Take a look at the photo’s from our Children’s Concert….. what a brilliant day!
Author: Susanna Cassam
CONCERT SUCCESS – The SCMT 10 Year Anniversary Children’s Concert
From all here at SCMT HQ we would like to say a massive thank you and well done to everyone who took part in yesterday’s concerts. This was the first of our 10 Year Anniversary Concerts and it’s safe to say they were a huge success. We had over 70 performers take the stage and what a fantastic job they all did. Another thank you must go out to all the parents for coming and supporting our youngsters and the wonderful job our tutors have done in encouraging and preparing our performers. We really did have a wonderful day, what a great start to our 10th anniversary.
Don’t forget we are running a photo and video competition over both concerts, with cash prizes to be won in both categories. If you did take photo’s 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.
This year SCMT have been raising money for the Brighton Dome Umbrella Club, we will be announcing the grand total after our second concert. The second concert will be on Saturday 13th June at 6pm. This concert is for adults and advanced students, it is set to be a fantastic concert so even if you are not performing we would love to see you there in the audience.
For more photos keep an eye on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/susannacassammusictuition
SCMT 10 Year Anniversary Concerts
This year SCMT is celebrating 10 years of music making, to mark this milestone we hosted 2 days of very special anniversary concerts. We would like to thank everyone who took part, all of the concerts were amazing and every one of our students performed brilliantly.
Once again we were delighted that the brilliant people at AckermanMusic sponsored our celebration concerts. We want to say a huge thank you for all of your support.
SCMT raised £810 over the 2 concerts for local charity Brighton Dome’s Umbrella Club. A fantastic charity that provides free tickets for family shows and workshops to children (and their families) with life-shortening illnesses, to ensure continued access to the arts.
The schedule for the SCMT 10 Year Anniversary Concerts was as follows.
Sunday 10th May 2015. 1pm – 6pm. 3 concerts for young musicians and beginners.
Venue: Brighton Unitarian Church
Saturday 13th June 2015. 6pm – 9pm. 2 concerts for indermediate/advanced children… plus adults and groups.
Venue: Brighton Unitarian Church
SCMT Photo and Video Competition
This year we ran a photo and video competition over our celebration concerts, you can see the winning photos below and find the winning videos on our YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/user/cassammusic.
Photo Competition Winners:
The Band Project – horn section launching this month!
Our lovely friends at The Band Project are looking for brass and woodwind players for their next workshop. It looks like a fantastic opportunity for young players. All details (including how to apply) from The Band Project are below.
THE BAND PROJECT HORN SECTION LAUNCHING THIS MONTH!
We’re launching the very first Band Project Horn Section in Brighton giving the opportunity for more young musicians to take part in our band and live performance based courses. We’re looking for Saxophone, Flute and Trumpet players aged between 11 – 13, Grade 3 and above, to join our amazing young bands and get an authentic band experience!
The Horn section will work with each of our bands on a couple of their songs working towards performing with them at the end of course gig in a real venue and also heading into the studio to record. Students will be introduced to performance skills, soloing, how to play with a band and a wide range of genres – Jazz, Funk, Reggae, Rock and much more. The section will work with fantastic arrangements and see the process of creating them working with the bands and their tutors to create something unique!
Places are VERY limited to a maximum of 5 and we are running an initial session for players to come and get involved on May 16th 2pm – 5pm at Brighton Electric. The workshop is £24 and is a chance to get a taster of what the weekly sessions would be all about! Parents are invited back 10 – 15 minutes before the end to see everything that the band have been working on and it gives a great focus to work towards. Even after just 3 hours students get a real sense of achievement through performance. To book your place please e-mail[email protected] or call 07771 456955.
Here’s an example of what The Band Project can achieve with our bands:
Special 10 Year Anniversary ‘Composer/Musician of the Month’….
To celebrate our 10 year anniversary not only have we got 2 amazing concerts (the first one being this Sunday!) but we are also bringing back our ‘Composer/Musician of the Month’ Feature.
In honour of our very special birthday we will be celebrating some very special composers and musicians. They are our lovely students here at SCMT. Throughout May we will be looking back at past concerts and competitions and more, featuring all of our lovely students. So please watch this space, you may even spot yourself in one of our posts!
*CONCERT NEWS FLASH*
**CONCERT NEWS FLASH**
We have another announcement with regards to this summer’s 10 Year Anniversary Concerts:
We are very excited to announce that some of our amazing tutors will be performing during the intervals between concerts. We can highly recommend coming slightly early to your concert to catch them in action, we’ve some very talented musicians in our SCMT community!
By now all those performing should have received the concert programmes, please do let us know if you have not.
We are still taking last minute concert entries for our 10 Year Anniversary Concerts…
Although the entry deadline has now passed, we’re still accepting last minute entries, from all SCMT students, for our children’s concert on the 10th May. Don’t forget the June deadline is still open for all our adults and more advanced children. Below you will find all the dates/times and entry procedure. We hope you will all join us of for the celebrations.Concert Dates and details:
Sunday 10th May 2015. 1pm – 6pm. 3 concerts for young musicians and beginners.
Saturday 13th June 2015. 6pm – 9pm. 2 concerts for indermediate/advanced children… plus adults and groups.
Venue: Brighton Unitarian Church, New Road, Brighton. BN1 1UF.
Guest price: £5 for adults (payable on the door, cash only, free to all children and performers).
Please note:
1 or 2 pieces per performer. Maximum total performance time of 3 minutes (beginners concerts) and 6 minutes (adults/advanced/groups concerts).
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 or charge. Drinks and nibbles will be served throughout as usual.
This year we are delighted to once again be sponsored but the lovely Ackerman Music and will be supporting the fantastic charity, Brighton Dome’s Umbrella Club.
10 Year Anniversary Concert entry deadline TODAY (17th April)
To all students, parents and tutors of SCMT don’t forget that the entry deadline for our 10 Year Anniversary Concerts is today (Friday 17th April). If you or your child would like to play in the concerts you can either let your tutor know or email Susanna, [email protected]. All the concert details are below… we really hope you can join us!
Concert Dates and details:
Sunday 10th May 2015. 1pm – 6pm. 3 concerts for young musicians and beginners.
Saturday 13th June 2015. 6pm – 9pm. 2 concerts for indermediate/advanced children… plus adults and groups.
Venue: Brighton Unitarian Church, New Road, Brighton. BN1 1UF.
Guest price: £5 for adults (payable on the door, cash only, free to all children and performers).
Entry deadline: Friday 17th April 2015.
Please note:
1 or 2 pieces per performer. Maximum total performance time of 3 minutes (beginners concerts) and 6 minutes (adults/advanced/groups concerts).
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 or charge. Drinks and nibbles will be served throughout as usual.
This year we are delighted to once again be sponsored but the lovely Ackerman Music and will be supporting the fantastic charity, Brighton Dome’s Umbrella Club.
*NEWSFLASH* More information on our 10 year anniversary concerts.
***** NEWS FLASH*****
We have two brilliant announcements with regards to this summer’s 10 Year Anniversary Concerts:
Firstly, we are so lucky to once again be sponsored by Ackerman Music (https://www.ackermanmusic.co.uk), they have sponsored many of our concerts and events and we would like to say a huge thank you to them for all their support.
Secondly, we are very pleased to announce that the charity we will be supporting for our 10th Anniversary will be Brighton Dome’s Umbrella Club. A fantastic charity that provides free tickets for family shows and workshops to children (and their families) with life-shortening illnesses, to ensure continued access to the arts.
We can’t wait for this year’s concerts and really hope you will all be able to help us celebrate our 10 year anniversary in style! Please let us know asap if you have missed any details regarding concert dates… Don’t forget the entry deadline is this Friday (17th April).
Thoughts from Susanna this month…
Next Month, we’ll be holding another run of children’s concerts to celebrate our 10 year anniversary! I know from experience that although most of our performers will arrive on stage looking very small… they will leave having made a very big impression. Some will shuffle to the front nervous of the crowd whilst others will virtually trip over their own feet desperate to show off their skills. Some will dress as though they’re expecting to be knighted, others might literally try to skateboard up the Isle. In every case they will have, by the end of the afternoon, either played for the first time in public or played something that a year ago was way beyond their capability. So everyone achieves something big. The teachers will be there, encouraging their pupils, settling nerves. The parents will be there, holding their cameras aloft, clapping and cheering after their child’s performance.
It is in the weeks before a concert that every music teacher notices a marked acceleration in a pupil’s progress. It’s no wonder, they are playing their instrument more than they are playing on the ipad! Parents tend to become more involved, encouraging extra practise before or after school. The practise charts suddenly re-appear, covered in stickers awarded for all the hard work. When the teacher arrives for the lesson, they are bombarded with details of the levels of practise down to the last second. ‘I did 12 and a half minutes before my bath Susanna! I did my scales and I don’t even need them for the concert!’
You may think an upcoming performance would be a time for a child to feel pressure and nerves, but if the teacher applies generous amounts of encouragement, praise and structure in equal proportions, it is the very time everyone is enjoying their music the most.
Music concerts offer so much variety too. Siblings, friends and family often play duets or in small ensembles and many of the teachers arrive at the front with their instruments too… something which is often the key to encouraging the very small ones onto the stage for their first public recital. It’s much harder to go it alone so these collaborations are greatly encouraged.
Nothing works better as an incentive when it comes to learning a musical instrument, than the chance to perform together… and it’s only since writing this article that my mind has started to race with regards to sibling duets for my own children in the future (a little premature perhaps?). Aha, if only they knew…
Hooray for the little ones playing their tunes!
SCMT 10 Year Anniversary Concerts, dates and entry information
This year SCMT is celebrating 10 years of music making…as part of the celebrations we will be hosting anniversary concerts which have been arranged for Sunday 10th May and Saturday 13th June 2015! They are open to all students of SCMT. We really hope you are free to play something, so please put it in your diary now as we know your weekends can get very busy. As usual all instruments, solos, duets and ensembles are very welcome. The concerts are free choice and welcome all ages and abilities. The dates, times and entry details are below:
Concert Dates and details:
Sunday 10th May 2015. 1pm – 6pm. 3 concerts for young musicians and beginners.
Saturday 13th June 2015. 6pm – 9pm. 2 concerts for indermediate/advanced children… plus adults and groups.
Venue: Brighton Unitarian Church, New Road, Brighton. BN1 1UF.
Guest price: £5 for adults (payable on the door, cash only, free to all children and performers).
Entry deadline: Friday 17th April 2015.
Please note:
1 or 2 pieces per performer. Maximum total performance time of 3 minutes (beginners concerts) and 6 minutes (adults/advanced/groups concerts).
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 or charge. Drinks and nibbles will be served throughout as usual.
You can either submit your entry to Susanna in person at [email protected], or simply let your tutor know. We can’t wait to see you there!
The Band Project Easter Workshop…
Our lovely friends at The Band Project are running an Easter band workshop. It’s a fantastic opportunity for young musicians. All the details of the course and how to sign up are below.
BAND WORKSHOPS THIS EASTER HOLIDAY!
The Band Project is giving young musicians aged 8 – 16 the chance to experience rehearsing and performing in a band this Easter holiday with a fantastic 3 hour workshop on April 11th 10.00am – 1.00pm at Brighton Electric Studio. Its a fantastic opportunity to learn from real gigging musicians in a fully equipped professional rehearsal room for an authentic band experience and sound!
During the workshop each band learns a song by a band or artist they love creating a unique arrangement and getting it to performance standard in a fun, encouraging and supportive atmosphere. Parents are invited back 10 – 15 minutes before the end of the session to see everything the band has been working on. It’s so important that each band has a focus to work towards and can gain a real sense of achievement even after just 3 hours.
Here’s an example of one of our bands – they are aged just 11 – a young 13 and it was taken at their first gig just to give you an idea of what The Band Project students can achieve:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzUzpHk3W6A&list=UUGpYp5pXnQQL4OHIqOBd3aw
The workshop costs just £24. All bands are grouped by age and ability so the students get the best fit musically and socially. The workshop is on offer to singers, guitarists, keyboard players, bassists and drummers. Places are limited – a maximum of 7 students in each band so booking soon is recommended. To book e-mail us at [email protected] or give us a call on 07771 456955.
Date: April 11th
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Venue: Brighton Electric Studios
Cost: £24
Have a listen to our latest recording session: https://soundcloud.com/thebandprojectmusic/teenagers-mix
www.facebook.com/thebandprojectmusic
SCMT 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
This year SCMT will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary (we can’t believe it either!). We have lots of exciting things planned, including a very special 10 year anniversary concert this summer. So please watch this space for more anniversary and concert announcements.
We will also be showcasing some of our best concert performances and events that we have seen over the last 10 years. We are so excited about this year’s celebration and we really hope you will join us!
SCMT photo competition winners…
We are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s SCMT photo competition. We had so many lovely photos, the decision was very tough. We would like to thank everyone who sent us a photo. It was great to see all our fantastic students playing their instruments. Big congratulations to our winners, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place were as follows:
1st place – Matt
2nd place – Amelie and Ollie
3rd place – Saiyara
Music Technology lessons with SCMT
Here at SCMT we are delighted to announce that our lovely piano teacher William (pictured) will now be offering one to one music technology lessons. Lessons can be based around one specific computer programme, composition, starting with the very basics, or for the more advanced music producer. He can either come to you or teach from his very high tech studio. If you or someone you know would be interested in music technology please call us direct on 07720 770153 or email [email protected] for more information or to book in a lesson.
The Band Project…
The lovely people at The
Band Project are running a junior band course during the Feb half term. They are looking for singers, guitarists, drummers and Keyboard players aged 8 – 10. Dates and prices will be confirmed asap.
They are also looking for 3 singers aged 11 – 12 for a senior band workshop on February 7th 10am – 1pm at Brighton Electric, BN2. The workshop will cost £24 + VAT.
If you might be interested in the junior or senior band course you can find out more here: www.thebandproject.co.uk, or contact them here: [email protected].
Photo Competition!
SCMT are launching a new photo competition this month. We are looking for the best musical photo of our students. It can be the student on their own or with their tutor/sibling/parent. First prize is £50, second prize is £25 and third prize is £10, we will announce the winner on the 1st March. Send your entries to [email protected], before the 1st March. Please be aware that upon sending photos in reply, we will assume your permission to use them on our website and social media marketing. We can’t wait to see your pictures!
Thoughts from Susanna this month…
Happy New Year! Congratulations are in order, Susanna had a beautiful baby boy named Arlo over the Christmas holiday and I am pleased to report both mother and baby are doing very well. Big Congratulations to Susanna and family, what a wonderful way to start 2015! Here at SCMT even with Susanna on maternity leave we still have plenty to look forward to in the coming year and it will still be business as usual but with me, Nicky, at the end of the phone or email if you need to get in touch with us about anything at all.
Music exams are set to take place in March, we often have exam blogs up on our website www.cassam.co.uk, so please keep an eye on it for up to date exam info, practice and preparation tips and tips for the exam day itself.
We are launching a new photo competition this month. We are looking for the best musical photo of our students. It can be the student on their own or with their tutor/sibling/parent. First prize is £50, second prize is £25 and third prize is £10, we will announce the winner on the 1ST March. Send your entries to [email protected]. Please be aware that upon sending photos in reply, we will assume your permission to use them on our website and social media marketing. We can’t wait to see your pictures!
Here at SCMT we have a brilliant relationship with local music shop Ackerman Music. So good in fact our tutors receive a 15% discount on all books bought there. So if you need any music please let your tutor know and they will be able to buy the books on your behalf in order to get a discount. Please note, the discount is only for our tutors and only applies to music books, not hire or purchase of instruments.
Don’t forget we have a great recommend a friend scheme, if you recommend a friend to us after their first 4 paid lessons you will receive £10 Ackerman voucher. So don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any friends looking to start up music lessons.
Phew, lots to look forward to for this coming term and as always if you have any queries or feedback do get in contact with us straight away.
SCMT are looking for new piano teachers… January 2015
Susanna Cassam Music Tuition is now recruiting piano teachers to teach one to one private lessons in and around Brighton and Hove.
Tutors must have piano grade 8, teaching experience, references, a CV available… and will be subject to a detailed vetting process.
Great rates of pay.
Must be able to teach from your own home and travel to students home.
Own transport preferable, if you do not have your own transport you must be willing to travel across Brighton and Hove for lessons.
Flexible hours, from 3-20 hours a week.
If you do not have CRB that can be obtained through us.
Please contact us direct on 07720 770153 or email [email protected] for more information.
March exam entry deadline fast approaching.
For all students wishing to take exams in March the deadline for entry through SCMT is this Friday (16th January).
Please let your tutor know if you would like to sit an exam and have not discussed it yet. Your tutor will then enter you through us.
Watch this space for exam hints and tips.