Music teacher breaks record by taking nine exams on nine instruments in one day

Estelle Jackson takes nine exams on nine instruments in one day. Picture: Queen's College

By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM London

 

Huge props to this heroic music teacher for taking nine musical instrument exams in four hours, and passing every single one.

A music teacher has broken records to take nine musical instrument exams in one day.

After weeks of cramming, Estelle Jackson took exams in guitar, trombone, cello, xylophone, singing, bassoon, piano and soprano saxophone – all in the space of four hours.

Incredibly, Jackson deliberately settled on instruments she was not already adept at playing.

The visiting music teacher at Queen’s College in Taunton, Somerset has been told her valiant efforts have never been done before.

“Colleagues, and people I don’t even know, have been saying ‘That’s crazy, that’s absolutely amazing’. But to me, it just feels normal because I’ve been working on it for ages,” she told ITV.

Estelle Jackson broke records with her nine exams on nine instruments. Picture: Queen's College

On 28 June, Jackson found out that she had passed all nine exams, comprising Initial Grade Trumpet, Grade 1 Classical Guitar, Grade 2 Trombone, Grade 3 Cello, Grade 4 Xylophone, Grade 5 Singing, Grade 6 Bassoon, Grade 7 Piano and Grade 8 Soprano Saxophone.

In the process, she has raised £2,100 for Stand Against Violence and The Sidney Lawton Music Trust, giving students the chance to practise and develop their musical abilities with the latter.

“It’s been brilliant,” she added. “The amount that people have donated has blown my mind... that’s the most I’ve ever managed to raise, though obviously I couldn’t have done it on my own because my colleagues have been so supportive.”

The music teacher of 25 years said that taking one exam after the other was tricky, as it didn’t allow time for disappointments to settle.

Jackson is told her musical feat has never been done before. Picture: Queen's College

She explains: “I had a really difficult time in the bassoon exam – I was a bit disappointed, and then I didn’t play the piano as well as I could have. I said to the examiner, ‘I’m messing up scales that I shouldn’t have and it’s because I’m upset’.

“I came out of the piano thinking, ‘I hope that’s enough’, and then I thought, ‘I’m actually really cross and I’m going to go in there and show her what I can really do’.

“And I think I did, with my saxophone exam, which went well.”

In the end, Jackson received five distinctions, three merits and a pass. Brava.

Andre Rieu replaces instruments ...

... stolen from disabled musicians: 

‘My heart broke’

Picture: Getty

By Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM London

5K

The Dutch violinist has vowed to reimburse an orchestra for the mentally disabled, whose trailer full of instruments was stolen in the early hours of Thursday morning.

André Rieu has pledged to replace 20,000 euros of musical instruments, which were stolen from an orchestra of musicians with mental disabilities.

The instruments, which belonged to the Haarlem brass band ‘Happy with Music’, were stolen in the early hours of Thursday 13 June, along with the band’s trailer.

The chairman of the band, Juria van der Lubbe, told Dutch newspaper the Telegraaf: “Seventeen years of work is in it. Sponsor promotions, the VriendenLoterij, the local Vomar. All these years they have contributed bit by bit to all instruments. That is gone in one fell swoop.”

After reading about their story, Dutch violinist and maestro André Rieu decided to step in.

He said: “My heart broke when I read on the Telegraaf website that this group of musicians had been robbed of all their instruments. I want them to be able to perform again very soon.

Van der Lubbe described the news as “fantastic” and “almost unbelievable”.

She told RTL Nieuws: “What a lovely man that he is going to do this for our brass band. I am completely confused.”

Last year, Rieu pledged 700 tons of steel towards the restoration of Notre-Dame, following the fire which devastated the 850-year-old cathedral in April.

Learning a Musical Instrument?

12 things they didn't tell you about learning a musical instrument

Thinking of taking up an instrument? Great! But be warned - it's not as easy as you might think... 

1. You will not be able to play perfectly immediately
You're better off starting with the basics, one step at a time. Like this guy.


2. Everyone will expect you to be able to play perfectly immediately
No matter how much you protest, everyone you know will assume that just because you've started learning you'll be a prodigy from the start. In the eyes of everyone else, you are one of the Von Trapp children.



        3. No matter how young you start, there's always someone more prodigious than you
You really think you're making progress, you're mastering the scales and arpeggios, maybe even a few little Grade 1 pieces under your belt... and then you see something like this:

4. There are lots of rules to learn
Just because Jimmy Page uses a violin bow on a guitar doesn't mean you can too. And don't think you can get away with a bare chest on stage either.




  
5.  Your practising will sound terrible at first Everyone wants to sound amazing from the moment they pick up a new instrument, but don't get too excited. Practise is hard. It takes a lot of effort and dedication. Most of the time, especially at the beginning, it sounds bad. It makes Britney Spears do this:

(via reactiongifs.com)

6. Learning the guitar? Maybe the violin? Strings in general?
Your fingertips will never be able to feel anything ever again. Except pain.

(via Reddit)

7. Oh, you've taken up the trombone?
What a chance to show your friends just how versatile an instrument the trombone is! It's not all about comedy noises and the theme tune from Jonny Briggs, right? Wrong. All people want from you is this sound:

8. Learning an instrument can alter your appearance
Is that a love-bite on your neck? No, you've started learning the violin.


            
9. You will never be able to do this:
No matter how much you want it to happen, MI5 have absolutely no use for your cello case. See also: tommy guns in violin cases. Never happens.

10. You will suddenly find yourself with extra luggage
Any dreams of cycling home or taking the scenic walking route will be quashed the moment you strap that tuba or double bass to your back. Oh, and if you're of schooling age, you might want to think about preparing some witty answers to the question, "What's THAT?"




             
11. Eventually you will join an ensemble of some kind, and that's when the fun really starts

"Want to come for a drink tonight?"
"Can't. Rehearsal."


12. It's easy to give up
But really, you shouldn't. Harness your sticktoitiveness. Keep going up and down those scales and doing those exercises. Like anything, practise makes perfect, and the joy you give to others with your playing will ultimately make the whole endeavour completely worthwhile.

16 Haunting Pictures of Broken Abandoned Pianos

These pianos once made music. Now they're abandoned, broken and incapable of producing a tune. But as these stunning pictures show, they are still completely beautiful instruments. 

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