If you dread the thought of getting up in front of a group of people and performing, you are not alone. Millions of people suffer from performance anxiety, commonly called "stage fright." Performance anxiety can prevent you from doing what you enjoy and can affect your career. Worst of all, performance anxiety can negatively affect your self-esteem and self-confidence. Although it may be impossible to totally overcome performance anxiety, there are many things you can do to

There is an interesting paper I found online The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance by Ericsson . This paper talks about focused practice and how different practice styles effect the mind. If you have a spare period of time the 44 pages are well worth reading. I found this article via a website that states We’re generally more happy when we’re creating compared to consuming. Don’t believe me? Here’s a simple test: next time you watch TV fo

There have been so many proven benefits to listening to classical music that do not need to be looked at here. The topic of this article is

I ALWAYS make that mistake. If you always make that mistake you are practising getting better at that mistake.

What separates successful people from others is not how naturally talented they were, but how many times they failed, yet they keep going wh

“Tell me, I forget, show me, I remember, involve me, I understand.” Carl Orff said that, he was known for his new methods in teaching children. At Stalybridge Music Academy we believe the best way to learn anything is to have a go, make it happen. This is why we start with general music lessons at 4 or 5 years old. At any age, if you are not sure what to play, just ask and our teachers can advise, many are multi instrumentalists themselves. Our teachers use different approach

We had a fabulous time at our small Soirée on Saturday evening.

We had a great time at our first teacher's concert on 7th September. It was so encouraging to see everyone get up and give it a go. Music Award certificates were presented to everyone who had the confidence to get up and perform and one student received a 1000 hours practice sew on badge. Pizza perfection was supplied from The Canadian Charcoal Pit on Market Street. The next student event is for Andrew's students on 5th October - looking forward to it already.

I almost scrolled past this video on Facebook. I follow BBC Wales as I love the country, but I don't often look at the articles. However this one caught my eye " Derick was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 12 years ago - he says learning to play the piano has helped to slow the effects of the disease." I am sure you can see why I stopped. A life changed by music, a disease slowed by music, and a soul encouraged and pushing forward even though everything says give up. Wow, I

Join the minute marathon.

Many thanks to Donna for gifting the Foundation with these Cornets. They will be passed over to our Brass Tutor Matt to clean, fix, oil and restore so that they can then be available to loan to people wanting to learn Cornet, or to be made available to a Sponsor who wishes to fund the lessons for someone wanting to learn Cornet for a year who cannot afford it. Can you help by gifting instruments, funding lessons, or funding the whole package in return for accreditation, valid

At Music Academy the 1 to 1 music lessons start at 30 minutes long. This is because most new students are beginners and the mind can process and remember the information from a 30 minute lesson much better than a 60 minute lesson. This means that a 30 minute lesson will give you sufficient value for your money. Not only are these short sessions affordable for many people but they also help to ensure that you make progress without risking overspending and not achieving. Severa