🎯 Private Lesson
One student, one teacher, your repertoire. The default 95% of people start with.
A 1-on-1 live session between you and a faculty member, hosted on Zoom (or another video platform the faculty uses). The lesson is built entirely around your level, your repertoire, your goals, and your questions. No generic lesson plan.
Parameters (faculty's choice)
| Length | 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 min — faculty chooses what to offer |
| Cadence | Pay-per-lesson · weekly common · single sessions OK · no commitment from student or faculty |
| Price | Faculty sets their own rate (any amount) · TGC adds 25% on top for the student price |
| Cohort | Just you |
| Best for | Anyone serious about progress · returners · audition prep · career musicians refining technique |
Sample listings
👥 Group Lesson
Drop in any week. Pay per session. 2 to 40+ students. Lower cost than private.
An open-enrollment session — multiple students join the same time slot, first-come-first-served. You pay per session, with no commitment to attend the next one. Less personalised than private, but much more affordable, and often the right format for content where peer dynamics help (theory, ear-training, audition warm-ups).
Parameters (faculty's choice)
| Length | Faculty's choice — typically 45–90 min |
| Cadence | Pay-per-session · or buy a multi-pack · drop in any week · no term commitment |
| Price | Faculty sets the per-session rate (typically lower per-person than private) |
| Cohort size | Faculty's choice — could be 4 students, could be 40+ · first-come-first-served |
| Best for | Music theory · ear-training · audition warm-ups · intro topics · supplementing your private lessons |
Sample listings
🏛️ Studio Class
A real conservatory class. Same students every week, full term. One tuition. Real progression.
A full-term commitment to a fixed cohort, like a real conservatory class. The faculty plans curriculum, builds the cohort dynamic, and shapes progression around the registered roster. Students sign up before the term starts and stay through to the end.
Parameters (faculty's choice)
| Length | Faculty's choice — typically 1–2 hours per session, weekly |
| Term | Faculty's choice — typically a semester (Sep–Dec, Jan–May), can run multiple terms |
| Price | Single tuition for the whole term, set by faculty (any amount) |
| Cohort size | Faculty's choice — could be small (4 students) or large (50+) · first-come-first-served |
| Best for | Instrument-specific cohorts (Suzuki Year 1, Trumpet Studio) · method-school training (Kodály, Orff) · conservatory-style commitment |
Sample listings
Studio Classes are non-refundable once the term begins, with limited exceptions for personal emergencies. See Refund Policy §6.
🎤 Masterclass
A live event. A few performers play for the master, many observers watch. Two ticket tiers.
A one-time live event with two ticket tiers. Performers (typically 3–6) prepare a piece, play for the faculty member on the call, and receive deep feedback in front of the audience. Observers (typically 20+) watch, learn, and take notes. Often run as a recurring monthly series or as special themed events.
Parameters (faculty's choice)
| Length | Faculty's choice — typically 60–120 min |
| Cadence | One-time event · scheduled in advance · often run as a monthly series per faculty |
| Price | Two tiers — Perform (more) and Observe (less). Both set by the faculty. |
| Capacity | Faculty sets max performers + max observers · typically 3–6 performers, 20+ observers |
| Best for | Public-format coaching · sampling a master's teaching style · observers who want to learn from the audience |
Sample listings
Masterclasses are non-refundable inside 7 days of the date. See Refund Policy §5.
Side-by-side comparison
One table, all four offerings.
| 🎯 Private | 👥 Group | 🏛️ Studio | 🎤 Masterclass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format | 1-on-1 | Open enrollment, varies | Fixed cohort, full term | Performers + observers |
| Commitment | None — pay/lesson | None — drop in | Full term (8–16 wks) | Single event |
| Length | 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 min | ~45–90 min | 1–2 hrs/wk × 8–16 wks | 60–120 min |
| Cohort size | Just you | Faculty's choice (4–40+) | Faculty's choice (any) · first-come | Few performers + many observers |
| Pricing | Faculty per-lesson rate | Faculty per-session rate | Faculty full-term tuition | Two tiers (perform / observe) |
| Personalisation | ★★★★★ Highest | ★★★ Medium | ★★★★ High (cohort) | ★★ Low (★★★★★ if performing) |
| Refund posture | 72h notice | 7 days before cohort | Non-refundable once started | Performer: 7 days / 50% at 3–6 days |
| Best for | Real progress | Theory, ear, supplements | Cohort building, methods | Trial · public coaching |
For faculty: how to set up each offering
Pick which to offer in your application. Configure parameters in your portal after acceptance.
During the application (/portal/apply), you tick which offering types you want to provide. After acceptance, you configure each one in your teacher portal:
- Private: set per-lesson rate, lesson lengths offered, weekly availability.
- Group: set per-session rate, lesson length, max capacity per session, schedule.
- Studio: set term dates, weekly schedule, max enrollment, full-term tuition, syllabus.
- Masterclass: set event date, two ticket prices, max performers, max observers, theme/topic.
You can add or remove offering types any time. You don't have to offer all four — most faculty start with Private only and add Masterclass once they have a student base. The 25% platform markup applies the same way to all four.
Where each offering shows up in the legal docs
One canonical definition. Same vocabulary in IC Agreement, Terms, Refund Policy.
- This page — the canonical, public-facing explainer.
- IC Agreement Section 2A — the definitions inside the faculty contract.
- Terms of Service Section 4 — pricing and platform fee model.
- Refund Policy — different cancellation rules per offering type (Sections 5–7).
- Storefront /pages/lesson-types — same content, designed for student/parent browsing.
- Apply form Step 6 — faculty pick which to offer during application.
All six surfaces use the same vocabulary, the same 4-icon set (🎯 👥 🏛️ 🎤), and the same parameter definitions. If you find an inconsistency, tell us at info@theglobalconservatory.com.