Instrumental Lessons
LESSONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING INSTRUMENTS:
Violin Trumpet Contemporary Guitar (Acoustic)
Viola Cornet Contemporary Guitar (Electric)
Cello French Horn Bass Guitar
Double Bass Trombone Voice
Oboe Euphonium Piano
Flute Tuba Jazz Piano
Clarinet Orchestral Percussion Contemporary Piano
Recorder Drum Kit
Saxophone Classical Guitar
Lesson organisation
23 independent instrumental teachers visit the school each week to give instrumental lessons. These are usually of 30 minutes duration and timetabled throughout the school day, in the same tradition as British schools in the UK.
Lessons are arranged for a fixed time each week and normally involve withdrawal from part of a class lesson. (It is not possible to comply with requests for specific times and only students from Years 10 to 13 can expect to have the priority of lunch time, break time, before and after school slots).
Once the initial application has been made by completing the electronic application form on My School Portal, students will be allocated a teacher and informed of their instrumental lesson time via an email to their parents.
No student should change or switch a lesson with another student without first consulting the instrumental teacher and the music office.
Timetables for music lessons in the new school year are drawn up during the summer holidays for lessons to begin at the start of term. Please return your application form to the music office at your earliest convenience and your child’s lessons will be timetabled to start as soon as possible. Applications received throughout the year will be dealt with as quickly as possible and lessons should begin as soon as a time slot is available.
Choosing an instrument
We organise a “Try a Musical Instrument” event early in September which is recommended for any student still unsure about which instrument he or she would like to learn. This provides a rare opportunity to try playing a variety of different instruments and to hear the sound they make. It also presents the chance to meet with our instrumental teachers.
Charges
The current charge is €37.50 per 30 minute lesson. Please note that these charges are subject to an annual review and are index linked. Lessons longer than 30 minutes will be charged at the pro-rata rate of €75 per hour. Music lesson invoices are issued by the individual instrumental teachers (not the school) at the start of each term, and parents should arrange to pay the teachers directly via bank transfer within two weeks of the issue date.
Instrument purchase
Your child may already have an instrument, or you may wish to purchase one immediately. If you are thinking of buying an instrument we recommend consulting your instrumental teacher for advice first. This could even lead to a discounted price in some cases.
Instrument rental
If your child does not have an instrument and you do not yet wish to commit to purchasing one, there is the option of renting from school. It is possible to rent all orchestral instruments from us, as well as guitars and bass guitars. (We unfortunately do not rent out pianos, harps, or drum kits.) After 3 years of lessons we would usually expect students to have purchased their own instrument
During your child’s first lesson (s)he will be allocated an instrument and given a rental contract to bring home. This contract will contain information about the type and condition of the instrument at the time of rental, its school reference number, as well as information about approximate value, annual rental fee, etc. Before the rental instrument is released to the student, the contract must have been countersigned and returned to the music office.
Rental invoices will be sent to families by the school’s finance department in the Summer Term and should be paid promptly by bank transfer. (Please refer to the grid on page 6 for prices.)
Care of instruments
All instruments, whether owned or rented, must be clearly labelled with name, form/class and home address of the student.
The owner or borrower must take responsibility for looking after his or her instrument carefully. A storeroom is provided in the music department where instruments should be left on lesson and rehearsal days. They should not be left in the store room for long periods of time, and should be left in allocated places, not on the floor. Loss or damage to instruments must be reported immediately to the music office.
Insurance
We recommend that all instruments whether owned or rented are insured, as school insurance does not cover them. An approximate value of rented instruments is shown in the grid on page 6 for your guidance. It is recommended that you take out an ‘all risks’ policy on rented or owned instruments. This can be organised through your household insurance.
Making good progress
We hope that all students will make good progress, and this can be helped by:
Regular and purposeful practice
This is essential! The teacher will indicate how much practice is needed, but a beginner will need at least 15 minutes a day. Parents can assist by ensuring that practice is purposeful, even if they only have limited musical knowledge.
Examinations
The BSB is an examination centre for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and the contemporary Rock School Examination Board. We are able to offer all students the opportunity to take practical exams here at school in both classical and contemporary instruments. Theory examinations also take place regularly throughout the year.
Developing ensemble skills
The skill of ensemble playing forms an important part of students’ musical education which we wish to encourage. For this reason students taking instrumental lessons are fully expected to participate in the music department’s extra-curricular programme
Those taking lessons in orchestral instruments are expected to play in our main instrumental ensembles such as concert band, concert strings or one of our intermediate bands, depending on level of ability. Places for our main instrumental ensembles are by audition. These take place at the start of the academic year and again in January where some students may move up from one group to another. Our main instrumental ensembles are:
• Orchestra (Grade 5 and above ABRSM level).
• Concert Band (Grade 3 and above ABRSM level).
• Concert Strings (Grade 3 and above ABRSM level).
• Intermediate Band (Grade 1 to 3 ABRSM level).
• Intermediate Strings (Grade 1 to 3 ABRSM level).
Additional ensemble groups for various instruments offer extra opportunities to our orchestral instrument students, although in order to have access to these groups they must first commit to one of our main instrumental ensembles, listed above. Our policy for instrumental lessons can be found on My School Portal.
Pianists, guitarists and drummers should perform in our concerts where appropriate. There are occasional
opportunities for pianists to accompany ensembles or soloists, and for guitarists and drummers to play in bands.
All instrumentalists should join a school choir to develop sight singing, aural and ensemble skills, as well as general musicianship. This applies in particular to pianists, who do not often get the chance to play in an ensemble.
Taking
performance opportunities
School events allow plenty of opportunities for students to perform as soloists or part of an ensemble. Our main annual events such as our Christmas and Summer concerts and the March Music Festival create a wealth of opportunities for our students to perform in formal situations. We also feature performances on a smaller scale throughout the year.
Annual ‘class concerts’ have become a feature in both Primary and Secondary Schools, which allow students an opportunity to play an instrument in front of their peers. Assemblies at all levels often feature musical performances. On occasion Secondary students perform to Primary students, or vice versa, as well as playing to their own peer groups.
Music Prize
The school awards three music prizes each year, to students who have shown themselves to be exceptional in their commitment to music in school, both as an individual and within our school ensembles. The award is a trophy which the students can keep: the school also covers the cost of instrumental lessons throughout the next academic year (weekly lessons of 30 minutes).
The aim is to award prizes to exceptional individuals. Nominations occur soon after our Music Festival in March. Auditions, which include a performance and an interview, soon follow and the awards are announced in May.
To qualify for a music prize nomination, students must be:
• Staying at BSB for the next school year.
• A reliable member of a main school ensemble (instrumental or vocal).
• Achieving a high level of ability in performance for their age.
• Committed to their instrumental lessons, attending on time and practising regularly.
• Genuinely interested in music and willing to help the department promote music to others.
Rental Charges and Insurance Values
Terms & Conditions
Instrumental tuition is provided by independent instrumental teachers who are not employed by BSB. Tuition fees, therefore, cover all mandatory social and fiscal charges, and other necessary costs associated with their independent status. An instrumental teacher is not paid if he/she is absent because of illness or any other reason; nor during vacation periods.
A lesson is defined as 30 minutes of instruction per week. The timetabling of lessons is agreed with the Director of Music.
Fees for each term must be paid in advance. Invoices are payable directly to the instrumental teacher within two weeks of the issue date
Lessons continue until written notice to discontinue instrumental lessons is received by the Instrumental Teacher and the Director of Music via music@ britishschool.be at least one full calendar month before the end of a school term. Lessons will then stop at the end of the term.
Please note that lessons will continue automatically into the next term including after the summer holidays unless notice is given as stipulated above.
Fees will be charged for the following term if notice to discontinue lessons is not received in due time. If the student misses a lesson because of illness, vacation or for any other reason beyond the control of the Instrumental Teacher, that lesson will be charged. The exception to this stipulation is if the student takes part in a school activity that is notified to the Instrumental Teacher at least one week in advance In this case, one lesson per term may be replaced.
In the absence of the instrumental teacher the missed lesson will be replaced or not invoiced.
• For Primary School students, the parent(s)/guardian is responsible for notifying the Instrumental Teacher of any planned trips/absences.
• For Secondary School students, the parent or student is responsible for notifying the Instrumental Teacher of any trips and/or exam absences.
• Attendance at instrumental lessons on Report Days or during Exam Sessions is expected and charged, unless the Instrumental Teacher receives written notice from the parent(s), guardian or student at least one week in advance
The Instrumental Teachers also reserve the right to discontinue lessons in accordance with these conditions.
