Trinity College of London vs Lisbon Conservatorium

[lrubyl]

Hi

I started to study piano 5 years ago in a non-official school but now I'm thinking in going to Lisbon Conservantorium or following the Trinity College of London programme.

I've already heard the Trinity programme is more actual and I'd like to know what "school" has more advantages (and why) as I want to learn piano more seriously.

So, by which one should I choose?


I'm waiting for answers, sorry for my english and thanks for your help.



Ruby

P.S.: Merry Christmas

[birba]

Of course, go for the LOndon school.  Stay away from the Mediterranean schools.  The only thing they may have are good master classes.

[richard black]

I'm based in London and frequently go into all the four conservatoires here. I'm afraid I have to report that, based on my meetings with pianists at (or recently departed from) each of them, and performance I hear in the colleges, Trinity seems to me probably the weakest piano department. Of course, if you have a specific teacher in mind that you want to study with who is there, that's a different matter. Or perhaps you think your chances of getting into the others may be slim, in which case fair enough.

Also London is a depressingly expensive place to live and study, and large and difficult to get around. I manage OK by cycling everywhere but if you live more than walking distance from college and have to use public transport every day you may well soon find you lose the will to live.

[pianowolfi]

I'm far from being an expert, but so far I had the impression that professional music education in the Iberian countries seems to be in general very good.
How about Royal College in London? I think there are a few members here who studied or are studying there? I have made the ARCM performance there in 2000, it was the last possible opportunity to do this before they closed this exam to external students, so, I haven't studied there, I just went there to play and get the diploma.

[richard black]

The Royal College of Music has several highly regarded teachers. But that's kind of the point - go to a college because of a teacher, rather than just because of the college. My (several) ex-Soviet friends are constantly amazed that people want to study 'at such-and-such a college' rather than 'with such-and-such a teacher'  - especially for piano. For opera courses, for instance, which are much more than singing lessons, there may be more point to it.