In this blog post, I want to share some thoughts about planning, rehearsing and delivering your demonstration lesson as part of the DipLCM(TD) teaching diploma. The advice given here is equally applicable at ALCM(TD) and LLCM(TD) levels, and may also apply to other qualifications which require similar.
As part of the DipLCM(TD), the London College of Music’s first-level teaching diploma, candidates are required to teach a 20-minute lesson to a pupil, live in the exam. In exceptional circumstances, candidates may ask to submit their lesson in video format; however, the advice here still applies.
Based on the current (2019) syllabus, a few points to bear in mind:
- You must have been teaching the pupil for at least six months;
- The pupil can be any standard from Grade 1 to Grade 8;
- The standard of the pupil used for the demonstration lesson will form the basis for the whole exam;
- The lesson will concentrate primarily on repertoire pieces (which can be exam pieces or otherwise);
- You can include the teaching of pieces chosen for your presentation (Component 2) in your demonstration lesson;
- You are expected to also cover other areas teaching, such as sight-reading, aural skills, technical exercises, theory etc.;
- If your lesson runs over 20 minutes, the examiner will stop assessing it.
Many have argued that classroom teachers in schools have been subject to regular and routine lesson observations over a long period of time. Whilst this is true, I think there’s a subtle distinction to be made between an ‘observation’ and a ‘demonstration’. Generally, in an ‘observation’, another teacher or outside course mentor will observe one of your ‘normal’ lessons ‘in progress’. For the DipLCM(TD) demonstration lesson, you will be required to effectively deliver a one-off lesson, out of context, in front of one other person, and at an unfamiliar location. Because of that, I often say to people that the demonstration lesson is inevitably artificial, and I do think the examiners realise that.
The first thing to say is that you need to have a plan. I’m not saying you need a fully-fledged and written-up lesson plan, but you need an idea, particularly with such a tight time constraint, where your demonstration lesson is heading. I often find that candidates haven’t thought about lesson planning before, so if you’re one of those, check out the following resources (some piano-based, but they can be adapted):
3 Useful Styles of Lesson Plans for Piano Teachers (Nicola Cantan)
Lesson Plan Templates for Piano Teachers (Tim Topham)
Simultaneous Learning Practice Map (Paul Harris)
For a more conventional approach, there are also some lesson plan templates in ABRSM’s The Music Teacher’s Companion.
I particularly like Paul Harris’s Simultaneous Learning approach to lesson planning, that is, by identifying a piece’s ‘ingredients’, this helps make links between repertoire and other skills such as scales, sight-reading, theory etc.
20 minutes is not a long time, and in that time you need to give a good overview of your competence as an instrumental teacher. Remember, although this is a standalone lesson, it needs to have context, even if that context is invented. The pupil will have come from the previous lesson, via practice at home, and they’ll be going on from this lesson to practise at home once more, in preparation for the next lesson.
One of the biggest criticisms of candidates’ demonstration lesson is that it is focussed too heavily on repertoire without reference to other areas of learning. I think it’s useful to be working on a piece with which the pupil is already fairly familiar, because it seems a waste of the demonstration lesson teaching basic notes and rhythms. Assuming the piece is already in progress, which areas might the pupil be finding tricky, and how could you cover these in the demonstration lesson?

Let’s take The Somersault King on the current LCM Grade 2 Piano syllabus, List C. The piece is in C major. Could your lesson begin with revision of the C major scale, arpeggio and/or broken chord? Could you introduce the lesson with a warm-up improvisation in the key of C major in which you ask a pupil to improvise as if they were somersaulting? These things provide a link with technical work, exercises, aural awareness and interpretation. It may only take a couple of minutes, but it adds another dimension to your lesson. These things also help set your piece within a wider context of learning.
When you’re preparing for the demonstration lesson, make sure you select a pupil who is not only willing to take part (and may also have willing parents), but one who won’t freeze when required to ‘perform’ in front of the examiner. There is nothing to stop you ‘rehearsing’ the lesson in advance, and I would encourage you to do this. This component is about demonstrating your competence as a teacher in a one-off exam, not a periodic observation. You cannot show in your next observation, that which you forgot to show this time.
It’s easy for me to say, but try and relax as much as possible. The examiner is a silent observer in the demonstration lesson, so as far as possible, you should just ignore them.
Whilst the advice above can be applied alone, don’t underestimate the value of having someone to mentor you for your diploma. A mentor can empower you to reflect on your teaching; go into the exam with confidence; and come out with a qualification which validates your teaching skills. If you’d like one-to-one help and guidance for all aspects of your DipLCM(TD), or indeed any other teaching diploma, I offer a bespoke online mentoring programme which offers you support with all aspects of your chosen diploma.