More questions? That's only natural.
We've put together answers to some of the most common questions parents ask. However, if the information you need isn't here call 905,420.6741 anytime and ask for Stephen or email us at
Q1
What is the best age to start music lessons?
While some very young students (age 5 or under) are able to progress well, age 6 tends to work better, especially for piano keyboard, simply because of the physical requirements of the instrument. Notable exceptions would include the Suzuki method of string teaching which has been effective for students as young as 3 years of age. A major reason for the success of Suzuki strings is because of the ability to downsize the string instruments to as small as 1/32 of the full-size instrument. In addition, like Talent CAN Be Taught, there is a significant ear training component to Suzuki instruction.
Q2
What is the best instrument on which to begin?
Lessons in Piano / Keyboard provide such a solid foundation for all music studies that it is difficult not to favour piano training. Even for those studying the Suzuki string method, piano instruction is recommended as a co-requisite by many teachers at least from the age of 6 or 7. Brass and woodwind instruments are best started a bit later, perhaps at about the age of 9 or 10.
Q3
How can you guarantee First Class Honours on RCM exams?
The simple answer is that we make sure that all of our students are prepared for success. More specifically, however, it is the various components of the Talent CAN Be Taught System as described in the book and which we offer as free bonuses to all of our Achievers registrants that help to ensure a dynamic and successful learning experience that naturally translates into outstanding achievement on exams.
Q4
Q5
What is the success rate of your students?
The average mark of nearly 200 of our students at all grade levels who have taken RCM exams in the two years since June 2011 is 87%. Even more impressively, almost half of these students received marks of 90 or higher, which is the RCM’s very elite First Class Honours With Distinction level. Some of our students have achieved this highest level of excellence as many as three or four times at progressively higher grade levels in the last two years.
How long does it take to reach a very advanced level?
The short answer is that it varies from person to person. The TCBT system, however, is designed to take students who enrol in our Achievers programs from beginner to ARCT in just seven years. Some of our students are currently working toward Grade 7 and 8 level RCM exams less than three years after taking their Grade 1 exam. This is especially noteworthy as we insist that no grade levels or exams are skipped, that many additional pieces are learned in each grade level (not just those for the exam), that all pages of books in every level of the basic curriculum are completed entirely, and that supplemental repertoire is also learned and performed for recitals and festivals. In other words, our students learn hundreds of musical selections, many by memory. They learn to read music as well as to play by ear, and learn to perform with technical proficiency and stylistic awareness. In some cases our students are working on pieces at levels far beyond their current grade at the same time as they are still reviewing pieces that they have learned in previous years, and even sometimes while also preparing for current exams. This ongoing exposure to a great wealth of music of different styles and from different eras, as well as of varying levels of difficulty is an important key to the extraordinarily high achievement on RCM exams that all of our students experience.