Instrumentation

Violin

The violin is the smallest and loudest instrument in the string family, which is played with a wooden stick called a bow: the sound is produced when the strings pluck the instrument's strings. In an orchestra, the violin is the leading melody instrument. Although getting a beautiful sound from the violin may seem challenging at first, persistent practice is rewarding. The violin has a mesmerizing sound at its best, and it is not called the queen of musical instruments for nothing. You can borrow a violin from the music school so that you can start playing easily. The smallest violinists have been able to start their studies as young as 3 years old. A fairly common starting age is around 5–6 years.

Viola

A viola is similar in structure to a violin, but larger in size. The tone of the viola is darker and lower than that of the violin. The darker tone of the tone is lovely. They say that the viola is the soul of the orchestra. You can start playing the viola when you are around 6–10 years old. The instrument is suitable both as a solo instrument and for playing in an orchestra. The music school also has violas to borrow.

Seal

The sound of the cello is dark and soft. The instrument is played from a sitting position and the instrument is supported on the floor with a spike-like support. The cello lends itself to many kinds of music and different musical styles. You can play alone or in various ensembles and orchestras of different sizes. The cello is a popular instrument in classical music, but you may have heard and seen the cello in entertainment music as well. You can start playing the cello at about 7 years old.

Double bass

The bass instrument of the string family is the double bass. Double basses come in different sizes, so you shouldn't think that even a small player can play the instrument. The starting age for studies can be around 7 years. The double bass is played with a bow and keys, standing or sitting. Double bass is a standard instrument in classical orchestras, it can also be heard in jazz, folk music and rhythm music ensembles. The low sound of the bass creates a pulse in the music.

Flute

The flute is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. The flute is called a woodwind, although today it is made of metal. The flute's playing position is different from other wind instruments, because it is blown from the edge and is played elegantly across. The sound of the flute is soft and beautiful and it is suitable for many styles of music. You can start playing as a hobby as early as 5–6 years old, and flutes with a curved mouthpiece are available for the youngest. A professional flutist's instrument is often made of silver or even gold!

At Riihimäki Music College, the flute playing curriculum includes both art and rhythmic music-based teaching. We can also title studies with the name of the universal flute.

Check out the teacher's to the YouTube channel!

Recorder

The recorder is a convenient instrument to start playing as a hobby, it fits in a small space and does not weigh much. Recorders come in three different sizes: sopranino, soprano and alto, from which the most suitable one is chosen for the player. As the hands grow, we change to a bigger one. Most music has been composed for the alto recorder. Recorders are made of plastic and various woods. Boxwood produces yellow, pearwood light brown and rosewood dark brown instruments.

Clarinet

The clarinet is used in many different types of music due to its sound, which can be velvety soft or blatantly sharp. Clarinets are made from both wood and plastic. A plastic instrument is usually the choice of a beginner player due to its light weight. In order to start playing the clarinet, the player must have permanent upper and lower front teeth. In addition, the hands must have sufficient size.

Oboe

The oboe is a woodwind often used in orchestral works due to its beautiful and undulating sound. You can start playing the oboe at around 7–8 years old. The oboe's mouthpiece is called the reed. The pipes are made from reed wood and cork by tying and carving. Making pipes is learned in addition to playing lessons.

Bassoon

You can start learning to play the bassoon with the bassoon when you are around 6–8 years old. The bassoon is the bass instrument of Woodwinds. The bassoon is suitable both as a solo instrument and in orchestras. The bassoon is made of wood and its mechanism is metal. Even though the instrument is long, it can be carried perfectly in a small instrument case.

Saxophones

The saxophone has a metal body, but despite that, due to its mouthpiece, it is read as a woodwind instrument. The saxophone developed when the Belgian inventor Adolphe Sax combined the sound-making method of a single-leaf woodwind with the oboe's conical tube structure and valve system. This gave rise to the charming sound characteristic of the saxophone.

Trumpet

With the trumpet, you can play very versatile music, from classical to light. Smaller students can start playing with a pocket trumpet, which is significantly shorter in size than a full-size trumpet. In this way, the weight of the trumpet is brought closer to the body and the child can also support the instrument while playing. You can start playing the trumpet from around the age of 6 and up.

Trombone

The trombone is a fun different kind of brass instrument, where the sound is created by moving the lips and moving the slide. The suitable starting age for playing the trombone is around 7-8 years, but you can start playing the smaller alto trombone as early as 5 years old.

French horn

The curved horn has 3–5 meters of piping. Just like in the trombone, the sound in the French horn is created by moving the lips. The horn is held in such a way that the left hand holds the instrument with the little finger below the valves and the right hand is lightly pushed into the bell. The French horn is suitable both as a solo instrument and as part of group playing. Horns come in different sizes, a child's horn weighs about 2 kilos. A suitable starting age is around 8–10 years.

Baritone horn

As in the trumpet, in the baritone horn the sounds are varied with a mouthpiece and valves. The baritone horn is the "little brother" of the tuba. You can start playing the baritone horn at about 8 years old with a tenor or alto horn.

Tuba

The tuba is the biggest and lowest brass instrument. The sounds are varied with a mouthpiece and valves. The recommended starting age is around 12 years. Depending on the player, you can start playing earlier with alto, tenor or baritone horn.

Piano and free piano accompaniment

The piano is probably one of the easiest instruments to start with. You can play familiar children's songs by ear on the piano, perhaps already in the first piano lesson. In addition to being a solo instrument, the piano is one of the most important accompaniment and chamber music instruments: classical, jazz and rhythm music can be played equally well either alone or together with others. The starting age of playing the piano is individual, ranging from around 5–10 years of age.

The Riihimäki Music College offers both piano and free piano accompaniment playing lessons. The piano lessons cover traditional classical piano music and some rhythm music. Free piano accompaniment basically means that the pianist accompanies, for example, his own song or a melody played or sung by someone else. Genres often focus on the world of rhythm music and jazz. In lessons, chords are broken down into parts and chord signs and different rhythms are introduced.

harpsichord

Riihimäki Music College is pleased to also offer harpsichord lessons. The harpsichord is a keyboard instrument that belongs to the predecessors of the piano. Like the piano, the harpsichord also has keys to play the instrument. However, in this instrument, unlike a piano, the keys move a kind of plectra that plucks the strings, so the sound is more like the sound produced by keyboard instruments. The harpsichord is used as a solo instrument, in ensembles and chamber music.

The wonderful world of percussion instruments!

Welcome to learn how to play the world's oldest instruments: the most diverse drums, rattles, drum sets, melody percussion instruments and almost everything that makes a sound when you hit a stick. It is possible to play in bands and various ensembles with other percussionists. In percussion lessons, rhythms from thousands of years ago are played until today!

Accordion

An accordion is a keyboard instrument played on the lap. Accordions come in different sizes and for big and small players, and you can start playing the accordion as early as 6 years old. The instrument's repertoire is versatile, from entertainment music through pop and rock to art music.

Complain

You can start playing kantele with a 5-string kantele, from which you can continue to an 11-string kantele or Saarijärvi kantele. On the other hand, nothing prevents you from starting to play the kantele with a concert kantele, which has 40 strings.

Kitara

The Riihimäki music college offers a general guitar subject that combines the study of classical, electric and accompaniment guitar into a unified whole. According to the student's choice, the studies may include studies of playing classical guitar, electric guitar or accompaniment guitar. Often, students want to study some of all the mentioned.

Electric bass

The electric bass is an important backbone of various orchestras and bands, and the bass is often thought of as an accompanying instrument that follows the percussion of drums and guitar. However, the bass can also be a solo instrument. A traditional electric bass has four strings, although there are also basses with several strings. Strings are played by strumming or plectra.

• A classic song
• A pop/jazz song
• Choir
• Vocal groups
• Singing in bands

At the Riihimäki Music College, you can practice singing in a variety of ways: in addition to classical singing, you can also study pop/jazz singing, sing in bands and choirs or vocal ensembles. You can start your singing hobby with your own singing lessons when you are around 10 years old, but 18 years old is also a good time to start singing studies. As a rule, the singers of the music school are young people of middle school and high school age. Fun themed concerts are held during the school year.

During the lessons, a wide range of musical styles are sung, from rhythm music to classical vocal repertoire. In singing lessons, we look for everyone's own, personal voice and learn healthy voice use and vocal technique. The story we sing is also important - the lessons reflect on the lyrics and interpretation of the songs.

Welcome to singing lessons!