No! You are never too old to start learning anything - let alone a new instrument!

Our adult learners are given time and space to get to grips with their chosen instruments - there’s no pressure to succeed. If you want to learn, then you can take lessons - it’s as simple as that!

Most of our adult learners get to grips with things really quickly as there’s no strict guidelines in place. Come and give it a go!

Keep going! As the old cliche goes, ‘practice makes perfect’. It happens to be true! Try and find which areas you may be struggling with, and communicate with your teacher. The more you practise, the more comfortable you’ll find playing your instrument.

We use all kinds of techniques to help you learn the intricate notes and scales - including rhymes and written exercises. It all takes practise - try at home, too!

For piano, we recommend using a traditional or acoustic instrument, however, you can also consider a keyboard with weighted keys.

However, it’s really important to learn the weighting of keys as you would with a normal piano - so acoustic or digital (rather than a keyboard) are always best!

For guitar, a simple, nylon acoustic guitar is a great practice instrument. Six strings are ideal! For children, consider their height when buying - but it’s all to do with your budget, and the time you’d like to put in.

Ideally, adults should practise instruments for around 30 minutes a day, five times a week. For children, double their age - and that’s the ideal number of minutes they should practice for each day!

Of course, due to school and other commitments, practising in such clean blocks is not always possible. So, try splitting up practise time around your schedule - ten minutes here and there, for example!

No - there’s never any need for you to take exams unless you really want to!

You can make plenty of progress without getting into exams. However, if you do decide you’d like to study for a qualification at Fanfare, you can! You can learn via ABRSM with us, for example.

All kids are different when it comes to attention spans and the best time to practise! Therefore, make sure to praise your children and try to learn together! Try and find a comfortable time when they’re alert and happy to practise, and let them ‘teach’ you along the way - most kids love showing adults a thing or two, especially as they progress!

Practise is absolutely key! If there are one or two areas that you’re struggling with, isolate that part. Keep practising it alone - don’t keep playing or progressing until you’re comfortable with it.

Learning an instrument is all down to muscle memory! The more you practice and train your brain to tackle a difficult part, the easier it will become - and it’ll become second nature in time.

Repetition can be boring for a lot of children, so try and encourage them to practice it a little differently each time - at different tempos, tones, and volumes, for example!

Yes - if you want to improve your playing accuracy or even your playing speed, then scales are crucial. They are brilliant for helping you get to grips with sharps and flats, and helping you to manoeuvre your fingers around the piano.

In our experience, most people love learning scales - it’s really satisfying as you start to master them! Why not give them a go?

We generally ask children to sing wherever possible, with the youngest of students really getting into it! It can be awkward for older kids and also for adults at times. However, we encourage students to take things one step at a time - everyone has a singing voice in them somewhere!

You don’t have to be a ‘good’ singer to take an exam - the same goes for instruments! However, if adults want to take exams, there will be elements where you need to use your voice!

Just send us a message or an email! We’ll help you find the best time for your schedule to come and join us. You’ll get to join a trial session for free - there’s absolutely nothing to pay - and you can decide if you’d like to continue. Simple!

Everyone has a singing voice within them! You don’t need to be a confident singer to take part, you just need a little confidence to get going. There’s never any auditions, and in fact, many of our choir members claimed they ‘couldn’t sing’ when they got started!

There’s no need to worry about sheet music, and while we do sometimes use sheets, you’ll learn by ear.

Don’t worry! Absolutely everyone in the choir is nervous the first time they perform. You’ll find a friendly welcome here, and Jenna will explain everything to you before you join. We’re always available via email to help you with any questions beforehand, too.

We’re confident you’ll feel at ease after a couple of rehearsals - drop us a line, or come along and see for yourself!