PayThePiper.co.uk
Title
Pay the Piper
Description
So you want to learn a musical instrument? We advise you what instrument to play, where to buy one, how to get lessons, what it will cost - everything you need to know about instrumental tuition
A singer, clarinettist, double-bassist and pianist, David spent 25 years as a school music teacher in London, Scotland, Norfolk and Suffolk before becoming a manager of Suffolk County Council's Schools Music Service which employs instrumental teachers, loans instruments, provides lessons to pupils in most of the County's schools and operates its own examination system. It also provides bands, orchestras, choirs and other out-of-school activities for young musicians.
During his twelve years with the Music Service, David found that many of the enquiries he received were very basic ones relating to parents' need for information and reassurance about choosing an instrument for their son or daughter, about buying the instrument and maintaining it, and about what standards might reasonably be expected and what opportunities would present themselves. Paradoxically, as his task was to provide services to schools and not members of the public, he was not officially allowed to answer this type of question - though he always did! So when he retired from real work in 2001 it made sense to use some of the expertise he had built up over the years making such information available to those who need it through this website. He is greatly assisted in this task by having access to friends and former colleagues who are very experienced instrumental teachers, and can usually come up with any answers he doesn't know himself.
