THE GUITAR INSTITUTE, London, UK
The Guitar Institute, Foundation House, 1a Dyne Road, London, England. NW6 7XG
t. +44 (0)20 7328 0222 http://www.icmp.uk.com
INTRODUCTION
The Institute began life over 20 years ago as a small school for students of guitar and bass, based in Acton, West London. Originally known as The Guitar Institute and Basstech, the quality of the teaching, the courses and lessons and the commitment to its students soon meant that the school’s reputation quickly began to grow. Although the first facilities were fairly simple, right from the outset the Institute made a commitment to its students and to the quality of its courses.
Between 1995 and 1999, the Institute, as it was by then universally known, was instrumental in the development of the first honours degree in contemporary music performance ever developed in the UK. This groundbreaking and visionary programme, which combined formal academic study with the development of excellence in musicianship and stage performance, has contributed over the years to the achievements of literally thousands of students from all over the world and to the rapid improvement in standards generally across the popular music education sector. By this time, students of drums and vocals were able to join their guitar- and bass-playing counterparts in the development of professional and academically recognised qualifications.
As the Institute grew, both in size and reputation, it became clear that new vision, investment and energy was required to continue to build the future. And so, in late 2003, the Institute was acquired by a former student who had previously developed an extensive career in professional management. This change in ownership brought a new direction and new energy, together with a commitment to improved facilities, courses and administration. This commitment has been abcked up by significant investment over the last three years.
As a first interim step, the old premises in Acton were immediately refurbished to a more acceptable standard, and the administrative management re-organised. Courses were streamlined and modernised, and the individual instrumental faculties consolidated into four focused structures - The Guitar Institute now had 3 closely-aligned sister schools, The Bass Institute (formerly Basstech), The Drum Institute and The Vocal Institute! Clear focus was placed on improving standards both academically as well as administratively, and research was undertaken as what students of contemporary music were likely to need in order to meet the demands of the future music industry.
DISABLED ACCESS
Please make any special requirements known to Guitar Break as early as possible so that suitable arrangements can be made with the venue. Please contact us at bookings@guitarbreak.com or call +44 (0)845 458 7372 for more information.