Category: Music Scholarships

Hello Pianists – lessons start next Monday 3rd September (my birthday!). The Summer break has been quite full of musical activity despite a break from lessons. I’ve been practising for my upcoming recital at Bell House in Dulwich Village that is now only a few days away. Do come along – me and Alex are performing a short recital on the harpsichord and we’d love to see you there. [Book Tickets]

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The rest of my Summer has been busy with helping young musicians prepare for the upcoming state secondary Music Scholarships. We’ve had three group Music Aptitude Test workshops and there’s one more in September and October. [September Workshop]

Music Scholarship entrance tests are taking place throughout the Autumn term for UK schools. Don’t forget to let your teacher know if you are entering Year 6 and preparing for the scholarships so that we can spend time each lesson getting you ready for the Round One MAT. If you are thinking about local schools such as Kingsdale, Haberdashers or Prendergast then we can assist with scholarship entry. Many other schools in London Boroughs use the test such as Chelsea Academy, Cardinal Vaughan, Dame Alice Owen, Marylebone, West London Free School and Twyford to name just a few.

If you have any questions about the MAT, feel free to join our Facebook discussion group as it has lots of helpful tips and frequently asked questions.

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Upcoming Events

As always, we have loads of great events coming up for musicians of all ages. Take a look at our Eventbrite page to see what’s on this Autumn and Spring [Upcoming Events]

I Wish I Didn’t Quit Music Lessons

Your child starts playing an instrument. Then they grow frustrated, impatient and bored. Then they quit and years later wish they didn’t. Why does this happen to so many people? Bad teaching? Boring music? Is playing the clarinet not cool enough? How can you stop this from happening? What can you do to help?

Nathan Holder will perform on the saxophone and also discuss his new book I Wish I Didn’t Quit: Music Lessons at a book launch in Dulwich Village on Saturday 29 September. His book gives you the tools and ideas to help your child succeed along their musical journey.

He has gathered tips from world class musicians to help you to understand how you can give your children an amazing set of lifelong skills, confidence and experiences.

There will also be short performances from musicians of all ages at this event and a giveaway of the book selected from the list of attendees pre-registered for this free event.

All ages welcome. Free entry. 

29 September @ 2pm
St. Barnabas Parish Hall, Dulwich Village

Register online for a free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/i-wish-i-didnt-quit-music-lessons-in-conversation-with-nathan-holder-tickets-48307762819

Claire Harris from the SE22 Piano School offers group Music Aptitude Test & Scholarship Workshops in East Dulwich. The next session is on 1st of August 2018. Here are some of the topics we cover in the workshops along with some helpful tips for music scholars:

We discussed the interview questions and many students had been involved with groups and performances outside of school – these are great things to note down and have ready to mention during the interview.

It’s also a good idea to think about favourite composers and performers prior to the audition. We all know how the mind can go blank under pressure!

The performances were all well prepared. The students discovered when listening to each other that dynamic contrast really makes an impact – so this is a good thing to focus on.

If memorising one of the pieces is an option, I would strongly encourage this. This especially applies if the piece is in a jazz or popular style.

As well as the actual playing, students should practise saying the name of the piece and composer, making sure pronunciation is correct.

If the piece is to be played with piano, try and organise a rehearsal with the pianist beforehand as this can make all the difference to a polished performance.

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Our July workshop included students sitting Music Scholarship tests for Kingsdale, Haberdashers, Dame Alice Owen and Prendergast. We cover a wide range of schools

Our July MAT workshop is now fully booked so we have added in a second session on 1st August 2018. You can book now via Eventbrite. See the ticket booking site for full information on the content of the class.

We cover both stages of the Music Scholarship process including the MAT test plus the audition: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/music-aptitude-test-training-group-session-august-tickets-48104544989