Terms of Use

Last updated: 6 September 2026

These terms cover the use of onlinepianouniversity.com, the free beginner course, the feedback service, and private lessons with Dr. Maria Pisarenko. By using the site you agree to them. They are written to be read, not to be impressive.

1. Who you are dealing with

Online Piano University is operated by Dr. Maria Pisarenko, a Doctor of Musical Arts and university piano instructor based in the United States, United States. Contact: maria@onlinepianouniversity.com.

2. The free course

The 41-lesson beginner course is published free on YouTube and free to follow. Nothing is held back behind a paywall. It is offered as it is: I may add, re-edit, retitle or reorder lessons, and YouTube’s own terms govern how you watch them.

3. Learning outcomes

Piano is learned by practicing, and results depend on the time and attention you give it. I teach a method that works and I stand behind it, but I cannot and do not guarantee a particular level by a particular date. Nothing on this site is a promise of a specific result.

4. Your health and your hands

Playing the piano is a physical activity. The course teaches a relaxed, healthy technique precisely to avoid strain — but if something hurts, stop, and see a qualified medical professional. Nothing here is medical advice, and you play at your own risk.

5. Feedback on your playing

• Send only recordings of your own playing. Do not send recordings of anyone else without their permission.
• By sending a recording you give me permission to listen to it, watch it, and use it to prepare your feedback — nothing more. I will not publish it or share it. If I ever wanted to use a clip as a teaching example, I would ask you first, in writing, and you would be free to say no.
• Feedback is prepared with the help of an AI assistant trained on my own method, and during this pilot every letter is personally reviewed by me before it is sent.
• Feedback is teaching, not a certification, an examination result, or a professional assessment.
• I may decline a submission that is not related to the course, or that is abusive or unlawful.

6. Private lessons — booking, payment and cancellation

Private lessons are taught online by Zoom and sold in packages. Current packages and prices are listed on the lessons page. The following applies to every package:

• Payment is made in advance through the payment provider shown at checkout. The lesson package is confirmed once payment clears.
• Scheduling. Lesson times are agreed between us. Please be on time; a lesson ends at its scheduled end.
• Rescheduling. A lesson may be moved free of charge with at least 24 hours notice. With less than 24 hours notice, or if you do not appear, the lesson counts as taught.
• If I have to cancel for any reason, the lesson is rescheduled at no cost to you, or refunded if we cannot find a time.
• Validity. A ten-lesson package must be used within six months of the first lesson; a four-lesson monthly package within two months. Single lessons do not expire.
• Refunds. Before the first lesson of a package, you may cancel for a full refund. After lessons have begun, unused lessons are refunded on request, minus the lessons already taught charged at the single-lesson rate ($100 for 60 minutes, $60 for 30 minutes).
• Technology. You need a reliable internet connection and an instrument. Time lost to your equipment cannot be made up; time lost to mine will be.

7. What belongs to whom

The lessons, videos, articles, written materials, engravings, method, name and design of Online Piano University are my work and remain my property. You may use them to learn and practice, privately. You may not copy, re-upload, resell, or use them to teach commercially, or feed them into a system that reproduces them, without my written permission. Teachers who would like to use my materials with their own students are welcome to write and ask — the answer is often yes.

What you send me — your recordings and your words — remains yours.

8. Affiliate links

Some pages link to books and instruments on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Those purchases are contracts between you and the retailer; I am not the seller and cannot handle their shipping, returns or warranties.

9. Third-party services

This site links to and relies on services I do not control — YouTube, Amazon, the payment provider, Zoom, the email service. Their terms apply when you use them, and I am not responsible for what they do.

10. Fair use of the site

Please do not attempt to break, overload, scrape or misuse the site or the feedback service, or use them for anything unlawful.

11. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, my liability arising from the free course, this website, or the feedback service is limited to what you paid for the service in question — which, for the free course and free feedback, is nothing. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

12. Changes

These terms may change; the date at the top will change with them. The version in force is the one published when you use the site.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Nevada, United States. If you are a consumer in another country, this does not remove protections you have under your own local law.

14. Contact

Questions about these terms: maria@onlinepianouniversity.com.