With the spring exam season upon us, I asked a friend and colleague of mine, Melanie Spanswick, who has experience as an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), to offer some tips on how to do well. Here are her 9 key points for exam success: Preparation is… Continue reading Guest Post: Piano exams success – 9 key points
Category: Exams
How to play…. ‘When Paris Dreams’
This brief, yet very atmospheric piece is from the alternative repertoire list of Trinity Guildhall Grade 2 piano, and would suit a more mature student or one who can give it the requisite wistfulness. In my edition of Nacht und Träume (Night and Dreams), the date under the composer's name is 1939, which immediately conjures… Continue reading How to play…. ‘When Paris Dreams’
How to play…. ‘Petit Mystère’
This beautiful miniature is a wonderful introduction to the impressionistic music of French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, and even the early compositions of Olivier Messiaen. The composer, Simone Plé, was contemporary with all three composers. She published two volumes of music for children. The title gives a clue to the mood and atmosphere… Continue reading How to play…. ‘Petit Mystère’
How to Play….. Song of Twilight
This charming and haunting piece by Japanese composer Yoshinao Nakada blends eastern and western culture in musical form. A spacious right hand melody is hung over the steady, almost hypnotic pulse of left hand chords. Separate hands practice is crucial in this piece. You want to achieve a sense of the melody floating over the… Continue reading How to Play….. Song of Twilight
How to play……Allegro non Troppo
What a treat for the left hand this piece is! A moody "'cello" melody with plenty of scope for expressive shaping, with an agitated right hand figure of repeated chords, this piece is redolent of Chopin's Étude Opus 25 no. 7. Separate hands practice is crucial here - and not just in the early stages… Continue reading How to play……Allegro non Troppo
How to play……. ‘Fanfare for the Common Cold’
As the title of this piece suggests, it is inspired by Aaron Copland's famous 'Fanfare for the Common Man' - and the first thing I do when I start teaching this piece to a student is to ask them to listen to Copland's work and tell me what they hear in it and what instrument… Continue reading How to play……. ‘Fanfare for the Common Cold’
Why take a music exam?
When I was learning the piano as a child, I remember feeling that I was chained to an exam treadmill: every year I took another exam, and as soon as the exam was over and the results were in, I moved on to the next grade's syllabus. I did all this willingly, because it pleased… Continue reading Why take a music exam?
A Piano Teacher Writes... 