The Journal
Stories & tips.
Long-form guides for Kenyan parents and students. Studio notes, trainer spotlights, and what we learn term by term at our Kikuyu campus.
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Guides.
7 posts
Guides
How to choose your child's first instrument — a Kenyan parent's guide
Piano, keyboard, guitar, violin or voice — the first instrument shapes years of practice habits. Here's how Kenyan parents we work with actually decide, and what we wish more of them knew before they bought anything.
Concerto Team · 9 min read
Guides
Ready for your ABRSM exam? How we check before you pay to sit it
ABRSM entry fees aren't small, and they climb with every grade. So before any Concerto student books an exam, we run an honest readiness check — a full mock under real conditions. If you're not ready, we say so. Here's exactly how we decide.
Concerto Team · 5 min read
Guides
Piano vs Keyboard for beginners — what to buy in Nairobi, and why it matters
They look similar, cost very different things, and produce wildly different learners. A practical guide to choosing — and what we actually tell parents who walk into our Kikuyu studio with this question.
Concerto Team · 8 min read
Guides
The ABRSM exam pathway, explained for Kenyan students and parents
Grade 1 to grade 8, prep tests, theory exams, performance grades — what the ABRSM ladder actually looks like in Kenya, what each grade asks of a student, and how to use exams as motivation rather than pressure.
Concerto Team · 8 min read
Guides
In-home, studio, or online — choosing the music lesson format that fits your family in Nairobi
Three formats, three different trade-offs. We teach all three — here's an honest comparison of how they work, who they suit, and where each one quietly fails.
Concerto Team · 8 min read
Guides
The first six months of piano lessons — what real progress looks like (and what doesn't)
Most parents quietly worry their child isn't progressing fast enough. After 10 years of teaching beginners, here's what genuine progress actually looks like in the first six months — and the four warning signs that something has gone off track.
Concerto Team · 9 min read
Guides
Music for CBC — what Kenyan parents need to know about the curriculum
The Competency-Based Curriculum is reshaping how music is taught in Kenyan schools. Here's what's actually in the syllabus, how it differs from what most parents experienced, and how private music lessons fit alongside it.
Concerto Team · 8 min read
More than reading?
The journal is here for the long decisions. When you're ready to start lessons, the first one is a free discovery session.