Grades & Diplomas – Page 2

Singing in Aural Tests: the Bottom Line

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

The topic of singing in aural tests has long been a contentious one. Not only have growing numbers of teachers noted how unpopular the singing tests are, but concerns have increasingly been raised about access and inclusion.

In recent years, scientific research has also cast significant doubt on the long-held assumption that singing provides a reliable measure of a candidate’s underlying pitch perception, raising further questions of validity.

As we consider these points, we must be careful not to conflate the importance of promoting singing in music education with an insistence on assessing a pianist’s singing in a piano exam. These are two quite different issues. Piano lessons should certainly not be limited to including only exam syllabus requirements. Nor should singing be marginalised to aural test preparation.

The central question is not therefore whether singing has educational value. It plainly does. Rather, it is whether a singing task provides a reliable, valid, and inclusive measure of the listening skills that aural tests are intended to assess. And if not, what are the alternatives?

A Common Approach 2022

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

Originally published in 2002, A Common Approach is perhaps the ultimate instrumental music teaching manual. It offers a complete curriculum, accompanied by extensive lesson activities for most instruments, with specific schemes of work for piano and electronic keyboard.

Now it has just been fully revamped and made available as an updated, free online resource to support instrumental teachers everywhere. Whether working privately or in a school, all piano and keyboard teachers would do well to have a look at this extensive and superb material.

According to its publishers Music Mark,

“A Common Approach is an online resource to support music educators in their teaching practice and help develop a holistic approach to music education. Relevant to all vocal and instrumental teaching, including individual, small-group, large-group and whole-class lessons, music educators at all stages of their career can use the support and shared learning found in A Common Approach.”

Music Mark Chief Executive Bridget Whyte tells us,

“Twenty years after the original version of A Common Approach was published, Music Mark has worked with a skilled team of music tutors from across the UK to update and enhance this valuable teaching tool. Containing both universal guidance and instrument-specific content, this online resource not only provides a great starting point for trainee and early-career tutors, but also gives those who are more experienced the opportunity to reflect on their practice.”

This has particular interest to me because back in 2002, I was a member of the national steering group who put together the original version of A Common Approach which provides the ongoing foundation of this update.

It’s therefore time both to take a short stroll down memory lane, and to consider how the updated version of this milestone resource can help piano teachers today…

ABRSM’s Performance Grades

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

In the last couple of weeks I have come across two well argued letters in the music press, the first by Alex Aitken and published in the September 2021 issue of Music Teacher magazine, the second by Pauline Carter and appearing in the October issue of the BBC Music Magazine.

Both writers lament a perceived decline in music education and single out ABRSM as being uniquely responsible. However, the very different solutions they propose point to the significant challenge that the board will face in charting a path that reconnects with all their stakeholders, and which restores confidence following their difficulties during the pandemic.

It is certainly beyond doubt that many in music education are reflecting anew on the role, relevance and value of music exams. For one thing, a lot of players continued to make excellent (sometimes better) progress in the absence of graded exams, discovering renewed enjoyment by focusing on a broader, less prescriptive curriculum.

On the other hand, the challenges of recent years have seemingly led to a diversification of approach, a confusing smorgasbord of options now available both online and face to face, offered by a growing number of exam boards who are equally accredited (if not all as widely known), and with a fading sense of a common recognised standard.

In this article, I will be reflecting on ABRSM’s new Performance Grades, and considering where they fit into this complex picture…

Should we still teach students to hand-write music?

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

An article on the BBC News website last weekend highlighted an interesting controversy from the world of education: Do we need to teach children joined-up handwriting? The issue is back in the news because the US state of Illinois has passed a law requiring school students to learn “cursive” (joined-up handwriting), overriding the governor’s veto.

Elsewhere in the US and in some other countries schools have dropped the skill from the curriculum, or made it optional.

Certainly some teachers and parents are concerned that the introduction of joined-up handwriting can prove to be a significant roadblock in childrens’ education.

And the BBC article points out that few adults ever use joined-up handwriting; most of us rarely write by hand at all, except for the occasional shopping list or post-it note. The block hand-writing of a young child is sufficient for this, given that most of us use electronic devices, apps and software for any serious written communication.

The same arguments about educational roadblocks and 21st-century relevance might be made with regard to teaching music pupils to write fluent, accurate and detailed music notation by hand:

Should we be teaching students to write music by hand at all?