5 Tips to Create the Illusion of Legato

Every pianist knows the importance of legato, or the creation of a smooth musical line or phrase, notes joining evenly from one to the next. But there are many instances in piano music where we can’t join the notes; the melodic line might leap beyond our comfortable stretch, for example. How do we overcome this inconvenience and lull our listeners into believing that we’ve created a beautiful legato line? In my recent article for Pianist Magazine’s newsletter, I offer a few ideas to instigate the illusion of legato. I hope it’s of interest.

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Legato, or playing smoothly, is probably one of the first techniques we master as beginner pianists. We learn how to transfer our finger weight evenly from note to note, joining them all neatly. But what do we do when notes are difficult or impossible to join? Whether a large leap or an awkward, widespread melody line, we simply can’t reach the notes purely with our fingers, and yet there still must be a sense of shape and legato. That’s where the illusion of legato comes in handy.

1. Sit down at the piano and with your right hand play a middle C and then the D next to it; use your thumb followed by your second finger. Practice playing legato, transferring weight from thumb to finger, listening to the smooth sound you create. Now play both notes with a rich tone, using just your thumb, and listen to the sound ‘gap’ between the notes as you play them one after the other.
2. To create the illusion of legato, we must close that sound gap. Play the C with your thumb using a deep touch. Keep your thumb depressed on the key until a millisecond before you move it to play the D, also using your thumb. The D must be played slightly lighter than the C, and by moving the thumb from the C to the D extremely quickly and lightly, the ear shouldn’t be able to detect a gap in the sound between the notes. Aim to match the sound of the second note (D) to that of the dying C.
3. It can help to employ the ‘drop-roll’ technique’; a pair of slurred or joined notes are played with the hand and wrist dropping as the finger or thumb plays the first note, then rising up as the second note is played. Using the wrist and hand to ‘drop’ into the C, as you reach the bottom of the key with your wrist in a lowered position, ‘catch’ the D (played with the thumb) as your hand and wrist rolls upwards.
4. Practice until the legato is smooth and fluent; you will need to listen carefully. You can then experiment with other fingers; try playing two consecutive notes using your fifth finger. Then try using your fourth finger. Also practice the same note patterns using the left hand too.
5. Finally, introduce larger intervals. Play from a middle C to an E; the drop-roll technique, slurring the two notes with your thumb, will be most beneficial with larger note skips. Drop the hand and wrist into the C, playing it with your thumb, via a flexible downward movement, and as you turn the wrist to move upwards, manoeuvre the thumb extremely quickly to play the E softly. As always, match the sound of the dying note (C) to that of the new note (E).

Work will be required in order to close the sound gap and create the illusion when playing larger intervals, but with practice it is possible to ‘join’ notes without using consecutive fingering or the sustaining pedal.

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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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Image link

from Melanie Spanswick https://ift.tt/2TBN9Fq

ISB’s World Scholar’s Cup Delegation is making the news!

International School Bangkok (ISB) have a delegation of three Grade 8 students at Yale University participating in the World Scholar’s Cup, Tournament of Champions.

They participated in March 2018 in the Bangkok Round at which they qualified for the Global Round. In June, they went to Kuala Lumpur for the Global Round and there they qualified for the Tournament of Champions.

What is the World Scholar’s Cup?
As well as being one of the most prestigious academic programs in the world, World Scholar’s Cup is also an inspiring experience for every student who participates. All participants explore a new “theme” each year, one that connects science, technology, art, literature, music, history, and social studies. This year’s theme has been “An Entangled World” with topics centered around:

Special Area – Human Relationships
History – The History of Diplomacy
Social Studies – Black Markets
Science – The Science of Memory
Art & Music – Braving the Distance
Literature – Voices of the Inseparable

At the Tournament of Champions, as at any World Scholar’s Cup event, teams undertake different academic and social challenges that require them to practice leadership and to hone and demonstrate important new skills.

These challenges include:
Team Debate (collaboration and public speaking)
Collaborative Writing (persuasive rhetoric)
Scholar’s Bowl (group problem solving, in a modified quiz bowl style)
Scholar’s Challenge (an exhaustive interdisciplinary examination)
Scholar’s Show (a fabulous all-volunteer talent show)

Our ISB delegation prepared hard and have done an outstanding job at this year’s competition. While in the U.S.A, they also received a special invitation from the Royal Thai Consulate in New York to have an informal interview with some New York based Thai Media agencies. They cited our young leaders as being, “a source of inspiration for young Thai at home and overseas.”

Well done to our Panther Scholars! See you back at ISB soon!

from International School Bangkok https://ift.tt/2DE8KqT

Alumni Highlight: Christian Shearer, Co-Founder of Regen Network

Christian Shearer (ISB Class of 1996) has been at the cutting edge of global ecology since his early 20s.  He launched Panya Project (www.panyaproject.org) in the early 2000s, an ecological agriculture and natural building education center in Northern Thailand.  ISB students from the past 15 years or so are familiar with the Panya Project as it has been a popular site for ISB’s Week Without Walls and Global Citizenship Week programs.  

Most recently Christian co-founded Regen Network (www.regen.network), a startup technology company aimed at tracking, verifying, and valuing ecological information, particularly from the world’s farmers, ranchers and land managers. Regen Network has gained traction from a number of well-known natural products companies and some of the world’s largest producer groups. “What we are building unlocks the data for land managers and brands to make profitable, ecologically sound, management decisions,” shared Christian.

Regen Network plans to launch a number of pilot projects later this year, including a program to reward indigenous communities for forest stewardship, in partnership with the Rainforest Foundation. The program looks to scale up to over 25 million acres of indigenous land and to bring together the brands and consumers who are passionate about rainforest health with the stewards of the land.

In South East Asia, Regen Network has partnered with GenBlue and EarthPulse to work on the re-establishment of Mangrove ecosystems along the coastlines of Myanmar and beyond. Christian explains, “Mangrove ecosystems may be, dollar for dollar, the most effective ecological investment we can make right now. Worldwide, 85% of mangrove ecosystems are severely degraded and five species of mangrove are threatened with extinction. The habitat mangroves provide above and below the water, the reduction of coastal erosion, and the amount of carbon they sequester is of incredible value to this planet right now.”

ISB is proud of a graduate like Christian Shearer who is so passionately involved with trying to save our planet and in enriching communities globally. For more information, please reach out to the Regen Network (www.regen.network) or contact him directly (christian@regen.network).

 

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IASAS – The Beginnings

IASAS, the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asia Schools, began in the fall of 1982.  The seeds of the organization, however, were planted long before that with sports competitions that were arranged between many of the international schools in the Southeast Asia region.  For example, Singapore American School (SAS) and International School Bangkok (ISB) participated in an annual, multi-sport event called the Singapore-Bangkok Games which started in 1961.  In 1980, the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) asked to participate in this event, creating what then became known as the Triangular Games.  Thus it was around this time that the idea of forming an international school athletic conference began to develop.

It was probably at an EARCOS Conference in Hong Kong in 1981 that the idea of forming IASAS became a reality. Primarily spear-headed by the Heads of School from ISKL – Gail Schoppert, SAS – Mel Kuhbander, and Jakarta International School (JIS) – Everett Gould, there was expressed a desire to create an international athletics conference in the region.  This organization was to be modeled after a similar conference that was active in South Asia, SAISA, which was familiar to some, as well as a conference in Europe that is still in operation, the ISST.

It wasn’t too long after that that the Activities/Athletic Directors from schools in the region met at the old Singapore American School campus on Kings Road tasked with creating the organization. Participating in this meeting were the AD’s from ISKL – Al Daniel and Dave Hagan, from SAS – K.S. Kasinathan and Dick Lewis, as well as representatives from JIS and ISB.  The result, as we now know, was IASAS, which formally started in October of 1982 with four schools: JIS, SAS, ISKL and ISB.  International School Manila (ISM) joined the conference the very next year, while Taipei American School (TAS) joined the group in 1986, creating the six-school conference that has flourished ever since. 

In the early days the conventions included soccer and volleyball (first season), basketball and swimming (second season), softball and track and field (third season), as well as a cultural convention (dance, drama, debate, forensics, music and art) and a mathematics competition.  Over the years, various activities were added to the agenda, and today the wide-ranging IASAS activities include:

• 1st Season:  Cross-Country, Soccer, Volleyball
• Model United Nations
• 2nd Season:  Basketball, Rugby/Touch, Swimming, Tennis
• Cultural Convention:  Art-Drama-Dance, Forensics-Debate, and Music
• 3rd Season:  Badminton, Baseball/Softball, Track & Field, Golf
• Math Contest, Film Festival & Chess [non-travel activities]

For everyone involved, students, coaches, administrators, parents and community members alike, IASAS is one of the most memorable times of any school year.  Now in its 37th year of existence and widely recognized as one of the most robust international school conferences in the world, we can only thank those who came before and helped to create such a remarkable organization.  We certainly hope that it will continue to prosper for many decades to come.

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Teaching Improvisation to Groups Part 2 by Christopher Norton

Today’s guest post has been penned by renowned composer and educationalist Christopher Norton. This is the second post in a series which offers practice ideas and suggestions for those teaching group improvisation (you can read Part 1, here). Christopher’s work has, for many years, involved teaching students how to improvise using his imaginative and very popular music. Over to Chris…

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Having looked at right hand chords (with a track) using root position G, first inversion G and second inversion D chords, with a bass pattern added, we can now talk about some simple techniques for right hand improvising on Samba Sand from Connections for Piano 3. Here’s the piece again:

With the track, play this left hand pattern 3 times:

Once this feels comfortable, almost automatic, you are ready to try adding right hand.

With students, I often find they are happier tapping than playing initially, so I would try tapping unaccented quavers (eighth notes!) on the right leg while playing the left hand chords:

Now for the magic moment – miss one eighth note out. For example:

Now we play right hand notes, playing the same rhythm. I suggest starting with G, A, B, C, D, but play around to see which ones sound good where! My first solution:

I’m already using some principles of melodic development – repeating a phrase with one note changed (bars 1 and 2) repeating an idea (bar 3) and having a contrasting idea (bar 4) The tune also joins the left hand rhythmically for the final bar of the phrase.

Now try missing out the 5^th eighth note. Tap first:

This suggests different tunes. For example:

Notice I’ve added a low D and an E (so a sixth note) Students often do this – adding new notes – quite naturally (and so do I!). If a tune suggests itself, go for it, whether the notes are the given ones or not.

Now experiment with missing other eighth notes out to create different rhythm patterns. Always tap first, then play. And don’t be worried if slight variations happen spontaneously, while tapping and while playing. The left chord rhythms may also vary spontaneously as well…

Another useful tip: play the left hand chords and try playing right hand rhythm patterns starting on one note. G is the best starting point. Then try 2 notes (G and A) 3 notes (G, A, B) and 4 notes (I like G, A, B, D – when in doubt, keep it pentatonic!)

Here’s an example of a tune which gradually build the number of notes:

This is another principle of melodic development – playing the same rhythm with different notes. And I’ve also done a new rhythm in bar 7 and I have also repeated a pattern higher up (bars 1 and 2, then bars 5 and 6).

In the next lesson, we will look at various other right hand tricks – grace note, chords (ie more than one note at a time), pedal notes, arpeggio figures and changing direction. Lots of fun!

Until next time…

The Connections for Piano series, with tracks, are available from www.80dayspublishing.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/2QRuJyn

ISB Curriculum Unpacked: 1) Big Ideas and Essential Questions

Curriculum is a fundamental part of schooling and a topic common to all educators but the details are sometimes less familiar to all parents. Teachers are writing, reviewing and adjusting curriculum on a daily basis in order to provide the best learning for their students.

The curriculum at International School Bangkok (ISB) is multi-faceted and is based on ongoing educational research and global best practice. It is driven by the broader goals of our school to include ISB’s Vision and Mission, Definition of Learning, Attributes and Values. We define the learning that takes place at ISB as meaningful and transferable, where understanding is constructed by developing and applying knowledge, skills and attitudes.

But how does this style of teaching and learning, and these broader goals, translate into the curriculum we use in each subject and classroom?

Macro Curriculum

From those broad goals, our Learning Design Center has developed subject-specific macro curriculum, which then funnels down to the micro curriculum of each grade level and class. The marco curriculum includes philosophy statements identifying what we believe about learning in that area and standards that identify the key learning outcomes for each grade level. It is built around long term transferable ideas that are at the heart of the subject and aligned to the standards.

The Big Ideas

Big Ideas are the core concepts, principles, theories and processes that serve as the focal point of curriculum, instruction and assessment at ISB. They are the building materials for authentic understanding and coherence. Big ideas are meaningful patterns that enable us to connect the dots of otherwise fragmented knowledge and skill and they go beyond discrete facts and skills to focus on larger concepts within and among the subjects areas. We use them to help us think broadly about learning across all grade levels.

What are some of these big ideas embedded in the macro curriculum frameworks?

• How does what I read influence how I read it?
• When does accuracy matter?
• How do my creative choices best express my ideas and intent?
• What makes a healthy relationship and how do I develop safe boundaries for myself and others?
• How does strategy affect outcome?
• What’s another way to say it or express it?
• How do I know that my answer is reasonable?

These big ideas sit within a curriculum framework that has three components:

1) long term transfer goals describing the independent goals we have for our learners;
2) essential questions identifying what we ask our learners to grapple with; and
3) enduring understandings describing what we want our learners to understand.

While these ideas are written with the end in mind, our 12th graders, it is important that our students across all grades interact with these big ideas, working towards the same goals. Here is an example of a framework for our PK-12 English/Language Arts program:

PK12 Transfer Goal: Communicate ideas effectively in writing, discourse and oral presentations to suit various audiences and purposes.
PK12 Enduring Understanding: Effective writers and speakers take deliberate steps and make intentional choices about content, language and style that are matched to their audience and purpose.	PK12 Essential Question: How does what I write influence how I write it? How do audience and purpose influence the way I communicate?

In partnership with the ISB Learning Design Center, ISB teachers across grades PK-12 package the learning into the micro curriculum, the units of instruction based around key learning goals in order to create developmentally appropriate learning for our students. This micro curriculum is informed by and aligned to everything in our macro curriculum.

Essential Questions

Here is an example of how we use the essential questions across grade levels. In the image, grade 10 students are helping grade 2 students understand the complex idea of – where you live determines how you live. From a grade 2 perspective, they wondered – why is Thailand hotter than Norway? Their grade 10 buddies helped them answer that question using the same critical thinking and geography skills that they are using in Grade 10.

This is a perfect example of the implementation of ISB’s multifaceted curriculum, which focuses on big ideas through meaningful and transferable learning that is aligned to our schools mission, vision, values and attributes.

 

from International School Bangkok https://ift.tt/2PvCA88

No Words Necessary Review

Writers, composers, musicians, and almost anyone in the arts, tend to wait with bated breath after the completion and release of their latest achievement. Will anyone actually like it? And more pertinently, what will the critics say? Never is this more true than when publishing compositions, because our tastes in music, particularly educational music, are all very different. Therefore, I was really delighted to read this lovely review of my new piano pieces, No Words Necessary, written and published earlier this week by writer and reviewer, Andrew Eales, who owns the Pianodao blog. I’ve published Andrew’s complete article below, but you can read the original, here. For more information about the pieces, and to purchase No Words Necessary, please click, here. Over to Andrew…

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Lots of piano players enjoy the contemporary stylings of popular composers such as Ludovico Einaudi, Yirumi and David Lanz, but it’s not so easy to find really good arrangements of their music that are accessible to intermediate players, and which manage to be both concise and accurate distillations of the post-minimal piano style.

The search for an educationally sound and musically engaging alternative just got easier with the publication by Schott Music of No Words Necessary, an excellent collection of 12 new pieces composed by Melanie Spanswick.

These interesting and enjoyable pieces will certainly satisfy those looking for approachable contemporary piano solos, and they further confirm Melanie as an imaginative and engaging composer.

So let’s check it out …

Concept and Recordings

Ever since it was established in 1770, Schott Music has been open to current trends and new development in music, seeking to represent a broad and colourful spectrum of new music. At present, they seem to be going through something of a golden age, with a succession of brilliant new publications in 2018, and much more scheduled for the coming months.

No Words Necessary joins their releases for this Autumn and brings well-known teacher, writer and adjudicator Melanie Spanswick to Schott’s roster of contemporary educational composers. Spanswick may be known to readers as the author/compiler of the outstanding Play it Again: Piano series, which I reviewed here last year.

According to Spanswick, No Words Necessary is:

“… a collection of 12 piano pieces intended for those who are approximately intermediate level, Grades 3-6. Consisting of melodious tunes and poignant harmonies, they are reminiscent of the Minimalist style…
Easy to learn and comfortable to play, they are equally well suited to the younger or more mature learner, and perfect for either concert performances or playing for pleasure. The collection will hopefully unleash the imagination and make piano playing an immensely rewarding experience.”

The Pieces

While reading on, you can start to discover the pieces for yourself using the composer’s own video recordings of them:

If the music isn’t your cup of tea, we’re done for today (you can discover more intermediate music here though!)

Otherwise read on for my thoughts…

The pieces appear loosely in order of difficulty, with the beautifully serene Lost in Thought providing a wonderfully contemplative opener. Inflections particularly reminds me of Philip Glass, while in Dancing Through the Daffodils there are echoes of Bach and Clementi, their motifs refreshed for the present day.

Spanswick’s melodic sensibility is more to the fore in the swaying Pendulum, the lyrical Walking in the Woods (my personal favourite here) and delightful China Doll. Other highlights for me include the restrained Voices in my Head, exotic Phantom Whisperer, and Beneath, which conjures a superb sense of hushed wonder. All these pieces are in my view well worth a look.

In terms of level, I would say most are accessible at the lower end of the advertised range; the book is ideal for the Grade 4 player wanting to explore fresh new music.

A feature of the contemporary post-minimal piano style is the emphasis given to organic flow rather than single gestures; often such music includes little in terms of suggested articulation, phrasing, and only a block outline of dynamics. Teachers will be pleased that Spanswick gives more detail here, including indications of balance between hands using a different dynamic for each.

The Publication

For the book itself, Schott have used their generic plain cover, which is a little disappointing given the target audience and imagination of the music within.

Inside though, Schott’s house style is as welcome as ever: with quality cream paper, crystal clear notation engraving and well spaced layout, the presentation is a cut above that sometimes found elsewhere. The amount and suitability of suggesting fingering throughout the collection is also, I think, spot on.

The premium quality Schott bring certainly adds to the ease and enjoyment of exploring the music itself.

Conclusion

It’s been a busy year for new piano music, but this latest publication certainly shouldn’t be overlooked.

These are pieces which I believe could easily find their place in the intermediate player’s heart, combining easy-to-master patterns, melodic charm, and simple structural cohesion. They give players a vehicle through which to develop expressive, engaged playing.

And with plenty of variety on offer, too, the collection offers good value. If you’re looking for a fresh collection of accessible contemporary pieces, do give this a try!

WARMLY RECOMMENDED

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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/2qFt5on

Our ISB Sport Coordinators – What they do and why

ISB introduced new Sport Coordinators this school year, and these inspired individuals have already helped facilitate significant growth and positive change within our programs. Borne from our annual review of the ISB Athletic and Community Activities Office programs, and with the full support of our school leadership and the Strategic Improvement & Learning Committee of the Board of Trustees, these positions aim of further improving student learning and the quality of experience for our athletes.

The Sport Coordinators work closely with the ISB Athletic Department, acting as champions and advocates for each of our thirteen pathway programs (IASAS sports). Our Sport Coordinators have already delivered a significant impact to our programs this year, generating a number of proposals for facility enhancements and helping to facilitate our Season One coaches’ professional development day.  Our Coordinators are identifying ways in which each sport can continue to raise its profile, grow in strength and opportunity, meet our ever-changing needs, and fulfil our ISB vision and mission.

Other areas we’ve targeted this year include researching top-level competition, delivering enhanced training techniques, instilling mental toughness, providing more challenge and enrichment opportunities, and establishing better vertical alignment by sport, U11-Varsity. We are also brainstorming more ways to connect with and enrich our local community through camps, outreach programs, and events. Keep your eyes open for the upcoming BBSA coaches’ clinic for parent-volunteers, the Panthers’ Volleyball Academy, and more innovative ideas emerging from this fledgling program and these highly invested educator-coaches.

Our ISB Sport Coordinators are also here to help answer any sport specific questions you may have, and they are happy to help direct you to an appropriate opportunity or program for your son/daughter. Please feel free to reach out by email if you have any queries.

ISB SPORT COORDINATORS 2018-2019:

Football:                 David Speirs           davids@isb.ac.th

Volleyball:             Joseph Barnes         josephb@isb.ac.th

Cross Country:      Kellie Alexander    kelliea@isb.ac.th

Rugby:                    Andy McRobbie    amcrobbie63@gmail.com

Touch:               Chad Bates                  chadb@isb.ac.th

Basketball:             Derrick Quinet      derrickq@isb.ac.th

Swimming:            Corry Day               swim@isb.ac.th

Tennis:                   Bob Connor            bobc@isb.ac.th

Softball:                  Boom Fitzgerald   krittiyf@isb.ac.th

Badminton:            Boonsueb K.          boonsueb@isb.ac.th

Baseball:                Joel Palanog         joelp@isb.ac.th

Golf:                       Kevin Callahan     kevinc@isb.ac.th

Track & Field:       TBA-contact:       markj@isb.ac.th

Contact:

Derrick Quinet, Athletic Director
derrickq@isb.ac.th

from International School Bangkok https://ift.tt/2z1mzwB

Play it again workshop at Millers Music

For anyone in the Cambridge area (UK), I will be presenting a workshop at Millers Music next Friday. This free workshop is essentially for teachers, but anyone is most welcome to come along. I’ll be focusing on topics which run throughout my Play it again: PIANO course; with a brief walk-through of both books (touching on Book 3 too), followed by a practical workshop highlighting the suggested practice techniques intended for technical improvement which feature at the beginning of Book 1 and 2.

There will be plenty of opportunity for audience participation, and hopefully lots of discussion. Each audience member will be given a copy of my workshop notes detailing the considered topics, which will mostly examine the importance of cultivating a tension free technique.

The workshop will be held from 6.30-8.00pm on Friday 16th November, and you will find Millers Music in the heart of the city: Millers Music, 12 Sussex St, Cambridge, CB1 1PW, UK. You can register to secure your ticket, here.

If you would like to find out more about Play it again: PIANO, which is a course for students returning to playing the instrument after a break, click here. You may also be interested in the following video, which has been recorded by piano returner Tommy, who runs a ‘piano corner’ on Youtube; this is the first video in a series which will survey each piece in Book 2.

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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/2ATo4ys

ISB Learner Attributes: a training ground for champions

During this year’s summer holidays, a frenzy of youth soccer tournaments took place in four regions across Thailand. Sponsored and organized by MILO Football Academy, the tournaments in the Bangkok, Northern, North-Eastern and Southern regions were open to Thai kids and youth from 7 to 15 years of age.

International School Bangkok (ISB) student, Ethan Speirs, competed for one of the 128 teams in the Bangkok tournament. Finishing second place in the region, his team progressed to the finals where the top eight teams from the regions battled it out for the national championship.

The Milo talent scouts watched from the sidelines and selected 48 players from age groups, U-8 to U-14 to attend a four-day training camp with FC Barcelona coaches in Chonburi. Having spent time with these boys in training, Barcelona’s professional coaches assessed them for footballing talent as well as their attitude to the game on and off the pitch. They then chose 8 from the 48 players. Three players from Ethan’s age group were invited, based on these qualities, to represent Thailand visit FC Barcelona’s ground in northern Spain at the end of September. 

So, at the end of a long, intense summer of football matches and training sessions, the 3,000 enthusiastic youngsters from around the country had been whittled down to eight talented players… until ultimately, the scouts had identified their three football stars in the making. And we are proud to say that Ethan Speirs was one of them.

Ethan attended the world-famous Camp Nou for a game watched by 78,000 fans. But the excitement didn’t stop there. The group toured the stadium’s impressive facilities and gained a glimpse into FC Barcelona’s illustrious history, before completing three days of training with the Barcelona youth coaches.

When a family member asked the scouts about the selection process, the feedback the coaches gave revealed that they were looking for a much broader set of qualities than simply outstanding footballing skills. The scouts had noted Ethan’s gratitude for the opportunity, his responsible behavior both on and off the pitch, his care and respect for the other players and organizers. He had also demonstrated integrity and a commitment to the hard work; and when he was unsure of the coaches’ instructions, he displayed courage by asking clarification questions during the coaching sessions. All of the qualities that run parallel with our own ISB values.

Ethan’s exciting journey embodies the set of ISB Learner Attributes that we aim to instill in our students and the core values that guide our community and learners. Outstanding talent on its own can only get you so far. It’s the attributes and values we promote at the heart of our curriculum that we believe help to make us better human beings, and help to open doors to incredible opportunities. Congratulations to Ethan for your impressive achievements this summer. We are all very proud of you.

 

from International School Bangkok https://ift.tt/2FaIlUj

No Words Necessary: 12 Piano Pieces

It’s been a busy year so far, with several publications nearing completion. One new volume, about which I am particularly excited, has been released this week. It marks my debut as a composer for my German publisher, Schott Music. Whilst I already write for Schott as an author, I hadn’t previously published a book of my own compositions. The new collection is called No Words Necessary and it is a selection of twelve piano pieces for intermediate level, or for students of approximately Grades 3 – 6 standard (of ABRSM, Trinity College London or London College of Music exams).

I wrote the pieces earlier this year during my stay in Hong Kong, working as an adjudicator for the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. Adjudicating is a demanding job, but I frequently enjoyed unusually long lunch breaks  of around an hour and a half in length. Adjudicating sessions often took place in splendid theatres with lovely well-tuned grand pianos, so I decided to put this time to good use. Within a few weeks I had written all twelve, albeit scribbled on manuscript paper as opposed to using my Sibelius software.

The pieces are characteristically tonal, with a nod to Minimalism. The title, No Words Necessary, was inspired by German poet and writer Heinrich Heine (1797 – 1856):

‘Where words leave off, music speaks’

Each work is intended to evoke thoughts, emotions or images in the mind. Many are reflective in character, with melodious tunes and poignant harmonies, but there are also more energetic, lively pieces too, for those who want to get their fingers moving. When composing for students, my aim is to write in a tuneful, expressive style, which I hope resonates with pianists of all ages, levels and abilities; these works are equally suited to younger or more mature players. Each one is comfortable to learn and rarely employs large chords or overly elaborate passagework, and they are intended as concert or festival pieces, examination pieces or simply to learn and play for pleasure.

The titles are as follows:

• Lost in Thought
• Inflections
• Voices in My Head
• Pendulum
• Phantom Whisperer
• Dancing Through the Daffodils
• Walking in the Woods
• Beneath
• China Doll
• Balletic
• Tinged with Sadness
• Spiralling

Recorded at Moreton Hall School in Shropshire, and at Jaques Samuel pianos in London at the beginning of August, you can hear each piece by clicking on the links below. The book can be purchased as a hard copy or digital download (either the complete book or each piece separately), here: No Words Necessary.

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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/2qqUFWc

The Importance of Mindfulness

By: Brenda Perkins, Grade 8 Wellness Educator, Mindfulness Teacher
“.b” and “.b Foundations” (UK) and Mindful Schools (US) certified

The “Culture of Care” is an important framework which guides International School Bangkok (ISB)’s attention to character development and social-emotional learning.  As part of ISB’s mission to develop students who are caring, global citizens and who lead healthy, active and balanced lives, the Culture of Care is a way to attend to children’s needs through the development of social and emotional learning, core values, and mindful practices.

Perhaps you’ve heard about mindful practices or mindfulness on social media, have read articles about it, or even have personal experience with mindfulness.  A quick google search returns over 2.4 million hits!  With mindfulness being a mainstream word now, we wanted to shed some light on what we mean by ‘mindful practices’ at ISB!

Mindful Practices – What are they?

Mindfulness at ISB is defined as the ability to pay attention in the present moment without judgement.

There are three attentional skills working together which mindful practices support:

Concentration: The ability to focus on what you want, when you want.
Awareness: Increased knowledge of thoughts, emotions, senses, and behaviors as they are happening in our personal experience
Equanimity: The ability to let sensory and emotional experience come and go with an attitude of kind acceptance

Research into the  science of mindfulness is very encouraging, and we know that many students report it being helpful to reduce stress and anxiety, good for awareness and relaxation, and are able to make better choices when they are emotionally activated.

What Do Students Think About Mindfulness?

As a mindfulness teacher, the voices of my own students’ experience are critical for reflecting on how the practice of mindfulness has impacted them.  Here are some reflections of ISB students who practiced mindfulness for 10-minutes every other day during Grade 8 Wellness:

“Mindfulness really has an impact in my mind and it just helps me let go of all the stress and worries in my life.”

“Mindfulness has also improved my social life, it has helped me stay calm when I get angry and see the positive things that happen to me in life a lot better. “

“I think that Mindfulness is good because it teaches you how to focus better.   I have been focusing better than before because I have been trying to notice when I have been drifting off in classes –  it’s taught me a way to deal with myself being unfocused all the time. Learning mindfulness is now one of the more useful tools in my arsenal.”

These student reflections on mindful practices are a powerful reminder that developing mindfulness as one of many ‘tools’ in a students’ life toolbox can be very helpful for emotional well-being, making wise choices and learning to focus their attention.  As with any teaching, it is important for teachers to be experienced and trained in teaching students Mindfulness.  At ISB, teachers may be trained in the MindUp program, the Mindful Schools (U.S.-based) program, or the Mindfulness in Schools Project (.b or Paws b) (U.K.-based).  There are over 60 teachers at ISB who have completed an Introduction to Mindfulness course, or participated in mindfulness professional development sessions over the past 3 years.

Please look out for the “Mindfulness 101 for Parents” session later this semester.  If you have any questions, please email me at brendap@isb.ac.th.

from International School Bangkok https://ift.tt/2PANgSh