Duke of Edinburgh's Award · Skills section
Music for your DofE Skills
Learn an instrument or write your own music, with a clear goal, regular one-to-one lessons and the written progress notes your DofE Leader needs.
Choose your route
Learn an instrument
Monthly or fortnightly lessons working towards a specific goal, such as a grade exam or a performance for family, school or friends. Piano, brass and more: ask about your instrument.
Compose music
Write a piece of your own from a first idea to a finished, notated score, and hear it played or recorded. No experience of composing needed.
Work towards a theory exam
Build solid music theory and sit a graded theory exam as your goal. A good fit if you already play and want the knowledge behind it.
What the Skills section asks for
These are the official DofE minimums for the Skills section. Your DofE Leader makes the final call, so talk to them before you start.
| Level | You can start | Skills section length | Average time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | In the school year you turn 14 | 3 months (13 weeks), or 6 months (26 weeks) if Skills is your extended section | An average of 1 hour a week, which includes practice |
| Silver | In the school year you turn 15 | 6 months (26 weeks) or 3 months (13 weeks): one of Skills or Physical is 6 months and the other is 3 | |
| Gold | After you turn 16 | 12 months (52 weeks) or 6 months (26 weeks): one of Skills or Physical is 12 months and the other is 6 |
- Keep learning and improving throughout: you need a goal and visible progress.
- Sessions can be condensed, but never to less than one a month, and never more than 6 hours in a month.
- Skills must be done outside school lessons, and finished before your 25th birthday.
- If you are skipping a level (a direct entrant), extra months are added to one section.
Your DofE Leader checks your activity is suitable and approves your Assessor. My lessons come with written progress notes you can share with them.
Prices
Choose the length that matches your DofE level. Each package includes a goal-setting session, your lessons, feedback between lessons, written progress notes and a final report for your DofE Leader.
3 months
Bronze, or the shorter Silver section- Instrument, monthly lessons£220
- Instrument, fortnightly lessons£310
- Composing a piece£240
- Theory exam£200
6 months
Silver, Bronze extended, or the shorter Gold section- Instrument, monthly lessons£380
- Instrument, fortnightly lessons£530
- Composing a piece£420
- Theory exam£360
12 months
Gold- Instrument, monthly lessons£680
- Instrument, fortnightly lessons£980
- Composing a piece£780
- Theory exam£660
Monthly lessons are one hour; fortnightly lessons are 45 minutes. Exam entry fees and DofE registration fees are extra. Lessons are online or in person; home visits within an hour's drive are possible, with travel charged at £25 an hour, so online is usually the simplest option.
How it works
- Talk to your DofE LeaderCheck that music suits your Skills section and agree who will act as your Assessor.
- Choose a route and lengthPick instrument, composing or theory, matched to your level.
- Set your goalIn our first session we agree a clear goal, such as a grade exam, a performance, a finished piece or a theory exam.
- Learn, practise, finishLessons, practice and written notes build your evidence, and you finish with your goal achieved and a final report.
Goals that work well
Instrument
Pass a Trinity or ABRSM grade, perform a short recital, or play at a school or community event.
Composing
Write a piece for your own instrument or a friend's, notated and performed or recorded.
Theory
Take a graded music theory exam and understand how the music you play is put together.
Other people looked at
Composition lessons
One to one lessons for a composing route.
See moreTheory lessons
Grade 1 to 3 and Grade 5 theory.
See morePiano lessons
Trial lesson and discounted blocks.
See moreQuestions
Can complete beginners do this?
Yes. Beginners can take the 3-month route at Bronze, with a realistic goal such as playing a few short pieces to an audience.
Does practice count towards my hour a week?
Yes. DofE asks for an average of one hour a week on the activity, and your own practice counts alongside lessons.
Can I already be a pupil of yours?
Yes. Existing pupils can add a DofE package to their lessons. Get in touch and I will set it up.
Where do the lessons take place?
Online, at my studio, or at your home within an hour's drive. Home visits include travel charged at £25 an hour.
What is not included?
Exam entry fees, music books, and your DofE registration fees.
Ready to start?
Tell me your level, your instrument and your DofE Leader's deadline, and I will set it up.
Sources
Paul Emmett Music is an independent music teacher. This page is not produced or endorsed by The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.