Not what I was expecting... - Teacher AMADEUS MUSIC ACADEMY Employee Review

The employees I've met there are great teachers who know what they are doing. The facilities are great: pianos are in good conditions and that is better than in most schools. It is well located.

Mostly everything else. The school requires you to use photocopied copyrighted material to teach beginners and this material is far from what is best. There is constant pressure from the management about what to teach and even what not to teach, they impose their way of teaching and nothing else is allowed. It is hence impossible to adapt the teaching to the strengths and weaknesses of each student. Lessons get interrupted for different reasons. Students are almost forced to take RCM exams every year and forced on playing music that is often too difficult for them. This prevents the students from actually enjoying playing the piano so it explains why there are so few advanced students: they quit after one or two years. There are so many wrong things about what the school asks the teachers that I couldn't recommend anyone to work there or anyone to send their students there.

I learnt a lot working here from my wonderful colleagues who also had the misfortune to work at this school. So I would have to say a pro is the standard of teaching staff who they somehow manage to hire. The location of the school in West Vancouver is very convenient. It has good facilities, with a nice standard of instruments for lessons.

There is no consistency of teaching staff here which is far from ideal for students, teachers and management. The reason the staff leave so frequently is simple. It is due to a severe lack of respect from management. The management are only open to one method of teaching which is most of the time opposite to respected music education methods. There is a lack of openness to new ideas and team participation. The other reason so many staff are very unhappy working here is due to unfair wages. Management do not pay staff for the many hours they spend waiting on students to show up who have given no notice of cancelling their lessons. It’s important to note that students do pay full price for these missed lessons. Staff are threatened not to be sick ever. Female staff are asked in interview if they intend to become pregnant in the future while working for the company.