The Royal Irish Academy of Music’s new Adult Division invites aspiring musicians at all stages of life to resume or begin their instrumental studies. Ariane Todes meets the first student cohort
Youth is wasted on the young, they say. How many of us look back to the instrumental lessons we had as children and wish we’d kept playing? Recent research gives a clue to the scale: during lockdown, one million people took up an instrument, according to a 2021 UK Music survey, and Gear4Music saw its sales rise by 80 per cent in the first three months.
Clearly there is demand, and to meet this there are adult education services, local authority classes, and private teachers. But very few conservatoires offer even broad music classes, let alone instrumental lessons. So I was excited to discover that the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in Dublin not only offers beginner classes for adults, but has also created a dedicated Adult Division. I got on a plane to find out more.
On a Monday evening in early October, I arrive at the elegant Georgian town house in central Dublin that has been the conservatoire’s home since 1870. It may only be the third week of the very first term, but the students aren’t messing about. The first lesson I visit is a violin class of three people, all of a ‘certain age’, who perform a tune they’ve been learning. It’s simple, but by no means easy, and they play it very well, with focus and effort etched on their brows.
One student, Philomena, has played traditional fiddle before and during lockdown had lessons online: ‘I never felt I had command of the bow, so I wanted to try classical with the idea of going back to trad. Now I really like classical. It’s a challenge, but it’s also a creative outlet. You can’t be thinking about anything else, just focusing on a particular point. It’s a form of meditation.’
Violin teacher Maria-Noelle Creevey understands the impact on her students’ well-being: ‘There are so many benefits of having time away from your everyday life to do something that maybe you imagined but haven’t had the chance to do. There’s no deadline to picking up an instrument. Adults appreciate it so much. They want to be here and they want to learn.’
In the piano class upstairs, three men take turns across two pianos. Anthony bought a digital piano in lockdown – his late mother was a pianist and playing it gives him a connection with her. He didn’t get very far on his own, so signed up to the class: ‘I find it very interesting and pleasurable to play. It’s a struggle because sometimes you can
