Thank you all for another lovely term. You have all made great progress, despite all the traditional wheezes and sneezes of the season and the disruption caused by my spell of jury service.
Very many congratulations to all involved in the Christmas concert! Thanks to all the pianists, parent helpers - and of course the “choir”- we had a truly ‘lovely evening’, with great music, good food and a wonderful atmosphere. Well done!
For the first time ever, we actually made a small profit on the concert, which has allowed Jan and me to make a donation to the Radio Christmas (87.7 fm) charity, Street Kids Direct, on your behalf. Hope you approve!
I wish you all a happy, peaceful Christmas and hope you all continue to get lots out of your piano studies in the New Year.
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Exam results for December 2008
Many congratulations go to:
Mia who achieved a strong pass in her Initial exam,
Arthur who gained a strong pass at Grade one,
and to Jacob who achieved a very high merit in his Grade 5 theory.
Well done all of you!
Mia who achieved a strong pass in her Initial exam,
Arthur who gained a strong pass at Grade one,
and to Jacob who achieved a very high merit in his Grade 5 theory.
Well done all of you!
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
2008 exam results
Special congratulations for achievement in exams go to:
Jacob : Grade 3 Theory with merit
Sophie : Grade 1 Piano
and Grade 2 Theory with Merit
Rebecca : Grade 5 Theory with Merit
Jacob : Grade 3 Theory with merit
Sophie : Grade 1 Piano
and Grade 2 Theory with Merit
Rebecca : Grade 5 Theory with Merit
Easter workshop 2008: A dance through time
The Easter “Dance through time” workshop was a great success.
After loosening up with some piano pilates, ten young piano students got to know each other with rhythm games.
We then started to learn an early dance, Susato’s Pavane, on piano, keyboards, pitched percussion, and guitar.
Some people enjoyed learning without the dots—by ear—while others preferred having the printed music to play from.
We also practiced dancing the slow pavane rhythms.
After demolishing Jan’s delicious home baking, it was time to bring things up to date a bit more. We learnt to conduct dances in triple and duple metre, from the brisk gavotte to the slow and stately sarabande.
We listened to a musette played on a hurdy gurdy, a menuet on a harpsichord, and the whole orchestra joining in for Strauss’ Blue Danube and Offenbach’s Can Can!
Then we learnt that as composers started to look further afield for inspiration, more exotic rhythms came into dance music, from Russia, Hungary, Spain and of course Africa.
Together we improvised a Cha Cha - there were some lovely solos from the bravest — and we even learnt the proper Cha Cha dance steps!
After loosening up with some piano pilates, ten young piano students got to know each other with rhythm games.
We then started to learn an early dance, Susato’s Pavane, on piano, keyboards, pitched percussion, and guitar.
Some people enjoyed learning without the dots—by ear—while others preferred having the printed music to play from.
We also practiced dancing the slow pavane rhythms.
After demolishing Jan’s delicious home baking, it was time to bring things up to date a bit more. We learnt to conduct dances in triple and duple metre, from the brisk gavotte to the slow and stately sarabande.
We listened to a musette played on a hurdy gurdy, a menuet on a harpsichord, and the whole orchestra joining in for Strauss’ Blue Danube and Offenbach’s Can Can!
Then we learnt that as composers started to look further afield for inspiration, more exotic rhythms came into dance music, from Russia, Hungary, Spain and of course Africa.
Together we improvised a Cha Cha - there were some lovely solos from the bravest — and we even learnt the proper Cha Cha dance steps!
Russian Stories @ the Barbican
LSO Discovery Family concert
Sun 18 May2.30—3.20 pmBarbican
The latest in the LSO Discovery series at the Barbican offers the chance to leap into a world of intriguing characters and happy endings.
On May 18th, Gareth Malone presents and Pavel Kotla conducts a variety of music including Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Mussorgsky’s Night on a Bare Mountain.
Family Workshops Before the concert, from 10.30 to 12.30, Music and Art workshops offer the chance to make a costume to wear at the concert. Tickets £5.00.
Foyer Adventures From 1.00pm there are free activities in the Foyer.
Family Saturday mornings Sat June 7 and July 1210.00—12.30 Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’s hosts fun packed mornings for children under 8 and their parents too!
Music technology, gamelan, toddler workshops and an informal concert.
For more information on all these events and more, please visit http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/
Sun 18 May2.30—3.20 pmBarbican
The latest in the LSO Discovery series at the Barbican offers the chance to leap into a world of intriguing characters and happy endings.
On May 18th, Gareth Malone presents and Pavel Kotla conducts a variety of music including Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Mussorgsky’s Night on a Bare Mountain.
Family Workshops Before the concert, from 10.30 to 12.30, Music and Art workshops offer the chance to make a costume to wear at the concert. Tickets £5.00.
Foyer Adventures From 1.00pm there are free activities in the Foyer.
Family Saturday mornings Sat June 7 and July 1210.00—12.30 Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’s hosts fun packed mornings for children under 8 and their parents too!
Music technology, gamelan, toddler workshops and an informal concert.
For more information on all these events and more, please visit http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/
Pupils summer concert : June 27th 2008 Theme: Dance through time
Recital classes
Already thinking about getting ready for the concert in June?
Or perhaps you are hoping to perform with your school and want some tips on dealing with nerves, or how to introduce your performance in an interesting way?
If so, book into one of the recital classes in the May half term. No need to have a piece ‘finished’ - this is a relaxed, friendly way to get used to playing in front of others. We will talk about everything — how to choose a recital piece you will love, how to take that well earned bow at the end, and all points in between!
Recital classes May 29th and 30th, 2.00—4.00pm
Already thinking about getting ready for the concert in June?
Or perhaps you are hoping to perform with your school and want some tips on dealing with nerves, or how to introduce your performance in an interesting way?
If so, book into one of the recital classes in the May half term. No need to have a piece ‘finished’ - this is a relaxed, friendly way to get used to playing in front of others. We will talk about everything — how to choose a recital piece you will love, how to take that well earned bow at the end, and all points in between!
Recital classes May 29th and 30th, 2.00—4.00pm
Getting started with composition
Anyone can compose music!
Musical pictures
Start with a simple idea for a title. Contrasts are good, so how about: “Asleep? Awake!” or “Hippo and snake”. Use all the musical opposites you can think of: loud and soft, fast and slow, high and low, legato and staccato. To start with just improvise. Don’t remember if you cannot remember all your ideas, or repeat the performance exactly, but do try to play around with the same title a few times so that your best ideas stick in your mind and in your fingers.
3 note shapes
Put down a ‘triangle’ of three notes on the piano. Using only those 3 notes, experiment with playing them in a different order, repeating some and not others, varying the length of the notes, moving them up or down the octave. Use those musical opposites again too. As you get more confident, use bigger shape patterns (4, 5 or 6 notes).
Droning on
To get a fuller sound you will need to involve both hands. An easy way to do this is to simply put one note down in the left hand, and improvise a tune with more movement in the right. This is called a ’drone’ bass. But why not turn that idea upside down, and have the tune in the bass, and long notes in the right hand?
Add a note to give yourself a chord—fifths like A and E, D and A, C and G work well, and make an improvisation on the white notes sound really good too. Try F# and C# though, if you want to experiment with a black note only piece!
Writing it down
Don’t be afraid to start writing things down. You will probably start by writing down the note letter names, which is fine, but what happens if you forget the rhythms—and how do you show which hand plays what, and how high or low that C is to be?
Graphic scores
This is where a graphic score—basically a sounds picture—can be helpful.
There are no hard and fast rules here, but you will probably write single staccato notes as dots and longer notes or chords as bars and squares , and you will write upward or downward running scale patterns as sloping lines. Why not go back to one of your compositions and see if you can make a graphic score for it?
“Exactly right” scores
If you want anyone to be able to play your music for you or with you, exactly as you do, you will sooner or later find you have to write it down in “normal” notation. Again, start small, and get the basics sorted out—what metre is it? Is it clearly in a key? Do you need a single stave for a tune on its own, or the grand stave for both hands —or are you writing for several instruments?
If you like, bring your ideas to your next lesson, and I can help you to get started on writing it down.
Notation software
Sibelius and Finale are great for writing down your larger scale compositions. You need a good basic understanding of theory and notation to use it, and it can be quite time-consuming at first, but it gives very professional looking results.
To download free composition software, go to http://www.finalemusic.com/notepad/
Libor Novacek recital at Wigmore Hall
June 4th at 7.30pm.
Libor Novacek came to my attention when he stood in for another pianist at a few hours notice at the Little Missenden Festival. Winner of the Landor piano prize in 2005, he plays absolutely beautifully. He has since recorded the Liszt Annees de Pelerinage, an album of French and Czech piano music , and a Brahms CD, all of which have been very highly rated by Gramaphone and BBC Music reviewers. He is also a great communicator as a performer.
I’ll be going, so let me know if you would be interested in tickets and/or sharing transport to this event.
Tickets £15, £12, £8.
Libor Novacek came to my attention when he stood in for another pianist at a few hours notice at the Little Missenden Festival. Winner of the Landor piano prize in 2005, he plays absolutely beautifully. He has since recorded the Liszt Annees de Pelerinage, an album of French and Czech piano music , and a Brahms CD, all of which have been very highly rated by Gramaphone and BBC Music reviewers. He is also a great communicator as a performer.
I’ll be going, so let me know if you would be interested in tickets and/or sharing transport to this event.
Tickets £15, £12, £8.
Let's Teach Jazz
The ABRSM “Let’s Teach Jazz!” course has been great fun. Some of you have already been “guinea pigs” for a style of teaching that leaves the printed notes behind. Both jazz and classical playing can improve greatly when you simply imitate details of rhythm, articulation and expression that would be really quite complex on the page. At time of going to press I am in the final stages of preparation for the exam on May 18th.
I am enrolled on the new ABRSM piano syllabus seminars for November 2008. This is a preview of the pieces that you can choose from for exams from March 2009—although the current lists are still valid for that session too.
Please note: The requirements for scales and aural tests are also changing with effect from January 2009, whichever pieces you choose.
I am enrolled on the new ABRSM piano syllabus seminars for November 2008. This is a preview of the pieces that you can choose from for exams from March 2009—although the current lists are still valid for that session too.
Please note: The requirements for scales and aural tests are also changing with effect from January 2009, whichever pieces you choose.
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
My CPD
LAST year I prepared for Grade 7 Theory – and passed with Merit in December 2007.
I also attended seminars in the supporting tests at Trinity Guildhall, November, 2007 and in the Suzuki Piano method in June 2007.
I completed the Bucks County Council training course Safeguarding Children in Education in May 2007 and their Early Years Development training workshop on Including All Children: Autistic Spectrum Disorder in October 2007.
I renewed my CRB enhanced disclosure certificate in December 2007.
This spring I aim to complete the ABRSM Jazz Teaching course.
Then there is Grade 8 Theory to prepare for …… and of course there will be a new ABRSM piano syllabus to preview in September!
I also attended seminars in the supporting tests at Trinity Guildhall, November, 2007 and in the Suzuki Piano method in June 2007.
I completed the Bucks County Council training course Safeguarding Children in Education in May 2007 and their Early Years Development training workshop on Including All Children: Autistic Spectrum Disorder in October 2007.
I renewed my CRB enhanced disclosure certificate in December 2007.
This spring I aim to complete the ABRSM Jazz Teaching course.
Then there is Grade 8 Theory to prepare for …… and of course there will be a new ABRSM piano syllabus to preview in September!
Romain Descharmes recital at St John’s Smith Square
January 25th at 7.30pm.
Romain Descharmes, winner of the 2006 Dublin piano competition, performs Schubert's Sonata in A Minor D784, Scriabin’s Sonata Op.70 and Satanic Poem Op.36, Brahms’ Klavierstucke Op.118 and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.
I’ll be going, so let me know if you would be interested in tickets and/or sharing transport to this event.
Tickets £15, £12, £8.
Romain Descharmes, winner of the 2006 Dublin piano competition, performs Schubert's Sonata in A Minor D784, Scriabin’s Sonata Op.70 and Satanic Poem Op.36, Brahms’ Klavierstucke Op.118 and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.
I’ll be going, so let me know if you would be interested in tickets and/or sharing transport to this event.
Tickets £15, £12, £8.
Learning to listen
As you prepare for Grade exams I recommend you use the hofnotes on-line training pages to practise for the aural tests. Do let me know if you would like access to these.
But there are new elements to listening tests at higher grades. You need to be able to discuss with the examiner features such as the texture, form, style, and period of a piece of music.
I have produced some web pages to help with these parts of the test at Grade 5 and over.
These pages are available at http://www.piano4t.co.uk/learn_to_listen.htm. They are designed to help you to plan your listening, get more from what you hear, to better understand the music you play and easily access great performances of piano repertoire.
And .. just possibly... get better marks in listening tests at school!
But there are new elements to listening tests at higher grades. You need to be able to discuss with the examiner features such as the texture, form, style, and period of a piece of music.
I have produced some web pages to help with these parts of the test at Grade 5 and over.
These pages are available at http://www.piano4t.co.uk/learn_to_listen.htm. They are designed to help you to plan your listening, get more from what you hear, to better understand the music you play and easily access great performances of piano repertoire.
And .. just possibly... get better marks in listening tests at school!
Family concerts at RFH
I recommend you get to the Royal Festival Hall for one of their family music activities in February.
On February 17th, Stuart Stratford conducts and Matthew Sharp presents Mussorgsky’s fabulous “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
When his friend the painter and architect Victor Hartmann died aged 39, Mussorgsky reflected some of his works in music, which became Pictures at an Exhibition. Mussorgsky's music depicts the majesty of the Great Gate of Kiev, the bustle of the Market Place at Limoges and the curiosity of the Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks - all drawn by Hartmann in his pictures, and heard in delightful themes and distinctly Russian harmonies by Mussorgsky. Matthew Sharp and the London Philharmonic Orchestra reveal Mussorgsky the man, his music, and the people and places behind the pictures.
Before the concert, enjoy Sketches and Snapshots, an interactive installation inspired by Pictures at an Exhibition and presented in association with Southbank Centre Learning and Participation.
On the 10th, there is a workshop for under 7s on Messiaen’s music and birdsong which promises to be a real treat of discovery for young ones and their parents too!
On February 17th, Stuart Stratford conducts and Matthew Sharp presents Mussorgsky’s fabulous “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
When his friend the painter and architect Victor Hartmann died aged 39, Mussorgsky reflected some of his works in music, which became Pictures at an Exhibition. Mussorgsky's music depicts the majesty of the Great Gate of Kiev, the bustle of the Market Place at Limoges and the curiosity of the Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks - all drawn by Hartmann in his pictures, and heard in delightful themes and distinctly Russian harmonies by Mussorgsky. Matthew Sharp and the London Philharmonic Orchestra reveal Mussorgsky the man, his music, and the people and places behind the pictures.
Before the concert, enjoy Sketches and Snapshots, an interactive installation inspired by Pictures at an Exhibition and presented in association with Southbank Centre Learning and Participation.
On the 10th, there is a workshop for under 7s on Messiaen’s music and birdsong which promises to be a real treat of discovery for young ones and their parents too!
Easter workshops
Easter workshop dates for your diaries: April 7th and 8th, at Leathwood.
We are planning another pair of piano workshops for beginner and intermediate students to run in the Easter break.
As before we will focus on developing your ensemble playing and improvising skills. Watch this space for more details on the theme and activities to come!
We are planning another pair of piano workshops for beginner and intermediate students to run in the Easter break.
As before we will focus on developing your ensemble playing and improvising skills. Watch this space for more details on the theme and activities to come!
Keyboard or piano - which should I buy?
I am often asked this question so thought I would note down some of the main points for and against each choice. There are three main options – a keyboard, a digital piano or an acoustic piano.
Keyboards
These have many good features including demo songs and the ability to add backing tracks and chords. They have large banks of sampled sounds, and you can get creative with multi-track recordings of your own playing. They also interface with a PC and USB storage devices for MIDI music file storage and direct input to music-writing software packages. Many secondary school pupils will be taught on keyboards in their key stage 3 and GCSE work so there are obvious advantages in having a similar instrument at home.
Digital piano
I love my Yamaha portable grand, but it does have one disadvantage they don’t tell you about — it makes me sound much better than I am!
The sampled sounds are clearly from a beautiful instrument in a perfect hall, played by a true artist. It is impossible to make an ugly sound on this instrument! While this might sound great news for students (and their friends, family and neighbours…) there is a real danger of becoming a very lazy player!
But a good digital piano remains a very cost effective option. If you are looking for a digital piano to support piano lessons, make sure it has at least 66 keys (a piano has 88) and a sustain pedal or similar foot switch. Also demand it have fully weighted action—not just 'touch sensitive' keys....
Acoustic piano
Size is important so buy the tallest piano you can afford – both financially and in terms of available space. New pianos are described as 108, 112 etc cm – the height of the case gives a good indication of the length of the strings and therefore the depth of tone. Many older pianos will be considerably taller—a large well-made upright can sound richer than many a baby grand.
Try before you buy. If buying from new, make sure you try the exact piano you are going to get – even another example of the same model may have a very different sound. If buying second hand, don’t be fobbed off by anyone who says it could be cheaply reconditioned or would sound better after a tuning. Anyone who is serious about selling will have tuned the instrument ready for you to try.
Get help. New or second hand, this is a significant investment. Anything from a dealer at under £1000 is unlikely to give lasting pleasure as your playing develops, and may actually do damage to your technique or your ear. A pianist will be able to tell you if the action on a piano is basically even and smooth, and whether the touch is heavy or light; a tuner will be able to tell you if the instrument appears well made and technically sound.
Look inside. You want an ‘overstrung’ piano (the strings run diagonally and cross over each other). You also should look for ‘underdamper’ action (the dampers are behind the strings in an upright or beneath them in a grand).
It is quite difficult to see the sound board (the wood the strings are mounted on), but if there are cracks in this the resonance will be impaired and it will jump out of tune all the time.
Trust your judgement
Do you personally love the sound from this piano? There is a huge variety of tone colour between pianos and personal taste must come into it! Is it handsome enough to be welcome in your front room? Or at least not too ugly to give house room at all? Yes, perhaps it shouldn’t matter—but we all know it does! I would be a shame to confine your children to practice in a cold draughty corridor just because you can’t stand the sight of the case….
I hope this information is useful. These are only my personal opinions, and a great deal of ink has been spilt in the discussion of what instrument to buy, and not all of it comes to the same conclusion as I do.
I recommend the UK piano tuners association web site (http://www.uk-piano.org/ ) or the Associated Board teachers forum (http://www.abrsm.org/) for more information.
Keyboards
These have many good features including demo songs and the ability to add backing tracks and chords. They have large banks of sampled sounds, and you can get creative with multi-track recordings of your own playing. They also interface with a PC and USB storage devices for MIDI music file storage and direct input to music-writing software packages. Many secondary school pupils will be taught on keyboards in their key stage 3 and GCSE work so there are obvious advantages in having a similar instrument at home.
Digital piano
I love my Yamaha portable grand, but it does have one disadvantage they don’t tell you about — it makes me sound much better than I am!
The sampled sounds are clearly from a beautiful instrument in a perfect hall, played by a true artist. It is impossible to make an ugly sound on this instrument! While this might sound great news for students (and their friends, family and neighbours…) there is a real danger of becoming a very lazy player!
But a good digital piano remains a very cost effective option. If you are looking for a digital piano to support piano lessons, make sure it has at least 66 keys (a piano has 88) and a sustain pedal or similar foot switch. Also demand it have fully weighted action—not just 'touch sensitive' keys....
Acoustic piano
Size is important so buy the tallest piano you can afford – both financially and in terms of available space. New pianos are described as 108, 112 etc cm – the height of the case gives a good indication of the length of the strings and therefore the depth of tone. Many older pianos will be considerably taller—a large well-made upright can sound richer than many a baby grand.
Try before you buy. If buying from new, make sure you try the exact piano you are going to get – even another example of the same model may have a very different sound. If buying second hand, don’t be fobbed off by anyone who says it could be cheaply reconditioned or would sound better after a tuning. Anyone who is serious about selling will have tuned the instrument ready for you to try.
Get help. New or second hand, this is a significant investment. Anything from a dealer at under £1000 is unlikely to give lasting pleasure as your playing develops, and may actually do damage to your technique or your ear. A pianist will be able to tell you if the action on a piano is basically even and smooth, and whether the touch is heavy or light; a tuner will be able to tell you if the instrument appears well made and technically sound.
Look inside. You want an ‘overstrung’ piano (the strings run diagonally and cross over each other). You also should look for ‘underdamper’ action (the dampers are behind the strings in an upright or beneath them in a grand).
It is quite difficult to see the sound board (the wood the strings are mounted on), but if there are cracks in this the resonance will be impaired and it will jump out of tune all the time.
Trust your judgement
Do you personally love the sound from this piano? There is a huge variety of tone colour between pianos and personal taste must come into it! Is it handsome enough to be welcome in your front room? Or at least not too ugly to give house room at all? Yes, perhaps it shouldn’t matter—but we all know it does! I would be a shame to confine your children to practice in a cold draughty corridor just because you can’t stand the sight of the case….
I hope this information is useful. These are only my personal opinions, and a great deal of ink has been spilt in the discussion of what instrument to buy, and not all of it comes to the same conclusion as I do.
I recommend the UK piano tuners association web site (http://www.uk-piano.org/ ) or the Associated Board teachers forum (http://www.abrsm.org/) for more information.
Those 2007 exam results in full...
Special congratulations for achievement in exams go to:
Benjamin T Prep Test Piano
Cristina B Grade 1 Piano with Merit
Nicholas T Grade 1 Piano with Merit
Anne W Grade 1 Piano
Akila S Grade 2 Piano with Merit
Michael A Grade 3 Piano, and Grade 3 Theory with Merit
Rebecca H Grade 2 Composition with Merit, and Grade 4 Piano with Merit
Isabelle A Grade 1 Piano with Merit
Benjamin T Prep Test Piano
Cristina B Grade 1 Piano with Merit
Nicholas T Grade 1 Piano with Merit
Anne W Grade 1 Piano
Akila S Grade 2 Piano with Merit
Michael A Grade 3 Piano, and Grade 3 Theory with Merit
Rebecca H Grade 2 Composition with Merit, and Grade 4 Piano with Merit
Isabelle A Grade 1 Piano with Merit
Christmas concert
We were really proud of all our pupils who performed at the Christmas concert on December 19th, at Amersham Common Village Hall.
Preparations on the day went much more smoothly than in the summer, when the hall had been triple booked. On that occasion, some early arrivals had a nasty shock when they walked in to discover a life class going on in the room we had reserved!
Chairs were speedily put out while a small queue formed to get in some last minute practicing. Such eagerness—some even went round two or three times!
Everyone played really well and I was impressed with all your courage making that long walk up to the stage when your name was called!
The audience were very appreciative, and I’m sure it was great for young performers to hear their warm applause.
After the concert there was time for some Christmas cheer.
Our thanks to all those who came, to play or to listen.
Special thanks to those who leant a hand with setting up, handing round refreshments, or tidying up afterwards.
I have had lots of positive feedback, so in all probability you will get to do it all again next year!
In the meantime we are planning a Summer Soiree, probably with a suitable theme, and more opportunities for duets and other groups.
Summer Soiree date for your diaries: June 27th from 7.00 pm
Preparations on the day went much more smoothly than in the summer, when the hall had been triple booked. On that occasion, some early arrivals had a nasty shock when they walked in to discover a life class going on in the room we had reserved!
Chairs were speedily put out while a small queue formed to get in some last minute practicing. Such eagerness—some even went round two or three times!
Everyone played really well and I was impressed with all your courage making that long walk up to the stage when your name was called!
The audience were very appreciative, and I’m sure it was great for young performers to hear their warm applause.
After the concert there was time for some Christmas cheer.
Our thanks to all those who came, to play or to listen.
Special thanks to those who leant a hand with setting up, handing round refreshments, or tidying up afterwards.
I have had lots of positive feedback, so in all probability you will get to do it all again next year!
In the meantime we are planning a Summer Soiree, probably with a suitable theme, and more opportunities for duets and other groups.
Summer Soiree date for your diaries: June 27th from 7.00 pm
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