FOR STUDENTS - a real sense of achievement

Making music must be one of the most joyful experiences on earth. Learning to play an instrument, however, can be less joyous. We all need encouragement to persevere when mastery seems beyond our reach. We have to know that we are doing better today than we did yesterday.

It is important that music is to be performed and is not just a subject to read about and remember the facts. Likewise, concentrating mainly on three or four exam pieces does not constitute performing. Far from it, performing means having played a lot of music and ideally, a wide range of musical styles. Students are encouraged to develop useful and lifelong interests in music. They can spend their times engaging in an enjoyable and valuable music performances beyond an exam room.

BMDA provides opportunities for the development of musical interests both in performance and theory. Your progress will be monitored to ensure that your growth in musical understanding and performance are continually developing to the highest level, whether you want to pursue music as a career or enjoy as a hobby. We have selected a large number of qualified teachers who give individual lessons to create the right professional and friendly atmosphere. We believe that success in music can be achieved through enjoyment and determination. We are here to support and assist you in all aspects of musical education.

We wish you every success and look forward to seeing you grow musically and enjoy music making, a delightful pursuit that brings joy to you and others for a lifetime.

PRACTICE TIPS

• Always work to a plan
• Know what needs to be achieved in each practice time
Know what needs to be achieved in each practice time
• Small sections practised slowly and thoroughly are always more successful than longer passages given less care
Small sections practised slowly and thoroughly are always more successful than longer passages given less care
• Sometimes begin with the 'difficult bits' rather than starting at the beginning
• Vary the work to avoid boredom, having other, perhaps easier, pieces to hand
Vary the work to avoid boredom, having other, perhaps easier, pieces to hand
• Sometimes practise playing straight through, noticing the trouble spots and returning to them later
• Be aware of the pulse - it's dangerously easy to slow up for awkward corners
• Know when to stop. Focused work for a short period is better than playing through for longer
• Perfect practice makes perfect!
• What you can't play slowly you can't play fast
• The only way to learn to sight read is to sight read
• Pedal with your ears! (Generally applies to pianists only for obvious reasons)
• Enjoy what you play - a varied diet is essential
• When you've finished listening - listen some more!
• If you get stuck - stop - come back again later and try again.
• Fill every minute’s practice with 60 seconds of concentration
• Practise in small chunks
• Practise the whole ‘performance’ experience – play your exam pieces to friends and family so you experience a few nerves and learn how to cope with them Stop practising if you feel any physical discomfort or pain