Hertfordshire Music Service Arvostelua 

HMS has been a great service for my daughter. She has thrived under Mr Winter's tutorship and is really enjoying her piano lessons.

I’ve been really impressed with the music service—not just the quality of the lessons, but also how clear and timely the communication has been. The staff are incredibly helpful and committed, and my child has really benefited from both the lessons and the group activities.

Firstly I can’t fault the music teachers themselves as they are kind, encouraging and really do get the best out of children. However, the way HMS is run leaves A LOT to be desired. There is no direct debit option to spread payments throughout the year, you are expected to pay lump sums more than one term ahead of time (so I’m paying for September to December lessons upfront in July). The email communication from HMS is poor, when you start you maybe get a week’s notice that your child is enrolled and then have 14 days to pay for all the lessons that term (£100+). When you complain they don’t my care and threaten to cancel lessons if you don’t pay. HMS know they have a captive audience with parents so they run the service in a lazy way and take the piss in a way a private business couldn’t!

Update: this is the response I received on 8th April, a completely different tone to the public reply on 3rd July:

Thank you for recent correspondence and for taking the time to offer your feedback on our invoicing process.

During the pandemic Hertfordshire Music Service (HMS) supported families during those difficult times by billing in arrears and allowing more flexibility with payment terms. However, it is no longer financially sustainable for HMS to provide tuition which for some customers remains unpaid after the 14 days payment term. Payment in advance is common practice for many other music services and extra curricula activities for children and young people so many of our customers are already used to this practice.

HMS invoice termly in advance and payment must be made within 14 days of the date of the invoice (as stated in our terms and conditions). If payment is not received within the 14 days, we withdraw the offer of tuition for the following term. We do understand that upfront billing may not work for all families but hope that you will appreciate the reasons as to why this is in place.

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to offer direct debit payments due to restrictions placed upon us by Herts County Council. I hope that this has helped to resolve your query, however if you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let us know.

HMS has been great for my child. The teachers are friendly and patient, and my child really enjoys the lessons. It’s a lovely way for kids to build confidence and learn new skills through music. Highly recommend!

My child has grown so much in confidence and musical ability thanks to their inspiring lessons and events. Communication is clear, and the staff genuinely care. Highly recommend to any parent or student looking for quality music education.

I have had a really good experience with HMS. The team are friendly and helpful, and it's clear they genuinely care about giving kids the chance to enjoy and learn music. Communication has been great too.

My child has been learning guitar through Hertfordshire Music Service, and the experience has been outstanding. The tutor is skilled, patient, and really connects with young learners. We've seen great progress and growing confidence. Highly recommend HMS for anyone looking for quality music education!

The teachers were knowledgeable and friendly. My children have lessons every week and enjoy going to the music centre.

Great service - thank you.