Review: ABRSM Songbooks Plus
At the end of October 2017, ABRSM published its new Songbook Plus series, designed to complement the existing Songbook range. There is a new book for each of Grades 1-5,…
Review: ABRSM Singing Syllabus 2018
A few weeks ago, ABRSM released its revised singing syllabus for use from 2018. This is the first update to the syllabus since 2009. ABRSM state that they have ‘refreshed’…
Taking Part in a Local Music Festival: A Performer’s Experience
Thank you to Ruth Carlyle for allowing me to reproduce this article which she contributed to my end-of-term newsletter in December 2016: Have you thought about taking part in the…
Duets: Are We Missing the Point?
I don’t know about other teachers, but I try to make use of duets in my teaching at all levels. Indeed, I've written an article previously about the 'joy of…
Review: ABRSM Flute Syllabus 2018-2021
As many of you will know, ABRSM released it's new flute syllabus this week to cover the period 2018-2021. Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to play through many of…
Music Teaching Repertoire: Beyond Exams
Instrumental teachers know how easy it is to become trapped on the exam treadmill, learning a few pieces, sitting an exam, then moving to the next grade. Encouraging pupils to…
Music Lessons and Revision
We're just entering exam season here in the UK. The bulk of AS and A-Level exams begin this week, and GCSEs soon after. Virtually all 16-18 year olds are affected…
Waiting List Application
If you would like me to add your name to the waiting list, please enter your details below and I'll get in touch when I have a suitable opening: When…
Teaching Diplomas: Which One Should You Choose?
When people ask me about mentoring them for their teaching diplomas, they've generally already decided which diploma to go for, but what if you're not sure? I'm going to focus here…
Should We Care About the Sheet Music We Play From?
In the days of yore (well, let's say 20 years ago), when I wanted a piece of sheet music, I really had two options: either I went to a music…
DipLCM in Piano Performance: My Experiences
I almost subtitled this post: ‘Anyone can do a diploma if I can, three days after coming out of hospital, and minus my gallbladder’… As I think everyone knows by…
Managing the Cost of Music Tuition: Practical Advice
Some of you may have seen this BBC news article/report this morning. To my mind, the article completely fails to offer any practical advice about budgeting towards music tuition at…