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Summer Solstice Magic
The Summer Solstice is the moment when the sun reaches its most northerly point in the sky. It’s the longest day of the year, and the start of astronomical summer. This year, the Summer Solstice was last Sunday – 21st June 2026, which also happened to be Father’s Day. As you’re about to read, I…
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Accountability
Thank you to all students, parents, colleagues and others who have responded to my request for views and opinions on the various music exam boards, in particular ABRSM and Trinity College London (TCL), in relation to the lack of examiner’s name or identification number on recent feedback reports fromTCL. Some of you want to stay…
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Teaching New Things? Or Supervised Practice?
What type of lesson do you prefer? And which is of greater benefit to you? On the one hand, your teacher can push forward into new work. The next piece. Or the next page of a long piece. Or a new scale. Or adding the left hand to a passage you’ve (so far) only done…
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Bonus Humoresque! Competition Week Reminder!
Hello everyone! For some reason, several of you thought Competition Week was this week. No! It’s the week beginning Monday 15th June. Be ready to play “Cycling Home” in your lesson during that week. I will be recording you (audio only) so that Kit and I can listen to all the performances and choose our…
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It’s Exam Season!
If you are between 11 and 25 years old, you may well be involved in public exams of one sort or another. SATs, 11-Plus, Common Entrance, GCSEs, A-Levels, T-Levels, University Exams, Entrance Exams, UKCAT, Finals, Dissertations, Post-Graduate Qualifications… Perhaps you’re lucky, and they’re all over now. Perhaps you’re waiting nervously for them to start. Or…
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Rave Reviews for Repertoire Week!
Last term’s Repertoire Week was a huge success, and everyone told me how much they enjoyed choosing what to play and polishing up “old” pieces to give them another airing. I would like give a perspective from the other side: it was wonderful to hear all the performances! Some people played music they’d learnt by…
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Forty Years On…
… when afar and asunder, parted are those who are singing today… These are the opening words of the most famous public school song in England. It’s the song of Harrow School, founded in 1572 under a Royal Charter granted by Elizabeth I. The school was established through the efforts and endowment of a local…
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When are you “done”?
Say you need a new shelf in your kitchen. You buy the wood, the brackets and the screws. You go into your shed or your garage. You measure. You cut the wood into the length and width you need. You shape it. It looks great! But is it done? No, because you haven’t yet sanded…
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You have to run slow to run fast
My pupil, Rhian, is a keen runner. She belongs to a running club in Swansea, and she trains frequently. She takes part in events – even marathons! I’m not sure if Rhian was at last weekend’s London Marathon, but she’s certainly a very active and dynamic person. Last term I reminded Rhian how important it…
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Cycling Home
Competition Time! At the bottom of this post, you’ll see the score of a song. This song is in a beginner piano book. The song is called “Cycling Home”. You will need to view the post on my website to see it. (Please scroll down to the bottom of the email where you can click on…