Subject
Music
Age Group
7 - 12 yrs
Group Size
5
Duration

Welcome to Play!

This is a year-long course of group teaching on one instrument taught by a range of our outstanding tutors, all of whom are very experienced teachers and performers. It is the perfect preparation year before embarking on one-to-one lessons. The instruments on offer are piano, violin, flute, guitar, percussion and brass (usually trumpet).

Follow on or Jump in as a Beginner

Play! is the perfect follow-on course from Roundabout or for beginners who would like to learn one instrument for a full year and graduate from the programme with their Play! Certificate. 

Play! Orchestra
One of the many joys of learning to play an instrument is getting to play alongside other people. To enable this to happen, we run the weekly Play! Together Orchestra which brings cello, violin and flute together. Please see the combined time of the orchestra and group tuition sessions below. 

Easy Payments
This is a course over one academic year and you can start in either September, January or April each year. Billing can be split to a once per term payment.

Celebration Concerts

At the end of term 1 & 2 (every term for Play! Together Orchestra), there is a performance week for you to hear how your children are getting on. This gives the children an opportunity to perform and be proud of their progress. The year ends with a Celebration Concert where all the children perform within their groups, as well as with all the instruments as a mass Play! Orchestra and are awarded their Play! Certificates.

Reports
You will receive an end-of-year report on your child’s progress to keep you informed of their achievements.

Commitment

Please note that this is a year-long course. When you enrol your child, you are committing to a year of weekly term-time classes at the same day and time every week.

Instruments
Students will need their own instrument for all Play! courses. You will be sent advice about this before the course starts. If you are interested in hiring an instrument please ask our Front of House for details. 

What will I learn?

Play! Orchestra Instruments

To help build young musicians experience, the Conservatoire runs a 45 minute orchestra lesson which is included as part of the Play! course for Play! Violin, Play! Cello and Play! Flute. We meet each week and regularly have 30+ young players who come to learn additional listening and ensemble skills.

The Play Orchestra has a once-per-term public concert so parents can share in the musical progress of the children.

Play Violin

Violin is very popular and we have group classes on most days. Violins come in different sizes and your tutor will help you find the right size for your child.

Play Cello

The cello is a beautiful instrument and is very popular at the moment due to its portrayal on Netflix's Wednesday series. Cellos come in different sizes and your tutor will help you with sizing.

Play Flute

The flute is one of the most ancient and melodic instruments. The modern flute is made of metal, but we often start with the plastic Nuvo jFlute as these are much lighter for small hands to hold and easier to blow for beginners. They are also less prone to breaking if they are dropped.

Play! Non-Orchestra Instruments

Learn to play the guitar, piano, brass or percussion in the most fun way possible – together! Our motivational and very experienced tutors will guide you through the basics in a relaxed and stimulating environment. These courses are taught across three terms, building a solid foundation for students to move on to individual or shared tuition, or form a group of their own! Students will work towards the structured Play! curriculum but these particular instrumental sessions do not include the orchestral element.

Instruments

Learners will need their own instrument. If you are interested in hiring an instrument for the course please ask our front desk for details.

Play! Brass

The Play! Brass family includes Trumpet, Trombone and French Horn. At the first lessons the teacher will assess which instrument is right for your child and make recommendations about where to hire or purchase an instrument. For some children, a plastic version of the brass instruments may be recommended as they are lighter, easier to hold and less prone to expensive damage.

Play! Piano

Play! Piano will be taught using pianos and/or keyboards. Due to the set-up of the room, there may be times when students share keyboards/pianos, but this will not detract from their learning experience.

Play! Guitar

We have a selection ofguitar in different sizes and strung both for right handed and left-handed players. The teacher will be able toprovide assistance about which guitar isbest for your child.

Play! Percussion

Play! Percussion includes drum kit, djembes, xylophone and other hand percussion.

Tutors on Play!

What People Say About Us

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Frequently Asked Questions

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My Child is outside the age range for Play. Can they join?

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How do I find an instrument?

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Can I pay in instalments?

Yes, all 12-month classes are billed on a termly basis.

I want to change instrument, what can I do?

Once the course has begun, it is unfortunately not possible to change groups or lesson times.

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