‘…a road to successful music-making.’

Learning music is a cumulative process.  Indeed, as in many subjects, the more you learn the more there seems to discover.  Over the years Lingard has been developing a programme of musical opportunities that enable children to acquire skill and knowledge in a progressive plan, at the correct stage in their development.  Now, for the first time, our programme extends down to 18 months and reaches through to 18 years and beyond, offering children a carefully designed range of activities that will help ensure fantastic musical results through adolescence and beyond.  Whilst our emphasis is on musical proficiency, parents should never forget the enormous advantages children gain by studying music from an early age – including increased mental stimulation and enhanced self-confidence.

Children learn at a phenomenal rate when they are young – one only has to look at their scope for languages for confirmation of this.   Mini Music Club is designed to tap into this, encouraging young children to develop their listening and singing skills based on traditional nursery rhymes.  At this age, reinforcing a strong sense of rhythm is important, closely followed by introducing our western diatonic system of pitch.  The notion of an octave and twelve semitones within an octave is a western European development – children from other cultures learn different systems, for example Indian music.

At 3 ½ years, we can encourage children to progress to Music Club.  Here, our range of activities increases dramatically, and children take part in their first informal concerts.   Ideas of speed, volume, texture and instruments are introduced into sessions, giving children an increasingly wide appreciation of music… all based on the foundations laid in Mini Music Club. 

So, when should children start learning an instrument?  The answer varies from child to child.   Once they have a secure foundation in musicianship (rhythm, pitch) and the maturity and confidence to communicate with an adult teacher, preliminary instrument lessons should be started, initially on a trial basis.  Starting late is better than starting too early – as long as the child is developing their general musical skills in preparation.

By seven or eight, most children in our Clubs have a strong foundation in the language of music and are using it in their instrumental or singing lessons.  By having these foundations, instrumental lessons can focus much more on the idiosyncrasies of the instrument in question: for example, holding the violin bow correctly, posture, finding the notes on the piano keyboard.  Too often, teachers struggle to teach the young student basic musicianship alongside these instrumental skills – a tall order for everyone concerned!  Membership of Music Club is vital during these early years of lessons.

By nine or ten years of age, Junior Theory Club takes over from Music Club.  This new group is designed to develop their general musicianship with music theory, sight-reading, composing and aural skills forming the back-bone of the curriculum.  Too often this area is neglected leading to a crisis as pupils either approach the higher grades or GCSE music.  Even when younger pupils tackle theory regularly in their music lessons, learning theory on a one to one basis can be too intensive, wasteful of time and very expensive. 

Learning a musical instrument can be a lonely, heartless activity unless there is a purpose or goal.   Music exams are one focus; membership of a band, choir or orchestra are others.  Our Jazz and Pop Programme is a popular way of making new friends as well as capitalizing on the power of being part of a musical team.   It introduces children to the art of improvisation – from the age of nine.  Advanced students are encouraged to join the Quintet, a specialist group which prepares the children for real performance situations.  

Finally, our main Theory Club tackles the infamous Grade Five examination, enabling children to successfully take GCSE music, A level music and the higher instrumental grades.   Without Grade Five theory, any of these advanced studies are very difficult. 

So, by laying the foundations properly and nurturing them well, most children can accomplish extraordinary achievements in the stimulating world of music making.

1. pupils should be practising regularly – little and often is best.  Many pupils are more focused in the mornings.
2. pupils should read the music rather than memorise their pieces (unless the examination requires memory work)
3. scales, aural and sight-reading are just as important as the pieces – pupils should spend time on these areas too
4. the examiner is trained to encourage candidates to pass – pupils should try not to worry themselves!
5. If confidence is a problem, pupils should try joining group music making activities – e.g. a jazz band, choir or orchestra.  It is a well known fact that pupils who play in a group almost always perform better in examinations - thanks to having higher levels of self-confidence.

Before one sets out on the path of music tuition, one should examine the pros and cons associated with each instrument.   Here is a basic overview, highlighting some practical issues that are often overlooked and yet might prove decisive.

The orchestra is made up of four families and for clarity we’ll consider the piano, keyboard, organ, harp, voice and guitar as solo instruments.

The woodwind family is perhaps the most popular choice these days.   The instruments are generally affordable (even good value) and easy to transport around – the exception to this being the bassoon (and one or two rare members of the group).  Generally, the flute offers a more gracious experience whilst the clarinet offers more diversity, requiring a little more physical effort from the player.   The latter often provides a gateway to the ever popular saxophone, which, due to its size, is best for older children (10+).   So why is the saxophone so popular?   It is partly due to its wide range of expression – both in terms of wide ranging quality of sound and also its ability to create intricate melodies with real appeal.  It also has notable street credibility, having an active role to play in many types of pop and jazz music.  The oboe and bassoon are less popular, partly due to cost and also because they can be less flexible – they both have a double reed and require lots of strong support and breath control.

Brass instruments are often played by confident individuals, since the sound is loud and bright.  They all require lots of physical effort to play, particularly when playing high notes for any length of time.  Trumpets and trombones are the popular choice, whilst the french horn provides a wonderful sound for the student who can afford the extra  cost and some complex techniques.

String instruments produce a pleasing, rich sound when played in an ensemble.   The smaller the instrument the more of them are needed in the ensemble – so you might find twelve violins playing the main melody as opposed to four double basses in a large orchestra.  Of course, associated with size comes the cost and practicality and these factors have had a bearing on each instruments popularity.   So, one tends to find more violins than violas than cellos than double basses.   However, against this basic trend is the fact that the double bass has an important role in jazz, encouraging parents and students to make that extra effort with this enormous instrument.

In terms of actually learning, many students find string instruments difficult because you have to physically create the notes you play, with all the issues of quality and tuning involved in this process.   Eventually, the techniques stick but it takes lots of patience.   It is a different story for brass and wood wind players, who have all the notes available – it’s just a matter of finding them!  There is little more rewarding in music than hearing the strings section of an orchestra surging through some dramatic passage – but remember thqt the players have had to get through those unpopular early years of tuning and sound quality issues.

One must not forget that all instruments have their place, and examples of each one’s unique individual importance can be found dotted across the development of music.  Indeed, sometimes a student’s desire to learn a specific instrument can outweigh the financial and practical considerations: after all, it is they who are going to put in the work.   In our next Newsletter we will look at all those solo instruments mentioned earlier, as well as the percussion family.   Together, both of these groups form the back bone of most modern bands.

Before one sets out on the path of music tuition, one should examine the pros and cons associated with each instrument.   Here is a basic overview, highlighting some practical issues that are often overlooked and yet might prove decisive.

The orchestra is made up of four families and last term we examined strings, woodwind and brass.   This time we are looking at the percussion family and solo instruments, the latter containing the piano, keyboard, organ, harp, voice and various guitars.

Collectively, these instruments form the backbone of most modern bands.   Why?  Well, perhaps it is the freedom of expression that each offers that proves so popular.   There is no doubt that each instrument offers a huge range of expression, offering almost limitless possibilities of sound, texture and style….

The piano is arguably the most popular musical instrument in the western world.   A pianist can capture the spirit of almost any other musical creation, often by simply by combining the tune with harmony and rhythm.   This autonomy is popular with both pianists and audiences – both formal and informal.   The electric piano has many advantages over the traditional piano: it is normally cheaper to buy, does not require tuning, often takes up less space, and might also offer additional music technology options.   However, for many traditionalists, there can be nothing quite like a ‘real’ piano.   There are many relatives to our modern day piano – including harpsichords, organs, electric keyboards etc.   The piano is regarded as the best place to start before tackling any of these.

The organ and harp are less common these days due to practical issues:  organs are mostly found in churches which can be difficult to access, and harps are heavy, delicate and expensive!   If one can surmount these difficulties, both offer unique playing opportunities of distinction.   The harp and keyboard instruments require the player to read two or more staves using two hands and sometimes feet too!   This can lead to enormous physical demands on the player, requiring dexterity and excellent coordination.

Voice and guitar are very popular, and are sometimes performed simultaneously by one person.   Almost everyone has a singing voice – but the less this natural instrument is used, the less likely it will sound pleasing and respond efficiently to training.   Having said that, a rarely used voice is more valuable than a misused and abused one.   Children who sing regularly often continue to do so as adults.   As well as singing solo, the power of choir membership cannot be underestimated.   There are many useful benefits: musically, socially and psychologically – choir membership is often a real joy…. and the instrument is free, requiring little maintenance!

The drums are arguably the oldest instruments we have, forming the basis of the percussion family.  These days, many people own their own drum kits and thrash out their favourite grooves.   Like other instruments, one cannot underestimate the importance of getting professional tuition.  A few lessons from a drummer / musician can help enormously, helping to explore the lesser used instruments in the kit and more unusual rhythms.   Transporting drums can be an issue, so try and store them in a place where other players can come round and join you.

Finally, guitars probably have the widest range of sound, textures and styles of all instruments, partly due to the amplification options available but also due to a wide variety of playing techniques.   Guitars are normally good value for money and relatively easy to transport – depending on what other equipment is involved.   Adding an effects unit to an electric guitar opens up a whole new world of music creation – with distortion, reverb, echo, delay, chorus and pitch effects offering extraordinary options.  As well as the electric guitar, there is the acoustic guitar, the powerful bass guitar and various unusual relations from around the world.

Which ever instrument you choose, remember that they are vehicles to making and enjoying the language of music – and not ends in themselves.  So, check your musicality is built on sure foundations and, after considering the practical issues, one is almost definitely assured of a wonderfully rewarding experience.