When Covid lockdown restrictions were lifted and piano lessons resumed, I asked all my students (including under-11s) to wear face-masks throughout their lesson and I did the same. I have now dropped this request, although if a new learner prefers to wear a face-covering, I will offer to do the same. The remainder of my safety measures still stand - as follows:

 

1) PRECISE LESSON TIMES: I am now more precise with starting and finishing times of lessons to allow time in between for cleaning/disinfecting. Sticking to precise times eliminates direct contact between students and avoids the need for anyone to wait in my house. I ask students to arrive as near to the exact time as possible (if a few minutes early, please wait outside/in the car). Obviously I understand that sometimes there are traffic hold-ups etc. but – in the interest of safety – and to be fair to the next student, I need to end the lesson on time.

 

2) PAYMENTS: I ask students to have payment (cash or cheque) ready to drop into a box in our porch when they arrive. In addition to minimising contact, this also avoids eating into lesson time at the end (finding correct money, writing cheques etc.) allowing me the necessary cleaning time between students. I am no longer able to provide change but I record any overpayments in an email - and obviously anyone who overpays will owe less the following week. I will also accept payments by bank transfer as long as they're in advance of the lesson (so I can record the payment in the emailed lesson notes, which saves me a lot of time in admin). Some prefer to pay for several lessons in advance which is absolutely fine - although I never request this. 

 

3) SOCIAL DISTANCING: I position my chair as far from the piano stool as is practical and maintain this distance as much as possible. I also have a small electric keyboard set up so that - if I need to demonstrate anything - I use that, rather than swapping places at the piano.

 

4) HAND SANITISER: I provide hand sanitiser. Students are, of course, welcome to use their own if they prefer.

 

5) EMAILS INSTEAD OF NOTEBOOKS: I no longer make notes in a notebook but send feedback/'things to work on' afterwards via email (not necessarily immediately after the lesson if I'm teaching others ... but always by the end of the day). I can find an alternative way of providing notes for anyone who doesn't have access to email.

 

6) PARENTS WAITING: Unfortunately I can no longer have parents sitting in our hallway. If any parent particularly wants to wait in my house, I can provide a chair in the small porch area - please notify me of this in advance. I won't provide magazines as I'm trying to minimise the number of things people will be touching. (Parents - please ask children not to touch things in my home unnecessarily).

 

7) PIANO KEYS HYGIENE: I wipe the piano keys with disinfectant between lessons. Beginners generally only need to use the central area of the piano and I would ask everyone not to touch other keys unnecessarily.

 

8) DOOR HANDLES: I open and close all doors in the house myself. Obviously I wash my hands before each teaching session and - if I'm the only person who touches the door handles - there should be no risk of spreading infection that way. 

 

9) TOILET/WASHROOM: Students should use their own toilet and washing facilities before arriving please, to keep ours free for family members. (Parents - please ensure children wash hands at home and/or hand sanitise before their lesson). If people are coming to piano straight from another event I do understand if they haven't been able to use the toilet and obviously if necessary, anyone is welcome to use ours. However, I will need to clean the area afterwards and will not be able to add extra time onto the lesson. The same applies if someone needs to wash their hands due to coughing or sneezing during the lesson. (Although of course - if anyone is aware in advance that they are ill, please cancel!). Please bring your own tissues to the lesson.

 

10) SYMPTOMS: I will - of course - cancel lessons if I am unwell - or if anyone I live with has significant symptoms or tests positive for coronavirus. Obviously I must ask that all my students do the same - otherwise there will be a risk not just to myself but also to others I teach - and to my family. As in the past, please give as much notice as possible if you need to cancel a lesson.

 

11) REMOTE LESSONS: Although I taught via Skype during the lockdown period, I am not offering remote lessons at present. However – if, for any reason I need to self-isolate – or if the Government imposes new lockdown restrictions - I may consider doing so again.

 

I may review some of these safety measures as the pandemic situation changes. Unfortunately, no-one can be entirely free of the risk of contracting Covid-19 but I have assessed the potential risks to my students (as well as to myself/family members) and taken the above steps to minimise them. If anyone has any particular concern which I haven't addressed, they are always welcome to discuss this with me.