A New Exam Syllabus for Stringbabies

Kay Tucker is founder and director of Stringbabies; a programme enabling young children to learn stringed instruments. I met Kay (pictured below) several years ago and it has been inspiring to observe her continued success, establishing an ever-growing network of teachers and students who are using this increasingly popular programme. Kay has kindly written the following guest post (for my new series), focusing on Stringbabies’ new association with Victoria College Examinations. Over to Kay…

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A few years ago I saw a documentary about the well-loved characters Wallace and Gromit, in which their creator, Nick Park, was interviewed. He said that he felt as if the characters he had molded with his own hands had already been in existence and were just waiting to be introduced. I can totally concur with that view. After fourteen years since I first put the Stringbabies ideas down on paper, I find it hard to believe that It started life within my own mind, as it has such a life of its own and like all babies, its ongoing life journey is proving interesting.

Eighteen months ago, I was exhibiting the Stringbabies books at the Music Education Expo in London, thanks to the generous support of the Soundpost Ltd. whilst there, I was approached by the Chief Executive of Victoria College Exams (VCM) and asked if our two organizations might explore ways of working together.

On following this contact up, I was delighted to discover that the team at the exam board had already decided to propose a bespoke qualification for Stringbabies students!

Over the following twelve months I had great fun dreaming up a syllabus and award structure. As composition and sight reading are important components in Stringbabies, I felt that they must form the pillars of any syllabus devised.

Eventually I had a draft of a three-tier award, starting with the first level, which is aimed at the student who has  the most basic grasp of Stringbabies notation and is just beginning to play open strings with controlled bowing.  At level one, the candidate is expected to perform three pieces, two of which are basic first Stringbabies repertoire, and the third being their own composition of no more than sixteen beats using a single line of Stringbabies notation.

As left hand skills may have not been introduced at his stage, the technique and scales requirement is for the candidate to compose a rhythm of no more than six beats and then play it on two strings of their choice. There are simple aural and sight reading tests using Stringbabies notation.

By the intermediate stage (level two) the student will be acquiring some skills in the left hand and  the choice of Stringbabies repertoire reflects this; a composition of no more than 30 seconds duration acts as a third piece, and the sight reading and scales similarly reflect the developing technique.

Level three is the final stage of the Stringbabies award and at this stage a piece is chosen from the advanced Stringbabies repertoire and also a piece in conventional notation chosen from a list of music drawn from well-known beginners’ repertoire. The third piece is as before, a composition provided by the candidate in either conventional or Stringbabies notation. A full one octave scale is required in two keys using a rhythm also composed by the candidate. Two pieces of sight reading are given; one in Stringbabies notation and the other in conventional notation, reflecting the fact that at this stage the student is moving on to reading conventional notes.

Before releasing the syllabus to the public, Stringbabies teaching colleagues were consulted about components of the award and of course the staff at Victoria College Exams had their own input.

It was decided that the awards should be assessed by the teacher, who in turn would be moderated once a term by the exam board. This means that applications can be made at any time of the year and that assessments can take place in lesson time, ruling out the need to travel to an examinations centre. In order to be moderated, the teacher submits a recording of the pupil performing on any device which produces a simple and clear recording. For my first Stringbabies award entrants, I used my mobile phone to record and also to take photos of their compositions.

It was a surreal experience when the first Stringbabies Award certificates arrived and it still seems improbable. How many people have the privilege of seeing a system they have developed being accredited by an examinations body?

It was another landmark moment when VCM notified me of the fact that entries had been submitted by another teacher in a different part of the U.K.

Rolling out the VCM Stringbabies award is still ongoing and it has been wonderful to have a good deal of support in the press and especially from Dame Evelyn Glennie, who kindly passed on the news via her social media accounts.

Another significant development this year is Stringbabies going online! We now have a partnership with Charanga to publish the violin and cello books on their music educational platform and it is hoped that this will be up and running by the end of the year.

As I mentioned earlier, Stringbabies seems to have a life all of its own, so I really have not a clue what is going to happen next but if it continues to have a positive impact on enabling people of all ages to comprehend and engage with music, I, for one, will be content.

For more information on the Stringbabies award please visit www.vcmexams.com and you can find out more about Stringbabies at www.stringbabies.com

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My Publications:

For much more information about how to practice piano repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 level are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece. A convenient and beneficial course for students of any age, with or without a teacher, and it can also be used alongside piano examination syllabuses too.

You can find out more about my other piano publications and compositions here.

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from Melanie Spanswick https://ift.tt/2GovIks

The Inception and Development of PIANO WEEK

Today’s guest blog post has been written by British pianist Samantha Ward. Samantha is director and founder of PIANO WEEK, the popular piano Summer school and festival which is now offering students of all ages and abilities the chance to study the piano in various locations around the world. I was keen to ask her how she had developed this concept and why it had become the focal point of her musical activities. Over to Samantha….

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When Melanie asked me to write a short article about my experiences with International Festival & Summer School PIANO WEEK since its inception in 2013, I very much enjoyed looking back over the last five years of my professional life.  The fast-paced life of forging a career as a concert pianist, author, self-taught entrepreneur, promoter, fund-raiser and strategist, all of which I had to either develop upon or become in order to make this enterprise work, didn’t allow me to reflect much on the past until now.  Since the very first day of the festival, when it poured with rain one Welsh summer’s day of 2013, my mind has been geared towards the future and to how much I can push PIANO WEEK forward.  So why did I do it?!

The idea of creating my own piano festival and summer course by combining top-notch performances from world-renowned artists alongside the younger generation of concert pianists with exceptional, all-round music education accessible to players of any age and ability was born with the realisation that I was really going to have to become my own agent if I was going to form any kind of career as a concert pianist.  Rather than fighting for the same spot on the stage, already too small to hold the big names and the new arrivals, I ventured to create a new concert platform elsewhere.  Five years on, the results are overwhelming.  PIANO WEEK has transformed into a multicultural and hugely diverse community of music lovers, professional and amateur pianists, world-renowned guest artists, outstanding concert pianists, educators and steadily growing international audiences in the UK, Italy, Germany, China, Thailand and Japan.

The buzz of PIANO WEEK is something which you need to experience first hand as no written word can offer a meaningful substitute.  It’s not just a piano course; some of our returning participants dubbed it a ‘holistic affair’ with music.  Our performance-based programme of master classes, one-to-one and duet lessons, composition, sight reading, memorisation, listening and harmony and theory classes interconnects throughout the week with the expert advice given by all faculty members.  As a participant,  you can choose whether to visit our UK base in the English countryside in Shropshire (Weston Rhyn) or to travel further afield to the picturesque Upper Middle Rhine UNESCO World Heritage Site in Germany, sunny Umbria,  or jump on a long-haul flight to Thailand and celebrate Songkran, or China.

I like to think that the development of PIANO WEEK reflects the very essence of music, with no boundaries of age, ability, country or language.  As I am sure every entrepreneur has, I have long dreamed of taking my enterprise global.  With overseas expansion not being the easiest of tasks, it took a lot of determination as well as finding the right partners abroad to make it a reality.  My pianist husband Maciej Raginia came on board as the festival’s creative director when no amount of self-induced lack of sleep was enough to keep things moving! Today, we share responsibility for every aspect of the festival from creating the syllabuses and concert planning to setting up new PIANO WEEK residences abroad.  It’s very much a ‘do-it-yourself’ ethic born out of the decision to forge our own futures as performing artists.

It is wonderful that PIANO WEEK is extremely popular amongst participants. The high rate of those returning every year (or sometimes even twice or three times a year!) is a true testament to the quality of the tuition offered, our expanding faculty of concert pianists and pedagogues as well as concerts given by world-renowned guest artists.  In the last five years, the festival has welcomed Stephen Kovacevich, Leon McCawley, Chenyin Li and David Fung as our guest artists alongside an impressive list of international concert pianists and educators: Alexander Karpeyev (Russia), Annabelle Lawson (UK), Diana Ionescu (Romania), Grace Yeo (South Korea), Madalina Rusu (Romania), Maiko Mori (Japan), Mark Nixon (South Africa), Melanie Spanswick (UK), Nico de Villiers (South Africa), Niel du Preez (South Africa), Olivia Sham (Australia), Roberto Russo (Italy), Sachika Taniyama (Japan), Sam Armstrong (UK), Warren Mailley-Smith (UK), Yuki Negishi (Japan) and Vesselina Tchakarova (Bulgaria).

You can find out much more about PIANO WEEK, here; www.pianoweek.com

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My Publications:

For much more information about how to practice piano repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 level are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece. A convenient and beneficial course for students of any age, with or without a teacher, and it can also be used alongside piano examination syllabuses too.

You can find out more about my other piano publications and compositions here.

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from Melanie Spanswick https://ift.tt/2I2c6TI

Honest Insights and Some Forgotten Exercises

British concert pianist Nick van Bloss has written the third guest post in my new series. Technical exercises often receive a bad press by pianists, teachers and students alike, but, practised carefully and diligently, and with the help of a talented teacher, they can be extremely helpful for building various aspects of piano technique. In his post, Nick examines the forgotten exercises by German composer, Louis Plaidy. Over to Nick…

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I was fascinated to see Melanie’s recent post (two videos) about the teaching of Rosina Lhévinne, particularly the accounts and anecdotes of her teaching by the late John Browning, who studied with her at the Juilliard School. In both of the videos it would be easy to miss a hidden nugget of information that was imparted about a wonderful book of technical exercises by Louis Plaidy which, in my opinion, puts the likes of Hanon to shame. It’s a book that should really be on the music desk of pianists of any standard.

But what about Hanon? Let’s face it, most pianists know several of his famous and catchy five-finger exercises – from amateurs to professionals, we hear people rattling them off, stuck in a monstrous, never-ending loop of C major, always messing things up halfway through, and playing them with little regard to shape, tone or evenness. Ultimately, Hanon does no good at all unless one diligently plays each exercise in every key – and no one does that. And I wouldn’t recommend anyone to, either, as those obsessive-compulsive little patterns would surely drive any sane person crazy! Like any catchy song, I’m convinced that Hanon is only still played and used today because people like the ‘tune’ of the first three exercises.

Years ago, when I was playing to John Browning in New York, he mentioned the Plaidy exercises to me – and I had no idea what he was talking about. At the time, we were discussing how best to warm up at the piano before actually grinding away at learning and polishing pieces. The answer: Plaidy. Well, actually, a specific exercise from Plaidy’s book, but more on that later. What Browning did say, however, was that the Plaidy exercises focus on a very natural way of playing, incorporating patterns that are found in works throughout the piano repertoire at every level. Unlike, say, Hanon, where the mind-numbing repetitive patterns are wholly unmusical.

So who was Louis Plaidy? I’d certainly never heard of him before Browning spoke of him, and I’ve never heard any pianist mention him since. Plaidy was a  nineteenth century German pedagogue who taught, amongst others, Edvard Grieg, Janáček, Hans von Bülow, Arthur Sullivan, and many other notable musicians. He was clearly a big-wig teacher of the time, was friends with Felix Mendelssohn, and attracted pupils from all over the world. And he became famous for writing his book, ‘Technical Studies for the Piano’, which, in itself, makes him sound like a dull old goat who needed a life, but, in reality, and according to his pupils, he was the kindest soul who cared deeply about all of his students. And, more importantly, he really got results in his teaching.

There is, indeed, a ‘naturalness’ to all of the exercises in Plaidy’s book. Granted, his little essay, along with drawings, at the beginning of the book might seem a little old-fashioned to us now, but it’s all very sound advice. The exercises themselves, though, can certainly benefit pretty much any level of pianist. I’d never urge any pianist to go through a book of exercises from start to finish, working on each one. I recommend Plaidy as a kind of ‘go to’ book if you need a solution for something, if you’re struggling with a certain aspect of playing – rapid finger work, chords, scales, double notes… – then Plaidy has an exercise for you. And the great thing is that none of the exercises will do any damage – quite the contrary – which leads me to a specific exercise in his book, the one mentioned by Mrs Lhévinne and John Browning in the videos.

There’s a lot of performance-related injury going around at the moment. At least, to me, it seems there is. And it’s worrying. Perhaps, in reality, we’re only all becoming so much more aware of these injuries because of people sharing their experiences on-line – and that’s great, as we all learn from listening to others. But not a day goes by where I don’t hear ‘tendonitis, carpal tunnel, focal dystonia’ mentioned somewhere. Is it because people are being taught badly, have been taught badly, or that they’re over-working, or they’re just not in touch with their own bodies and don’t know when to ‘stop’ certain, destructive movements? I don’t know the answer, although suspect it could be a combination of all of the above. Bad teaching, though, has to be high up on the list. A good teacher has to be able to spot signs of potentially calamitous technical issues. That has to be a given.

Hand and wrist freedom, bodily freedom, relaxation, necessary and unnecessary tension, breathing, awareness – all of these must be monitored by a diligent teacher. It’s a crying shame, though, that many teachers are shamefully negligent in this area. I’ve seen some ‘big-name’ teachers produce injured student after injured student – and let’s be real here: historically, some of the most famous teachers have been more into their own egos and fat fees than the well-being of students. A caring and aware teacher is a godsend, a teacher who watches the student as well as just listening and correcting wrong notes.

One thing John Browning inherited from Mrs Lhévinne was an interesting use of the Plaidy exercises to not only prevent injury but also to treat and even cure injuries. One particular exercise, that is – the scales in double sixths. Yes, scales in double sixths! I’ve mentioned this to various pianists over the years and all have baulked at the idea – but, reality check again, many pianists, even top ones, struggle to play a smooth and even scale of any description in isolation, let alone in double notes. But, when I worked with Browning, he was adamant that playing scales in double sixths every day would benefit pianists of all levels, if they only but bothered to learn how to play them with the Plaidy fingering! Browning inherited this from Mrs Lhévinne, who speaks about their value in the video.

The belief with scales in double-sixths, is that they create a concurrent and healthy push and pull on the forearm flexors and tendons, thus strengthening and nurturing them, whilst simultaneously opening the carpal tunnel slightly. Indeed, once the fingering has been learnt, playing them is perhaps one of the most soothing and beneficial things a pianist can do. I begin every day of work at the piano by playing the double-sixth scales in all keys. It was hard going at first, but the benefits were such that I knew Browning was onto something. In my case, he suggested them as a way to warm up – to really render the hand malleable. But he used to use them to treat pianists who had tendonitis and carpal tunnel problems and I believe that most were permanently injury-free after only a few months. And, along with Mrs Lhévinne, he believed that they should be mandatory for everyone learning the piano at whatever stage.

I know that scales in double-sixths might sound out of reach for anyone but the most proficient pianist, but they are not. Give them a go. Whether amateur, professional, for warm up, or to treat injury, I genuinely think they will super-charge your technique, heal issues, and help prevent future problems arising.

As Mrs Lhévinne said: play scales in double-sixths with the Plaidy fingering and you feel like you’ve been playing for hours. In other words, they are powerful things!

You can peruse Louis Plaidy’s Technical Studies for the Piano, here.

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My Publications:

For much more information about how to practice piano repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 level are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece. A convenient and beneficial course for students of any age, with or without a teacher, and it can also be used alongside piano examination syllabuses too.

You can find out more about my other piano publications and compositions here.

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from Melanie Spanswick http://ift.tt/2GDpy0M

Favourable Fingering

I’m almost half way through my work here in Hong Kong and am having a thoroughly lovely time, enjoying the urban vibe and fast pace of life. I will be giving several book presentations after I finish adjudicating, and some readers have asked where and when these will take place, so here are some details: a workshop for Parsons Music (March 29th), a workshop and master class for MusikWald (March 30th) and two master classes at the Tom Lee Academy (April 2nd). Hope to see you there!

If you read this blog regularly, you’ll probably know that I write a column for Pianist Magazine (a how-to-play article, where I teach a different elementary piece in every edition), and contribute to the bi-monthy newsletter, offering five tips on a particular aspect of piano technique. This month’s topic is a perennial favourite; fingering. Do you write your fingering into the score before you start learning your piece? Or do you let your fingers roam wherever they feel comfortable? Here are a few ideas which I hope might be useful. You can read the original article, here.

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Fingering is a perpetual hot topic and we all know that finding the right fingering solution for a particular passage can make a colossal difference, fostering smooth, fluent, and ideally, comfortable playing.There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to fingering as everyone one of us has a different size hand, but hopefully the following suggestions may be helpful.

1. Aim to know all the standard fingerings for scales (particularly contrary motion), arpeggios, and broken chords. If you know these fingerings, you will have a substantial advantage when learning any repertoire, but especially in Baroque and Classical styles, where scale passages and arpeggios abound. It can be prudent to learn two or three fingerings for chromatic scales and a couple for chromatic thirds as well.
2. Know where your thumbs are and where they should be! Even when passage work isn’t symmetrical, the thumbs can stabilize the hand and being aware of where they fall in rapid figurations aids the memory, making fingering easier to grasp.
3. I advise my students to play ‘in position’ as much as possible. This involves limiting turning the hand or changing hand positions. Many hand turns can easily lead to a bumpy, uneven musical line (this happens when there are too many thumbs on the scene!). If you can use outer parts of the hand (the fourth and fifth finger) as much as the inner part (thumb and second finger), not only will the hand be more balanced, but it will also feel natural to play without so much movement. The fourth and fifth finger will need to be sufficiently strong in order to do this.
4. Finger substitution and finger sliding both ultimately provide smooth legato. Changing fingers on a note (once you’ve played a note, quickly replace whatever finger you used to play the note with another, whilst keeping the note depressed), or sliding fingers from one note to another, but still keeping the musical line (almost connecting the notes, as much as you can, so the overall impression is one of legato).
5. Once you’ve decided on your fingering, DO NOT change it! This is a cardinal rule; when you change or substitute fingers after working at the original fingering for a while, the brain has already wired these finger movements and cancelling them will be awkward to say the least. Practice tends to make permanent, so spend some time writing your fingering in the score before you begin studying a piece, and be quite sure your chosen fingerings suit your hand and you are happy with them.
   

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My Publications:

For much more information about how to practice piano repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 level are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece. A convenient and beneficial course for students of any age, with or without a teacher, and it can also be used alongside piano examination syllabuses too.

You can find out more about my other piano publications and compositions here.

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from Melanie Spanswick http://ift.tt/2DtmXTS

Jumar – Availability, Plans, Prices

At a Glance

• located at the corner of Buckley & Cleveland in Squamish
• mixed-use development
• 101 condos & townhouses
• ground floor shops & services
• 6,000 sq ft childcare centre
• near Ecole Squamish Elementary & Howe Sound Secondary schools
• outdoor adventure capital

Live the Adventure
If you’re waiting to do something great this weekend, you’re waiting too long. Live the adventure. Now. Countless outdoor adventures begin here, on your doorstep. Downtown Squamish’s restaurants and shops are a few short steps away. The best of the mountains, the best of the city… It’s all within easy reach. Imagine stepping out your door this morning to world-class mountain biking, kiteboarding, running, climbing and hiking. Adventure on your terms, 7 days a week. That’s Squamish living. That’s Jumar.

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Jumar’s design draws inspiration from the breathtaking landscape surrounding it; the building’s shape directly mirrors the iconic Squamish Chief. The exterior captures stunning views of the nearby peaks. Jumar’s stylish 1- to 3-bedroom condos and city homes are located in the heart of downtown Squamish, the adventure capital of British Columbia. The location is unrivaled. Drive 45 minutes south and you’re in downtown Vancouver. A mere 35-minute trip north takes you to Whistler Blackcomb, North America’s premier ski and four-season mountain resort.

Pricing for Jumar
This development is in its development application stage. Sign up above to our VIP list for priority access to Jumar updates.

Floor Plans for Jumar
A mixture of 1- to 3-bedroom condominiums and townhomes is proposed. Details are pending. Contact me today to discuss your needs.

Amenities at Jumar
A 6,000 sq ft Bee Haven Childcare centre is planned for the northwest portion of the property with 24 infant/toddler spaces, 24 spaces for three to five-year-olds, and 30 school-aged spaces.

Parking and Storage
Jumar proposes to provide 116 residential and 48 commercial vehicle parking spots, in addition to generous bicycle storage space.

Maintenance Fees at Jumar
TBA.

Developer Team for Jumar
LT Wave Holdings is the Canadian subsidiary of Hong Kong-based LT Commercial Real Estate. They have retained GBL Architects to design Jumar. GBL is a progressive Vancouver-based firm of 38 architects, project managers and technicians with a 25-year reputation of providing a full range of architectural services to the private and public sector. GBL design with the belief that form plays a vital role in defining experience through an ever-changing dynamic between sculptural artistry and social responsibility. To that end, they regularly practice green design through the LEED Canada Program.

CHIL Interior Design is the hospitality studio of B+H, a global leader in interior design, architecture, and planning & landscape. CHIL’s award-winning portfolio spans Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America for brands such as Shangri-La, Hilton, Fairmont, Marriott, and Four Seasons. Originally founded in 1974, CHIL leverages global resources to produce designs that are guided by their clients’ vision and goals. Each client’s story is translated into a physical space. Deep research and an understanding of current and future trends result in spaces that improve the way people live, work, play, relax, and heal.

Expected Completion for Jumar
TBA.

Are you interested in learning more about homes in West or North Vancouver?

Check out these great North Shore Presales!

The post Jumar – Availability, Plans, Prices appeared first on Mike Stewart.

from Blog – Mike Stewart http://ift.tt/2FAR6GS

Neal Shusterman visits ISB!

In March, ISB students, parents, staff and alumni were treated to talks and Q&A sessions with award-winning Young Adult Fiction author, Neal Shusterman. Mr Shusterman spoke about the writing process, about the inspiration and influences to his work and stories, about the authors and books that ignited his wish to be a writer and more.

Mr Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and began writing at an early age. Within a year of graduating from UC Irvine, he had his first book deal. Since then, his books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association and the American Library Association. Mr Shusterman has also become a very successful screenwriter and television writer. He has written for the “Goosebumps” and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect.” He has also directed two short films, which won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards, and he writes music and stage plays.

He engaged our community with wonderful stories, a terrific connection with his audience, and genuine sharing of his experience as a writer, reader, and follower of his passion. Our students got to hear about the hard work it takes to achieve excellence, and the power of enduring rejection, growing from constructive feedback, and persisting through difficulty.

He also spoke openly about his award-winning book, Challenger Deep, a powerful and personal novel that explores mental illness. He explained how he receives countless feedback from readers to say how this exceptional book has positively impacted their lives and been a source of comfort for them.

It was exciting for our students to work with such an inspiring role model. Thank you to our librarians: Traci Marlowe and Chris Bell for making this terrific experience a reality. Thank you, Neal Shusterman, for visiting ISB and for sharing your wisdom, experience and knowledge!

from International School Bangkok http://ift.tt/2oW46wz

Intervals – training or teaching?

In my second guest post of this new series, George Bevan (an organist, choirmaster and Director of Music at Monkton Coombe School), pictured below, writes about his experiences whilst teaching intervals, and offers some suggestions for effectively tutoring this important skill. I hope this may be useful for all who teach instrumental music exams. Over to George…

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It is not uncommon for students to be sent my way, usually a few weeks before an impending grade exam, to go through some aural tests. So this morning I found myself exploring grade 4 Trinity tests, which include identifying intervals – my favourite! As with many of the aural tests set for exams, I find that there can be several different approaches and that these generally fall into two categories: those which just work, and those which actually deepen the musical instinct of our students.

Those which just work

The age-old technique is to associate each interval with a well-known tune ie. a perfect fourth sounds like the beginning of Away in a manger. This was how my piano teacher taught me to recognise intervals as a child. It’s okay I guess, but since I was a chorister at the same time, it always struck me as a little strange to be imagining the opening of Away in a manger in the middle of a Palestrina mass – yes it works, but on so many levels surely that can’t be right?!!

At least the student has to match up in their head what they hear with their ears. [Anders Ericsson would call this a mental representation; Paul Harris would call it making connections.] But aside from this, I can’t see any merit at all to this approach. If you just want your student to get the answers right for the exam, then this method works. But why is this skill being tested? Trinity say it’s to develop your skills in recognising intervals. I’m afraid that doesn’t answer the question.

Those which actually deepen the musical instinct of the student

There are so many more connections which can be made here, all of which are going to develop our students’ understanding and skills, and ultimately their musicianship.

Let’s consider the nature of each interval, starting with seconds. Instantly we have the scope to introduce or revisit all of these concepts: minor second = same as a semitone; major second = same as a tone; seconds are dissonant.

Thirds are major or minor. It may seem obvious, but even without the fifth of the triad above them, they sound like a regular chord. [Add the perfect fifth above and most students will hear this clearly]. At this point, I play a quick game of ‘second or third?’ Never mind the major/minor-ness of the interval for the moment – it’s simply a question of is it a dissonant sound, or a pleasing one? Insist on an immediate answer. This will develop an instinct to listen for dissonance or consonance. Once they have this, then you can narrow it down to whether it’s major or minor.

Perfect fifth. Is this chord major or minor? Neither! A great opportunity to discuss that all important third in a triad as being responsible for making the chord either major or minor. Without, it sounds hollow, almost like you can put your hand in the empty space in the middle. [Add a third, either major or minor, and then play it without again to illustrate the point.]

Sixths. These are major and minor too. So now we play a variant on the ‘second or third?’ game, but now it’s called ‘small or big?’ and we play it with either thirds or sixths. They all sound major or minor, so now what we’re focusing on is this: are they close together or far apart? Again, insist on an instant answer to develop instinct, this time for spacing. Then refine – major or minor?

And now ‘second, third or sixth?’ Answer straight away – is it small, big or dissonant? And then refine.

Another way of approaching intervals is to sing. Specifically to sing a scale. It’s called a scale for good reason – it’s what we use to measure the size of an interval. But I had a problem this morning with my student – it quickly became apparent that he can’t sing (yet!) I played him a perfect fifth, B flat to F, within his vocal range, and asked him to sing a scale from the bottom to the top. He sang the B flat (pretty badly but near enough). This was followed by four more notes, and he finished sort of close to an E. It certainly didn’t resemble a major scale; I asked him whether he knew what a major scale sounded like, and he replied – perhaps a little doubtfully – that he did. His second effort at singing the scale was even worse. I’m sure he does know what a major scale sounds like, but he couldn’t find that sound for himself in his own head, and he couldn’t reproduce it. From what I know of him, I suspect that this causes him no end of problems. In short, each note that he plays on his instrument is an external entity, and not part of a linear progression running in his head. Surely that can’t be right?

Not so long ago I heard an examiner at a training session, outlining the ways in which she had prepared a piano pupil, who couldn’t sing, to score adequately in the aural tests despite his weakness. The one suggestion which she didn’t make was to teach him to sing. Is it a piano teacher’s job to teach their pupil to sing? If necessary then yes, of course it is! The importance of singing is not so much the external sound, but the need to have a mental representation of the sound inside your head. When I play a rising minor sixth, I know what it is going to sound like before it happens because I can hear it. And the proof that I can hear it? – I can sing it.

Being able to sing up and down a scale, in the same way as we might measure centimetres on a ruler, is an invaluable skill in learning to measure accurately. We can get a sense of magnitude in comparing a second with a sixth by singing our way up, step by step. It focuses listening skills, especially if we are insistent that our students sing in tune, and it helps them to create all sorts of aural connections.

Intervals are also harmonic. Understanding how thirds and fifths (and fourths and sixths for that matter) fit in the wider context of chords will immediately make sight-singing so much more straightforward. And if you can sight-sing, instrumental sight-reading is so much easier. Tonic solfa is an incredibly useful tool as well, in as much as it also gives intervals context within the scale. Singing a perfect fifth from doh to soh feels very different from singing from mi to ti – in the case of the latter interval, it is so much easier to aim at the characteristic sound of a leading note than it is to try to summon up Twinkle twinkle little star out of nowhere…. If we are serious about teaching rather than training our students, I can’t see how the name that tune method stands up to any level of scrutiny whatsoever.

In many aspects of instrumental technique, the best method is simply to show our pupils what works; leaving them to work it out for themselves takes too much time. But in developing musicianship, we need to encourage them to explore for themselves at every turn; ironically, just teaching them what works deprives them of so much opportunity for discovery. I cannot stress how important it is to spend time exploring these sorts of things with our pupils – the very things which some teachers say they don’t have time for because they need to cover repertoire, technical work etc. What’s the hurry? Let’s take a little more time, and teach in a way which will serve our pupils well beyond the confines of the exam room.

www.musicatmonkton.com

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My Publications:

For much more information about how to practice piano repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 level are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece. A convenient and beneficial course for students of any age, with or without a teacher, and it can also be used alongside piano examination syllabuses too.

You can find out more about my other piano publications and compositions here.

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The Hollywood Residences – Availability, Plans, Prices

At a Glance

• located at 3133 West Broadway in Kitsilano
• 6-storey, mixed-use concrete mid-rise
• 40 condominiums
• 4,423 sq ft of new ground floor retail space
• restoration & operation of Hollywood Theatre
• in the heart of Kits commercial district
• excellent walkability, frequent transit service

Cultural Revival
The Hollywood Residences is an exciting new mixed-use development in Vancouver’s vibrant Kitsilano neighbourhood on the city’s West Side. The six-storey mid-rise will contain 4,423 sq ft of ground floor commercial space and 40 market strata residential units on the remaining five storeys, of which 52% are suitable for families. Part of the development plan is the restoration of the adjoining 1935 Art Deco Hollywood Theatre into a state-of-the-art performing arts centre. Once a cinema, programming for the Hollywood will be diversified to include musical performances, live theatre, comedy, festival events, seminars and lectures, and events organized by non-profit groups, as well as independent film screenings. At The Hollywood, treasured memories will continue to be created.

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Pricing for The Hollywood Residences
This project is in its development application stage. Sign up to our VIP list above for priority access to updates for The Hollywood Residences.

Floor Plans for The Hollywood Residences
The proposed unit mix is for the following market strata condominiums:

• 6 x studios
• 32 x 1-bedrooms
• 15 x 2-bedrooms
• 1 x 2-bedroom + den
• 5 x 3-bedrooms

Contact me today to discuss this unique opportunity in support of Vancouver’s arts community.

Amenities at The Hollywood Residences
The residential building is set back from the Hollywood Theatre to allow for a cafe or restaurant patio to enliven the streetscape. Level 2 residents on the laneway side will enjoy the use of private patios with privacy landscaping on the northern edge. Top floor homes each have their own private rooftop terrace. There is also a shared rooftop terrace for the use of other building residents.

Parking and Storage
In addition to restricted, metered street parking on West Broadway, The Hollywood Residences will offer parking in two levels of underground. Residents will be provided with 43 vehicle spaces, of which two are handicapped. Commercial tenants and their customers will have use of three regular vehicle stalls and one handicapped. One Class B loading space is available for retail/restaurant uses. There are also 52 residential bicycle parking spaces. At street level, another seven bicycle spaces will be provided for the residential building tenants and 12 for use by theatre patrons and staff.

Maintenance Fees at The Hollywood Residences
TBA.

Developer Team for The Hollywood Residences
The property owner, 4184 Investments, has retained Marianne Amodio Architecture Studio to design The Hollywood Residences. MAAStudio is focused on design solutions that explore alternative ways of home ownership and dwelling. Their residential sector centres on multi-family residential buildings, micro co-housing, and custom multi-family homes. This practice is based on the principle that living smarter is better than living bigger. Through creative thinking, they craft solutions that speak to today’s issues of affordability and social and environmental sustainability, and our drive to a sharing economy. In 2016, MAAStudio earned the Architectural Institute of British Columbia’s emerging-firm award.

Expected Completion for The Hollywood Residences
TBA.

Are you interested in learning more about other homes in Kitsilano, Point Grey, or Kerrisdale?

Check out these great Kitsilano Presales!

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4575 Granville – Plans, Availability, Prices

At a Glance

• located in Vancouver’s upscale Shaughnessy neighbourhood
• 21 stacked townhouses in two buildings
• private patios & rooftop decks
• near prestigious private schools
• convenient connections to airport & downtown
• walking distance to VanDusen Botanical Garden
• close to South Granville shops & restaurants

The New Shaughnessy
First Shaughnessy is an exclusive Vancouver neighbourhood that was established by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1907 for the homes of the city’s elite. Its large properties and elegant, tree-lined streets were of such great appeal that in the late 1920s and early 1930s, adjacent land was developed as Second and Third Shaughnessy. Here, the properties are smaller and the houses are of a more modest size. In these two areas of Shaughnessy, we are now seeing new housing types being developed, particularly on or near arterial roads and around shopping areas. This development is seeking a rezoning under the Affordable Housing Choices Interim Rezoning Policy, which means owning a home in this desirable neighbourhood can be more affordable.

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Stacked townhouses contained in two wood frame buildings separated by a courtyard, have been designed by Stuart Howard Architects to replace a single-family home at 4575 Granville Street. One building, the larger of the two, fronts Granville Street, while the second is placed on the lane side of the property where the underground is also accessed. With 13 three-bedroom homes, 4575 Granville is ideally suited for young families who wish to raise their children in a more traditional residential area.  Located on the main arterial connecting downtown Vancouver with YVR airport, this central location means that most parts of the city can be reached within 15 minutes.

Pricing for 4575 Granville
This project is in the development application stage. Sign up to our VIP list above for priority access to 4575 Granville updates.

Floor Plans for 4575 Granville
A mix of 13 three-bedrooms – from 1,300 to 1,723 sq ft – and eight 515 sq ft 1-bedrooms is being proposed for 4575 Granville. Those with a serious intent to purchase are advised to contact me today to discuss this exclusive opportunity.

Amenities at 4575 Granville
Each home is provided with a rooftop deck and a private patio surrounded by privacy landscaping. An elegant courtyard between the two buildings has paving stone walkways, three shaded garden plots with benches, and a children’s play area.

Parking and Storage
One level of underground parking will provide residents with 32 standard vehicle parking stalls and 32 secure bicycle spaces. Six Class B bicycle spaces at ground level will be located near the laneway entrance walkway.

Maintenance Fees at 4575 Granville
TBA.

Developer Team for 4575 Granville
Stuart Howard Architects have been chosen to design the development of 4575 Granville. They are committed to creating high-quality, cost-effective, innovative design solutions for their clients. Over the years, the firm has been involved in many building types with a strong emphasis on residential buildings, and heritage restoration and rehabilitation. Various members of the firm are multiple award winners in residential design.

Expected Completion for 4575 Granville
TBA.

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