Getting started
Group band class or private lessons? Choosing the right music class for 2027
Both help your child improve, in different ways. Here is how to decide what fits your child next year.
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The BAS blog
Band and music tips for parents and students
Straight answers from our music directors on the questions families ask us most: which instrument to pick, how to practise, how to handle nerves, and how to prepare for SYF and DSA.
Getting started
Getting started
Which band instrument should my child learn? A parent's guide to wind instruments
Every band instrument suits a different kind of child. Here is what each one is like to learn, and how to choose without guessing.
Getting started
Why learn a wind instrument? The benefits for your child beyond piano and violin
A wind instrument puts your child in a group from the very start. That changes what they learn, and how long they stay with it.
Getting started
Band or orchestra? The difference, and which suits your child
The biggest difference is simple: strings. Everything else about the sound, the music and the experience follows from that.
Getting started
Why join a wind band? Eight things your child gains
After twenty years of directing school bands, these are the eight changes I see most often in students who stay with it.
Getting started
The benefits of learning a musical instrument for children, and what the research says
Some claims about music and children are overstated. Others are well supported. Here is what the research actually shows.
Getting started
How to get your child interested in music, from a music director and parent
You do not need to be musical to raise a musical child. You need to make music a normal, happy part of home life.
Practice and skills
Practice and skills
How to read music notes: a beginner's guide for band students
Reading music is like learning a new language. It feels slow at first, then one day you realise you are not decoding any more.
Practice and skills
Sight reading for band: practical tips that actually work
Good sight reading is not about playing every note right. It is about keeping going and staying with the band.
Practice and skills
How to practise music effectively: ten habits that make every session count
Twenty focused minutes beat an hour of playing through the easy bits. Here is how to make practice actually work.
Practice and skills
How to play with more expression: seven ways to make your music come alive
Two students play the same notes. One sounds correct. The other makes you want to keep listening. Here is what the second one is doing.
Practice and skills
Time management for students in band: how to balance CCA, school and rest
Band students are often busier than their friends, and many of them still do better at school. Here is how they manage it.
Auditions and performing
Auditions and performing
What ABRSM grade does my child need for DSA music?
There is no single grade that every school asks for. Here is what schools actually say, and what matters more on audition day.
Auditions and performing
How to prepare for a band audition or DSA music trial: a complete guide
Good preparation is the difference between hoping it goes well and knowing you are ready. Here is a plan that works.
Auditions and performing
How to overcome performance anxiety: a guide for young musicians
Almost every performer gets nervous. The difference is knowing what to do with it.
Auditions and performing
The final stretch: how to prepare for your SYF Arts Presentation
In the final weeks, your notes should already be there. Now it is about the details that make a band sound like one band.
Auditions and performing
Why student leaders should learn to conduct, and how to start
Student leaders run sectionals, warm ups and sometimes whole rehearsals. A few conducting skills make that job much easier.