Brass Instrumental Tuition at Dunnington C.E. Primary School

1. Playing an instrument makes you smarter

Einstein once said: “Life without playing music is inconceivable to me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music”. And as it turns out, Einstein was onto something: many studies show a correlation between musical training and academic success, in both children and adults. Learning to play an instrument stimulates the brain, improving functions like memory and abstract reasoning skills, which are essential for maths and science.

2. Your social life will improve

Playing an instrument isn’t only good for your brain, it’s also great for expanding your social circle. Joining a musical group at any age encourages you to develop relationships with new kinds of people. It also builds skills in leadership and team-building, as well as showing you the rewards of working with others.

3. Playing an instrument relieves stress

Music keeps you calm. It has a unique effect on our emotions, and has even been proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure. Psychologist Jane Collingwood believes that slow classical music is often the most beneficial. “Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies, especially slow, quiet classical music. This type of music can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones.”

4. Playing an instrument gives you a sense of achievement

Messed up your part in rehearsal, then totally nailed it at the performance? Playing and succeeding at a musical instrument gives you a huge sense of pride and achievement, especially when you manage to perfect a passage you’ve been struggling with for weeks.

5. It builds your confidence

Playing an instrument helps you get comfortable with self-expression. As children begin to master their instrument, they will probably end up playing to a few audiences, starting with their music teacher or parents, and branching out to groups of other pupils and concert audiences. Playing in public can help children feel confident in presenting their work in a non-academic context.

6. Practising a musical instrument improves patience

It’s an important lesson to learn that the more effort you put into something, the better the result will be. Seeing your musical skills develop gradually over time gives you an enormous sense of achievement. Of course this won't happen overnight as it takes the discipline of playing every day to really make progress. That determination and application is an attitude that will apply to so many other aspects of your life.

7. It helps improve your memory

Researchers have found that learning to play a musical instrument can enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning and literacy skills. Playing an instrument makes you use both sides of your brain, which strengthens memory power.

8. It increases time management and organisational skills

Scheduling practice time into a daily routine really helps children's time management skills. They also need to make sure they are on time for their instrument lessons and bring all they will need.

9. Playing music makes you more creative

Practising and perfecting a piece of music does wonders for the creative side of your brain. No matter how much a composer annotates their composition, they cannot fully express how a piece of music should be played. So it is up to the player to put their own stamp on a piece, to inject some of their personality into the music. There’s a reason musical artists win awards for their performances.

10. Playing music is fun!

We can harp on about all the scientifically accurate benefits to learning a musical instrument – but what matters most is that it’s enjoyable for the player. While other hobbies like watching TV or flicking through social media are passive, playing music actively engages and stimulates the brain, making you feel happy and occupied.

Step 1: Join the Dunnington C.E. pBuzz Band (Thursday Afternoons 3:15pm - 4:15pm)

Your child will borrow a pBuzz instrument which they can take home and play and they will receive help and guidance on making a start. We'll cover holding the instrument correctly and basic techniques (breathing correctly, making a sound, playing a range of different notes etc.). We'll then move on to understanding simple music notation and playing tunes.

pBuzz Band sessions are £5.00 per 1 hour session and are chargeable regardless of attendance.

The button below takes you straight to the Registration Form on our website. Just choose 'Dunnington C.E. pBuzz Band' from the 'What would you like to join?' options.

Step 2: Sign Up for Individual Tuition

Once your child has got to grips with basic brass technique you can sign them up for weekly 30 minute 1-2-1 tuition sessions on their chosen brass instrument. These sessions can take place during the school day or, if you are concerned about classroom lessons being missed, sessions can take place at the York Music Forum Teaching Studio outside of school hours. Our custom-built Teaching Studio is on Bad Bargain Lane, Burnholme. The studio is spacious, sound-proofed with a kitchen area. Our Teaching Studio has toilet facilities and a comfortable seating area should you wish to sit in on sessions.

Step 3 :Join An York Music Forum Ensemble

In addition to in-school musical activities your child will be able to attend a York Music Forum ensemble starting with the Junior Band. Our ensemble sessions take place in the Hive Theatre at Manor CE Academy. Our Junior Band sessions are on Mondays at 6pm.

Step 4: Progress Through The Ensembles

We have 5 ensembles/ learning groups giving a range of opportunities for all young musicians and a consistency of approach. As the young musicians become more skilled and experienced they have the opportunity to progress through our ensembles. Our ensembles have a national reputation for their quality and for giving young musicians performance opportunities they won't get anywhere else. Here's our Youth Jazz Ensemble performing at the Music For Youth Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2018 (we've been invited back to perform again in November 2022!).