Instrumental Lessons with Pelican Music
From our experience students who have an individual attention of their teacher not only progress at a faster and more consistent rate, but also enjoy their lessons more and stick with their instrument for longer.
This is why all our lessons both in school and out are 1:1.
If you are new to musical tuition, feel free to reach out to us by email and talk to us about what instrument would fit you better.
Individual Lessons
Instruments we teach will differ depending on the school, but in general, we offer lessons in the following:
Strings
Violin
Viola
Cello
Classical Guitar
Electric Bass Guitar
Brass
Trumpet
Cornet
Trombone
French Horn
Woodwind
Clarinet
Flute
Recorder
Saxophone
Fife
Keyboards
Piano
Percussion
Drum Kit
Vocal
Singing
Please note: All children will need access to their own instrument for practice outside of the lessons.
If you are new and not sure where to start, our teachers would be happy to direct you to the best places to purchase or hire a beginner instrument. Please contact us for more information.
When can you start learning an instrument?
We firmly believe it’s never too early to engage with music, and are keen to make sure that all of our children have a positive first experience with their music lessons. Over many years of experience, we have found that if students start with an instrument that is either too big or too complicated for their age group, the eager excitement can quickly turn into indifference and students end up losing the spark.
That is why we recommend certain instruments for specific school year groups as students usually have better success starting with an instrument that is appropriate to their size, even if they don’t carry on with this instrument as they get older.
For example, string instruments can be sized specifically for young learners, so this is why we offer our Reception students a choice of the violin, viola, or cello.
Starting with a string instrument allows students to build a foundation relationship with music, even if they choose to switch to something else further down the line. Some of the most famous musicians in the world started their musical journeys on a completely different instrument!
However, we do recognise that sometimes children know exactly what they want, and just can’t wait to start their dream instrument! This is why, in some circumstances, we will accept Reception age students on Piano or Guitar during our after-school program. We assess each case individually and if you or the teacher feel like the time is not quite right, you can opt to re-book for another assessment in a few months’ time, choose another instrument, or wait until Year 1 to begin lessons in-school.
Our primary focus is ensuring that we are always doing right by our students and making sure that their musical journey is the best it can be!
Violin, Viola, and Cello
Children in Reception can start learning a bowed string instrument. Instruments can be rented on a monthly basis, and come in lots of different sizes suitable for little fingers!
Learning a bowed instrument is a really good introduction to music. As the basis of learning is only a few notes, it is a great starter for young children. Playing string instruments also automatically means you can play with other children in orchestras. We make sure that even our youngest players have the chance to make music with their friends.
We recommend renting when choosing a string instrument as students quickly change through sizes and its important that they always play on the correct size. Kensington Chimes or Stringers, both in West London, are great places to rent from. They will size your child up perfectly for the appropriate instrument, and also provide new sizes when needed.
Piano
Children can start learning the piano in Year 1. Most children are a little taller by this point and have slightly larger hands to be able to manage the piano and reach the pedals.
The piano is a great base instrument for any child, as well as one of our most popular instrument to learn at Pelican Music.
If possible, we recommend all children learn piano, even if they are already learning other instrument as their main study - all because knowing how to play piano is a very useful tool to have. Playing the piano contrinbutes to memory development, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills.
It might sound a little like over-planning, but when it comes to applying for any music scholarships at secondary school, children will need to play two different instruments. For our budding young string, brass, or woodwind players, piano is therefore a great second study instrument to enhance their musical journey.
Guitar
We teach classical guitar for primary school students from Year 1. Like the bowed string instruments, it's really important to get the correctly sized instrument. It’s a little tricky to get instruments small enough for reception age children so this is why we offer guitar from Year 1.
Although lots of children start learning guitar to be able to play their favourite pop music, we still teach classical guitar as the basis in order to give students the best start. Being able to read music and play melodies, in addition to chords, really opens up opportunities for guitarists, whether they continue with classical or use their skills to explore their favourite chart songs.
Woodwind and Brass
We offer lessons on recorder and flute/fife from year 1.
Children can start another woodwind or brass instrument from Year 2, provided they have their two front teeth! By year 2, most children have enough puff to manage one of these amazing instruments. There are so many different instruments in this family, you'll have plenty of choice to decide what suits your child best.
Woodwind instruments are a fantastic instrument to start young children with. Woodwind and Brass players are a vital part of any school orchestra, often having important solos. Equally, because they are less common amongst young learners, when it comes to scholarships, bursaries, and auditions these instruments will sometimes pose an advantage!
Drums
We offer lessons for drum kit from Year 2 onwards. We know that some children might be showing some real rhythm from the start, and itching to get started. However, just the sheer size of school drum kits means we have to wait a little longer before we can start teaching our budding drummers!
A common misconception with drums is that you have to buy your child a drum kit straight away. YOU DON’T! We know that living in London, sometimes that’s not even an option, but certainly to start with all our teachers recommend getting a pair of sticks and a practice pad to practice all the different rhythms and techniques they start with. When you do want to get a kit, a great option is an electric kit, which can plug headphones in and also pack down nice and small.
Singing
Pupils can take up singing lessons from Year 2. Learning to sing with one of our qualified teachers helps students to learn techniques and exercises that are suitable for the effective development of the voice.