I didn’t discover the joys of Trinity Guildhall’s theory exams until after I had already taken the slow and arduous path of studying for ABRSM’s Grade 6 and 7 exams. I passed both of them, but the materials available for study made the whole process seem both mysterious and dull. Read more
Apologies for not having posted this for the last few weeks – I have been quite busy recently and forgot about it :(… Two songs for young beginners this week. Traditional English – I Had a Little Nut Tree [ABRSM 1(A); Trad. Song] A gentle tune which would suit a Read more
After such a lovely, sunny and dramatic weekend last weekend, I hope this one is just as sunny but not as stressful! Here are some of the best blog posts this week to unwind with. What Can Musicians Learn from Andy Murray’s Wimbledon victory? (Classical Mel) – How performance Read more
NB: While reading this series, it can be helpful to keep a copy of the ABRSM Singing syllabus to hand. The syllabus can be downloaded here http://gb.abrsm.org/en/our-exams/singing/ In this series, we’ve talked about choosing repertoire, and we’ve looked at how to prepare the repertoire, and we’ve covered the supporting tests. Read more
Grade 8 is the highest available graded instrumental exam. For parents and students alike, it can seem like a glowing light in the distance – a magical target that once achieved will bestow the mythical status of ‘musician’ on anyone who can reach it. Here are 8 myths about reaching Grade 8: Read more
Happy Friday everyone. It’s been a nail-biting week in British tennis, but everything is crossed for a good result today and on Sunday. Have you been on the edge of your seat with me? Whatever the outcome, enjoy this week’s round up of the best of the blogosphere with a Read more
Since I started teaching singing, I’ve been struck over and over again how much learning music is like learning a language. Music speaks in its own way – by learning to play our instruments we are learning the words and sentences that allow us to convey meaning. When we start Read more
NB. The Information about the content of the aural tests is not in the singing syllabus, but instead can be found here: Aural tests are very easy to neglect. They are a small portion of the exam marks, and only take a few minutes at the end of the exam. Read more
It’s school holidays from this week, up in slightly sunny Scotland, and it won’t be long before the schools are off in England too. That means lots of music teachers are on holiday too. Some teachers take the whole summer off and most of us will take a couple of Read more