Learning music

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.

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout.