All children aged 8-18 who play a brass instrument and have passed their Grade 1 are welcome on our courses.
They will work with others of a similar ability for the Small Emsemble sessions; then for the Masterclass sessions they are divided by instrument - so that, for example, the trombones will all learn together. (Trumpets are usually divided by ability as well for Masterclass sessions, as there are always so many of them.)
The Workshop, a separate advanced and intensive course run in parallel with our regular Summer Courses, is aimed at high level performance solely for players who have taken their Grade 8 or Diploma.
Age-wise, children of all ages attend our courses. On our Summer Courses, about half the children are teenagers: at Easter (when summer exams are looming for older children), the age profile tends to be slightly younger and about a quarter of the children are 13 and over. But on both courses we have children of all ages, and all are welcome. All children are treated appropriately for their age: we realize that teenagers need and want less structure in the evenings, whereas younger children are generally happier and get more involved when activities are laid on for them.
We have welcomed children on our courses from Norway, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Hong Kong, China and Singapore, as well as from all areas of the UK.
At the Brass Academy it takes about 20 seconds to make new friends!