August Newsletter: Welcome Back! Lessons Begin Next Week at Layston Music

Dear Layston Music Family,

I hope you’ve all enjoyed a restful summer and are ready for an exciting new term of music-making! 🎵 Lessons begin again next week from Tuesday 26th August, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back.

📅 Holiday Dates for Your Diary

• Lessons restart: Tuesday 26th August 2025

• Half Term (no lessons): Monday 27th October – Sunday 2nd November

• Christmas holidays: Tuesday 23rd December – Monday 5th January

You’ll also find all dates on our website: Layston Music Term Dates.

🌟 Updates for the New Term

We’ve taken a lot of care over the summer to make sure our timetable and systems are running smoothly for the year ahead. Please take a moment to read through the following carefully, as these changes will help lessons run more efficiently for everyone:

• Payments

  
  

  From September we will no longer be using PayPal to process payments. The fees they take are surprisingly high. All payments should now be made via bank transfer. You’ll always find our account details clearly printed at the bottom of your invoices.

• Timetable Adjustments

  
  

  This year, we’ve built in short breaks between lessons. This allows us time to reset between sessions and have a short break.

**Please check that you have the correct updated time for your lessons and make a note of it somewhere safe.

• Late Payments

  
  

  We completely understand that life gets busy, but from September we will be reintroducing late payment fees. If an invoice goes unpaid for more than 2 weeks, a small fee will be added to your account. This is simply to ensure fairness and to keep things running smoothly, so we can focus on the fun part — teaching music!

• New Student Packs

  
  

  At the start of term, every student will be given a new folder. This will be used to store sheet music, tabs, lyric sheets, and practice diaries. We ask that you bring this pack to every lesson so that all your resources are in one place and you can track your progress easily. Inside your pack, you’ll also find our updated Welcome Pack which includes:

  • Our Terms & Conditions

  • Holiday dates for the year ahead

  • A reminder of how to access MyMusicStaff for lesson notes, invoices, and resources

These updates might feel like a lot, but they are all designed to make your experience at Layston Music as smooth, supportive, and rewarding as possible.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

🎶 Sister Company Event – Sound & Song

Our next Sound Healing Workshop will take place on Sunday 28th September 2025.This is a wonderful opportunity to relax, recharge, and experience the therapeutic power of sound. More details are available here: https://www.songandsound.co.uk/event-details/summer-song-and-sound-healing-workshop-and-sound-bath-meditation

👩‍🏫 A Little About Me

For those who are new this term – hello and welcome! I’m Talena Cuthbert BA MCMA, Music and Health Practitioner, Piano Teacher, Vocal Coach, Song and Sound Therapist, and Music Mentor. With 20 years of experience, I specialise in teaching children and young people, and I hold qualifications in Sound Therapy, Music Therapy, ASD, and Children & Young People’s Mental Health.

💜 Thank You

As always, thank you for being part of the Layston Music family. Your trust and commitment mean the world to us, and we’re so excited for another year of music, growth, and creativity together.

See you next week! 🎹🎤🎸

Warmest wishes,Talena & Paul CuthbertLayston Music