Today the students come from over 50 countries. Students from abroad can attend a special “English for Musicians” course. There are over 600 students at the Academy. The students have many opportunities to perform, both in the Academy and in concerts in other places. Over 90% of the students find a career in music after they leave the Academy.
The principal of the Royal Academy of Music is Jonathan Freeman-Attwood.
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatory in London where young people can study music. It was founded in 1882. Many musicians who became famous studied music at the Royal College of Music.
The Royal College of Music was founded by Royal charter. The president was the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). The president has always been a member of the royal family. The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry. The first building was opposite the west side to the Royal Albert Hall, but in 1894 the RCM moved to a larger building south of the Royal Albert Hall on Prince Consort Road. The College is still there, but there have been many extensions and improvements to the building since then.
There are about 520 students at the RCM. About 170 of these are post-graduate students. The college can award degrees and diplomas in music. Composers and performing musicians can study there. There is a large museum of musical instruments. Next to the main building is a 400-seater opera house, the Britten Theatre, opened in 1986. There are now over 600 students from about 50 countries.
The director of the Royal College of Music is Dr Colin Lawson.
Automated teller machine
The full form of ATM is Automated Teller Machine for short, is a machine that lets people take out (withdraw) cash from their bank accounts. In the UK ATMs are often called cash machines, cashpoints or the "hole in the wall".
Some ATMs allow people to do more than take money out. They may allow people to put in money, or check how much money is in a bank account.
ATMs may be found in stores and shopping malls. Sometimes, they can be found in bars or restaurants. Other times, at special events, people may set one up so the guests can use the machine, like at a fundraiser.
People need a debit card or credit card in order to use an ATM. They will also need to have a Personal Identification Number (PIN), which is a code that lets them get into their account.
There are a number of scams with ATMs. In one scam, con artists look over the victim's shoulder and find their PIN; this is known as shoulder surfing. In another, they may install a video camera and get PIN numbers from that way. They then make cards using the PIN number and account number to be able to use that person's account.
Quilt
A quilt is a type of blanket made of three layers: a top piece of cloth, a layer of insulating material often called "batting", and a bottom piece of cloth for backing. The layers are joined together either by sewing or by tying the layers together with pieces of yarn, thread, or ribbon.
The top layer of the quilt can be made from many pieces of cloth sewn together in patterns, known as "patchwork". Other patterns can be made by running lines of stitching through the three layers.
Sometimes quilts are not used as bedding, but are works of art made to be hung on a wall (wall hangings) or used as decoration.
Quilting is done in many cultures, such as the Amish, in Hawaii, and in India.
Ribbon
A ribbon is a thin, flexible band, usually cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal.
Ribbons are mostly used for tying or decorating things. Ribbons can be used to tie a person's hair, decorate clothing or uniforms, or to tie up packages. A typewriter uses a cloth or plastic ribbon to hold the ink.
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is the place where the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve, lived after they were created by God.
In the Christian Bible, the story of the creation of the world in the book of Genesis describes how Adam and Eve lived in Eden in peace with all of the animals. They tended the garden and could eat from any tree except the Tree of Knowledge. After they ate from the Tree of Knowledge, God punished Adam and Eve by making them leave the Garden of Eden forever.
The story is told in Book of Genesis 1-3 (in the old Testament of the Bible) and the Tanakh. The Tanakh translates the Garden of Eden as Paradise.
In Sumerian, "Eden" is a name for the Steppe. "Heavenly Eden" is also mentioned. It refers to a place that appears to be fertile at first, but later changes to become infertile. Climatologists have said this is a good description of the climate change that happened in The Levant after the last ice age. The green steppe became dry. This meant that food was no longer available all year round, but only at certain times. This forced the people living at the time to start agriculture and to keep some of their food for the periods where there was none. Scientists have referred to this change as the Neolithic Revolution. This change of food is also mentioned in the story.
Babylonian mythology sees the main reason for the creation of man to grow food for the gods. This is different in the Bible. There, god created plants as food for humans, and animals to keep them company.
The beginning of the Book of Genesis has been seen as describing the state before a climate change in a certain region. >Because of this change, humans were "condemned" to growing crops and keeping some food in stock, to be able to eat it, during the times it did not grow. Genesis has been seen to only start when this region converted to agriculture (the Neolithic Revolution, mentioned above). This means that Genesis roughly covers the time from about 8000 - 6000 BC to about 2000 BC.
Judaism teaches that sin cannot be passed on from the parents to their children. There is a free will, everyone is responsible for their own sins only. Humans can do bad things and good things. God's commandments help them do good things. What exactly makes up the Commandments of God is not written down, but needs to developed by tradition. Sins are forgiven once a year during Yom Kippur. Unlike Christianity, Judaism has no personified evil.
Christianity believes that sin can be passed on from the parents to their children. This is known as original sin. Without Jesus, humans must live in sin. Augustine of Hippo formalized this belief, which is now a dogma in the Western Christian denominations (Catholicism and Protestantism).
Islam sees Adam and Eve being chased away as a chance for a new start. Islam says the Christian concept of original sin is false. This means that them being chased away does not change the relationship between men and God. According to Islamic tradition, Adam and Eve were placed in different parts of the world. They first had to wander around before they found each other.
Wigmore Hall
The Wigmore Hall is a famous concert hall in London. It is called a “recital hall” because it is designed for recitals: concerts given by one soloist, or sometimes a small group of musicians (chamber music). It is in Wigmore Street in the centre of London, just north of Oxford Street.
The Wigmore Hall was built in 1901 by the German firm Bechstein who made pianos. Originally it was called Bechstein Hall. Bechstein’s showrooms were next door. The hall was built in a Renaissance style, with alabaster and marble walls and a rectangular hall with a small, raised stage. Above the stage the ceiling is in the form of a cupola which has a painting which shows the Soul of Music looking up at the Genius of Harmony: a ball of eternal fire whose rays are reflected across the world. These are separated by thorns from the rest of the picture which includes a musician and, on the other side, Psyche inspiring a composer to write music.