Where I live, people usually start leaning at private academies and then join a music high school or middle school. US schools have their brass bands, but school bands seem to be somewhat less common in Europe.
So here’s the question. Those who became professional musicians, how did you start learning music, and where did you learn?
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In Austria most towns offer a music school that kids can attend after their normal school hours (which end around 13:30 to 14:00). These offer a wide array of instruments from classic orchester to guitarre and drums (depends a bit on what music teachers are available in the town). There are also private tutors for those kids whose parents want to invest a bit more.
While there are music classes in school there don’t tend to be bands at school. There are traditional brass bands that are organized as clubs on the town/village level that perform at town and church festivities and may be booked on the weekends for other events. They are volunteer musicians and always look for young talent to join them.
Apart from that you have many classical musicians that play in orchesters and smaller ensembles like quartets, some professional, most for fun. And you have your normal pop and rock bands that train in basements or in some of the few band rooms.
In Croatia, the most common way to start learning music is to apply to an elementary music school. The elementary school is not an actual school though, but more of an elementary music “program” which students attend alongside with regular elementary school. Students take solfeggio (music theory) lessons as well as lessons for their instrument of choice. Later on, they can join a music high school and afterwards go to music college.
Most activities that are organized by schools in the US are just organized by independent clubs or societies in Europe or at least Switzerland.
Want to play an instrument? Join the local music club. Want to play a soccer? Join the local soccer club. Want to act? Join the local theater society. Etc. Etc. School bands, school sports teams, etc. is just not something that exists.
All of these “extra-curriculars”, as you would call it, are not even remotely associated with school. Schools provide the basics which every member of society should know in an area, hence why mandatory music and sport/PE classes exist. If you want to go beyond that level that’s not the schools job.
Not a professional musician, but as a former trumpet player, I first started to learn from a private teacher in my town, then when I got older I joined an orchestra and started learning from the conductor, then, if I wanted to continue it into a career I could join a specialized musical school called the Conservatorium, there are also regular diploma’s you can get.
I’m not a professional musician but my sister is.
In Spain we have music classes within the normal school program from 1st grade up to end of middle school (I believe you can also have them in High School if you take the arts route, but I am not sure since I studied sciences and am a friggin’ dinosaur, so by now could be different). However in school you only learn the basics (reading music sheets, playing recorder, etc).
If you wanna really learn music, you need to enroll in a music academy extracurricularly. My sister enrolled when she was 5yo and started playing the clarinet when she was 6yo. At 18yo she enrolled in a Superior Music conservatorium and got her degree and a Masters.
You have to take private lessons or go to a musical school.
Our schools music sections are bad. Youre expected to already know how to play and they just give you chords to play along.
Im not a professional musician but ive been playing the guitar for a long time. Im self taught because my town doesnt have a course for guitar players(better say didnt have at the time). You learn a lot of bad habits that are almost impossible to correct later. I for example have large hands and i always put my fret hand on an uncomfortable angle that causes cramps.Or the habit of not using your pinky finger enough. I cant change that habit for the life of me.
Not a professional musician, but…
To start off:
Depends on the type of music/instrument. Most state schools offer tuition in a number of instruments (the fees aren’t huge through the schools either), private schools will give more options. For traditional stuff it’s common to be taught by family members or local people. Pipers will generally either start through the school or a local pipe band. Private tutors are common too, particularly for guitar/bass/drums/keyboards.
There’s also a charity that teaches instruments to children in order to try and help with social/economic issues found in some areas, based on a system found in Latin America (Sistema Scotland/Big Noise). They actually started off in one of the more rundown parts of my town and has since spread to other places.
We’ve got a music uni/conservatoire here too for higher level stuff. Some people will go abroad too.