despite the best efforts of a sympathetic and well-organised teacher, many students feel consumed with anxiety when approaching their music exams
Category: Piano teaching
Dispelling the myth of difficult
There has been a lively and thoughtful response to an article which appeared in The Guardian on 27 March in which the author declared that notated music is "a cryptic, tricky language – rather like Latin – that can only be read by a small number of people". The author, Charlotte Gill, who is neither… Continue reading Dispelling the myth of difficult
ABRSM launches teacher feedback panels
ABRSM has today (29 March 2017) launched a recruitment drive for ‘Teacher Voices’, its new customer feedback panel. The music education organisation is looking for 500 teachers from a wide range of backgrounds from across the UK to take part in a series of online polls and surveys. The results and insight from the feedback… Continue reading ABRSM launches teacher feedback panels
Why do you want to take a piano exam?
This a question I believe we as teachers should all be asking our pupils. It came up in conversation between myself and my friend and teaching colleague Rebecca, and we agreed that in future all students should be asked to consider this question. Why? Because it is all too easy for teachers to become complacent… Continue reading Why do you want to take a piano exam?
5 common misconceptions about pianists and piano lessons
Some of the world’s greatest pianists have small hands and stubby fingers. Instead of worrying about how your genetics have not provided you with your ideal fingers, start to work developing your technique and learn to accept your physical limitations.
At the Piano With……Jill Owen
What is your first memory of the piano? Hearing my Dad playing Bach chorales and chorales he used to compose. Who or what inspired you to start teaching? I always thought I'd teach and I'm not sure any one person inspired me to teach but rather my love of the piano that I wanted to… Continue reading At the Piano With……Jill Owen
The Perfectionism Trap
"Practise makes perfect" - that oft-quoted phrase beloved of instrumental teachers the world over.... It's a neat little mantra, but one that can have serious and potentially long-lasting negative effects if taken too literally. Musicians have to practise. Repetitive, committed and quality practise trains the procedural memory (what musicians and sportspeople call "muscle memory") and… Continue reading The Perfectionism Trap
Spectrum 5 – 15 contemporary pieces for solo piano
The wonderful range, originality and variety of pieces prove that contemporary classical music is not "plinky plonky", atonal, inaccessible or lacking in melody, and as such as Spectrum series is the best introduction I know to encourage young students in particular to explore contemporary music.
Picture this
Using visualisation techniques in playing, performing and teaching Visualisation techniques have been used by sports people and sports psychologists for some time now to enable the tennis player or athlete, the golfer or cyclist to prepare for a match-winning shot or prize-winning sprint. The technique involves imagining an ideal scenario and positive outcome to achieve… Continue reading Picture this
Grade exams don’t make musicians
She can certainly play the 2015-16 [Grade 8] syllabus pieces A-C brilliantly......Can she play anything else? I’ll get back to you on that. This is a quote from an article about graded music exams by journalist Rosie Millard, who, by her own admission, is "a pushy music parent" when it comes to her children's music… Continue reading Grade exams don’t make musicians
A Piano Teacher Writes... 