With so many clarinet books available to purchase it is often difficult to know where to start.  When I first started learning music every town had a music shop that you could pop into and ask for specialist advice on what to buy.  Nowadays, many people don’t have access to a local music shop or perhaps even a local music teacher to get the best advice at the early stages.  So trying to navigate the internet to find the right resources can be very confusing. Without specialist advice, this is where beginners generally make their first mistake. They download music off the intern ..read more

With so many piano books available to purchase it is often difficult to know where to start.  When I first started learning music many years ago, every town had a music shop that you could pop into and ask for specialist advice on what to buy.  Nowadays, many people don’t have access to a music shop or perhaps even a music teacher to get the best advice at the early stages.  So trying to navigate the internet to find the right resources can be very confusing. Without specialist help, this is where beginners generally make their first mistake. They download a song off the intern ..read more

As we approach the summer break, we are so excited to share our amazing summer music packages that we think are perfect for musicians of all ages. Summer Music Lessons! Come join us for a summer of musical fun! These classes are perfect for anyone: totally new to an instrument looking to keep playing whilst school band is out for the summer improve your solo playing Improve your technique and sound Wanting to prepare for and take music exams Our highly skilled music teachers are here to help you become confident musicians and help you improve quickly in all areas of your playing. Our t ..read more

Learning a musical instrument is a fantastic hobby and life-long skill that positively impacts academic success, mental well-being, social skills and creates independent learners. The benefits of music education are far-reaching and there are very few negatives regarding learning a musical instrument. The biggest challenge, like so many other areas of our life, is creating healthy routines and consistency when we start learning something new. Whether that is eating healthy, exercising, meditation, or learning a new language we need to give ourselves time to progress from a beginner stage to t ..read more

I love conducting and directing music ensembles. Whether that is conducting a concert band, orchestra, choir or a chamber group, I just love helping the musicians in the group grow in confidence and ability. When you first read through a piece with your band there is that sensation of will it ever come together and perhaps this piece is the one that is just a step too hard! Then you get to the concert and you hear your band play that piece, reflect on the hard work and dedication that they put in to getting the piece ready and you just beam with pride for them. Over the last year or so I have ..read more

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Many people wanting to learn the piano aren’t really sure where to begin. This is quite normal for any musical instrument or in fact any new hobby. We often worry about whether we will be good enough to start, what equipment will we need, how much time is required and the costs. So let me break it down to give you the answers to those frequently asked questions! Do I really need to take lessons? There are some fantastic pianists who are self taught, who can play from ear, who never read music and never took a piano lesson. There are others who have learnt solely ..read more

Learning to practice is a skill in itself and one that many people get wrong. Musicians are trained from an early stage that time is the most important factor for improvement. ‘You should practice 30 minutes a day‘ is often said to beginner musicians by their instrumental teachers. Now don’t get me wrong, most teachers who say this know that the practice won’t happen every day but do hope it will encourage you to practice at least a few times a week. When students get serious about making music a potential career and are considering applying to a conservatoire or university, the concept of th ..read more

Learning a musical instrument is a fantastic hobby and life-long skill that impacts academic success, mental well-being, social skills and creating independent learners. The benefits of music education are massive and there are really no down sides to learning a musical instrument. The biggest challenge, like so many areas of our life, is creating healthy habits and consistency when we start learning something new. Whether that is eating healthy, exercising, meditation, or learning a new language we need to give ourselves to time to go from a beginner stage to the mastery level and this only ..read more

Over the last few years the teaching profession has been through many changes and unexpected challenges and the impact on music education has been significant. Many music programmes finding themselves pivoting from thriving performance-based programs to virtual overnight and then spending the last year or so pivoting back to in-person environments whilst trying to maintain practical music and meet the safety demands still in place. However, it warms my heart every time I see a new post from colleagues and friends around the world talking about the success of their students and their programme ..read more

When I started out as a young, naive and super keen music teacher I was told by my peers and mentors that I needed to brace myself and toughen up as this was going to be an exhausting career that only the strongest could survive and thrive in. “Don’t expect to have any evenings to yourself” and “to only expect to have time for yourself in the holidays”. At 22 years old, who was I to question these seasoned professionals? So off I went in my career, building successful programmes, sharing my love for music, running many extra-curricular groups, delivering concerts, plays and musicals whilst ke ..read more