Hi, I’m Marchie!
Piano & Music Theory Teacher, Composer, Artist, Music Lover, Sound Therapist and Transformation Coach
Born and raised in Hungary and migrated to Australia as a young adult with my small family. I adore the sea, the air, the space, the climate, the lifestyle and the opportunities. I believe “every day is Christmas in Australia”. I love board games and uncontrollable laughter with loved ones.
I enjoy to bring sense of empowerment, wellness and balance to myself and others by any means, but mostly through sound. I love to daydream and ‘see’ energy behind our World. I love to share sounds that transport us to faraway, blissful places, elevate joy and restore wellness.
I am excited to create – pretty much anything. 🙂 and encourage others to do the same. For example when the weather allows, creating organic gardens, yummy foods, like soups, green smoothies and avocado chocolate desserts, artworks and quirky things. I love to frolic, laugh and make people realise how great they are – in my field especially playing the piano!
I look forward to meeting you and helping you grow your love of the piano too!
Fully Qualified, Professional Piano Tuition –
NEW: with the Piano Marvel practise support software!
Marchie is a university graduate qualified teacher in Piano, Music Theory Tuition, Aural Training. Since 1995 in Australia she was always very passionate about her student’s results and the amount of fun and clarity that her kids or adults are having during their unique learning process. While Marchie viewed the art of piano – taught or learnt – as something “sacred” that can only happen in depths by live interaction (why she could not imagine taking online softwares “seriously” as potentially genuinely helpful), to her surprise she recently (July 2024) found and currently testing a very promising home practise support platform that was made for teachers by teachers. The conservative(!) evidence shows that by regularly practising with the help of this software, students are able to easily progress 5 times faster than only having guidance during a piano lesson once a week.
Those who are following her guidance usually achieve high success rate on their exams. Marchie also has a passion for Literacy, Numeracy Foundations and Special Needs Care.
Some of her Qualifications and continuous study areas:
- BMusicStudies (Griffith University)
- GradDipEd (Griffith University)
- GradCertTESOL (Griffith University)
- Licensed Yamaha (YMF) Teacher (1997)
- Blue Card holder (2004)
- Professional Exam Preparations (AMEB 2002)
- Professional Member of QMTA (formerly MTAQ)
- Prof. Biofield Tuning Health Practitioner (2016)
- Results Coaching Certification (Authentic Education 2018)
Enrolments 2024
Plan and set goals with me, buy in bulk, save and achieve! (See the pricing table below).
Book, schedule and purchase your lessons in three easy steps:
STEP 1: Email your booking request to wakkadoo@gmail.com or Call / SMS Marchie on 0402 878 764. Briefly describe the background of the student, age, if beginner, intermediate, if have any special needs and current aspiration. If I’m in the position to offer a spot in my limited time schedule, I’ll invite you to meet at my studio for a complimentary catchup and goal assessment that is around 1/2 hour. If we’ll find we are compatible to work together, you will receive an Enrolment Form to carefully read. Fill pages 1 and 2, that you need to return to me after depositing your $100 enrolment fee. $25 is a non refundable processing fee and $75 will go toward your fist tuition payment. This secures a lesson space for you in 2024 and after this we can then work out your best lesson time. To return your filled pages 1 and 2 please. take photos of both sides with your phone and send them as an sms.
Please note that all piano lesson times are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Existing students will have the chance to renew their enrolled status BEFORE any unfilled spots are then given out to new students.
STEP 2: Best lesson time selection: You can choose from morning (before school) or afternoon (after school) times to enrol your child, alternately mid morning or later afternoon if you are an adult learner. This is clearly outlined on page 2 of the Enrolment Form where you filled in your possible time choices. There will be 3 days on offer this year, Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Please, nominate 3 to 4 possible lesson times in order of best to least favourable on the time chart on page 2 of your enrolment form. Normally you will only need 1 weekly lesson time. By giving me more possibilities I can “jigsaw puzzle” in everyone as close to their most preferred times as possible. Now you are ready to purchase your package size that best suits you.
STEP 3: Select your lesson length & package below and proceed to payment with EFT, (Electronic Funds Transfer = from bank account to bank account). Please, note, currently I do not offer pay gateways, like PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc.. or card payment options just ‘plain old bank transfer’. While it seems ‘leading edge’ to have those E-options, I prefer the simplest pay option from account to account.
You will notice, the larger the package the more you can save.. This will favour committed families with either more than one student, or for those who’ll need longer lessons time during their advancing studies. There are 3 packages available. The smallest choice is paying by term = 10 weeks, or 2 terms or for a full year that offers the most savings.
Please, note the NEW BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS (from September 2024) to deposit the tuition fees: Marchie Hya Condon – Marchie’s Piano School, ING Bank, BSB 923 100 Account: 311613266 PAYMENT DUE DATES: Payments are due before or latest, ON the day of Lesson 1.
STEP 4: Set up your Piano Marvel Account
1) go to: pianomarvel.com 2) type in: create a FREE account, Need: First and last name, Email, Password 3) Click on middle button: Learning with a teacher – this connects your account to your teacher’s 4) On the new page click on the FREE left column again to access 30 days of complimentary playing days 5) Then go to top right – “Welcome + Your Name, click, open drop down menu 6) Click: My Teacher – on the form go down to Teacher and Class 7) Click (right side) edit button and enter teacher’s Email: wakkadoo@gmail.com After the trial period there will be a School Account Fee of $144 AU / year payable to the following Marchie Hya Condon – Piano Marvel, ING Bank, BSB 923 100 Account: 315597293 This fee ($3 / week) includes our access to all of the tens of thousands of popular sheet music of all genres (!) on our practise portal, the personal practise guide, theory, technique and sight reading components, personal achievements, challenge results!
Casual Lessons, Holiday Lessons & Gift Certificates
Perhaps you just want the one-off or occasional lesson? Your child is bored in the holidays and want them to have an other lesson or two? Or want to purchase a few lessons as a gift for someone? No problem!
My current holiday schedule / Availability for holiday lessons: You can book in for holiday lessons weekly for 2 Mondays or Tuesdays: The 9th or 10th Monday and Tuesday or the 16th or 17th Monday or Tuesday, January, 2023. Please, note, the school year already starts on the 23rd of January.
Existing Students:
To secure your spot for next year, please, request your form, fill it out, return it with the attached deposit receipt by the last day of school latest, 14-15 December 2023. That is $100/registration/family, from which $25 non-refundable and $75 goes toward the 1st payment of the year whichever is your choice of lesson package.
There will be 3 teaching days offered in 2024: Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You can enrol your children for lessons held before or after school: 3 mornings and afternoons, between 6.45 – 8.15am or 3.00 – 6.30pm. Please, see and fill out the given/Emailed lesson scheduling sheet. For adults I will have some vacancies for regular weekly lessons during daytime, sorry not available after 6.30pm..
FEE SCHEDULE
Adjusted to the MINIMUM RECOMMENDED PROFESSIONAL FEES (MRPF) by the QMTA (QLD MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION). Please, see https://www.qmta.org.au/tuition/
Please, see the detailed, recently updated fees chart below.
Useful Information of School Operations
LESSON PROCEDURES/ARRIVAL: As the teaching studio/learning space and the waiting area are all in one, please, converse with friends, acquaintances or make/receive phone calls outside of our learning space.
Communication: Please, feel free to email me or call me during my office hours 12:00-2:00 pm on weekdays. If you need to miss a lesson, please notify me as soon as possible. Feel free to write to me at any time if there is anything relevant and important I need to know that may impact your child’s progress or to ask questions. I love hearing from you! Please, note, that during lessons my attention is on teaching, and only wish to discuss matters briefly. If you urgently need to talk to me regarding piano matters the only way you can meet me is to let me know in advance that we are using part or the whole of your next lesson time. Regarding the last lessons of the day: Please, note, I am not available to stay back beyond a couple of minutes of wrapping up, unless we arranged meeting. As The Piano Studio is also our home, after our lesson I am ready to make dinner. Thank you for your understanding! 🙂
Answering phone: With any matters, please, only call before 3 pm. Only SMS later as I am busy teaching.
Invoices, Receipts, Late Fees: To avoid the possibility of any additional fees, please, finalise payment before your due date. If you are to delay payment due to unavoidable circumstances, please, notify me at the reception of your Invoice.
2024 Queensland Term Dates – with Fees Due Dates
Term |
Dates |
Length |
Fees are payable in the 2 weeks window prior to each Term/Package |
Term 1 |
Monday 22 Jan – Friday 28 March |
10 weeks |
8-22 January, 2024 |
Term 2 |
Tuesday 15 April – Fri 21 June. 25 April – ANZAC Day Tuesday is normal piano day – please, let me know if you will be away to reschedule your lesson. |
10 weeks |
1-15 April, 2024 |
Term 3 |
Mon 8 July – Fri 13 Sept. Piano starts on the same day, 11 July |
10 weeks |
24 June-8 July, 2024 |
Term 4 |
Tues 30 Sept – Friday 13 December
|
11 weeks |
16 Sept – 30 Sept, 2024 |
Please, enter your upcoming lesson and payment dates into your phone calendar as I do not usually send out lesson reminders.
Arrival: Max 5 minutes prior to your lesson start, quietly. While everyone is encouraged to make themselves comfortable, it is important, that SHOES MUST BE OFF THE FURNITURE at all times! Kick them off, then you can snuggle. 🙂
Practising: Regular practice is imperative to learn how to play proficiently. Around 20 minutes, 4(!) days a week would be ideal for lower grades and 45mins to an hour recommended for higher grades. More is not always better (if it lacks thoughtfulness!) but in different phases of our learning journey, for example during exam preparation, more practise is essential. Please, note! Regular ‘non-practisers’ may lose their place to someone on waitlist, who is eager to learn. To prevent this, please, do not mistake my seemingly easy-going nature by being oblivious. 🙂
Exams: I use the AMEB system. Exams are not only NOT compulsory and I only recommend them, when the student is already proficient on the level that they wish to sit, but in 2022 I myself took a break from offering it. If you would prefer exams, please, mention it at the time of enrolling – please, note, it is requirement, that I will only agree to prepare for exam, when I deem the student ready for it. Please, note, I am unable to estimate this date. The student’s effort is essential at each lesson along with mindful home practising and progress and keeping absence minimal. Please, respect my final decision about the best timing. Yes, sometimes I will say, the grade level in question is not yet ready but this simply just means, we need to work more toward it. IF the timing is right, upon entering an exam comes increased responsibility, accountability and workload. Please, also be aware of the temporary increase of lessons and related expenses when needed. This is unavoidable as we are to fine tune our practise toward a best performance and best results. Sorry, I do not prepare for “scraping through’.. as this is not only stressful, but you can not plan and scaffold the next, more complex grade level onto it. So, basically, anyone who does this CUTS THE STUDENT OFF FROM SITTING HIGHER EXAM LEVELS. I hope, this makes perfect sense.
Purchase of Books: I do keep some of the books for purchase, if so, I do let you know and you can buy what you need, when you need it. If I don’t have something on shelf, please, visit our local, wonderful music shop and put your order in via calling them or in person. The shop is OZWINDS, Gold Coast Brass and Woodwinds, Address: 2/25 Alicia St, Southport QLD 4215, Phone: (07) 5561 1773 – KAREN AND ROB. Tell them I have sent you. 🙂 Some books that I will be trialling next year are best ordered online.
Photographing / Videoing Lessons, Events: As I am in the process of building an online school as well, I understand that images and short videos are the way of future education. When something has much teaching or fun value, with your permission I wish to share it on an appropriate, professional platform such as on my Piano School FB page on our closed teaching groups page or on my website. Please, mention to me if that is OK with you.
Missed Lessons: As your Term Payments hold your permanent lesson space, refunds would cancel your enrolment and your space would free up for an other student to take it! Any other missed after school activities, whether it is art, swimming or dancing, – just to name a few – are all the same. They do not provide reschedule opportunity. To be eligible for a make up lesson, please, let me know of your absence early. If you require it, 1 Lesson /Term can be arranged with me after your absence that was illness related. The times allocated for this are early evening, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday 6.30-7pm. If you are not able to organise the 1 make up lesson you are eligible to have within the Term, the opportunity will expire on the last school day and no longer carries into any of the holidays. If other family emergency, school events or family vacation prevent you from attending, your early notice is still required to maintain your enrolled status and also non-refundable.
Illness: You are asked not to attend your lesson and please, notify me asap. You are eligible for 1 reschedule/Term as it is outlined above. Students who are mildly ill can schedule a Skype or ZOOM lesson during their regular time.
Swapping System: May it be a family emergency, medical appointments that isn’t sickness related on the day, school events, play dates, games, non-emergency appointments or family vacations that would keep you away from attending your lesson. Please provide 48 hour notice where possible. A buddy system between you parents, may ensure that your child’s learning progress is not compromised! When you are unable to attend in your lesson time you could swap lessons directly between each other. Example: You have an urgent dentist appointment at 3pm and there is a long waiting list to see that doctor so you will not reschedule, but, your lesson is at 4pm – if you could swap it with the 5.30pm lesson or better, change the day, you could attend your lesson without having to cancel. Please, let me know if you would be happy to trial it. You can OPT IN or OUT any time.
My Travel Make Ups: As you know, we have ties to Europe, and while every effort is made to ‘squeeze’ our travels into school holidays I am letting you know, that I may be away for several weeks each year in which case I am ALWAYS offering to make those lessons up before leaving or after my return or by then via my online piano school where you will be able to see recorded lessons that is relevant to your personal learning. That way the kids don’t miss out, the progress continues.
Changing Lesson Time During The Year: Circumstances, afternoon activities, work etc can change, I understand. Sometimes it takes much shuffling and can be time consuming to deliver what you require. In the case of requesting to change lesson time during the year I can not guarantee it, but we can always try.
Discontinuing Piano Lessons: If you stop your tuition for any reason, your fees needs to be paid for all of your lessons that you are finishing off.
- 1 month minimum notice is required to be eligible for refund if applicable.
- 2 weeks notice required before the term ends and lessons are paid in full.
Termination of Agreement: Regrettably, I will have to discontinue working with a student if any of these circumstances occur:
- Repeated failure to pay tuition on time
- Persistent absences, no-show lessons without notice are forfeit. Student will be removed from the time table without tuition reimbursement. (3 strike rule!)
- Uncooperative, not following recommendations
- I will follow my intuition. I intuitively seem to know when a child is ready for the best mark!
- Lack of progress due to ongoing insufficient practise – Please, do not enrol your child to learn a musical instrument, if there will be no time to practise! Sometimes parents over extend their children’s after school activities and life becomes an unnecessary hurry and sense of futility. If your child always arrives exhausted you are wasting your funds, my time and inspiration and mistakenly, your child’s sense of belief in their own abilities.
select your Lesson Length & Package: 40 lessons = full year, 20 lessons = 1/2 year, 10 lessons = 1 term
30 Minutes Lesson packs :
$1520/yr save 200! 38ea
$820 $1640/yr save 80 41ea
47ea
45 Minutes Lesson packs :
$2280/yr save 240! 57ea
$1200 2400/yr save 120 60ea
$630 2520/yr 63ea
68ea
60 Minutes Lesson packs :
$2960/yr save 320 74ea
$1560 3120/yr save 160 78ea
$820 3280/yr 82ea
$88ea
75 Minutes Lesson packs :
$3560 (save 400) 89ea
$1880 (save 200) 94ea
$990 (3960/yr) 99ea
106ea
90 Minutes Lesson packs :
$432o (save 480) 108ea
$2280 (save 240) 114ea
$1200 (4800/yr) 120ea
127ea
Blog
How could it be acceptable to teach only 3(!) pieces of music a whole school year?
I don’t seem t have a choice but to put some experience-based feedback out, so you can make an informed decision when you are starting to shop around for the right music teacher.. To only teach 3 pieces of piano music a year to a child, because that is the requirement for exam preparation is wrong on so many levels! Please, share your feedback if you had any experience with this topic. Thank You!
Do yourself a favour – if you are planning to play an instrument, learn to read written music as well
According to statistics, you save yourself enormous amounts of energy and time if you learn the basics properly. To get to the level of thorough enjoyment of playing your piano or other insruments you either have the ability to play by ear, OR – like the majority of...
Finger numbers for piano playing? What are they and why?
Finger numbers allow players of various musical instruments to learn their music faster. Therefore by looking at any of the musical scores, we will always find small numbers belonging to certain notes, depending which instrument is it written for as different...
Your first appointment is complimentary
Before I begin with any new students, I like to be sure that we are a good fit and get to know the student a little bit – understand where they’re at, what they’re hoping to achieve, etc. This 30 minute no-obligation meeting is complimentary, and also allows you to get a feel for how I work and decide if we are a good match. To book in for your first complimentary meeting, simply contact me below work out a mutually suitable “meet and greet” time. I look forward to meeting you soon!
Send Marchie a Message
Contact Marchie
Marchie Hya Condon
Marchie’s Piano School
M: 0402 878 764
E: wakkadoo@gmail.com
ADDRESS NO LONGER AVAILABLE: sound@marchiespianoschool.com.au
A: 1 The Cove Crescent, Carrara QLD 4211