PLEASE CALL 07720 771053. We have moved premises… new address to follow. Business as usual of course, but our landline number has somehow been cut off on it’s way to our new home. In the meantime, please contact us on the mobile number (07720 771053) or by email, [email protected]. THANK YOU and apologies for any inconvenience.
Author: Susanna Cassam
CELEBRATIONS ARE DONE!… A message from Susanna.
Massive thanks and congratulations to all SCMT pupils and tutors that performed at our 10 Year Anniversary Christmas Concerts. We’re so proud of you all, what an amazing achievement. It gives us so much joy to see you play your instruments, you’re all so brave, determined and inspired. We’re ready to say goodbye to 2015, it’s been such a lovely celebration of our ever expanding community of musicians. Spread the word… music lives to be let out! HAPPY CHRISTMAS from everyone at SCMT (and thanks again to Ackerman Music for all their support).
SCMT 10 Year Anniversary Christmas Concerts
SCMT 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CHRISTMAS CONCERTS. WHAT A BRILLIANT CELEBRATION OF ALL OUR MUSICIANS AND TUTORS… (pictures feature performers from all 4 concerts, with 120 pieces played… and many performers playing twice!):
Huge congratulations to all SCMT pupils and tutors that performed at our 10 Year Anniversary Christmas Concerts… what an amazing achievement. It gives us so much joy to see you play your instruments, you’re all so brave, determined and inspired. We’re ready to say goodbye to 2015, it’s been such a lovely celebration of our ever expanding community of musicians. Music lives to be let out! HAPPY CHRISTMAS from everyone at SCMT.
Practice makes perfect… (thoughts from Susanna)
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT…
When young children begin to learn a musical instrument, there is a question on the tip of every parent’s tongue…
‘How much practice should my child be doing… And how can I help to ensure that they do it?’
If a child is to progress on a musical instrument, regular practice needs to be encouraged right from the start and a teacher will generally set practice each lesson (only a tiny bit for very young children). Generally speaking great things occur if a family member regularly guides a child in their practice, offering encouragement and praise. So, I’ve come up with some tried and tested tips and tricks to help you out, whether you are planning to sit down with your child, or encourage from afar:
Establish a set time for practice each day that doesn’t clash with other distraction. Make sure your child is alert and doesn’t have too many other things to think about (football to follow, just back from swimming).
Have a plan in place before you start, so that when your child is in the ‘practice zone’, it is focused and moving forward… this keeps them on the ball.
If there is more than one thing to practice, divide the time into bite-sized chunks of only a few minutes, so that practice is fresh and ever changing.
Occasionally, select a small section of music and work on it thoroughly in one practice session, your child will see a more marked improvement and be encouraged.
Often a child may become frustrated if they can’t play things straight away. Slow right down for practice, only playing something ‘at speed’ once the notes are mastered… that way mistakes are fewer and tasks more manageable.
Arrange ‘performance time’ in the home for a few weeks time. Choose a piece or exercise that your child can demonstrate for the family… And applaud loudly on the day. This one works every time!
When relevant, discuss opportunities with your child’s teacher with regards to small public performances, assessments and exams. The satisfaction of achievement will power them forward.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, INCENTIVES… a parent’s best friend. Get stuck in straight away with a nice big, bright practice chart. Award stickers (your teacher will lend you plenty!) for targets achieved… perhaps extra stickers or a small prize if practice has occurred every day.
If a teacher has a fun, engaging manner alongside a structured approach to achievement, then the battle if half won. A child learning music with a good teacher will automatically be motivated to acquire the skills, understanding and ability required to enable them to enjoy music through playing and listening. However, you can help too by actively encouraging them at the start of their musical adventure… It really is a gift to last a lifetime.
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ABRSM exam preparation…
It’s that time again… dates and time now published, countdown to the big day! Please have a look at this link from the ABRSM website, it will give you a much clearer idea of how your performances will be assessed:
http://us.abrsm.org/en/our-exams/information-and-regulations/graded-music-exam-marking-criteria/
Charity Fundraising…
We raised lots of money during our 10th Anniversary Concerts for the Brighton Dome Umbrella Club. Thank you so much to everyone that came along, participated and donated with such generosity. Here is a recent article about them from the Argus, a wonderful cause that makes an enormous difference to so many poorly children. Huge thanks also to Ackerman Music, without whom none of it would have been possible.
Theatre trips helping to raise spirits of poorly children…
A THEATRE programme aimed to give ill children the chance to attend performances has kicked off its new season.
The Umbrella Club – Brighton Dome’s membership club for children and young people with life-shortening conditions and their siblings and carers – launched its new season this weekend with a puppetry production of Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
The scheme aims to offer access to the arts through the provision of free tickets to live performances and workshops, as well as special meet the cast sessions after selected shows.
Saturday’s performance was followed by a special Playmakes workshop which offered the opportunity for kids to get crafty and make a keepsake to take home.
Now in its second year, the Umbrella Club has enabled around 400 poorly children, siblings and families to attend over 30 performances since the club’s inception.
Andrew Comben, chief executive officer of Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival said: “The Umbrella Club is an invaluable way to ensure these children, their siblings and their carers are able to access the arts and hopefully share some memorable experiences.
“We are grateful to all the funders and supporters that make it possible for us to provide this invaluable scheme as part of our on-going work to make Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival events more accessible for all.”
SCMT 10 Year Anniversary Christmas Concerts…
It’s almost that time again… and doesn’t time fly! Our 10 year Anniversary Christmas Concerts are fast approaching, yet another reason to celebrate. Phew! Here are the details:
All instruments, solos, duets and ensembles are very welcome. The concerts are for adults and children, are free choice… and welcome all ages and abilities.
Date and times: Sunday 22nd November, 2pm til 9pm. 5 Concerts (4 for the children… followed by 1 for the adults, advanced pupils and small groups).
Venue: St Nicholas Chruch, Dyke Road, Brighton. BN1 3LJ
Guest price: £5 for adults (payable on the door, cash only, free to all children and performers).
Entry deadline: Friday 30th October
1 or 2 pieces per performer. Maximum total performance time of 3 minutes (children’s concerts) and 6 minutes (adults/advanced/groups concert).
Performance lists, inclusive of your particular concert time, will be emailed to you once the deadline has passed and performances have been collated. Full programmes will also be supplied on the door, free of charge. Drinks and nibbles will be served throughout as usual.
You can either submit your entry to Susanna in person at this email address, or simply let your tutor know. We can’t wait to see you there! You can even play if you DON’T have lessons with SCMT (as a one off )… because we know that once you have you’ll be hooked! 🙂
At SCMT, music lives to be let out…
Susanna’s blog
For all parents of young musicians
Check out Susanna’s new advice regarding the age a child should start to learn a musical instrument… to be found at the bottom of the home page on our website. A brilliant guide for all parents with children aged 3 and up. Definitely worth a read over the holidays! Enjoy the sun, everybody…
Music for a lifetime… By Susanna Cassam.
I’m often asked when is the best time for a child to start learning a musical instrument. It can depend on a variety of factors, but it’s easy once you’ve asked the question to find out if your bundle of joy is ready to ‘make some noise’. The most important thing is that children are given the opportunity to try it out, as from that point you can decide whether they’re ready to go ahead right away.
It can depend on the teaching style they are offered. Some teachers might insist on a certain level of concentration, knowledge of the alphabet, an ability to focus for 30 minutes… and persevere. Others would be perfectly happy for a child to discover the sounds and wonders of the instrument in their hands with no pressure to progress until they naturally pursue improvement. As long as no bad habits are formed and the teacher is actively accompanying the sounds with their own rhythm and melody, a good ear for music can evolve quite quickly… way before solo instrumental skills are ‘performance worthy’. Playing music together works wonders.
The relevant age to start can also depend on the technical difficulty of an instrument. Some need hands of a certain size, some require two hands learning entirely different skills. Others require big lungs or strong arms. Very young children have also not necessarily learned to persevere and thus assume skills come easily. Without necessary explanation beforehand, this can lead to frustration on instruments that take more time to grasp.
The piano, much like other keyboard instruments, gives itself over in a musical sense almost immediately, making it very appealing to very young children. Tunes that they know can be learned on one hand. It has a large, accessible keyboard and a loud familiar sound. They will often experiment with confidence where with other instruments they’d be too shy. This is because almost all children regularly see a piano played by friends, family members or by a teacher in the school hall. Perhaps this explains why they often turn to it first… 80% of our enquiries for lessons are from parents of children wishing to learn the piano.
If you’re not sure whether your child is too young to start, just ask a recommended teacher. Trial a lesson and make sure the teacher knows all about your child’s musical likes, dislikes, personality traits and other interests. You’d be amazed how important it is for a teacher to build a rapport from the first ‘hello’. If a child thinks they’ve found a friend in their teacher, someone they have things in common with, they’ll be more enthused, more confident, more eager to explore the sounds at their fingertips.
It’s very important to remember is that even when your child is too young to learn an instrument they can still listen, enjoy, tap a beat and sing along. Immerse them in music whenever you can, from the minute they react with a smile to the sounds. They’ll learn all about pitch, rhythm, what they like, how it makes them feel and probably which instruments they’d love to learn… before you even ask! You’ll have given them a thirst for music that will last them a lifetime.
New and used BOOK GIVEAWAY!
We’re off-loading hundreds of new and nearly-new music books! Please contact us direct for more details, local Brighton pick-up. All instruments, all genres, all grades. Here is a picture of some of them… see anything you fancy (magnifying glass at the ready, ha ha)? Roll up, roll up!
Fund-raising news…
We are DELIGHTED to let you know that the Brighton Dome Umbrella Club have decided how they would like to spend the money that we raised over the course of our 10 year Anniversary concerts. Thank you to everyone that performed… and every parent, friend and tutor that encouraged those performances. Look at the difference we’ve made, they’re creating a new project on the back of our efforts:From Hilary, Brighton Dome Umbrella Club…
‘Thank you SO much for this! We would like to spend the money on workshops for children who are too unwell to come out of the hospice and see Umbrella Club shows. We will take members of theatre companies and creative workshop staff into the hospice to provide activities in situ so that they don’t miss out.’
Thank you, thank you, thank you! We can’t wait to see you all at the Christmas Concerts, what a year…
*NEWSFLASH* TOTAL RAISED FOR THE BRIGHTON DOME UMBRELLA CLUB DURING OUR ANNIVERSARY CONCERTS….
TOTAL RAISED FOR THE BRIGHTON DOME UMBRELLA CLUB DURING OUR ANNIVERSARY CONCERTS (thank you as ever to Ackerman Music for sponsoring us and making such a difference):
£810. Amazing! Thank you EVERYBODY for making this possible, it’ll make a huge difference to so many local children with life shortening illnesses.
*NEWSFLASH* SCMT Photo and Video competition winners are…
A huge thank you to everyone who sent in entries to our photo and video competition. We had some really great entries, you can see the winners below:
Photo competition:
1st Elena Weir, Trumpets.
2nd Athina Tameresi, Jazz piano
3rd Marns Amurao, Mariane.
Video competition (All entries can be found on our YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/cassammusic ):
1st Andrew Macintosh, Caitlin.
2nd Marns Amurao, Matt.
3rd Wendy Armstrong, Juliette.
ABRSM… Exams this week
Good luck to all our pupils taking exams today! We’ll be keeping our fingers tightly crossed for you. Results often take a little longer in the Summer, but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything… Susanna.
Only 3 days left to enter our photo and Video competition…
The dust is slowly settling after 4 wonderful concerts to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. But there’s still time to enter our photo and video competition. If you did take photos or videos of your/your child’s performance and would like to enter the competition, simply send your entries to [email protected]. Winners will be announced on Monday, so please get your entries to us before then. Prizes in both instances will be as follows, first prize is £20, second prize is £10 and third prize is £5. (Please be aware that upon sending photos in reply, we will assume your permission to use them on our website and social media marketing.)
10 Year Anniversary Concert…. Adults and advanced, what a success!
From all here at SCMT we would like to say a massive congratulations to everybody who performed in the finale of our 10 Year Anniversary Concerts. We had a brilliant time and loved every performance. A special well done must go to Ronny (pictured), aged 88, still having lessons and performing for us. We had some amazing duets, incredible solo performances with a wonderful range in instruments and genres, so much variety. what an amazing night to round off our series of concerts, well done to everybody who took part!
A HUGE thank you to our friends at Ackerman music for sponsoring our concerts, we really couldn’t have done it without you.
We will be announcing the total raised for our chosen charity (Brighton Dome Umbrella Club) next monday along with winners to our photo and video the competition (still open for entries so please keep them coming).
DON’T FORGET! SCMT photo and video competition…
Don’t forget SCMT are running a photo and video competition over both concert weekends, with cash prizes to be won in both categories. If you did take photos or videos of your/your child’s performance and would like to enter the competition, simply send your entries to [email protected]. Winners will be announced on the Monday 22nd June, so please get your entries to us before then. Prizes in both instances will be as follows, first prize is £20, second prize is £10 and third prize is £5. (Please be aware that upon sending photos in reply, we will assume your permission to use them on our website and social media marketing.)SCMT 10 Year Anniversary Adults and Advanced Concert…only 1 week away.
Here at SCMT we are still celebrating our 10 year anniversary. We have the final of our celebration concerts next Saturday (13th June). This concert is for adult and advanced students. It is set to be a great concert, so even if you are not performing please do come and join us, 7pm at the Brighton Unitarian Church. Tickets are £5 on the door and all performers and children of for free. We hope to see you all there!
SCMT photo and video competition…
Don’t forget SCMT are running a photo and video competition over both concert weekends, with cash prizes to be won in both categories. If you did take photos or videos of your child’s performance and would like to enter the competition, simply send your entries to [email protected]. Winners will be announced on the Monday 22nd June, so please get your entries to us before then.
We see so many of our parents photographing or filming and we would love to see the photos or videos of you or your child’s performances at our 10 Year Anniversary Concert. Prizes in both instances will be as follows, first prize is £20, second prize is £10 and third prize is £5.
Please be aware that upon sending photos in reply, we will assume your permission to use them on our website and social media marketing.
A HUGE thank you Ackerman Music
From all of us here at SCMT we would like to say a HUGE thank you to Ackerman Music for their sponsorship of our 10 Year Anniversary Concerts. We are very grateful for their continued support over the years.
To find out more about Ackerman Music take a look at their website: https://www.ackermanmusic.co.uk. You can find out more about their brilliant sheet music collection and instrument hire/purchase.