Author: Susanna Cassam

The charity concerts are coming!  Sunday, 19th May, 1pm – 8pm.

Five Concerts.  120 performances!

We’ll be raising as much money as we can for ‘Centrepoint’ and are sponsored by Ackerman Music (www.ackerman.co.uk).

We’re so excited to hear your music – thank you ALL for working so hard for this moment.

Performing music is a fundamental part of any musician’s journey.  Music is better shared… and performing is a confidence boosting experience for the performer and a huge moment of pride for teachers, friends and family.  Even if you are a new musician and have no particular performance ambitions, there are massive benefits to allowing others to occasionally witness your skills.

‘When I’d finished I felt like a King!’  Leo Davies (aged 5), SCMT concert performer, beginner piano, June 2016.

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Sunday 19th May 2019

All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove.  BN3 3QE (a temporary move away from Brighton Unitarian due to clashing availability).

1pm – 5.30pm – Children’s Concerts x 4.

6pm onwards –  Adults and advanced teens.  Mini recitals (full details being sent out separately)

Guest price:  £6 for adults (payable on the door, cash only, free to all children and performers).  All proceeds to charity.  Refreshments provided for free throughout the day.

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Centrepoint is the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity.  They help vulnerable young people by giving them the practical and emotional support they need to find a job and live independently.  www.centrepoint.org.uk

If you’re looking to enrol your child in a music school in Brighton, then head on over to our contact form and get in touch.

We’ve booked the SCMT Summer Concerts for Sunday 19th May this year and can confirm we will be raising as much money as possible for the homeless charity, Centrepoint  (www.centrepoint.org.uk ).  We had some brilliant suggestions regarding other charities and wish we could support every one of them, so thank you all for getting in touch.   As usual we are being sponsored by our wonderful friends at Ackerman Music (www.ackermanmusic.co.uk).

Please note that the concerts are this year all scheduled onto one date so it’ll be a very busy day!  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.  The concerts are free choice and welcome all ages and abilities.  All instruments, solos, duets and ensembles are very welcome.  We’re hoping to run the mini-recitals again too.  If you are new to us, please be assured that ALL of the concerts offer a uniquely relaxed environment and a great opportunity to play for friends and family in a beautiful venue.  Complete beginners are very welcome (in fact we have entire concerts dedicated to you!).

SCMT SUMMER 2019 CONCERTS.  Sunday 19th May 2019.

NEW VENUE:  All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove.  BN3 3QE (a temporary move away from Brighton Unitarian due to clashing availability).

1pm – 5.30pm – Children’s Concerts x 3.

6pm onwards –  Adults and plus advanced teens.  Mini recitals (full details being sent out separately)

(the above details re ‘age/standard of play’ are general guidelines.  Should you be unable to attend at the time allocated we will try to slot you into another space.  Please kindly let us know of any problems before the deadline to ensure we can move you). 

Guest price:  £6 for adults (payable on the door, cash only, free to all children and performers).  All proceeds to charity.

 Entry deadline:  Friday 19th April.

Please note:

1. Maximum of 1 or 2 pieces per performer.  Total performance time of 3 minutes (children’s concerts) and 6 minutes (adults/advanced concerts).  Mini recitals, maximum of 20 minutes performance time, or 3 pieces.
2. 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 be supplied on the door free or charge.   Drinks and nibbles will be served throughout as usual, also free of charge.
3. You can either submit your entry to Susanna in person at this email address, or simply let your tutor know.
4.  Please note that the price this year has risen from £5 to £6 for adults.  This is for the first rise in 15 years, thank you for your continued support.

We would like to congratulate Helen and her tutor River for passing the ABRSM Copper Music Medal in violin. What an achievement… keep up the good work!  River prides himself in engaging and inspiring his pupils onto great things, a real asset to us and he still has spaces free. Are you considering music lessons for your child? If so, get in touch and we’ll chat you through the process, establish who would be be the best choice for a tutor… and put you straight in touch for a free, no obligation trial on the instrument of your choice. Nothing to lose and epic musical adventures to gain. Come and join us!

SCMT Christmas 2018 Concerts

What a triumph!  An amazing weekend of performances.  What a happy, inspired and exciting bunch you are.  Here is a photo from Concert 1 which showcased the youngest of our pianists.  Most were performing in public for the first time.  We were all massively impressed and can’t wait to see you again next year!

Thank you to all the parents, friends, tutors and extended families that came to support their loved ones.  Performance is the key to confidence and progression… and your presence on the day makes their whole musical journey worthwhile and unforgettable.

Have a wonderful Christmas,

With love from Susanna and the whole SCMT team

We’ve joined forces with The Piano Shop Bath!   www.thepianoshopbath.co.uk. They quite simply sell the best acoustic pianos anywhere in the South and have an enormous selection catering for ALL budgets and tastes. We visited the shop recently and were blown away by their passion, dedication and service. What a team! You simply must have a look on their website.  We can’t wait to work alongside them, building and nurturing and inspiring our community of young musicians in the South. Exciting times ahead…

SCMT Music Tuition expanded to Bath in 2016 and is growing fast. Click here to find out more about music lessons in Bath.

Time is flying past!  We have now booked our Christmas 2018 Concerts – for Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of December.

We really hope you are all free to play something, so please put it in your diary now as we know your weekends in the run up to Christmas 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.  If you are new to us, please be assured that it’s a very relaxed environment and a great opportunity to play for friends and family in a beautiful venue.  Complete beginners are very welcome too (in fact we have entire concerts dedicated to you!).

Concert dates and details:

Saturday 1st December, 8pm:  Adults and advanced teens.

Sunday 2nd December, 2pm – 7pm:  Four concerts for young musicians and beginners.

Venue:  Brighton Unitarian Church, New Road, Brighton, BN1 1UF.

Entry deadline:  Friday 2nd November.  Entries will be accepted after this date provided there is space still available.

(you will be scheduled to play on the date considered most relevant to you.  If you can’t make one of the dates, please specify upon entry)

Please note:

1.  Guest price:  £5 adults (payable on the door, cash only – the concerts are free to all children under 16… and concert performers).  
2.  Maximum of 1 or 2 pieces per performer.  Total performance time of 3 minutes (Sunday concerts) and 6 minutes (Saturday Concert).
3.  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 be supplied on the door free or charge.   Drinks and nibbles will be served throughout as usual, also free of charge.
4.  You can either submit your entry to Susanna in person at this email address, or ask your tutor to.

We can’t wait to see you all there!

MUSIC IN SCHOOLS…….

Congratulations to our piano teachers Athena, Eleanor and River who have secured more teaching roles (1 on 1 piano tuition) within The Drive Prep School in Hove, The Endeavour Academy in Oxford and Glenesk prep school, located between Guildford and Leatherhead.  A brilliant achievement, securing yet more term-time relationships and enabling children to learn within the school day… or on site straight after school!

If you’re interested in piano lessons in Guildford, our Guildford school page includes all our tutors and opening times.

We’re so proud of the roles that our tutors play in creating learning environments that continuously inspire our pupils on their musical journeys.  Ask your school for more details about the options SCMT can offer, or contact us direct!

What an amazing weekend we had celebrating our young musicians.  Hundreds of eager music pupils and parents making the most of the opportunity to play their music in front of an excited crowd.  Thank you all for coming and supporting us and enabling us to raise lots of money for our chosen charity (Fun in Action for Children, total raised to be confirmed by the end of this week).  Music lives to be let out!!!

We wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!  SCMT has some amazing new music teachers joining us this week.  Have you contacted us yet to arrange some lessons?  Here is Elena (pictured), fully vetted and ready to go.  Five more are also waiting in the wings.

The first lesson is free and without any obligation. Pay as you go if you’d prefer. Lessons at home at no extra cost. A free starter pack. Brilliant concerts to perform in. Dedicated, engaging, inspired, happy tutors ?.   Come and join us on our musical adventure…

Check out our list of tutors on our music tutors page.

We have recently asked parents whether they’d like to write their tutor a testimonial for the website… and we now have more than 100 for you to read!  Here are some that arrived yesterday in the SCMT Christmas mailbox…

‘Tom has been teaching Max (aged 8) piano for about three months and it’s going really well. Tom has found the perfect balance for Max – they cover an impressive amount of ground, but have a lot of fun at the same time. Tom is a great communicator – always positive and encouraging – and structures the sessions clearly which helps Max feel confident. He also gives clear instructions for practice, which really helps us to keep things going in between sessions. Our priority was for learning an instrument to be fun and not a chore, and Tom has definitely achieved that. Max is practising without complaint and loves to play us what he is learning, so I feel he is developing a strong foundation that he can build on as he grows older. Thank you Tom!’  From mum, Elly.

‘Our daughter Lara has been having beginner’s piano lessons for a few weeks now. Laura, her teacher is so lovely, patient and encouraging. Together they breeze through the book. Lara loves playing and doesn’t need encouragement to practice.’  From mum, Katerina.

“Charlie has been a really excellent piano teacher. In the 2 months or so that he has been teaching Stephane, I have seen him make a lot of progress and really enjoy the sessions. Charlie’s enthusiasm for teaching children is very apparent, and his positive approach has really helped create a good relationship with Stephane.”  From dad, Fabrice.

We wanted to share a reference we gained for our new Oxford tutor, Victoria.  Firstly, it’s very much appreciated that people take the time to go into so much detail.  Secondly, we’re so delighted to hear such great re-assurances!  She still has spaces for new violin pupils and is proving very popular already with our young strings players!

‘This is an absolutely outstanding young musician, who has enormous empathy with children, out of the ordinary teaching, performing and mentoring skills and the ability to engage sensitively with people from all walks of life.  I have used photographs and videos of Victorias own pupil-led outreach projects as examples of excellent practise in my lectures throughout the UK and teaching programmes with trainee students.  If you would like to know more, please do not hesitate to contact me.  (A…… C……  OBE)

Our longstanding voice coach is now also offering Alexander Technique!

Adrian is a fully qualified Alexander Technique Teacher and runs a private practice in Hove giving individual private lessons. He trained at the Brighton Alexander Technique College, undergoing a 3 year full time STAT accredited course.  The Alexander technique can help you with:

Playing a musical instrument or singing

Enhancing performance in any activity

Managing stress and anxiety in performance

Voice or breathing problems

Improving your posture

Adrian helps his clients use their bodies better by improving overall co-ordination and balance to reduce excess muscle tension and promote freedom of movement.  He works with musicians and singers to improve their posture, co-ordination and breath efficiency so that they can perform with less tension and more freedom .

Sessions last 40 minutes.  Please call or email us for prices.  Discounts are available if you book a course of lessons.

SCMT Charity Concerts (Summer 2017)…

We would like to thank everyone for playing your music over the last two weekends.  The events were an absolute triumph and we couldn’t have hoped for a better turnout.  There were over 100 performances in the end!  So many beginners, stepping up to the stage for the first time.  Lots of SCMT intermediates too – every year we’re left stunned by how much you’ve progressed (and how much you’ve grown).  We’ll see you all again in December!

Thank you to Ackerman Music for sponsoring us again, we couldn’t do it without you.

Thank you to our tutors for encouraging your pupils, guiding them at every step – and continuing to inspire them.

We raised an amazing £610 for our chosen charity – MSF (doctors without borders).

Music lives to be let out!

Susanna Cassam.