When, at the end of February, the Prime Minister announced his roadmap for the release of the lockdown I think we all breathed a bit of a sigh of relief. Last summer, when the sun was out and the days … Continue reading Out of lockdown – into the light?
In Britain there are a huge number of amateur music groups; brass bands, choirs, orchestras, wind bands and many more. Most of these pay musical directors, which creates an interesting dichotomy between amateur and professional musicians. Musical directors are often … Continue reading Leading amateur groups
There is no doubt that performance nerves can destroy a performance and it is a shame when this happens. It is particularly difficult when it happens in an exam when there is arguably more at stake. I am sure that … Continue reading Dealing with performance nerves
One of the main problems I come across is getting students to “practice”, apart from the really dedicated ones of course. This is partly down to a lack of understanding of what practice is and what can be achieved by … Continue reading How to practice (and why?)
It has been an issue which has been talked about going back to the first lockdown, but exhaustion after teaching online is quite a common phenomenon. It is quite difficult to pin down the reasons for it but there are … Continue reading Why is remote teaching so tiring?
On Friday this week (26th Feb) there is to be the online premiere of the debut short film “The Forgotten Fairground”. Understandably you may not be aware of this project, a collaboration of improvisation, modern jazz and contemporary dance developed … Continue reading The Forgotten Fairground
Studies are something as a teacher I don’t use enough, there I have said it! But what is it about studies that makes us a) switch off and b) not use them enough? It’s probably about availability as much as … Continue reading Why use studies?
They have been around for quite a while now, a lot of choirs used them from the outset of the pandemic, but it is something we came to quite late. Virtual rehearsals don’t sound too exciting. Remote video has all … Continue reading How to organise a remote rehearsal
One of the things that has caused problems for musicians in the last year has been the loss of rehearsal and performances which leads to the question “Why practice”? I am sure that most of us have suffered with this … Continue reading Motivation during lockdown
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?