Instrumental Music Lessons
Princes Hill employs specialist Instrumental Music Instructors (IMIs) as part of our Music Program and offers instrumental music lessons to all students. This includes voice and theory lessons.
Please click here for our 2025 Staffing List
Parents/Carers will need to complete an enrolment request for any student new to the Music Program. Once an enrolment confirmation is received and a payment has been made (either in full or on a payment plan), students will begin lessons. During Term 4 each year parents/carers will be sent a renewal request for the following year, with the options to maintain their current enrolment, modify their enrolment (ie, upgrade lesson type), or withdraw their enrolment.
Ensemble Participation
Princes Hill receives specific regional funding from the Department of Education to help facilitate our Music Program. In order to receive this funding, we provide a range of ensembles that cater to different student abilities and interests, as well as a range of music styles and instrument types.
We currently offer 20 ensembles with the expectation that students participate in at least one ensemble as part of their enrolment for instrumental music lessons. However, please note the following exceptions:
- Students who are new to their chosen instrument, or have less than 12-months experience should nominate a preferred ensemble, but do not have to join straight away. Their IMI will advise when they are ready to join.
- There are a limited number of positions available for piano students in ensembles. We do recommend students join an ensemble on another instrument where possible, such as a secondary instrument they perform on, voice (choir), or auxiliary percussion.
- Students enrolled in theory only do not have to join an ensemble.
- Students who learn an instrument privately may join an ensemble, however priority is given to students enrolled in school-based instrumental music lessons.
- An ensemble fee of $200 will be charged for all ensemble students not enrolled in the school instrumental music program.
Lesson Fees for 2025
All lesson fees are charged per annum with the option to pay via a payment plan.
| Lesson Type | Fee p/a |
| Group (half-period, 2 – 3 students) | $715 |
| Individual Half-Period | $1,360 |
| Individual Full-Period | $2,720 |
| Theory – Standard Group (half-period, 4 – 5 students) | $395 |
| Theory – Advanced Group (half-period, 2 – 3 students) | $715 |
| Theory – Advanced Individual (half-period) | $1,360 |
For those new to the program, additional information on the different lesson types are listed below.
Group lessons are scheduled with 2 – 3 students for a half period, or occasionally 4 – 5 students for a full period. Decisions on numbers and groupings are made by the relevant IMIs in consultation with the Head of Music. The decision depends on the instrument type and student ability/needs.
*Please note that group lessons are not available for Piano, Drum Kit., Low Brass, or Harmonica.
Individual Half-Period lessons are highly recommended for students engaged in classroom music electives and/or exam programs. This enables IMIs to provide a personalised environment to best facilitate student development on their chosen instrument.
Individual Full-Period lessons are recommended for students with 3 or more years of experience who are participating in upper level exams (AMEB/ABRSM Grade 4 + ), and strongly recommended for students studying music as part of their VCE Program. This includes VCE Music, VCE Music Contemporary, VCE Music Repertoire, VCE Music Inquiry.
Standard Music Theory lessons provide students with the opportunity to focus on the development of their theoretical knowledge. Students work through the AMEB Theory Syllabus across Grades 1 – 3 as appropriate, as well as general theoretical concepts relevant to the performance of music.
Advanced Music Theory lessons are for experienced students who have moved onto higher level exams (AMEB Grade 4+) and/or who are studying VCE Music. As there are multiple enrolment options at this level, please contact the Music Office to discuss which option you should select if you are unsure.
How to enrol for 2025
Due to the increasing demand on the instrumental music program we have split enrolments into three rounds. This will best enable us to prioritise students with VCE Music requirements and provide follow up to families via phone and/or email as enrolment requests are submitted. Our aim is to provide an opportunity for all students who wish to enrol in instrumental lessons.
- Round 1: VCE Enrolments (future Years 11 and 12 students, plus Year 10s who have successfully applied for advanced studies in Music) {Term 4 Week 5}
- Round 2: Future Years 8 – 10 students {Term 4 Week 7}
- Round 3: Future Year 7 students / new families to PHSC {Term 4 Week 8}
All current students of Years 7 – 11 enrolled in the Music Program will receive a renewal request via email as per the timeline above. This will outline your current enrolment, and the associated fees of continuing this enrolment in 2025. You will have the option to accept, modify, or withdraw, and be linked directly to the relevant enrolment renewal form. Once completed, you will receive two emails:
- A receipt of your completed form (issued via Google forms)
- An enrolment offer for 2025 (issued via musicadmin, with instructions on lesson payments)
New enrolments to the program (future Year 7s, new families to PHSC in Years 8 -12, or existing non-music PHSC students in Years 8 – 12 for 2025) will open on Monday 25 November, with the enrolment form sent out via Compass newsfeed.
Please contact the Music Office on 9389 0622, or via email at musicadmin@phsc.vic.edu.au if you have any questions about the enrolment process.
Payment Process
- Payments can be made in full or via instalments
- Instalments are split into four payments. The first payment will be due in December 2024, with the following three payments set as recurring monthly installments on 15/01/2025, 15/02/2025, 15/03/2025.
- Full payment of fees or the first instalment are required before lessons commence in Term 1 Week 2 to confirm your enrolment. If no payment is made the enrolment will be withdrawn.
- All payments are managed through your school Compass account (parent/carer login)
- Once payment is received, students’ lessons will appear in their Compass timetable at the beginning of Term 1 2025
- Fees are non-refundable once payment has been made.
For all financial matters, please contact the PHSC Business Manage – Trent Adams – via email at trent.adams@education.vic.gov.au.
Lesson Scheduling/Timetabling
Program Overview
Students are offered 32 lessons during the course of the school year. This allows for approximately 8 lessons per term and factors in interruptions that may prevent a lesson from being offered.
Expected interruptions include:
- Public Holidays
- Whole-school events
- Curriculum-based excursions
- Staff absences due to illness (due to the specialised nature of staff roles, it is often not possible to find a last-minute replacement)
Individual scenarios that unfortunately cannot be factored into the number of lessons offered include:
- Individual student absences
- Non-curriculum based events (ie. Ski Camps)
Lesson numbers are monitored by the Music Administrator throughout the school year.
After overall positive community feedback, we regularly choose to offer lessons during scheduled Curriculum Days and on Parent/Student/Teacher Conference days. This helps limit the interruptions between lessons already caused by other school events and term breaks. In these instances, students will be permitted on site to attend their lessons, and families will be advised via email two weeks in advance.
Instrumental Music Lessons are scheduled using Compass and form part of the students weekly timetable. The following considerations are made in regards to the scheduling of lessons:
- Lessons are scheduled week to week at the beginning of Term 1 as enrolments are finalised. Lessons are then scheduled at least one month in advance; usually from the beginning of March.
- For Years 7 – 10, lessons are scheduled during class time on a rotating basis to avoid regularly missing the same class. The school uses a fortnightly timetable, and rotations are scheduled over a 4-week block.
- VCE students have a fixed lesson time during one of their study periods, lunch time, after school, or occasionally before school.
- No lessons are scheduled at recess, unless agreed to by the student and the IMI.
- Compulsory camps and events are accounted for two weeks prior to the scheduled activity.
Student Absences
Students who are absent from school on the day of their scheduled lessons are not able to be offered a replacement lesson. If a student absence is expected to be longer than two weeks please contact the Music Administrator (Willow Shortt – musicadmin@phsc.vic.edu.au ) ASAP to discuss potential timetabling options.
Student Responsibility
Students are responsible for attending their lessons in a timely manner and bringing all resources required for their lessons. This may include their personal instrument (which can be left in the Music Storeroom), sheet music/charts, and/or workbooks.
All students are asked to check their lesson schedule on Compass at least one week in advance, and then the morning of their scheduled lesson in case there have been any changes. If an issue is ever detected, students should notify both their IMI and the Music Administrator either via email, or in person at the Music Office.
During Term 1 only, IMIs will go and collect students if they do not arrive in the first few minutes of their scheduled lesson time in order to help them build a rountine.
Students should be mindful of the following events that may interfere with their ability to attend lessons:
- Scheduled assessments by classroom teachers: All students are generally provided with at least two weeks notice for upcoming assessments, as well as having set dates in their Compass Learning Tasks. Classroom teachers are aware of student commitments to instrumental lessons and allow flexibility for the rescheduling of assessments. However, there will be some instances where the assessment does need to take priority.
- Off-site sports activities: Some students will be off-site for sports classes, events, and/or other activities. Any off-site attendance will usually generate an “event” on Compass. However, due to the large volume of sports-based events, the changing enrolments/participation rates, and events often relying on the success of the team/individual student, it is recommended that students notify both their IMI and the Music Administrator ASAP once an event date is confirmed.
- Duty Students: Students in Years 7 and 8 will be allocated a duty day that will appear on their Compass Schedule. If students are scheduled for an instrumental lesson on the same day as duty, they should advise the relevant staff member from the Front Office who is supervising and still attend their lesson.