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!
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
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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