The Music Circle - 4 Queen's Rd

A fantastic music school for kids to cultivate a genuine interest and love for music. The teachers are so passionate about both the music and the children and their enthusiasm really rubs off on both the child and the parents! I love the fact that they encourage a total immersion in the world of music by encouraging the children to participate in music festivals; familiarise themselves with different instruments; form mini ensembles to play together - truly making music come alive for the child. I believe that their unique way of developing the child's musical abilities will result in a lifelong love of music in my son, which is exactly what I am looking for!

i find that The Music Circle is different from most music schools in that there is a real commitment to ensuring students emerge holistically enriched in all aspects of music and not just focused on learning pieces or preparing for exams. There is a conscious attitude to making an inclusive environment with Teachers, parents and students to let Music making become an enjoyable life-Long affair. Highly recommend!

When we first joined TMC, it was just starting up and I was very attracted to the idea of group classes and having my child learn without the pressure of taking exams. The teachers were excellent and very accommodating. However over the 3 years I saw a change in the way things were being run. My child stopped looking forward to group classes and didn’t enjoy playing the piano. The piano pieces I taught her myself such as Angelfish and Fur Elise were not carried on well after her teacher took over. During circuit breaker, the school forced us to take online lessons or pay a fee to rejoin classes after suspension. My child could not operate the device and starhub also had a power outrage during that time, so we pushed pause on the lessons. I was then told after physical lessons resumed that her slot had been filled up and she could no longer have teacher Alyssa, who is the main reason why my child wanted to join the school. We continued another year with a different teacher, who was much younger and less experienced. Then I decided to enrol my child in the abrsm exams as the classes were all fun and games and she wasn’t progressing as fast as her sibling in another music school. The teacher did a poor recording of her playing (full of pauses and mistakes) and expected me to upload the recording without giving me clear instructions. When I informed abrsm about it, they said the school should be uploading the recording and not pushing to the parent. The school washed their hands off the matter and luckily I got my refund back to upload the recording. Needless to say, she barely passed and the school didn’t bother to find out how she did. I then decided to pull my child out and asked Clarence on how to go about doing it. Before I could decide, immediately they removed us from the music group chat and my child felt very hurt. There was no notice and they did not apologise. They did add us back afterwards but immediately removed us at the earliest chance after her last lesson started at 3pm today. Do not expect too much in terms of piano technicality from the school. Their focus is very much on branding themselves through group performance classes (where they play games and learn music history) and will charge you high prices for them although you as a parent cannot attend now during the covid period. They are more interested in creating a music community than promoting your child’s individual musical skills and ability, if fun and games are what you primarily want for your child, this is the school for you. The teachers are caring and qualified though questionable in training individual piano playing. They don’t track student’s personal progression due to their belief that learning is best done through performance and ensemble playing. Clarence as the administrator will never admit he is wrong and you will find it difficult to contact him by calling. There is over reliance on WhatsApp messages and unfortunately this has led to much misunderstanding. I have carried on with the school as long as I could have for the sake of continuity for my child, but it is clear they do not want us as a part of the school anymore.

The Music Circle team's creativity, ingenuity and indomitable spirit in making things work despite the pandemic and all the safety restrictions is truly amazing. Having lessons continue online without missing a beat, persisting with musicianship/theory training - even holding a music camp online during the Circuit Breaker, 'the show must go on' attitude - with performance classes via Zoom... Kudos to the team for your enthusiasm, commitment and genuine love for music-making! It's a joy to part of The Music Circle.

Excellent experience at The Music Circle. It is not always that we come across an enrichment centre which cares so fundamentally about developing the child’s interest. My boy has benefitted tremendously from the genuine care and pedagogical excellence of the teachers. Thank you.

I would like to commend The Music Circle’s teachers for their dedication and creativity in sharing the joy of music with my kids. My daughter attends the group class and the piano class, and the learnings in the group class has opened her mind to the world of Beatles, Mozart and music instruments from different countries. The teachers also put in a lot of effort to monitor and motivate her to practice her piano and she has progressed well. My son attends the parents accompanied class and he learns about the different musical notes through stories and songs. Both my kids look forward to The Music Circle every weekend and I wouldn’t hesitate to sign them up again!

If you are looking for a more holistic approach to music education and an emphasis in nurturing a passion for the arts then The Music Circle is for you. Here group classes complement individual sessions, they also organise multi day camps during the school holidays, recitals and performance classes, outings to see shows and so on. Both my kids have been attending for several months and really enjoy their time here.

I would recommend TMC to anyone who wants more than just instrumental lessons and for anyone in search of a holistic music education. My daughter joined TMC’s violin academy in Sep 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Remarkably, during this time, the school has supported her in successful P6 DSA applications, instrumental camps, internal recitals and concerts. She has had the opportunity to perform solo, in duets and in an ensemble – all of these mostly conducted in person, with live performances and not over zoom. Even when zoom classes were conducted, we received technical support from TMC, which ensured that the lessons were as effective as possible given the circumstances. My daughter enjoys attending the Group & Ensemble classes, which enrich her experience with interesting lessons and activities that weave in different elements like music theory and history etc. Everyone at TMC works well together, and what sets them apart from other music schools is that the teachers genuinely enjoy what they do. The teachers go to great lengths to implement their unique and interesting programs, united in their dedication to helping students love, learn, explore and appreciate music in a supportive environment. We have found everyone at TMC to be caring, enthusiastic and always willing to help all the students, not just their own music students. The teachers also encourage their students to be responsible and disciplined in their regular music practice.