EDINBURGH YOUNG MUSICIANS

What it’s like

Saturday morning music classes and lessons for ages 3 to 18, from musical play right up to string orchestra and chamber music.

This runs on Saturday mornings in term time, 9:30 to 1:30, and covers a proper span of musical stages. The youngest ones start with musical play and musical foundations classes, which is really about getting comfortable with rhythm and sound before any instrument gets involved. From there it moves into musicianship classes, recorder, and then strings: violin, viola and cello lessons through to string orchestra and chamber music groups.

What's useful here is the progression. A three-year-old isn't handed a violin on day one, they work through musical workshop classes first, so by the time your child is ready for an instrument they've already got some grounding in listening and timing. Older kids who've stuck with it end up in the choir or the chamber music groups, which is a proper step up from a weekly lesson.

It's a Saturday morning commitment across term time, so it suits a family who's happy to build the week around it rather than dip in occasionally. There's indoor seating if you're waiting around between classes or sessions, which matters given the age range means some families will have more than one child there at different levels.

If you've got a three-year-old and a teenager, this is one of the few setups where both could plausibly be doing something at the same time, from foundations classes at one end to string orchestra at the other.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

3 to 18, from first musical play to chamber music

• Runs term time only, Saturday mornings 9:30 to 1:30
• Musical play and foundations classes are the entry point for younger kids with no instrument experience
• Older kids can progress into choir, string orchestra or chamber music groups
• Indoor seating is available for waiting between classes

Plan your visit

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