Designed to coincide with the launch of the new ABRSM piano syllabus, we’re very excited to announce our first one-day workshop for piano teachers. The theme of the course is Helping your students achieve their full potential in exams and it will be held during half term on Thursday 25th October.

Session 1: Masterclass: focus on grade 5 and grade 8 pieces from new ABRSM syllabus

David Hall (MA Cantab FRCO), our musical director at Finchcocks, will be exploring the new ABRSM repertoire for grade 5 and grade 8 pieces. He’ll talk through which pieces might suit which types of students, provide an analysis of likely pitfalls, and help identify teaching techniques to counter them. He’ll also pick out a couple of his recommendations from the alternative lists that aren’t provided in the standard repertoire books.

Session 2: How to teach aural skills and sight-reading

Often a source of anxiety amongst students, aural skills and sight-reading skills are a key component of ABRSM exams and can make the difference between a pass and fail, or a merit and a distinction. Drawing on more than 2 decades of choral experience, David will run through teaching techniques that help build confidence in these areas, and integrate naturally into the weekly routine.

Session 3: How examiners score exams

Nigel Scaife, a former ABRSM examiner, will run his first session on the the nature of exams and how examiners assess pieces and scales. He’ll outline the framework used by examiners and outline the key considerations when assessing pieces. He’ll run through what degree of fluency in scales and sight reading is expected.

Session 4: Mock exam: your chance to be the examiner

Nigel will provide a blank assessment form, and based on the principles laid out in the previous session, encourage everyone to assess and score real performances of both pieces, aural and sight-reading. Once our “mock exam” is over, we’ll then compare notes and calibrate the results against Nigel’s own assessment. We’ll be supplying willing candidates for the mock exam, so rest assured that none of our course participants will be asked to perform!

The course will be held in the newly renovated Finchcocks cellars, with lunch and refreshments provided. There will also the chance to look around the newly renovated Coach House and the vaulted practice facilities of the recently launched piano school.

Find out more about our courses for piano teachers, piano courses for adults and or have a look at the complete list of piano courses available.