I’ll be honest. I don’t like trying to find traditional songs! Ever since I read the ABRSM advice and heard about the poor examiner who had ten renditions of ‘Ten Green Bottles’ on one day, I am super keen to Read more…
Let’s face it, music theory does not have a good rep. It’s like arithmetic and spelling. And actually, that’s the problem… Most people only ever really encounter the kind of music theory which feels very similar to learning your times tables or Read more…
It’s September. That means for all us music teachers, like the children we teach, it’s back to school and back to work. In the UK, as well as abroad, a new term means we once again face the question: do Read more…
Kicking off this year’s Fringe reviews, we start with a trip out for breakfast on Shakespeare Island. FRINGE RUN: 31/7-25/8, not 12/8 @ 10:00; C; [£8.50/£6.50] Who, Where and When: C Theatre; C, Chambers Street; Saturday 2 August 2014, 10:00 The Read more…
Practice can be daunting. Simply finding time and motivation is hard enough, but the biggest challenge is often the question of what to do when you finally start. Where should you start? And what should you do next? Rinse and Repeat All Read more…
Too many people say to me “I’m tone deaf”, but I’ve yet to meet someone who acutally suffers with this disability. Yes, tone deafness is a real medical condition. Tone deafness is an inability to recognise relative pitch, which is Read more…
The voice is fundamentally a wind instrument. We use air to make sound, rather than vibrating strings or hitting objects. However, when we’re trying to reach the high notes in our voice, it’s more helpful to think about a violin Read more…
One of the biggest challenges any singing teacher faces is teaching sight-reading skills. Sight-singing is often neglected because singers tend to learn more by listening than reading. Many singers can go a long way with only rudimentary ability to read Read more…
After my cold-of-doom which inspired the post a few weeks ago, I have been slowly building back to my normal routine. Or, possibly, a new and improved normal routine. When you get a cold that results in taking steroids for Read more…
Plenty of musical goodness for you this week, including responses to the BBC Young Musician of the Year final, and some rather appearance-ist reviews from Glyndbourne. And that’s without all the usual blog posts for teachers and learners alike. Posts Read more…