I have to admit, I don’t know why the ABRSM deal with musical theory in the way they do. Students quite happily continue up the grades until they get to grade 5 and then come up against the prerequisite for Grade 6 and above, Grade 5 theory. I am sure the board have their reasons for doing it this way and agree that to be better performers, players need to have a grasp of how music is constructed but I am sure that it could be achieved in a much better way. However, that is the way it is and … Continue reading Why is theory important?

We’ve all been there, half way through a concert or a rehearsal a valve sticks or a water key cork starts to leak or a Trombone slide starts to sound a bit rough and difficult to move. So what do we do? Well the first port of call is normally to apply some valve oil or slide oil, or in the case of the water key cork probably trying to find a way of securing it until you can fix it properly! There is of course, a way to prevent these problems, and in fairness it must be said that … Continue reading Musical instrument maintenance

That is, of course the question that all those in the performing art, music, dance, theatre etc. want an answer to. Sadly, there is now easy answer to this one, there has been little activity on the arts scene since March when all music venues and theatres were unceremoniously shut down to the pandemic. Now, I am not saying that this shouldn’t have happened, the danger to many vulnerable people was too great to do anything else, as was the threat of the NHS being overwhelmed. However, we must also acknowledge the difficulties that this has caused, people have been … Continue reading When can we play together?