LIBRETTO

Linking sound with symbol

Jazz: the latest news

Paul Harris on practice

The accompanist’s tale

Issue 2003:1

ContentsLibretto 2003:1

1 Exams

The real deal for jazzUK and Ireland jazz datesSinging Prep TestCandidates take centre stageDiplomas by distance-learningOnline updateUK closing datesSecond chance for theoryExaminer recruitmentMaking theory clearerGoodbye and welcome

4 Features

Practice makes perfect – the final connectionPaul HarrisLinking sound with symbol

8 Professional development

A taste of the CT ABRSMCT ABRSM Hong KongCT ABRSM Singapore

9 Publishing

13 News

Website wondersJuniors at the Royal Schools of Music2003: a jubilee yearPortuguese promiseSpanish jubilee concertA winning worldSupporting music makersAustralian accreditationAll change in Southern Africa

and SwitzerlandWorking with RepresentativesChief Examiner on tour

16 Forum

Accompaniment

Outlook

Ever since the launch of our ground-breaking jazz piano syllabus and publications in 1998, we have been hard at work researching and developing equivalent materials at Grades 1 to 5 for fourinstruments at the heart of the jazz tradition: clarinet, saxophone,trumpet and trombone. In this issue of Libretto you will find an articleabout the new AB Real Book by our Lead Jazz Consultant, CharlieBeale, as well as full information on a plethora of linked publicationscreated by ABRSM Publishing.

The scale of this new project is prodigious: over 300 pieces havebeen arranged and moderated, including 25 new ones commissionedby ABRSM Publishing, and the publications, embracing graded albums,real books, scale manuals, quick studies and aural tests, contain over2,500 pages of music. Copyright clearances have been obtained onalmost 300 jazz tunes. In addition there are 27 CDs and a newsupporting book for teachers, Play Jazz from Scratch by Charlie Beale.

The Associated Board will be mailing information about the launch of the new jazz syllabuses to all UK teachers of the relevantinstruments as held on our database. Information can also be obtainedat www.abrsm.ac.uk/jazz2003 where you can join the mailing list.

While jazz exams will initially be available only in the UK, Ireland,Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, the publications willbe on sale worldwide. We hope to extend access to the exams in yearsto come and it is particularly encouraging that much interest has alreadybeen expressed from key figures in the homeland of jazz, the USA.

The new jazz syllabus provides an excellent example of thedynamic nature of the Associated Board’s work. Because of both ourlongevity and the scale of our operations, it is easy to think of theBoard as an unchanging institution. The reality is that there is aconstant evolutionary process as regards syllabuses and services forteachers and students. Much of this work is unseen and unsungbecause it takes place in the years before a syllabus comes to publicattention. Where this work has been well done, it is likely that thesyllabus will endure (albeit with regular repertoire refreshment) over a large number of years.

Against this background, I would like to pay tribute to theAssociated Board’s Syllabus Secretary, Martin Teale, whose retirementafter no less than 34 years’ service is announced in this issue ofLibretto. After what he himself terms ‘a chequered career’, includingstudy of design, acting and teaching classical guitar, he was recruitedby my predecessor, Dr William Cole, in 1969. It is illuminating to recallthat, during his period of tenure, new syllabuses have been createdfrom scratch for: saxophone, recorder, harpsichord, ensembles,percussion, choral singing and practical musicianship, in addition tojazz; additional grades have been established (within the eight-gradeframework) for all woodwind and brass instruments, organ, viola,double bass, guitar, harp and singing; Prep Tests have been created formost subjects, Advanced Certificate and subsequently DipABRSM andFRSM for all subjects, and Performance Assessment have beenintroduced. Also during this period there have been regular revisionsto aural tests, theory of music and sight-reading for all subjects, letalone the setting of a countless number of LRSM written papers. Thank you, Martin. It is hard to think of anyone who has better earnedtheir retirement!

Richard MorrisChief Executive

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music24 Portland Place, London W1B 1LU, United Kingdom

t +44 (0)20 7636 5400f +44 (0)20 7637 0234

e abrsm@abrsm.ac.ukwww.abrsm.ac.uk

Registered Charity No. 292182© 2003 by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of MusicAll rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction in whole or inpart is prohibited without permission.

Editor Michelle JamesAssistant Editor Lucy NorthInsert & advertising sales Dominic Sewell

t 020 8861 0848Design Tamasin ColeCover illustration Anne Kristin HagesætherPrint FS Moore Ltd, London

The views expressed in Libretto are not necessarily those of theAssociated Board neither are the products or services appearingin advertisements and inserts endorsed by the Associated Board.

Jazz is back as headlinenews at the AssociatedBoard in 2003

1

EXAMS

In May the Associated Board will be launching aset of jazz exams and publications for clarinet,saxophones, trumpet and trombone. Includedwill be albums of jazz tunes, minus-one CDs andpiano accompaniments, scales and supportingtests. These publications are set to transform therepertoire available for wind and brass pupils atGrades 1 to 5 and at their heart will be the mostinnovative publication of all – The AB Real Book.

A real book is a collection of around 100charts or lead sheets – useful jazz tunes written insingle line melody with changes (chord symbols).Originally hand-written and illegally copied, realbooks (also sometimes confusingly known asfakebooks) supported the aural tradition of jazzand were referred to by jazz musicians as anaide-mémoire, ensuring a tune was playedconsistently. The information in real books is rawmaterial. Musicians interpret the lead sheet asthey feel, adapting the material to suit their ownneeds and style of playing. In the past 10 to 15years a number of real books have been producedlegally by publishers around the world.

The AB Real Book will be a world first, includingonly tunes that have been set at Grades 4 and 5 –ideal for the intermediate-level performer and formixed-ability group playing. Like all real books,ours will be available in C, B flat, E flat and bassclef, which also makes it perfect for school combosor small bands.

The tunes appear in the keys which arecommonly used by jazz musicians, together withthe lyrics, where relevant, and so by using thereal book you are developing jazz skills andknowledge that will stand you in good stead forlife. There is a huge range of repertoire includedfrom early jazz and standards to newly composed

The real deal for jazz

Charlie Beale, LeadJazz Consultant,introduces The AB Real Book

UK and Ireland jazz dates

We regret that there is an error in the UK & IrelandExamination Regulations and Information for 2003. The table of dates on page 18 gives the B Period dates forjazz exams in England and Wales incorrectly as 16 – 21 June.The correct dates are 9 – 14 June.

Please also note that jazz exams for clarinet, saxophone,trumpet and trombone will not now be available until C Period 2003.

A new book for the Singing PrepTest is in preparation and will beavailable in May. The current PrepTest for Singing can be used untilthe end of December 2003.

Singing Prep Test

tunes and the related listening suggestionsprovide a useful shortcut to finding performancesto listen to. The real book can be used for anyinstrument not just those in the Jazz Syllabus. So violinists, flautists and guitarists, for example,can make fine use of The AB Real Book too.

For less experienced jazz players and thoseworking on their own, each chart contains theoption of a fully written out arrangement with ashort solo section – an example of a completeperformance, if you like. Andfor those interested in the jazzexams, the one real bookcontains all the tunes set in thenew jazz syllabuses at Grades 4and 5. So the tunes you play inyour band can also be the onesyou play in your exam.

Since launching the jazzpiano and ensembles syllabusesin 1998, the Associated Boardhas won plaudits all over theworld for producing wellresearched and teacher-friendlypublications in jazz education.With this expanded syllabus andThe AB Real Book, we believewe’ve done it again!

The syllabus and full range of jazz publicationsfor clarinet, saxophones, trombone and trumpetwill be available in May. We are also running aseries of launch events in the UK from May toJuly. UK teachers of these instruments who areon our database will be sent information aboutthese events shortly. Or you can join the mailinglist at www.abrsm.ac.uk/jazz2003.

The new jazz exams will be available for theUK and Ireland in C Period 2003 and for Australia,New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia in the examsessions at the end of this year. For Singapore andMalaysia the 2003 exam session will also see thefirst jazz piano exams taking place.

For more on the new jazz publications turn to page 10

2

EXAMS

In previous issues of Libretto we have discussedrepertoire choice, examiner training andexamining philosophy. Here I would like tofeature those on the receiving end of our service– the candidates – and to share with you somefacts and figures about them.

Let’s take Grade 5 candidates as an example.The typical Grade 5 practical candidate is 14 yearsold (although we hear many who are muchyounger, as well as hundreds of adults). She ismost likely to be a pianist, or a violinist, flute orclarinet player or singer. She will have reachedGrade 5 after taking Grade 1 when she was about10 years old. If she goes on to take Grade 8practical she will probably be approaching her17th birthday when she enters. Theory candidateswill, on average, be a few months older thantheir practical counterparts for the lower gradesand about a year older for the upper grades. It’sworth remembering that examiners are not toldthe ages of their candidates, and in any case donot take age into account when marking.

There are slightly more female than malecandidates at all grades, and typically girls tendto do a little better than boys, just as in mostother exam situations – but only marginally – andwell over 90% of all candidates will pass theirexam. The average mark for all practicalcandidates across the eight grades is around 116,where a decade ago it was nearer 115, and therise is a tribute to the commitment of candidatesand the skills of their teachers.

Turning to results, the mark bands for pass,merit and distinction in the practical exams havenot changed for many years, and nor has theproportion of candidates who fall into each

category. The Associated Board does not operateany kind of quota system and every candidate hasan equal opportunity of achieving the highestmarks. We do not manipulate marks in order toachieve a certain percentage of distinctions,merits, passes and fails, nor do we instructexaminers to do so. And unlike some other examsystems, no candidate’s result is influenced bythose of other candidates who happen to betaking their exams at the same time.Theoretically, therefore, it would be possible foreveryone who takes an exam to achieve adistinction, but in reality the results aredistributed very much as a statistician wouldexpect from such a huge exam population.

Each element of the exam is markedindependently, too, so a disappointingperformance in one piece, say, or in the scales,has no bearing on the marks awarded for theother elements – and the same is true for theorycandidates. Recently a merit category wasintroduced for theory candidates to mirror therecognition practical candidates receive, but thishas not meant any adjustment to the pass ordistinction expectations or grade boundaries.

The stability of the benchmarks provided byAssociated Board exams is also evident from ananalysis and comparison of the repertoire choicefrom syllabus to syllabus, and from the fact thatexaminers are trained against video examples ofexam performances – which can be comparedwith earlier archive footage. All helping to ensurestandards remain constant year on year. Socongratulations to every one of our hard-workingcandidates – their achievements really areworthwhile.

Candidates take centre stage

Philip Mundey, Director of Examinations, turns thespotlight on candidates and their achievements

The University of Southern Queensland(USQ) is offering a distance-learningpackage to prepare students around theworld for the DipABRSM and LRSM inTeaching. Their Piano Teacher Program(PTP) uses the latest technologies to provideteachers with a learning programme that isflexible, accessible, and that covers the fullrange of diploma requirements. Supportmaterials include a comprehensive studyguide, articles and CD-ROMs containingvideo clips of teaching techniques; there are

also opportunities for chat groups andsimple video conferencing sessions.Throughout the course, students preparevideo and written assignments and submitthese to USQ for assessment and feedback.

Although based on the AssociatedBoard syllabus, the USQ-PTP is runindependently and all enquiriesshould be directed to the USQ.Further information can be foundat www.usq.edu.au/pianotp

Diplomas by distance-learning

3

EXAMSUK closing dates: summer session

Easter falls relatively late in 2003 which meansthat the postal closing date for UK entries for thesummer session (Friday 2 May) is very close to thestart of term for many teachers.

We do understand that this can causedifficulties but the following options might be helpful:

■ Make your entries online. The closingdate is Friday 9 May, a whole week later than for postal entries:www.abrsm.ac.uk

■ Submit your main entry at the end ofthe spring term. You can always send ina separate entry after Easter for anyisolated candidates whose entry cannotbe submitted earlier. Just enclose a noteasking us to link the entry with yourother candidates and we will make surethey are all examined on the same date.

The new online entry form, available for the UKand Ireland, continues to prove popular. In CPeriod last year, 30% of candidates were enteredonline. Many of the form’s new features havebeen welcomed but we have also been gratefulfor your feedback suggesting possibleimprovements. Comments from users have beeninvaluable in helping to identify areas in need offurther refinement and these have now beenaddressed in readiness for A Period entries.

Additional online facilities are underdevelopment and applicants will soon be able touse their applicant number and confidentialpassword to view their own candidates’ pastresults online.

For online entry go towww.abrsm.ac.uk/examentry.html

Online update

Our recent seminar on Grade 5 Theory was such asuccess that we are repeating the seminar to givemore teachers an opportunity to attend.

10.00am to 5.00pm15 March: Central London17 May: Cardiff

Philip Mundey, Director of Examinations, will bethere to explain the marking criteria for theorypapers and Lis Fletcher and Ian Smith willdemonstrate creative ways to teach theoryeffectively and help your pupils to enjoy theexperience! For a taste of what’s involved turn topage 6 for our feature based on this seminar.

We are expecting this to be a very popular eventand places are limited so please book early to avoiddisappointment. To reserve a place send a chequefor £30.00 (made payable to ABRSM) with a lettergiving your name, address, telephone number,applicant number and choice of venue to:

Theory SeminarMarketing Department24 Portland PlaceLondon W1B 1LU

Goodbye and welcome

In February our Syllabus Secretary, Martin Teale, retires aftercompleting a remarkable 34 yearsof service. We wish him well, andwelcome his successor, RobertSargant, who takes over as Syllabus Manager.

Examiner recruitment

Have you ever thought about becoming anAssociated Board examiner or wondered what thejob involves? You can now find out at one of thespecial recruitment meetings taking place at ourPortland Place offices. This is an opportunity todiscover exactly what an examiner does, what skillsare required and how the application, selection andtraining procedures work. You will also have achance to meet an examiner and talk to keyAssociated Board staff including Clara Taylor, ChiefExaminer, and Tim Arnold, Head of InternationalOperations. The meetings are designed to berelaxed and informal, with plenty of time for your questions.

8 February: 11.00am – 1.00pm19 February: 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Any musicians interested in becoming anexaminer are welcome to attend. To bookyour place at one of these events contactthe Director of Examinations Department:

t 020 7467 8267e examiners@abrsm.ac.uk

Second chance for theory

Making theory clearer

We are making small improvements to the layout of thetheory papers from 2003 onwards. In the Grade 5 melodywriting question the clef and key signature is now includedon each stave. Candidates at Grades 1 and 2 will be pleasedto see that the blank stave in the copying-out question is nowdirectly below the music (giving less distance for the eye totravel). The rubric for this question, which remains at the footof the page, has also been slightly amended, askingcandidates to include dynamics and all other detail, as well asclef, key signature and time signature.

4

FEATURES Practice makes perfect – the final connection

Paul Harris

Paul Harris is a teacher, composer, writer, clarinettist and examiner.The author of over 250 publications including The Music Teacher’sCompanion – from ABRSM (Publishing) Ltd – and the Improve YourSight-reading! series (Faber Music) and many works ranging fromshort educational pieces to five concertos and a ballet.

The word practice, like scales, is one of themost emotive in the language of a developingyoung musician. Some highly motivated childrenseem to have the discipline to undertake regularand useful practice; others will need a lot ofcajoling and then there are those who, despiteour finest efforts, don’t quite seem to see thepoint of it at all.

If only all pupils could learn to make somedecent use of all that time between lessons, what an effect it might have on their progress.However, it is salutary to reflect that some pupil’spractice probably does more harm than good.What is the benefit of a pupil simply playingthrough a piece, complete with numerousuncorrected errors, and considering practice done?

Let’s indulge in a little research. Enlist anumber of pupils and ask them to make a reallyhonest diary of a week’s work. Ask them to notedown the length of each practice session andexactly what they did – not what they would likeyou to think they did! Ask them to include whatthey particularly enjoyed practising and whatthey avoided practising. If they didn’t practise askthem why not – and don’t allow throw-awayanswers such as ‘I didn’t have time’. Pupils whoproduce a frank and candid practice diary couldgive you much food for thought and discussion.The diaries might even inspire a group lessonwhere an open exchange of views could takeplace. Now ask yourself how much time youdevote to teaching pupils how to practise – andremember there’s a big difference betweentelling pupils what to practise and teaching themhow to practise.

A lesson usually lasts between twenty minutesand an hour. If lessons are weekly and held at aregular time, there are in fact about 167 hoursavailable for practice. Of course most of that timeis taken up with day-to-day living, but what an

achievement it would be if pupils had a realdesire to use some of those hours to practise; andif they used that time in an effective, beneficialand creative way.

So let’s re-evaluate practice and try to discoverhow it should fit into the teaching and learningprocess. There have been many chapters andindeed whole books written about practice – andmost of them are full of useful tips. The nettlethat most of them don’t really grasp is how toinstil a real enthusiasm for practice in our pupils.It’s very important that both pupil and teachersee practice as an integral part of progress. Itshould never be considered an optional extra. Alesson should lead naturally on to practice andpractice on to the next lesson, creating acontinuous process that generates its owninternal energy. But how can we begin to achievethis Utopian situation?

To find the answer we need to apply theconcept of ‘simultaneous learning’ to practice.The fundamental theory underpinning theconcept is that all aspects of music are connectedand that our job as teachers, for the most part, isto make these connections for our pupils thusengendering what I call musical thinking. In away, the process of learning may be conceived asa continuous deconstruction of musical elementsfollowed by a reconstruction in a much moreunderstanding manner. We identify theingredients of a piece – and then teach thoseingredients thoroughly so that pupils can applythem not only to the piece in question but to anymusic they might be playing or studying. It isimportant to involve pupils in the identificationprocess – so between us we make a list ofrhythmic shapes, dynamics, articulations,technical problems and the character of themusic. This allows pupils to think carefully aboutthe piece and to understand the major features.It also gives them a strong sense of responsibilityfor their own learning.

An ideal first lesson on a new piece will leavethe actual notes out of sight – perhaps for theentire lesson. We will have a good idea of themain ingredients and allow the lesson to unfoldaround those ingredients. We might begin withsome improvisatory work in the key – I love theidea of thinking of a lesson as being in G major,for instance. As the lesson progresses we addsome of the rhythmic patterns and later, some of

The word practice, like scales, is one of the most emotive

in the language of a developing young musician

5

FEATURES

the dynamics and articulation. We may, unknownto our pupil, teach them a bar or two of the newpiece as a starting point for an improvisation ortechnical exercise – in turn developing aural andmemory skills. We might bring the variouselements into scale playing – if it’s a joyful piecelet’s play the scale with the appropriate character(or indeed the opposite character – learningopposites is a powerful teaching tool). We use theelements of the piece to develop musicianshipthrough creative work.

Having set up this imaginative approach tolearning a piece, let’s see how we can build theconnection with practice. We often teach pupilsto make practice a re-creation of the lesson.There is much to be said for this as it givesstructure. If we are conscientious, we tell pupilsto begin with some warms-ups, play some scalesand then work carefully on the pieces, correctingmistakes as they go along. However, this is notalways as successful as we might think. Theenergy, effort and self-discipline required for thisapproach is often too much for many pupils. It allseems too daunting and so the end result is eitherno practice at all or something that represents nomore than a token gesture.

The difficulty for most pupils is in gettingstarted. They have to stop what they are doing –playing computer games, sending text messages,watching the television, chatting on their mobilephones, eating (or even doing their homework!)– and find the physical and psychological energyto get their instrument out (or open the piano)and begin. Pupils may come to practice with more enthusiasm if it becomes more creative and if we can find a way to remove that initialpsychological barrier of how to get started.

First we explain that practice will beginwithout the music. Something along the lines of:

‘Think about what we did in the last lesson.What key were we exploring? What were thepatterns (rhythmic and otherwise) we used forour improvisations? What dynamic levels andarticulations did we work on? What musicalmoods did we examine? Now begin your practiceby developing those activities. Make up a tunebased in the key. Think about the ingredients weused and how we mixed them together. Try outnew ideas. Make up some exercises to help withparticular problems as we did in the lesson.’

In this way practice becomes a creative activityand pupils are thinking about the ingredientsthat make up their new piece, rather than just‘doing’ them in a half-hearted and thought-lessway. They are undertaking real musical activityand the practice has become much more pupil-centred. They are taking ownership of their own

progress and practice suddenly becomes morestimulating and easier to begin, because there isnothing to get wrong!

Rather than me writing instructions I muchprefer my pupils to use their practice notebooksas a record of what they did in their practice,what they had fun in creating and indeed whatthey created (which can be notated either usingconventional notation or graphically). This thenbecomes the way into the next lesson. When apupil begins to realise that you are interested inwhat they did and are prepared to takesomething they created as the starting point foryour next lesson, the energy begins to flow. Thecontinuous process of lesson-practice-lesson-practice begins to transpire.

Hold on, you may say, this is all very well formy right-brained pupils who, with someencouragement, really enjoy using theirimaginations, but what about those left-brainedpupils who can only do exactly what I write intheir practice notebooks? For that very reason Iwould suggest that these pupils would benefitequally, if not more, from this approach. The goodteacher knows that the most successful workcomes from adopting a variety of approaches andstrategies, and that we must always be sensitive tothe needs and abilities of each individual. If youlike the idea don’t try to impose it indiscriminatelyand sweepingly – introduce it gently alongsidepresent practice regimes. It will take some time toget used to, but may well reap great rewards.

With this approach, practice becomes anintegral part of the learning process. It connectspractice with the lesson and begins to remove thefear and overwhelming sense of difficulty ingetting started; it causes the imagination to playa major role and allows pupils to use precioustime in a truly musical way.

A lesson should lead naturally on to practice and practice on to the next lesson, creating acontinuous process that generatesits own internal energy

With this approach, practicebecomes an integral part ofthe learning process

6

FEATURES

Rhythm games

Children often find it difficult to understand howrhythm fits with a beat especially if rhythmicnotation is taught mainly using pencil and paper.The best way for them to get to grips with therhythm-beat relationship is by feeling it, preferablythrough the whole body. Rhythm games can helpchildren make the link between beat and rhythm ina practical way. Here is our version of a game calledSwitch.

Version 1■ Begin by getting your pupils to keep a steady

beat with their feet.■ You then add a rhythmic pattern (1) and your

pupils join in – copying your pattern.

■ After a few repetitions you say ‘switch’ andchange to a new pattern (2). Your pupils followyou and switch to pattern 2.

■ Continue the game introducing more newpatterns as you go.

Encourages pupils to listen to rhythmic patterns andfeel how they fit with the beat.

Version 2■ Begin in the same way, setting up a beat and

introducing pattern 1.■ You then move on to pattern 2 (without saying

‘switch’) but your pupils stay on pattern 1.■ You then say ‘switch’ at which point your pupils

join you with pattern 2.■ Carry on in this way adding new rhythmic

patterns.

Encourages pupils to feel how two differentrhythms fit together and with the beat.

Version 3■ Begin in the same way.■ You change to pattern 2 (without saying

‘switch’) but your pupils stay on pattern 1.■ You say ‘switch’ at which point you introduce a

new pattern (3) and your pupils change topattern 2 – you and your pupils are never doingthe same pattern simultaneously.

■ Say ‘switch’ again, you then introduce anothernew pattern (4) and your pupils move on topattern 3 etc.

Encourages an awareness of multiple rhythmicpatterns and subdivision of the beat.

Flashcards

Write out short rhythmic patterns on pieces of card.Hold up each card in time with a beat (again kept bythe feet) for your pupils to clap. (Write the rhythmon the back of the card as well so that you knowwhether they are getting it right!) Later on, includerhythms in compound time explaining that the beatthey are now keeping with their feet is a dottedcrotchet. This is a good way to introduce notationfor rhythms in compound time. From an early stage,try to make your pupils understand what the twonumbers in a time signature mean, especially thefact that the bottom number relates to the beat andwon’t always be 4 for a crotchet.

You can also have several cards on display at once.Clap one of the rhythmic patterns yourself and askpupils to identify the pattern. Then play some musicfeaturing that rhythm and ask them to shout outwhen it appears.

Pitch

When teaching the concept of pitch for the first timebegin with the absolute basics and remember thatperceptions of high and low may differ dependingon the instrument played. For pianists, low means tothe left, while for cellists low means nearer the faceand for violinists it means further away!

As a starting point, try the following:■ Sing three notes at different pitches and ask

your pupils to write blobs on a page showingthe relative highness and lowness of the pitches.

■ Reverse the process – write high and low blobson a page and ask them to sing notes inresponse to the position of the blobs.

■ Try blobs on, above and below a single line – forsinging three notes moving by step.

■ And then blobs on, above and below three lines.■ Move on to five lines.■ Then ledger lines.■ Finally, introduce clefs showing how they

accommodate different instruments and keepthe notes more or less on the stave. You can alsoexplain how two staves, eg treble and bass forpiano, fit together at middle C with a ledger line.

All this may seem rather basic but thesefundamentals need to be in place before you canteach what is required for Grade 5 Theory. It alsopays to make sure that nothing has beenmisunderstood or missed out in the early stages of learning.

Scales

Work on scales can follow on from pitch work, oncemore using singing to link sound with symbol. Askpupils to sing a major scale to numbers, 1 to 8,getting them to indicate where the semitones arewith a hand signal. Once the tone/semitonerelationship in a scale is understood it will be easierto transfer that knowledge into writing scales with

Linking sound with symbol

In November we ran a seminar in the UK looking at the skillsneeded for Grade 5 Theory. The seminar, led by Ian Smith and Lis Fletcher, focussed on practical ways to teach these skills. Here are just some of the ideas explored during the day.

clap clap knee-pat

eg

knee-pat clap

eg

7

FEATURES

notation. Working first with the voice, then aninstrument and finally, pencil and paper, is a goodway forward.

The process can be repeated for major, harmonicminor and melodic minor scales, with you constantlypointing out the different tone/semitone patternsfound in each scale type. An understanding ofintervals should then follow quite naturally. If pupilsare in the habit of singing up and down scales usingnumbers they will find it easy to count out gapsbetween intervals. Once pupils have grasped thedifferences in the tone/semitone patterns betweenmajor and minor scales, it is only a short step tounderstanding the difference between major andminor thirds.

Transposition

All this work on pitch and scales will provide a solidfoundation for transposition. Remember that this ismerely changing the pitch of a melody withoutchanging the intervals between the notes; thenencourage your pupils to play melodies by ear in avariety of keys.

Key signatures and the cycle of fifths

This underpins all scale learning and, as pupilsadvance, harmony. We probably all have ourfavourite mnemonics to remember the cycle offifths. Try these:

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battlefor sharps and the reverse for flats.

Father Christmas Gets Dad An Electric BlanketBlanket Explodes And Dad Gets Cold Feet

However you decide to teach this to your pupils, tryto link it with the practical work on scales, intervalsand transposition. This will ensure that the finalpiece of the jigsaw doesn’t get stored in a separateand unrelated part of their brains!

Chords

Teaching chords and harmony to pupils learningsingle-line instruments, especially if they are notlearning the piano as a second study, can bedifficult. Whatever the instrument you may find ithelpful to begin with triads. If you have beenworking on scales in the ways described earlier, yourpupils will be used to singing the degrees of thescale to numbers. Now ask them to sing thefollowing, perhaps with you playing or singingalong initially:

■ 1 3 5 3 1■ 2 4 6 4 2■ 3 5 7 5 3 ■ 4 6 8 6 4■ 1 4 6 4 1■ 2 5 7 5 2■ 3 5 8 5 3

This exercise helps pupils to understand howdifferent combinations of notes form differentsounding triads. If you have a piano in yourteaching room, you can also demonstrate how thesenotes sound together as chords.

For pupils of single-line instruments, ask them totransfer this exercise to their instruments. You canthen get them to improvise with a group of notesover a very simple chord progression, which youplay on the piano, or other instrument, as anaccompaniment. For example, you could use thefollowing chord progression:

I V II V I

Eventually your pupils will become familiar with thesounds and patterns of arpeggios and will begin torecognise which notes fit with which chords. Fromhere you can introduce the concept of cadences andexplain the standard chord progressions – pointingout where they occur in the pieces your pupils arelearning.

A word about singing

Many of the ideas covered here rely on somesinging from your pupils because this is often thebest way to make the link between sound andsymbol without an instrument getting in the way.However, you may find it difficult to get some ofyour pupils to sing and be tempted to assume thatthey can’t pitch a note. Although this is sometimesthe case it is in fact very rare for someone to becompletely tone deaf. The problem is normally thatthey lack confidence in their pitching ability orhaven’t yet found their voice.

To overcome these problems try beginning any voicetraining with speech. Ask pupils to read a passagealoud – the pitch of their speaking voice will thengive you an idea of their natural vocal pitch. Whilethey continue to speak, begin to hum along withtheir speaking voice close into their ear andgradually get them to settle on one note. Then getthem to follow your humming with their own voice.

Sliding games with the voice can also help, as thereis no anxiety about finding the note immediately.Get pupils to slide up and down vocally and singwith them, gradually getting them to settle on onenote again and then to follow you. Singing won’tbe something that comes naturally to all pupils;some will need more help than others. They need to practise their vocal skills just as they need topractise their instruments.

We hope this article has provided you with somenew ideas for your own teaching. Turn to our Forum page to discover what Clara Taylor, our Chief Examiner, has to say on the subject and to find out how you can share your own ideas withother readers.

There are two more opportunities toattend a Grade 5 Theory Seminar. See page 3 for details.

Another version ofSwitch appears inPompaleerie Jigby Diana Thompson &Kate Baxter, originallypublished by EJ Arnoldand Son Ltd, now out of print.

8

A taste of the CT ABRSMPROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT

Perhaps the best way to find out about the course andhow it can help you, is to come along to one of the OpenMornings or Tasters being held over the coming months.Teachers considering enrollment for the 2003-2004 coursecan meet Course Leaders, subject mentors and, at theOpen Mornings, current students. There will be typical CTABRSM activities to sample and opportunities to ask lotsof questions – in fact it’s a professional developmentexperience in itself.

Have you ever wondered what theCertificate of Teaching is all about?■ A part-time course that you can fit

around your teaching andcommitments.

■ A fantastic way to learn about thelatest trends and ideas in musiceducation.

■ A chance to meet other teachers andshare experiences.

■ Your own personal mentor to guideyou through the course.

■ Motivation and inspiration to takeback into your lessons.

■ An opportunity for reflection, self-discovery and personal development.

UK readers will findfull details in theenclosed leaflet. To discuss the course orrequest a prospectuscontact the CourseAdministrator, JudithJerome:

t 020 7467 8257e profdev@abrsm.ac.ukCT ABRSM Hong Kong

The Hong Kong course is now in its fourthyear with current students over halfwaythrough their year of study and beginningto prepare for the final challenges prior tocompleting the course in April. Our newcourse venue, the School of Continuingand Professional Education at Hong KongUniversity’s Admiralty Campus is proving tobe a popular choice with both studentsand mentors alike and will continue to bethe venue for the next course beginning inJuly this year.

The closing date for applicationsfor the 2003-2004 course is 14 June. For a copy of theprospectus please contact Mandy Kwan at the School ofContinuing and ProfessionalEducation at HKU:

t 2559 7628e enquiry@hkuspace.hku.hk

CT ABRSM Singapore

Students on the 2002-2003 course completed theirstudies this month. Initially only available to pianistsin Singapore, the course is now open to a widergroup of teachers. As the intake broadens CourseLeader, Bill Thomson commented:

‘The Certificate of Teaching course has beenrunning for five successful years in Singapore andrecently it has been a great delight to welcome twostring teachers who have I’m sure benefitedenormously from their studies with string mentorPenny Stirling. I’m keen to expand our intake hereto include teachers of all instruments as I’m certainthere are many woodwind and brass teachers inSingapore who would gain a huge amount from thisprofessional development course.’

The next course begins at the National Instituteof Education in April and is open to teachers basedin Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

For more informationcontact Bill Thomson:

t 6339 2624 (Singapore)e bthomson@abrsm.ac.uk

A Performer’s Guide to Music of the Baroque Period D 192 4 Book & CD

A Performer’s Guide to Music of the Classical Period D 193 2 Book & CD

A Performer’s Guide to Music of the Romantic Period D 194 0 Book & CD

Series editor Anthony Burton

This new series of guides to period performance waspublished in August 2002 and launched in a magnificent18th century room at London’s Novartis Foundation on 2 October 2002.

Performer’s Guides launch

Violinist Andrew Manzewrote the chapter onStrings for the Baroquevolume and gave astunning performance ofBiber’s Passacaglia from theRosary Sonatas on a violinof around 1700 from theAmati School.

Trevor Herbert provided thechapter on Wind Instrumentsfor the Romantic volume. Hegave an entertaining andinformative presentation on19th century brassinstruments. Anthony George(above) then played anophecleide from around 1860and gave performances ofextracts from The Damnation ofFaust by Berlioz and theIntroduction and Polonaise byDemersseman.

Photos by Malcolm Crowthers

Pianist David Ward specialises inmusic of the Classical period andwrote the Keyboard chapter in theClassical volume. He brought hisown fortepiano to the launch andgave an exquisite performance ofMozart’s Fantasy in D minor.

Anthony Burton, series editor, andJane Glover, who wrote theIntroduction to the Classical volume.

From left to right: Sir Roger Norrington, Colin Lawson, Barry Cooper, Jane Glover, DuncanDruce, David Goode, David Mason, George Pratt, Clive Brown, Clifford Bartlett, StephenPreston, Anthony Burton, Peter Holman, David Ward, Trevor Herbert, Robert Pascall andAndrew Manze

Of the series’ 25 contributors, sixteen were present at the launch, as well as the series editor, writer and broadcaster Anthony Burton. One contributor from each of the three volumes gave a presentation torepresent each period of music covered.

Stimulating, readable books, ideal for serious

students and teachers who wish to keep up to

date with the latest interpretative ideasPAN

Thoroughly approachable publications

Early Music Review’’

’’’’

PUBLISHING

News

The Associated Board does not sell publications direct ● Please order from your local music retailer

Clear and comprehensive, these books

certainly fill a niche within the market

The Bookseller

Elegant, intelligent and stimulating...

very compelling readingPiano Magazine

’’’’ ’’

’’’’

The Associated Board does not sell publications direct ● Please order from your local music retailer

Play Jazz from ScratchDR CHARLES BEALEBook and CD

Packed with simple and concise ideas for both group andindividual teaching, Play Jazz from Scratch consists of a progressiveseries of simple and enjoyable jazz workshops for the completebeginner. It introduces key concepts of jazz through games andchild-friendly exercises, and draws on repertoire taken from theAssociated Board’s jazz syllabus. The book aims to provide asupport package for the teacher who is enthusiastic about jazz butis unsure where to begin.

In preparation

CDs for Grades 4 and 5One CD per grade per instrument

Each CD contains completeperformances of all 15 tunes at thatparticular grade, all of which arefeatured in The AB Real Book, followedby ‘minus one’ tracks for all 15 tunes.Jazz exam candidates may use theminus-one tracks on the CD in theirexams, in place of a live accompanist. Alsoincluded are examples of scales, quick studiesand aural tests.

In May 2003 the Associated Board will launch anexciting new jazz syllabus at Grades 1 to 5 forClarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Trumpet andTrombone. As with the jazz piano syllabuslaunched in 1998, we are publishing acomprehensive set of new titles for eachinstrument, not only for use in the exams but alsofor everyone wishing to learn to play jazz withimagination and style and to improvise effectively.

Jazz Tunes for Grades 1 to 3For each instrument at Grades 1 to 3 there is one album and CDper grade; each album contains 15 superb tunes covering a widerange of styles, divided into threesections: Blues & Roots, Standards and ContemporaryJazz. The pack includes parts,piano score and CD. The CDcontains complete performancesof all 15 tunes recorded by topjazz musicians, and ‘minus one’tracks of all 15 tunes so that the soloist can play along to theCD. Also included are examplesof scales, quick studies andaural tests.

NNEEWW JJAAZZZZ PPUUBBLLIICCAATTIIOONNSSCLARINET • ALTO SAX • TENOR SAX • TRUMPET • TROMBONE

Jazz Scales for Grades 1 to 5One volume per instrument

The Jazz Scales books will develop the skills required in playing jazz. They introduce patterns characteristic of the idiom, such asmodes, the blues scale and theminor pentatonic, and explorethese on roots and key centrescommonly found in jazz.Regular and flexible practice ofthese forms, and using them asthe basis for improvisation,will give you fluency andtechnical control, makingyour playing sound effortless.The scales are set out bygrade, with a table ofrecommended speeds. Thebooks explain ways ofplaying scales in swing, aswell as straight 8s.

The AB Real Book for Grades 4 and 5The AB Real Book is published infour separate editions: C treble-clef, B flat, E flat and C bass-clef.Each book contains 100 tuneswith chord symbols, and lyricswhere applicable. The real booksare for use in Grades 4 and 5exams, but also provide a wealth of material for all jazzplayers.

Jazz Quick Studies and AuralTests for Grades 1 to 5One volume per instrument

The quick study requires theskill of playing unrehearsed in a creative and musical way.These books give practice inrecreating a previously unseenor unheard short headfollowed by an improvisedresponse. The books alsocontain practice material fordeveloping aural andmusicianship skills – afundamental part of jazzperformance andimprovisation.

Publication: May 2003

The Associated Board does not sell publications direct ● Please order from your local music retailer

D 301 3 Jazz Clarinet Tunes Level/Grade 1part, score and CD

D 302 1 Jazz Clarinet Tunes Level/Grade 2part, score and CD

D 303 X Jazz Clarinet Tunes Level/Grade 3part, score and CD

D 304 8 Jazz Alto Sax Tunes Level/Grade 1part, score and CD

D 305 6 Jazz Alto Sax Tunes Level/Grade 2part, score and CD

D 306 4 Jazz Alto Sax Tunes Level/Grade 3part, score and CD

D 307 2 Jazz Tenor Sax Tunes Level/Grade 1part, score and CD

D 308 0 Jazz Tenor Sax Tunes Level/Grade 2 part, score and CD

D 309 9 Jazz Tenor Sax Tunes Level/Grade 3 part, score and CD

D 310 2 Jazz Trumpet Tunes Level/Grade 1part, score and CD

D 311 0 Jazz Trumpet Tunes Level/Grade 2part, score and CD

D 312 9 Jazz Trumpet Tunes Level/Grade 3part, score and CD

D 313 7 Jazz Trombone Tunes Level/Grade 1part, score and CD

D 314 5 Jazz Trombone Tunes Level/Grade 2part, score and CD

D 315 3 Jazz Trombone Tunes Level/Grade 3 part, score and CD

D 316 1 The AB Real Book C treble-clef editionD 317 X The AB Real Book B flat editionD 318 8 The AB Real Book E flat edition D 319 6 The AB Real Book C bass-clef edition

D 320 X Jazz Clarinet CD Level/Grade 4D 321 8 Jazz Clarinet CD Level/Grade 5D 322 6 Jazz Alto Sax CD Level/Grade 4D 323 4 Jazz Alto Sax CD Level/Grade 5D 324 2 Jazz Tenor Sax CD Level/Grade 4D 325 0 Jazz Tenor Sax CD Level/Grade 5D 326 9 Jazz Trumpet CD Level/Grade 4D 327 7 Jazz Trumpet CD Level/Grade 5D 328 5 Jazz Trombone CD Level/Grade 4D 329 3 Jazz Trombone CD Level/Grade 5

D 330 7 Jazz Clarinet Scales Levels/Grades 1–5D 331 5 Jazz Sax Scales Levels/Grades 1–5D 332 3 Jazz Trumpet Scales Levels/Grades 1–5 D 333 1 Jazz Trombone Scales Levels/Grades 1–5

D 334 X Jazz Clarinet Quick Studies and Aural Tests Levels/Grades 1–5

D 335 8 Jazz Sax Quick Studies and Aural Tests Levels/Grades 1–3

D 336 6 Jazz Sax Quick Studies and Aural Tests Levels/Grades 4–5

D 337 4 Jazz Trumpet Quick Studies and Aural Tests Levels/Grades 1–5

D 338 2 Jazz Trombone Quick Studies and Aural Tests Levels/Grades 1–5

D 300 5 Play Jazz from Scratch*book and CD

*In preparation

Theory of Music Books in SpanishWe are delighted to announce the publication of Spanishtranslations of Eric Taylor’s bestselling music theory books MusicTheory in Practice, Grades 1 to 5, and First Steps in Music Theory.These titles have become key texts in the Associated Board’ssupport materials for theory of music exams. Music Theory inPractice has already been translated into Chinese (Grades 1 to 5)and Swedish (Grades 1 and 2).

Singing Prep TestA new Singing Prep Test will be published in April 2003 and will be valid for exams from B Period (May 2003). The currentPreparatory Test for Singing will be valid for exams until December2003.

D 375 7 Singing Prep Test

Publication: April 2003

D 350 1 La teoría musical en la práctica Grado 1*

D 351 X La teoría musical en la práctica Grado 2*

D 352 8 La teoría musical en la práctica Grado 3†

D 353 6 La teoría musical en la práctica Grado 4†

D 354 4 La teoría musical en la práctica Grado 5†

D 299 8 Primeros pasos en teoría musical*

*Publication: October 2002†Publication: February 2003A free brochure has been produced in Spanish showing details ofthese titles and where they may be purchased in Spain. If youwould like copies of the brochure, please emaildbutler@abrsm.ac.uk. The titles are available worldwide.

The Associated Board ofthe Royal Schools of Music(Publishing) Limited24 Portland PlaceLondon W1B 1LUUnited Kingdom

t +44 20 7636 5400f +44 20 7467 8833 e publishing@abrsm.ac.uk

www.abrsmpublishing.co.uk

Oxford University Press isthe sole worldwide salesagent and distributor forABRSM (Publishing) Ltd.

The Associated Board does not sell publications direct ● Please order from your local music retailer

The Art of Fugue at Southampton UniversitySouthampton University’s Turner Sims Concert Hall was the venue for a lunchtime lecture/recital on the new edition ofJ S Bach’s The Art of Fugue on 28 October 2002. The idea for thelecture/recital emanated from the Music Department’s ‘Bach toBeethoven’ course, led by Matthew Head, and was organised inconjunction with the Southamptonmusic retailer Paul Kibble ofTriangle Pianos.

Introduced by the AssociatedBoard’s Director of Publishing,Leslie East, the editor of the newedition, Richard Jones, gave apresentation and pianist YontySolomon played extracts from thework.

The event was a great success andwas attended by an audience ofover 300, including students fromthe University’s Music Department.

CompleteCatalogue 2003

COMPETITIONFor our latest Libretto competition we are giving awaycopies of the second release in the First Discovery –Music series.

One lucky winner will receive a set of all five titles –Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Berlioz and Debussy – and fourrunners-up will receive a copy of the Bach volume.

Send a postcard with your answers to the twoquestions below, not forgetting to include your nameand address, to:

ABRSM (Publishing) Ltd, 24 Portland Place, LondonW1B 1LU, United Kingdom

to arrive no later than Friday 28 March 2003.

1. Which famous composer conducted a performanceof Bach’s St Matthew Passion about 100 years afterits first performance, spurring a worldwide interestin Bach’s music?

2. On whose play was Debussy’s only completedopera, Pélleas et Mélisande, based?

COMPETITION WINNERSLibretto, September 2002

In the September 2002 competition we asked youwhich Bach specialist and leading harpsichordist has recorded The Art of Fugue for inclusion in ournew edition, and which famous composer’s name isspelt out in German notation in one of the subjectsof the final fugue in the same work. The answersare: ‘Davitt Moroney’ and ‘Bach’.

Congratulations to these five winners who eachreceive a copy of The Art of Fugue signed by boththe editor Richard Jones and the harpsichordistDavitt Moroney after publication:

Mr Noel Rodrigues, Goa, IndiaMrs Vivian Chau, Kowloon, Hong KongMr Jaideep Mookherjee, Calcutta, IndiaMrs E Bleazard, London, UKMr Simon Robinson, Neath, Wales, UK

2002 Theory of Music PapersGrades 1 to 8

The Associated Board’s Theory of Music Papers Grades 1 to 8 for2002 are published in January 2003.

D 365 X Grade 1D 366 8 Grade 2D 367 6 Grade 3D 368 4 Grade 4D 369 2 Grade 5D 370 6 Grade 6D 371 4 Grade 7D 372 2 Grade 8

Publication: 2 January 2003

Spectrum 3 at St Paul’s School, LondonOn 2 October 2002 St Paul’s School for Boys in London put on a complete performance of Spectrum 3, an international collectionof 25 pieces for solo piano. The idea for the concert was conceivedby Mark Tatlow, the school’s Director of Music, who invited Thalia Myers, creator of the Spectrum series, to give a shortintroductory talk.

Two St Paul’s piano teachers, Roy Stratford and John Wood,organized 25 boys to play the25 pieces.

This was a unique occasion for,as far as we know, no otherschool has ever put on acomplete performance of any of the three Spectrumanthologies. ‘The performanceswere really excellent and it wasa great exercise incontemporary music educationfor the boys – and probablytheir parents – to sit and heareach other play all 25 pieces’,reported Thalia Myers.

A new fully-illustrated CompleteCatalogue 2003 will be published inFebruary. Copies will be availablefrom local music retailers.

YNEW

13

NEWS

2003: a jubilee year

2003 is a jubilee year for the Associated Board inEgypt, Greece and Malta. In April and May TimArnold, Head of International Operations, will bevisiting Egypt and Greece where we have beenexamining for 25 years. Silver jubilee events willinclude special High Scorers’ Concerts and teachersmeetings and candidates passing exams this yearwill receive commemorative jubilee certificates.

Planning is also under way for celebrations tomark 100 years of Associated Board exams in Malta– look out for more details of these importantcentenary events in the next issue.

New HLRs: UK

AlnwickJennifer Youngt 01665 602601e jemayo@onetel.net.uk

Cambridge (Theory)Christine Jonest 01223 357446

CannockJane Pricet 07712 527173e jane.price@waldoc.net

East Grinstead (Theory)Simon Morrist 01342 823940

London: WimbledonAnn Durrantt 020 8715 5029

ShrewsburyGrace Harveyt 01694 731678

Stratford-upon-AvonLaurence & RosemaryRobsont 01789 296 134e therobsonfamily

@hotmail.com

TorquayKeith Thompsont 01803 607484

Many congratulations to thewinner of our Christmas cardcompetition. The winningillustration came from CatrionaVickers-Claesens, age 8, who is apupil at High March School inBeaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.Her picture depicting ‘Musicaround the world’ was used onthe official Associated BoardChristmas card for 2002.

www.abrsm.ac.uk

Look out for the newAssociated Board websiteto be launched withinthe next few months.The new site willcontinue to give access toall the information you

need to enter candidates for an Associated Boardexam together with updates on forthcoming eventsand the latest syllabus developments.

The website will also have areas dedicated toteachers, parents and students. Other featuresinclude pages for each country giving localinformation, message boards for teachers andparents and musical games for students.

Whilst developing the new site we have workedhard to ensure ease of use with clear navigation,improved search facilities and printable pages. Asalways we value your feedback, so please let us knowwhat you think by emailing: marketing@abrsm.ac.uk.

Juniors at the RoyalSchools of Music

For many years the Associated Board has awardedscholarships to students at the four conservatoireswith which it is affiliated: Royal Academy of Music,Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College ofMusic and Royal Scottish Academy of Music andDrama. Until recently scholarships were onlyavailable to students studying at undergraduate orpostgraduate levels. However, last year weintroduced four new scholarships for outstandingyoung musicians from the UK who are justbeginning their studies at the junior departments ofthese conservatoires.

The junior departments operate on Saturdaysduring term time providing school-age studentswith a fantastic opportunity to have lessons withconservatoire staff, play in orchestras, ensemblesand choirs and gain a thorough grounding inmusicianship through a whole range of activities.

The new Junior Scholarships provide financialsupport for one year of study. Entry to the juniordepartments is by audition and scholarship recipientsare nominated by the conservatoires from the intakeof students for the year. In addition to AssociatedBoard scholarships there are a number of otherscholarships and bursaries available, details of whichcan be obtained from the conservatoires themselves.Awards are also made by some Local EducationAuthorities – interested teachers or parents shouldinitially contact their LEA Music Adviser.

Royal Academy of Music, London (Junior Academy)

t 020 7873 7373 Royal College of Music, London (Junior Department)

t 020 7589 3643Royal Northern College of Music,Manchester (Junior School)

t 0161 907 5200Royal Scottish Academy of Music andDrama, Glasgow (Junior Academy)

t 0141 332 4101

A winningworld

Portuguese promise

With a new Representative in place andmuch positive interest from teachers TimArnold, Head of International Operations,visited Portugal last November. Travellingto Oporto, Aviero and Lisbon, Tim metteachers and parents at a series of eventsorganised by our Representative, FátimaViera. In addition to discussing exams andsyllabuses, Tim also included sessions onstyle and interpretation, and aural andsight-reading skills.

For information about exams inPortugal contact Fátima Viera:

t 96 579 41 66 / 93 997 21 60

Spanish jubilee concert

High Scorers’ Concerts: UK

7 FebruaryPaignton

11 FebruaryChippenham

19 FebruaryBangor

21 February Plymouth

1 MarchDarlington

2 MarchSunbury-on-Thames

Performers at the concert

held in Madrid last October to

celebrate 20 yearsof AssociatedBoard exams

in Spain.

14

NEWS Supporting music makers

Working withRepresentatives

The Associated Board’s UK and Ireland examsare co-ordinated on a local level by 300Honorary Local Representatives (HLRs).HLRs are closely involved with arrangementsat public exam centres and in regular contactwith the local teachers and candidates whoattend their centre.

In October and November last yearHLRs gathered for seminars led by PennyMilsom, Head of UK and Ireland ExamAdministration, and Lynne Butler, TeacherSupport Consultant. These sessions provideda valuable opportunity to share bestpractice, identify issues of importance toteachers and candidates, and discuss areasfor improvement and development. Manyideas were generated to be taken forwardover the coming months.

Contact your HLR for syllabuses,entry forms and informationabout exams in your area. HLR details are listed atwww.abrsm.ac.uk and in theRegulations and Information.

Clara Taylor has recently returned from visits to Bahrain,Oman, Jordan, Dubai and Kuwait. Clara led a series ofimmensely popular seminars for teachers dealing with theexam situation, marking criteria, syllabus requirements andthe latest news on Associated Board developments. Withplenty of time for questions these events also provided anopportunity for teacher and student discussion.

Australianaccreditation

Two years ago, Chief Executive RichardMorris announced that Associated Boardgraded exams had gained officialrecognition within the UK’s NationalQualifications Framework. At the time, itwas hoped that this recognition would havewider implications for the accreditation ofour exams in international centres, and wehave been actively pursuing this possibilityin a number of areas.

As a result, the Queensland StudiesAuthority, Australia, has recently grantedapproval of Associated Board qualificationsfor inclusion in the category of RecordedAchievements for the 2003 Senior Certificate.

Approved subjects are as follows:■ Grades 4 – 8 Singing■ Grades 6 – 8 All other instruments■ Grades 5 – 8 Theory of Music■ Grades 5 – 8 Practical Musicianship■ Diplomas DipABRSM, LRSM,FRSM

We continue to work with accreditationbodies around the world and look forwardto bringing you further news in the future. In the meantime, we hope that ourQueensland candidates will value theopportunity to have their Associated Boardexams listed alongside their otherachievements.

New Representatives

Australia: BrisbaneKen Hayt 07 3366 3895e margandken

@hotkey.net.au

Germany: HessenCaroline Brand(Kronberg Academy)t 061 845 6335e cm.brand@t-online.de

Germany: North RhineWestphalia, LowerSaxonyDavid Clarke(Oerly Musikschule)t 0520 23794

Southern Africa:Gauteng, Botswana,SwazilandMeg Twyfordm082 465 9031

SwitzerlandDavid Smith(International School of Zug)t 041 768 1188e davidsmith@isoz.ch

New contact

AustriaJoanne Sunderlandt 01 495 1453e josunder@hotmail.com

Over 40,000 young musicianswill be performing at theforthcoming Music for YouthRegional Festival Series. Acollaborative venture betweenMusic for Youth and theAssociated Board, these festivalsgive fantastic performanceopportunities for ensembles of every kind. Not only doparticipants have the chance toperform to an audience of otherenthusiastic young musiciansbut they also encounter anenormous range of repertoireand performance style.

Once again we are delightedto be supporting this uniquefestival and wish all participantsthe very best as they preparefor their performances.M

usi

c fo

r You

th

Regional Festival Seriesin collaboration with theAssociated Board of theRoyal Schools of Music

All change in SouthernAfrica and Switzerland

Chris Vels, our Regional Co-ordinator for Gautengand surrounding regions, Botswana and Swaziland,has retired after working with the Associated Boardfor five years. During this time, Chris has helped todevelop the work of the Associated Board in thisarea giving rise to a steady increase in candidatesand a total of 18 weeks of examining each year.Meg Twyford, who has worked alongside Chris forseveral years, takes over as Regional Co-ordinator.

January sees David Winter’s retirement as ourRepresentative for Switzerland. David has beeninvolved with the work of the Associated Board formany years and has witnessed growth in ouractivities throughout Switzerland. We now holdexams at centres in Geneva, Basel, Montreux andZug. David hands over to his colleague at theInternational School of Zug, the Head of Music,David Smith.

Thank you to David Winter and Chris and goodluck to David Smith and Meg in their new roles.

Festivals are taking place at venues allover England between February andApril. For more information contactMusic for Youth:

t 020 8870 9624e mfy@mfy.org.uk

Chief Examiner on tour

16

FORUM

The current increase in entries for higher grades means thatmore candidates are successfully tackling the milestone ofGrade 5 Theory. Everyone is likely to agree that a soundunderstanding of the written side of music is essential for thedevelopment of a serious student, but many teachers findthat there are simply not enough hours in the day to copewith this demand.

The ideal situation is to start theory early, on a regularbasis, whether or not exams are taken. Too often pupils willbe inherited from another teacher who has never touched onthe subject and a huge learning curve then has to be faced.Pupils may also view theory as too much like schoolhomework and resent the extra load.

Teaching theory in practical ways within instrumentallessons is a good approach. But why not also consider Grade 5Practical Musicianship? This, along with Grade 5 Jazz, is analternative to Grade 5 Theory as a qualification for entry tothe higher grades.

Your chance to share experiences and ideas with other readers.In each issue our Chief Examiner, Clara Taylor, introduces a subject for discussion. We then publish your responses in the next issue. Your contribution may be edited for publication.

Write to Clara Taylor, marking your envelope Forum, or email chiefexaminer@abrsm.ac.uk

Accompaniment

Next topic: teaching theory

Clara Taylor

Too little too late

Even though examiners must beable to ignore shortcomings inaccompanying or ensemble, itmust be to the candidates’advantage to have adequatepractice time with an accompanist.Some teachers fail to take this intoaccount and I have often beenasked to accompany candidates atwhat I consider is far too late astage. Candidates in the earliergrades may never have playedwith a pianist before and I believethat those taking higher gradesand diplomas should have as muchensemble practice as possible.

Colin RoderickAuckland, New Zealand

A winning smile

Most accompanists realise theycan help make or mar an exam.What is not always realised is thattheir manner on the day canaffect the candidate even beforeentering the exam room.

Accompanists, before youeven play a note – smile!

Neville OsborneSomerset, UK

The privilege ofaccompanying

Is there any way of getting closerto a learner than by accompanyingher in an exam? There is thatdesperate look when a flute willnot tune properly or when a musicstand remains obdurately at thewrong height or when theexaminer asks which piece she isplaying and the title is in French,and quite unpronounceable.

Accompanying can requirenerves of steel: being draggedthrough a piece at top speed by apupil driven by panic; franticallytaking a tuck in a bar; or insertingan extra beat to accommodate amiscount on the part of theperformer. However, the rewardsare great. Pupils are oftenvulnerable at a time like this andit can be a privilege to be thatfriendly and well-known figure at the piano.

Margaret LeeBy email

The whole picture

I have been accompanying formany years. Students come to mefor one or two rehearsals beforethe exam and I am always amazedat the number of pupils who havenever heard the accompaniments.To learn one line of music neverhaving heard the piece as a wholeseems such a disadvantage. So,teachers, do give your students thismost important start to learning.

Daphne ColemanBy email

Would it be a good idea for theteacher to arrange a time at anearly stage in the learning ofpieces when pupils preparing for a particular grade or sessioncould meet and listen whileteacher and accompanist playthrough all the pieces?

Christine Moore Leominster, UK

One more time

As Director of Music in a schoolwhich has a large exam entry (andfor which I undertake a largeproportion of the accompaniment),I cannot fail to notice the immenseimportance of being a goodaccompanist, especially for thosechildren who are new to musicexams. It is also amazing to see thedifference in a candidate’sconfidence after just one extrapractice. I remember one girl whowas having terrible trouble keepingtogether with the accompaniment,but at the next rehearsal she was achanged pupil. I was no longer thescary man she’d never met, I wasthe person who was going to helpher pass her exam and theconfidence showed in her playing –she got a distinction.

If there is any advice I wouldgive to accompanists it is to makesure you see the candidate at leasttwice – preferably more – beforethe exam day; it will make no endof difference to their confidence,and consequently their result. Itwill also be more rewarding foryou as the accompanist.

Mark JordanWinchester HouseSchool, UK

Do you have any tips on how to incorporatetheory into lessons? Do write in. All lettersare considered forinclusion in Libretto andeveryone will receive anindividual reply.

write now ■ ■ ■ write now ■ ■ ■ write now ■ ■ ■ write now ■ ■ ■ write now ■ ■ ■ write now ■ ■ ■ write now

Teamwork

One of the rewards ofaccompanying is seeing theperformers’ pleasure and surprisewhen they hear the ensemble forthe first time. They love to feelthey are in charge and that we goin as a team.

Christine WilliamsHereford, UK