thoughts on piano teaching and beyond
Most of us in the music teaching community will have seen it by now - an ill-judged tweet by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) which stated that “Musical achievement is about how well you can do, how good you can get. That sense of attainment is tested by assessment which gives us intrinsic motivation to make us want to get better. That’s the virtuous circle of motivation.” (via Twitter, 24 September 2021).
A selection of repertoire, study books and exercises published by ABRSM and TCL. If you are interested in purchasing any of these books, please contact me for further information SPECTRUM series of contemporary solo miniatures, compiled by Thalia Myers (ABRSM). Includes pieces by Howard Skempton, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Michael Finnissy, Karen Tanaka... Spectrum - used,… Continue reading Sheet Music & Study Books for sale
The simple answer to this question is "no". But the recent, rather heated discussion around the inclusion of pieces by Ludovico Einaudi in the new ABRSM piano syllabus revealed that some teachers feel it is their duty to steer their students to music which aligns more closely with their own tastes. A number suggested that… Continue reading Should our own tastes in music influence our students’ choices of repertoire?
When coronavirus hit the UK, it became evident that normal life as we know it would have to change. This included the provision of graded music exams. The major exam boards swiftly cancelled the spring season's exams, which caused a great deal of frustration and disappointment to candidates and teachers who had been working so… Continue reading The benefits of online music exams
When I was a young piano student in the 1970s, taking lessons with Mrs Scott in Sutton Coldfield, I remember having books like the ABRSM's new Core Classics series, volumes such as Hours With the Masters and Step By Step to the Classics, edited by Felix Swinstead (whose music still regularly appears in ABRSM exam… Continue reading ABRSM: Core Classics for Piano
I am delighted to be a contributor to the teaching notes accompanying the new ABRSM piano syllabus, to be released early next month. The Teaching Notes, which are produced to accompany each syllabus, offer guidance on all the pieces in the syllabus and each note is divided into three areas of learning/teaching: Musical Context, Technical… Continue reading Teaching notes for the new ABRSM piano syllabus
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
Source: ABRSM Media release - 4 August 2016 ABRSM is strengthening its current diploma offering with the addition of a new performance qualification, launched today (4 August). The new assessment, the Associate of the Royal Schools of Music (ARSM), has been launched to provide learners with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate their performance skills… Continue reading ABRSM launches a new Diploma
It's that time of the year again - exam season, when teachers and students everywhere are awaiting the results of their practical exams. All exam candidates receive a mark sheet which includes brief commentaries on and marks for their pieces, technical work (scales, arpeggios and exercises), aural tests, sight-reading etc. At the bottom of… Continue reading Exam mark sheets: help or hindrance?
There are numerous anthologies of piano pieces which sit comfortably alongside the exam syllabuses, many of which are published by the ABRSM. Encore is a new compilation, in four volumes covering Grades 1 to 8, of over 70 favourite exam pieces from timeless classics to contemporary classical music and popular songs and show tunes or… Continue reading Encore – your favourite ABRSM piano exam pieces
A Piano Teacher Writes... 