The Adam Bethen Fund gives grants to cellists under 18 years old.
Application is by simple letter stating need for financial support and letter of recommendation from cello teacher. Amounts available for grant have varied from £50 to £600.
To apply please email Julianna Bethlen: adambethlenfund[at]hotmail.com
Charity no. 1072418
Do you know a child with a very special talent in music or dance?
Teachers and parents are being asked to look out for children and young people with exceptional talent and the dedication required to become a top performer so that they can be given specialist tuition.
Around 2,000 pupils are currently being taught in eight independent specialist schools in England and 20 Centres for Advanced Training (CATs) with support from the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme. Part of the scheme also helps about 100 Choristers each year attend independent choir schools in England.
At the music schools and CATs in the scheme, children from age eight upwards who have shown remarkable potential are given expert tuition alongside a good academic education. Children aged eleven and over can attend the dance schools and CATs. All the young people attending the CATs do so out of normal school hours.
Interview with Hester Cockcroft, Director of Awards for Young Musicians, June 5th 2009
Who are Awards for Young Musicians?
Awards for Young Musicians (AYM) was set up as a charity in August 1998. An instrument collector called Robert Lewin left a collection of very high quality instruments in his will, on the instruction that they be sold to create a fund which would help support the development of the UK’s most talented young musicians from lower income families, and so the organisation was born.
The Music Industries Association have worked hard with many retailers to put together a great pamphlet giving parents advice about what to look for when buying an instrument for their child, taking into account not just initial cost but also repairs and insurance.
The article covers renting an instrument while you discover whether your child is going to continue playing.
The advice covers instruments from violin and piano to trumpet, clarinet, flute, saxophone, electric keyboard, accoustic and electric guitar, and drums.
The Royal College of Music hadn't been top of my list as a provider of music education for any but the most gifted. I had no idea before today of the scope of their programming. This week they have offered workshops for children from 6 – 15 and although some have been structured for particular levels of instrumental ability, many have been open to everyone. I also expected that they would have been interested only in fostering an interest in classical music, but I was wrong about this too.
The Suzuki Method is based on the principle that all children learn to speak their own language and that other skills can be taught to them in the same natural way. It is also known as the ‘mother tongue method’.
The enormous benefits of a good music education are well-recognised, but very few music groups truly develop the key musical skills of a child to a high level while still maintaining enjoyment. But it can be done. The Szilvay Foundation, a charity founded by Dr Géza Szilvay 35 years ago, has been teaching young children using the Colourstrings approach, based on educational principles laid down by the Hungarian composer and educator Zoltán Kodály. The approach has been widely praised by music professionals around the world.
