 Beginners were not accepted at the Conservatoire, so Carlos took lessons from Marguerite Achard.After a few months, he had advanced enough that he was accepted as a pupil by Alphonse Hasselmans, professor of harp at the Conservatoire.After a year of study with Hasselmans, he entered the Conservatoire as a fully fledged harp pupil at the age of thirteen.