Learning music

In October 2016, we ran the Festival of Making Music - a weekend of music-making workshops in Scotland aimed at exploring shared concepts of rhythm, melody and harmony using simple tunes as a basis for improvisation.

Following the success of the workshops (conducted by award-winning educator Professor Richard Michaels BEM), we have created a video series to allow everyone to benefit from his top tips on improvisation.

At Making Music we're having a look at some of the music that our members make, and we've decided to begin with Barbershop. What makes this genre so unique? Why is it so easy for Barbershop singers to get hooked on this music? And what's this about 'singing polecats'?

Three of our corporate members – WKMT, Your Space Music Lessons and London Piano Institute – are offering discounts on lessons to Making Music members. Find out more about how to claim below.

WKMT: 5% off piano lessons

WKMT offers piano lessons in London (studios in Kensington and Camberwell with home visits also available) to children and adults of all abilities. Lessons are available Monday to Sunday 9am to 9pm.

In this edition of Highnotes, find out about what stops young people from joining groups, tips on developing young audiences, online learning and much more.

Making Music volunteer Martin Jones – an experienced composer and arranger of music for leisure-time ensembles – gives us his top tips for success.

No one can really just pick up an instrument and play it perfectly but we know how hard it can be to find time to dedicate to practice. Below we explore a few different ways to practise and ideas on how to make your practice more enjoyable and effective in general.

Scales strike fear into the heart of many musicians. Here we hope to give you a little bit of insight into why they are so important and how you can make them a lot more fun to learn.

Finding a teacher can be a daunting task. Finding the right instrumental or vocal teacher is not simply a case of choosing the person nearest to you with the most qualifications; you need to find someone you get on with, someone you trust to help you achieve your as yet un-explored potential.

Don't worry - an instrument exam is about having a positive, supportive experience whilst achieving a milestone in your learning.