The school is very small: there are about sixty pupils who are boys and girls between the ages of eight and nineteen. The children must have extremely good musical talent. They all play at least one musical instrument: either a stringed instrument or piano. They are taught other subjects as well, but music is the most important subject, and they are given lots of time to practise their instrument as well as music lessons to help them develop their special musical skills in classical music. Famous musicians who were pupils at the school include Nicola Benedetti, Nigel Kennedy, Tasmin Little and Alina Ibragimova.