pay an additional Registration fee and tuition up front for the newly scheduled month.

Holidays or Vacation Time Off

If a student family will be taking an extended holiday or vacation time away from their lessons (missing 3 or more consecutive lessons), we ask for a 2 week notice of such a cancellation. To "hold" your reserved day and time for lessons upon returning from your extended break period, you will be asked to put down a deposit that can be used for lessons after your break period ends. Otherwise, you may forfeit your reserved day and time.

Books & Materials

All students will normally require certain books and materials in order to continue with music lessons. Books and materials are not included in the cost of tuition and will usually be required at the first scheduled lesson and/ore may be required to be purchased during the duration of subsequent lessons. As student’s progress through their lesson program, additional books may be recommended as well as other tools and materials the teacher deems necessary for their advancement.

Student Behavior

All students are expected to behave in a manner that is acceptable to the environment of receiving education. At no time will a student be allowed to behave disrespectfully towards a teacher or any member of our staff. We understand that very young students are still learning how to behave and as such, we require that parents of children under 10 be in attendance with their child during their lesson time (either in person in the lesson room OR available in the waiting room).

Behaviors that will NOT be tolerated:

  • Name calling
  • Cursing or Foul Language
  • Disrespect to the teacher or staff
  • Breaking items in the lesson room or waiting area or showroom
  • Loud behavior such as yelling, running, and/or anything that may disturb others.
  • Not complying with the requests of the teacher or staff

If any student is shown to be displaying any unacceptable behavior, the student and/or parent will be notified immediately. If the student continues to show disrespectful behavior, the student will be placed on a Probationary status. If the behavior continues, the student will not be allowed to continue their participation in our Lesson Program and no refund will be issued for missed and unattended lessons.

FAQ

“I’m a complete beginner. Am I ready to take music lessons?”

Absolutely! We have teachers for all levels of music education. Whether you are brand new to playing music or have been playing for 30 years, we can find a teacher who will fit your needs and your schedule!

“Do you offer group lessons for two people at one time?”

At this time we have small lessons rooms and aren't able to accommodate two persons in the same lesson for guitar, bass, or piano. Sometimes we can arrange for 2 lessons with 2 different teachers at the same time, but it can vary depending on each teacher's availability. 

Some teachers may be able to accommodate a two-person lesson virtually. This means the lesson will be conducted online and it is the responsibility of the students to log in and be present for the lesson.

“I’m a very busy adult and don’t always have time each week to take a lesson or practice. Can I still take music lessons?”

Absolutely! We understand that you have a busy schedule and can’t always make it for a weekly lesson. Our Lesson Administrator can work with you to pre-schedule a floating lesson when it looks like your schedule can fit it in. Cancellation and attendance policy will still apply, but you can schedule single lessons when it best fits your schedule!

“How much does it cost to take music lessons?”

Each teacher charges their own rates for music lessons depending on if they have 30 minute, 45 minute, or hour long lessons each week. The Lesson Coordinator can go over each teacher’s rates with you and help you find one that fits your schedule and your budget! You can also find the rates listed through the online booking portal and on each teacher's individual bio page here. Find the teacher list here.

“Where are your music lessons held?”

All of our music lessons are held at our Bananas at Large location in San Rafael or virtually online. We do not currently offer in-store lessons at the Santa Rosa store. We do have some teachers who teach outside the store at other studio locations or at their home studios. As these options are available, we will note them on the teacher's profile. 

"What if I can’t make my regular lesson time? What do I do?”

Bananas requires a 48 hour notice to cancel and/or reschedule a music lesson. This allows us to let the teachers know that you won’t be here and gives us time to adjust the schedule. The only exception to this would be illness: if you or your child wakes up the morning of their lesson with illness, please let us know as soon as possible. Due to Covid-19, if you or your child is sick or someone in your house is sick, please contact the Administrator to cancel your lesson. 

If your regularly scheduled time is difficult to maintain because your schedule changed, let the Lesson Administrator know. They can work with you to find a better day and time for your lessons. If you are needing to cancel more than 1x per month, we reserve the right to remove you from that day/time on the schedule to make room for a student who can consistently maintain that scheduled time. Thank you for understanding.

“Are my books and materials included in the cost of tuition?”

Books and materials are the responsibility of the student and/or parent to purchase. Fortunately, most of the lesson books and supplementary supplies the teachers require are generally not hard to get. A Bananas staff member can work with you to get exactly what you need.

“I want to take lessons, but I don’t have an instrument to practice on at home. What can I do?”

No problem! Bananas at Large is the Bay Area's best music store! We have everything you need from guitars, basses, keyboards, drums, microphones, and more! Just ask our Lesson Coordinator to get you set up with one of our friendly sales associates who can help you pick out an instrument that fits your needs and your budget! Additionally, we offer students who are enrolled for 2 months or more a 10% discount on their instrument purchase. Exclusions apply. 

"I need help logging into my account to update my information. How do I do that?"

You can request your login information from the Lessons Admin (or reset your password if needed from the login page or app). Keep in mind that if the teacher has not begun scheduling through the new system, you will not yet have a login. Once the teacher's schedule has been input, you will receive an email with login information to access you or your child's account. 

Here is a helpful walkthrough to show you how to log in and update basic information in your account.

If you need additional help, contact the Lesson Administrator by emailing lessons@bananas.com or reaching out through the chat in bottom right hand corner of your screen.


Links to Download the Teacherzone App for your Device