Today’s post highlights an important yet often forgotten element in music education. Most pupils take instrumental exams at some point in their musical training and are therefore familiar with aural and sight-reading tests. Most practical exams contain these elements, irrespective of level. However, a much broader-based training is necessary if pupils are going to become rounded and complete…
Tag: Festivals and Competitions
BBC Proms 2014
The BBC Promenade concerts are always an important feature in any music lover’s calendar, and it’s a great pleasure to highlight the 2014 programme. The concerts start on July 18th and run for nearly two months; 76 concerts in over 58 days to be precise. What a feat of organisation, requiring amazing artistic vision and imagination. The Proms is the largest classical…
International Piano Master Classes with Angela Hewitt
The tenth Trasimeno Music Festival will be held from July 5th to July 11th 2014. The location is on Lake Trasimeno in the heart of Umbria. It is just twenty minutes from the beautiful historic city of Perugia. The Artistic Director, renowned British Canadian concert pianist Angela Hewitt, established the festival in 2005. She participates in…
BBC Young Musician 2014
I was recently invited to attend the 2014 BBC Young Musician Final. The BBC Young Musician has been in existence for over thirty-six years and during this period it has routinely identified the next generation of outstanding players. Amongst its alumni are Freddy Kempf, Emma Johnson, Michael Collins, Alison Balsom, Nicholas Daniel, Natalie Clein, and…
32 Pianists perform 32 Beethoven Sonatas
Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas represent the composer’s life journey, both as a composer and human being. From the early sonatas, which are stylistically akin to those of Mozart or Haydn, through to the final six, which are amongst the most sublime works ever written for the instrument. They are often performed as a complete cycle. However, they…
Piano Week 2014
Piano Week was launched last year by British pianist Samantha Ward. It’s an international festival and summer school for pianists of all ages and abilities which currently takes place in the beautiful surroundings of North Wales. Samantha wanted to build a performance platform for pianists from around the world and she chose North Wales partly because it’s where she grew…
The 2014 Dublin International Piano Festival and Summer Academy
The second Dublin International Piano Festival and Summer Academy will be held this summer, from July 26th to August 3rd. The inaugural festival last year was a success and the forthcoming festival looks equally interesting, too. The programme is ‘tailored to those wishing to excel in piano performance and technique with a desire to visit the beautiful Dublin…
It’s All About Piano!
The It’s All About Piano! Festival 2014 looks as interesting, diverse and innovative as it did last year. I loved taking part in the 2013 festival, which was the first of its kind. I gave a talk about my book, So You Want To Play The Piano? and was fortunate to attract a large audience, as…
The Hoffman Method
Online piano methods are becoming increasingly popular and can be very cost-effective. They provide those whose funds are insufficient to afford regular lessons, the chance to learn to play. This particular method was written by American music educator Joseph Hoffman. Hoffman is a piano teacher, conductor, and composer. He wrote the ‘Hoffman Method’ after struggling…
Piano Master Classes
It was a delight to be invited to give a master class for EPTA (the European Piano Teacher’s Association) in Brighton last Sunday. The special event entitled ‘Young Pianists’ Performance Day’ was the first of its kind, and was superbly organised by pianist and teacher, Helen Anahita Wilson, who holds the Regional Chair for EPTA….
A Master Class with Andrei Gavrilov
Master class opportunities are usually plentiful. They can be useful on many levels. But coaching sessions with outstanding artists are indeed rare. This is especially true for those encouraging the inclusion of pianists who essentially play for their own pleasure. Andrei Gavrilov (pictured below) is a pianist of the highest calibre, with a once stratospheric…
The Value of Music Theory
Last year I wrote a post about the importance of the Grade 5 Music Theory exam and it has become one of the most visited articles on my site. You can read it here. The main thrust of my argument is that theory, or the academic, written side of music, should never be sidelined in…