Student Handbook

Welcome to TGC · Student Handbook

This handbook is for students enrolled at The Global Conservatory and their families. It explains how lessons work, what to expect from your faculty, what is expected of you, and how to get support when you need it. Whether you are taking a single first lesson or pursuing a full certificate pathway, this handbook is your reference.

1. Who can study at TGC

The Global Conservatory enrolls serious music students of every age, every level, and every continent. Our students include:

• Pre-college teenagers preparing for conservatory and university auditions
• University-level players and singers seeking specialised study with master teachers
• Adult amateurs and returning musicians of every background
• Working professionals studying for advancement, audition preparation, or repertoire expansion
• Young children (with parental enrolment and supervision) studying their first instrument or voice

Students study from 14 countries and every major time zone. There is no minimum or maximum age. There is no minimum prior training requirement, but every student is matched to a faculty member whose pedagogy fits their level and goals.

2. Choosing your faculty

The single most important decision you make at TGC is which faculty member to study with. Three ways to approach this:

2.1 Browse the public faculty roster

Our Faculty A–Z page lists every TGC faculty member with their primary instrument, location, and credentials. Faculty by Instrument filters by instrument family.

2.2 Request a match through admissions

If you would prefer guidance, the admissions team will match you to two or three faculty options based on your instrument, level, goals, time-zone availability, and budget. Email info@theglobalconservatory.com with a brief profile and you will receive matches within 5 business days.

2.3 Try a first lesson

Many students begin with a 30-minute first lesson before committing to a regular schedule. Your first lesson lets you and the faculty member confirm the fit before you commit to a longer arrangement. Browse our faculty.

3. How a lesson actually works

3.1 Booking and payment

Once you've chosen a faculty member, you book sessions through their faculty page. Lessons are paid at the time of booking via secure online payment. Faculty publish their own rates, which vary by instrument, faculty seniority, and lesson format (private, group, masterclass, intensive).

3.2 What happens after you book

Within 24 hours of confirmed payment:

• You receive an order confirmation email
• The faculty member receives your contact information and any intake notes you provided
• The faculty member contacts you to confirm scheduling and answer any pre-lesson questions
• You receive a Zoom link (or alternative platform link, if specified by your faculty) ahead of the first session

3.3 During the lesson

Most TGC lessons run 30, 45, 60, or 90 minutes. Lessons are conducted live via video — most commonly Zoom. Your faculty member will guide the session, but the most productive lessons are conversations: bring your questions, your practice recordings, your repertoire interests, and your honest sense of what is working and not working.

3.4 After the lesson

Within 48 hours, your faculty member submits a brief lesson note via the TGC platform. The note includes:

• Material covered in the session
• Two or three specific takeaways for you to focus on
• A practice assignment for the coming week

Lesson notes accumulate as your TGC academic record. They are valuable for your own review, for tracking progress, and (for credential pathways) for assessment.

4. Practice expectations

Lessons accelerate the work; practice does the work. Faculty assign concrete weekly practice based on your level and goals, but the rough order of magnitude is:

• Casual / hobbyist: 30–60 minutes per day, 4–5 days per week
• Serious amateur: 60–120 minutes per day, 5–6 days per week
• Pre-professional / pre-college: 2–4 hours per day, 6 days per week
• Audition / competition preparation: 4–6 hours per day, structured by faculty

These are rough; your faculty will calibrate to your reality. Most lessons fail not from talent or technique but from inadequate or unfocused practice between sessions.

5. Equipment and environment

Online lessons require a workable setup at your end:

• A reliable internet connection — wired ethernet preferred where available
• A device with a working camera and microphone (laptop, tablet, or desktop with webcam)
• For most instruments, the device's built-in mic is fine for first lessons; faculty will guide you if upgrading helps
• Decent lighting from the front, not behind
• A quiet space free of interruptions for the duration of the lesson
• For piano/keyboard students: an acoustic piano or weighted-key digital keyboard is strongly preferred
• For voice students: a space where you can sing without being self-conscious or disturbing others

Our Zoom Audio Settings guide walks through the platform configurations that make a music lesson sound right.

6. Scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellation

• You may reschedule a session up to 24 hours in advance without any fee
• Rescheduling within 24 hours of the session is at the faculty member's discretion; established practice is to accommodate one such request per term, with subsequent late requests potentially incurring the full session fee
• If your faculty member needs to reschedule (illness, emergency, unavoidable travel), you receive notice as soon as possible and the session is rescheduled at no cost
• If your faculty member cannot make a session and gives less than 24 hours' notice, you receive a full credit toward future sessions
• Long-term breaks (vacation, illness, military service, family circumstances) are accommodated; communicate with your faculty member directly and flag the program advisor if needed

7. Refunds and cancellation policy

Our full Refund and Cancellation Policy governs eligibility for refunds. Brief summary:

• First lessons: full refund if you cancel before the lesson begins
• Single-session bookings: full refund if cancelled at least 48 hours in advance
• Lesson packages: pro-rata refund of unused sessions, less a small administrative fee
• Certificate programs: pro-rata refund of unused weeks, less an administrative fee, within a 14-day cooling-off window after the program begins

Exceptions are made for documented illness, family emergency, or other circumstances where strict application of policy would be unfair.

8. Recordings and privacy

By default, lessons are not recorded. Recording requires the consent of both you (or your parent/guardian, if you are under 18) and the faculty member. Where lessons are recorded:

• Sessions involving minors are recorded by default for safeguarding purposes; the recording is retained per the Recording and Consent Policy
• Recordings of credentialed assessments are retained as part of the academic record
• Other recordings (a recital prep, a difficult passage you want to review) are at your discretion

Our full Recording and Consent Policy details retention, access, and your rights.

9. For students under 18

If you are under 18, your enrolment is signed by a parent or guardian, who serves as the responsible adult for all communication, billing, and consent. Specific protections apply:

• A parent or guardian observes every live session
• Written communication with you is copied to your parent or guardian
• Sessions are recorded for safeguarding purposes
• You and your parent have access to all lesson notes, recordings, and academic records
• If anything in any session feels uncomfortable, unsafe, or unclear, you or your parent can contact the safeguarding officer at info@theglobalconservatory.com at any time

Our Parental Consent and Participation Agreement documents the full framework.

10. Certificates and credentials

You may study at TGC purely for the joy and growth of music, without ever pursuing a formal credential. You may also pursue one of TGC's 55+ certificates programs, organized across 10 academic divisions:

• Performance and vocal certificates (instrument-specific)
• Opera and vocal arts
• World music traditions
• NextGen music and AI
• Health and wellness for performers
• Pedagogy (Suzuki, Orff, Kodály, Dalcroze, and others)
• Orchestral training and audition preparation
• Composition, songwriting, and music technology
• Ballet and dance (launching 2027)
• Drama and theatre (launching 2027)

TGC certificates are non-degree credentials. They document substantive completed study and assessment, are issued by The Global Conservatory, and are widely accepted as evidence of professional development. They are not equivalent to a degree from an accredited university; degree programmes (BM, MM, DMA) launch in 2029 with international university partners.

11. The TGC community

Beyond your individual lessons, TGC students are part of a broader community:

• Masterclasses — Live online masterclasses with renowned guest artists, open to current TGC students. Schedule is published quarterly.
• Student showcase recitals — Periodic online showcases where students perform for the broader TGC community.
• The Global Stage — Performance opportunities, competitions, and events open to qualifying students.
• Youth ensembles — Nine TGC ensembles for students under 21, including the Global Youth Orchestra and chamber groups.
• Peer practice rooms — Online spaces where students at similar levels can practice together, motivate each other, and exchange feedback.

12. Getting support

• For questions about your faculty match, scheduling, or routine matters: the program advisor — info@theglobalconservatory.com
• For billing, refunds, or payment issues: info@theglobalconservatory.com
• For technical issues during a lesson: Technical Support
• For safeguarding concerns (students under 18): info@theglobalconservatory.com
• For everything else: info@theglobalconservatory.com