Matchspace Music lesson and teaching terms
- Patrick Koller
- Jan 1, 2023
- 10 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Welcome to Matchspace Music. These terms apply to all music teachers and students on our platform. "The teacher" refers to the self-employed music teacher. "The student" (or parent/guardian) refers to the person taking lessons. "Matchspace Music" refers to Matchspace AG.
Updated: 1st September 2026
General
Flexible lessons for the benefit of all
Lessons may commence at any time, following a consultation between teacher and student.
When a teacher accepts a new student, they commit to being available so that lessons can be scheduled and taken within the applicable period and expiry rules.
We ask teachers and students to approach this as a partnership — clear communication and a bit of flexibility go a long way.
Lessons are available in four durations: 30, 45, 60, and 90 minutes.
Each teacher's available durations and prices are shown on their profile.
Fair prices for sustainable teaching
Matchspace Music follows the tariff recommendations of the Swiss Music Teaching Federation (SMPV).
We want to make sure every teacher on our platform can earn fair pay for their craft.
Longer lessons are incentivised and are slightly more affordable since preparing a lesson takes roughly the same effort regardless of duration.
Longer commitments also come with a higher discount: the more lessons a student books (e.g., a 20-lesson package), the better the rate — because predictability helps teachers plan, and loyalty deserves to be rewarded.
SMPV rates apply to both lesson plans and packages. A 20% discount applies to lessons for children, as per the SMPV recommendations, and is at the discretion of the teacher.
All bookings must remain on Matchspace Music
We must insist that all payments and bookings go through matchspace-music.ch. This is how we keep the platform running sustainably, provide a great service, and make sure things stay fair for everyone.
Direct payment to a teacher outside the platform is not permitted — for consecutive bookings either. We value open communication — but protecting the integrity of the platform protects everyone on it.
Teachers who are found to have accepted payments outside the platform will be removed. The same applies to students who solicit such arrangements.
Teachers do have the option to reward students with a personal discount. Discount codes for this are provided by Matchspace Music and are entirely at the teacher's discretion.
Lesson cancellation
Teachers may cancel a lesson at any time. The lesson will be credited back to the student.
Students may cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the lesson starts.
If a student cancels less than 24 hours before the lesson, or does not attend, the lesson is considered taught, and teachers are paid out automatically by our system.
It is at the teacher's discretion whether to offer a make-up lesson.
Monthly Lesson Plans
Monthly plans are a recurring way to take regular music lessons for the best learning experience and progress. The goal of the lesson plans is to make music lessons affordable to everyone and protect the teacher's income at the same time.
Plan options
Plans run on 4-week cycles (28 days) from the date of purchase — not calendar months.
Weekly lessons: 4 lessons every 4 weeks (with 5% discount)
Every other week: 2 lessons every 4 weeks
Payment — credit card only
Lesson plans require a credit card on file. Bank and cash transfers are not available for lesson plans. Also, Twint or other payment options are excluded for lesson plans.
There is no upfront charge for the trial lesson. If the student decides to continue, the plan is charged and continued 24 hours after the trial lesson using the card on file.
Cancellation
Trial Lesson Cancellation
If a student cancels the trial lesson more than 24 hours before the lesson takes place, the teacher can reschedule the lesson at no additional cost. Cancelling the trial lesson does not cancel the lesson plan itself, which remains active. If no trial lesson has taken place within 28 days of purchase, the first cycle is charged to the student so that the plan can begin.
If a student cancels less than 24 hours before the trial lesson, the teacher has already reserved that time, so the lesson is considered taught and is paid out to the teacher. The first cycle is then charged to the student 24 hours after the intended trial lesson's end time. It is at the teacher’s discretion to make up for the missed lesson.
Plan Cancellation
Cancellations can be made at any time and take effect at the start of the next billing cycle.
Weekly lessons: cancel before the next billing cycle is charged (4 weeks).
Every other week: cancel before the next billing cycle is charged (4 weeks).
Cancellation requests must be submitted via the Matchspace Music app.
Lessons within the current cycle remain available and do not expire. It is up to the teacher and the student to use and schedule the remaining lessons within the canceled plan.
Lesson carry-over
What happens to a missed or cancelled lesson depends on who cancelled:
Teacher cancels (any time) → lesson is credited back to the student, and carry-over rules apply.
Student cancels 24+ hours in advance → lesson is credited back, and carry-over rules apply.
Student cancels less than 24 hours before, or doesn't show up → lesson is marked as taught and is paid out automatically. The teacher may offer a make-up lesson at their discretion.
Responsibilities
The student is responsible for asking the teacher to schedule lessons regularly, within the plan period, and before lessons expire.
The teacher is responsible for scheduling lessons in the app and keeping availability open for the student.
Carry-over limits
Max. 6 lessons for a weekly lesson plan.
Max. 4 lessons for a plan with lessons every other week.
A lesson counts as a carry-over when it was granted in a previous billing cycle and has not been taken yet. This includes all scheduled or unscheduled lessons available in a student’s plan. Lessons that took place in the past and were logged by the teacher in the system do not count as carry-over. Those lessons need to be completed for payout.
Pausing a monthly lesson plan
The monthly plan may be paused at any time by the student in the app.
A pause skips the next billing cycle. The plan resumes automatically after that cycle.
After resuming, the student must wait at least one full billing cycle before pausing again.
If a student ends the pause early and resumes during the pause period, the billing cycle date will be updated accordingly.
Teachers may also request a pause — and in special circumstances, for longer than one cycle. Teachers must contact lessons@matchspace.com.
Pause requests must be submitted before the next billing cycle, via the ap.
No charges are made during a pause; available lessons may still be scheduled and taught. The teacher and the student are notified when a pause begins and ends.
Automatic pauses
If a student accumulates lessons that are at risk of expiring, our system will inform teachers and students alike ahead of time to schedule upcoming lessons. To provide a fair service, our system automatically pauses a plan for one cycle (subject to pausing limits) when the following thresholds are reached:
6 carry-over lessons (for 4 lessons every 4 weeks)
4 carry-over lessons (for 2 lessons every 4 weeks)
Logging of past lessons in the app
Teachers can log lessons up to 28 days into the past. Only lessons that have been taught are eligible for retrospective logging in the system.
Lessons that were logged in the past are eligible for completion and automatic payout.
Lessons that were not logged in time will continue to count as carry-over and are subject to carry-over limits.
Only scheduled/logged and completed lessons are automatically paid out to teachers.
Lessons that were scheduled and taught in the past but have not been completed do not count as carry-over lessons and do not expire.
Lesson Packages
Packages are a one-off purchase of a set number of lessons — a viable option for students and teachers who prefer flexibility. The upfront payment and commitment are incentivized with fair discounts according to SMPV tariff recommendations.
10 lessons for 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes → 10% discount (valid for 6 months)
20 lessons for 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes → 15% discount (valid for 12 months)
Payment of packages
The lesson package must be booked before the first lesson takes place.
Packages can be paid by credit card, Twint, Wallets (e.g., Apple and Google Pay), etc.
Students have the option to pay in three rates or pay later (in 30 days). Terms of the providers apply (Klarna and Twint).
Satisfaction guarantee and refunds
Satisfaction Guarantee
The first lesson with a new teacher is the trial lesson with a satisfaction guarantee (available once per teacher-student pairing).
The teachers of Matchspace Music do not offer free trial lessons. The first lesson is part of the selected lesson plan or package.
The satisfaction guarantee covers the quality of the lesson and the teacher-student match. Other reasons will not be considered.
Students need to cancel their packages or plans in the app within 24 hours of the notice period to be eligible for refunds or free cancellation.
Payments and refunds for lessons
Lesson plans:
Students are asked for their credit card during the booking process.
The card will only be charged for the first time after the defined 24h notice period of the satisfaction guarantee has passed.
The notice period starts when the trial lesson takes place. If the trial lesson date is not arranged and logged within 4 weeks after the initial booking, the notice period will start automatically and the student's credit card will be charged.
Lessons within plans are non-refundable.
Lesson packages:
Lesson packages have to be booked before the first trial lesson takes place.
The notice period starts when the trial lesson takes place.
Packages will be refunded in full if the trial lesson was not satisfactory.
Vouchers:
Cash refunds for purchased vouchers (gift vouchers and discounted partner vouchers) are not possible. Refunds for vouchers are always issued in the form of a voucher to the value owed.
Exceptional Refunds
If a teacher becomes unavailable for an extended period (e.g., due to illness or personal circumstances), Matchspace Music evaluates the situation on a case-by-case basis to protect both parties. If a suitable replacement cannot be found, a refund for any unused, prepaid lessons will be issued to the student.
Lesson scheduling
Lessons are scheduled by the teacher. It is the student's responsibility to reach out and ask the teacher to schedule lessons within the applicable package period.
It is up to the discretion of the teacher to make up expired lessons and packages.
Teachers can log lessons up to 28 days into the past. Lessons must be scheduled and completed to be eligible for automatic payout.
If a teacher is unresponsive, unavailable, or not scheduling lessons, the student must immediately contact lessons@matchspace.com — we'll step in and help resolve the situation.
Teacher responsibilities
Availability and professional conduct
When a teacher accepts a new student for a lesson plan or package, they commit to being available to teach within the applicable period and expiry rules. Teachers are asked to plan their schedule accordingly and keep their availability up to date.
Teachers always have the option to decline a student request if they are not available or if they feel they are not the right fit for that student's needs. We ask teachers to communicate this promptly so students can find a suitable alternative without delay.
Teachers who offer music lessons in their personal home studio are responsible for ensuring a professional and appropriate environment for their students.
If a teacher becomes unavailable
If a teacher becomes unavailable due to circumstances within their own control — for example, leaving the country, relocating to another canton, or similar personal decisions — and Matchspace Music is unable to find a suitable replacement, a handling fee of CHF 150 per affected student per lesson (Umtriebskosten) will be charged to the teacher.
This fee reflects the additional coordination effort required to protect the student's learning continuity or refund unused lessons within the package.
Unavailability due to illness or accident (evidenced) is excluded from this provision. In such cases, Matchspace Music will seek a replacement and credit any unused lessons to the student.
How Matchspace supports your teaching
Matchspace Music is much more than a marketing engine; we have built a complete ecosystem dedicated to supporting music education. While we invest heavily in search engine marketing and partnerships with health insurers, instrument retailers, and digital platforms to bring in new students, our true value lies in our holistic support. We dedicate an entire team to helping teachers turn their passion into a sustainable, thriving profession, while simultaneously lowering the barriers so that anyone, anywhere, can learn to play.
Partnerships are financed through partner marketing budgets and Matchspace Music's service fee, so our teachers benefit from a reliable and sustainable flow of new students at no extra cost to them.
In some cases — such as our affiliate marketing programme — a small introductory discount of CHF 25 is given to new students. This discount is deducted from the first lesson payout to the teacher and may result in a marginal reduction of a franc or two per lesson. It's a small and worthwhile trade-off for a new long-term student relationship.
Teacher vetting & quality control
Personal vetting: Before a teacher is verified on our platform, our team personally checks and verifies their qualifications.
Continuous feedback: We assess teaching quality based on student feedback after the third lesson. Students are also encouraged to write personal recommendations, which help teachers grow their business and guide new students.
Data-driven standards: Excellence and continuity are central to us; we constantly draw on the experience of thousands of bookings and ongoing feedback to maintain high standards.
Accountability & profile removal: To protect our community, we reserve the right to remove a teacher from the marketplace if they are unresponsive, fail to answer requests within a reasonable timeframe, or if their performance consistently falls below our standards.
Direct support: Your experience is our priority. If lessons are ever not satisfactory, we ask students to get in touch with us immediately at lessons@matchspace.com. Same applies to our valued teachers.
Chat — rules for teachers and students
The following rules are binding and form an integral part of these general teaching conditions. Matchspace Music protects the privacy of all chat content in strict accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (DSG) and the Swiss Data Protection Ordinance (DSV).
Be respectful. Personal attacks, harassment, discriminatory language, or hate speech will not be tolerated.
Stay on topic. Conversations must relate to music lessons. Promoting products, services, or third-party platforms is not permitted.
Report issues. Problems or rule violations must be reported to the Matchspace Music team straight away.
Respond promptly. Messages should be answered within a reasonable time — ideally, the same day.
No platform bypassing. Requesting direct payment outside the platform is prohibited and will result in immediate removal and may result in account deletion.
Violations are reported to administrators via an automated system. Repeated or serious violations may result in permanent removal.
Teaching Terms and Conditions, September 2026
Matchspace AG, Technoparkstrasse 1, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland
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