An overview of the OFSTED inspection process is provided on their site.

There's very little on the music school however. This isn't surprising given that at best we were only ever going to be subject to a 'light touch' inspection to support the main one of the performing arts side of the college. It does say, however, that 'The music
school is very successful.'

The BBC Young Musician of the Year competition begins tomorrow with the 30th anniversary - Sunday 6pm BBC Two.

There is a dedicated site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician/

BBC Young Musician of the Year
A look back on the history of the event and an examination of the impact that the UK's most prestigious classical music competition for young people has had on the young musicians themselves. [S]

BBC Two, Sun 4 May, 18:00-19:00 60mins Stereo Widescreen

Afternoon on 3
1.00pm Lunchtime Concert: The Tokyo String Quartet perform Webern. 2.00pm Ebony and Ivory: Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4. 4.40pm Young Musician of the Year Finalist - Strings.

BBC Radio 3, Mon 5 May, 13:00-17:00 240mins Stereo

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/afternoonon3

BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008
Woodwind: Following the four competitors in the Woodwind category as they take part in the Category Finals, each with their sights set on winning a place in the Grand Final on May 10th. [S]

BBC Four, Mon 5 May, 20:00-21:00 60mins Stereo Widescreen

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician/

BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008
Woodwind: Following the four competitors in the Woodwind category as they take part in the Category Finals, each with their sights set on winning a place in the Grand Final on May 10th. [S]

BBC Four, Tue 6 May, 00:50-01:50 60mins Stereo Widescreen

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician/

Afternoon on 3
1.00pm Lunchtime Concert: Including Mozart's Adagio in B flat. 2.00pm Ebony and Ivory: With Ravel's Scheherazade. 4.40pm Young Musician of the Year 2008 - Woodwind Category Winner.

BBC Radio 3, Tue 6 May, 13:00-17:00 240mins Stereo

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/afternoonon3

BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008
Strings: Following the four competitors in the Strings category as they take part in the Category Finals, each with their sights set on winning a place in the Grand Final on Sunday 11th May. [S]

BBC Four, Tue 6 May, 20:00-21:00 60mins Stereo Widescreen

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician/

BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008
Strings: Following the four competitors in the Strings category as they take part in the Category Finals, each with their sights set on winning a place in the Grand Final on Sunday 11th May. [S]

BBC Four, Wed 7 May, 01:35-02:35 60mins Stereo Widescreen

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician/

Afternoon on 3
1.00pm Lunchtime Concert: With Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 4. 2.00pm Ebony and Ivory: With music by Elgar. 4.40pm BBC Young Musician of the Year Finalist - Brass Category Winner.

BBC Radio 3, Wed 7 May, 13:00-17:00 240mins Stereo

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/afternoonon3

BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008
Brass: Following the four competitors in the Brass category, including 12-year-old trombone player Peter Moore, as they take part in the Category Finals. [S]

BBC Four, Wed 7 May, 20:00-21:00 60mins Stereo Widescreen

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician/

BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008
Brass: Following the four competitors in the Brass category, including 12-year-old trombone player Peter Moore, as they take part in the Category Finals. [S]

BBC Four, Thu 8 May, 01:00-02:00 60mins Stereo Widescreen

WEBSITE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngmusician/

For the full list see these search results on the BBC site

In July we will be publishing a revised guitar

• Read Nigel Scaife's supporting preview of the 2009 piano syllabus>>

Revising any syllabus requires much consultation with teachers and very careful deliberation. In the case of guitar, this process will have taken us about three years, from the first working party meeting to the publication of the syllabus and support materials later this year. During this time we have been in touch with guitar teachers via a major pilot study and the detailed feedback generated by this project has been invaluable – many thanks to all those who took the time to share their views with us.

Repertoire

We have refreshed the repertoire lists, reflecting the diverse range of good-quality publications that have come into existence in recent years. We have included some excellent core pieces that have not been on the syllabus before, many suggested by teachers. For continuity, about 10% of the repertoire from the current syllabus is being kept. Also, in the lower grades we are retaining a selection of accompanied pieces using a single-line approach for the candidate.

Overall, in choosing the pieces we have worked to achieve a clear sense of the technical progression through the grades and to ensure that there is parity with the demands of other instruments. The wealth of new and exciting repertoire should entice and challenge pupils at all levels and make for really enjoyable music making.

New resources

To complement the new repertoire lists we will be publishing a range of resources for teachers and pupils. ABRSM Publishing is extending its popular Time Pieces series to embrace guitar. The two volumes of Time Pieces for Guitar will include items from each list at Grades 1 and 2 in the first volume and Grades 3 to 5 in the second. There are over 30 pieces in each, covering the whole gamut of styles and periods from Sumer is icumen in of 1250 to newly commissioned pieces by Colin Tommis, Andy Crowdy, Colin Downs and Stephen Goss. These volumes will provide a helpful selection of potential exam pieces and a rich source of repertoire for developing guitarists.

We are also publishing new editions of music by Weiss and Scarlatti, bringing together syllabus pieces selected for use at Grades 6, 7 and 8 in single volumes, and producing a set of CDs containing recordings of the guitar syllabus pieces at all eight grades.

Sight-reading

With the new sight-reading tests we are trying to encourage and enable a more musical approach to sight-reading. The new tests have been written in attractive styles and will not present greater technical challenges than the current materials. At the lower grades they are shorter than the current ones, allowing greater focus on musical detail, and from Grade 6 all tests have titles so that they appear as real pieces, helping candidates to get a feel for the musical mood and style.

Scales

In putting together the new requirements we considered many issues such as the unnecessary duplication of scales using identical left-hand fingerings, the role of the thumb, the progression of scales in intervals, and the use of rhythm patterns.

Some of the main changes are outlined here.

• Right-hand finger scales are now complemented by lower-octave scales played by the thumb alone at Grades 1 and 2, and by those in which the thumb plays the lower octave and the fingers the upper at Grades 3 to 5. These patterns promote independence of thumb movement and a stable right-hand position when changing between thumb and fingers.
• From Grade 3 we have introduced scales in intervals which relate directly to patterns found so frequently in guitar music.
• We now make a distinction between over-ringing broken chords and non-over-ringing arpeggios. We hope that this new feature will help students to understand the function of different musical elements – whether an arpeggiated passage is part of a melodic line or the accompanying harmonic texture.
• Candidates will no longer have to play scales with specified right-hand fingerings. However, we will be providing some guideline fingering in the scale books.

The new requirements represent a more logical progression up the grades, with tasks more closely interrelated for easier absorption. Candidates will have covered all keys by the time they reach Grade 8, and even with the additions outlined above, there is a considerable reduction in the number of items required at each grade.

The new guitar syllabus, valid from January 2009, will be published in July together with the scale and sight-reading books. Time Pieces for Guitar, the CDs of Guitar Exam Pieces and the Weiss and Scarlatti books will be available later in the year.

Nigel Scaife
Syllabus Director

This week, on March 10th, Len Davidson - who for many years has taught electric guitar at the Huntingdonshire Music School - was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria in New York with the other members of the Dave Clarke Five.

There is a good video of the award made by Tom Hanks to the group on YouTube.

Len was in good company at the award ceremony with other inductees being Madonna, Leonard Cohen and Mellencamp. Artists first become elligible 25 years after their first release.

Len also plays a mean classical and sometimes electric/acoustic guitar with the Cambridge Guitar Orchestra (not the only teacher from the music school who plays with the CGO).

Other links

• story on Reuters
• Dave Clarke Five - Tribute on YouTube
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum

End-of-Term Concert S15/3/08 1400

The Huntingdonshire Music School end of term concert will take place at the Regional College, starting at 14:00. Tickets are £4/£2 but FREE to all HuMSA students. The programme of music for the concert can be found here.

Play List

Rock Band
Teen Spirit - Nirvana

Intermediate Brass

Blaenwern - Rowlands
I vow to thee my country - Steadman-Allen
March, In the army of Emmanuel - Goffin

Junior Sax Ensemble
Groovy kind of love -
Crazy rhythm

Junior Orchestra
Ode to Joy - Beethoven
Skye Boat Song - Trad. Scottish

Blue Grass Group
Take me home country roads - Denver

Woodwind Ensemble
I bought me a cat - Copland

Prep Concert Band
Blackadder Theme - Goodall
William Tell - Rossini

Senior Orchestra
New World Symphony - Dvorak
1st movement - Adagio / Allegro Molto

INTERLUDE

Swing Band
Night and Day - Cole Porter
Copacabana - Manilow

String Ensemble
Something Wonderful - Richard Rogers
Getting to know you.

Random Reeds
2 Spanish Dances - Gaspar Sanz

Guitar Ensemble
Pavane - Sanz
Ashokan Farewell - Ungar

Flute Choir
Allegro from Concerto 4 - Schikhardt

Intermediate and Senior Concert Band
Liberty Bell - Sousa
Rocking Trumpets - Sparke
Shrek Dance Party - Murtha
Jack’s the Lad (Sailors Hornpipe) - Sparke

More than one million musicians worldwide have used this series to learn about music theory.

Now fully revised and with attractive new covers, these workbooks remain the best way to prepare for the AB's theory exams.

Grade 1 is now available, with Grades 2-5 to follow in April and May. Grades 6-8 will have new covers, but the text will remain the same.

• clear explanation of music notation
• straightforward language throughout
• many examples and exercises
• definitions of important words and concepts
• helpful tips for students

Music Theory in Practice is available from all good music stores or buy yours here. 

Quizlet pokes fun at vocabulary learning by stating there are 5 ways to learn vocabulary:

1. Brain injection
2. Quizlet
3. Flashcards
4. Reading a list a gajillion times
5. Praying

Screenshot:
 

I’ve had a quizlet account since I became aware of it last year, but had not done anything “officially” with it until this morning after I promised my conducting class a new way to help them learn the enormity of vocabulary that I require of them.  Quizlet offers a number of great and fun ways to learn your “list”.  You can:

• View one sided (flip type) flashcards
• View two sided flash cards (term and answer)
• Take true/false tests
• Take rote tests
• Take matching tests
• Take multiple choice tests
• Play games
• Print the terms
• Print flashcards (kind of funny since they claim the “end”!)
• Create favorite lists
• Export the list so that you can use the terms in other applications

To show you how this can be useful, consider my Beginning Instrumental Conducting class… Throughout the course of the semester, they are required to learn multiple terms that relate to the discipline of conducting.  To help them learn the the terms, I’ve recently created a Conducting Mastery group at Quizlet.com.  Within this group are currently 5 “sets”, or lists, (soon to be more!) of information that I have created. The students will eventually be teted, in class, about these terms at some future point.  These sets are:

• Tempo Related Terms
• Metronome Markings and Tempo
• Orchestral Instruments: Eng. to It.
• Orchestral Instruments: Eng. to Fr.
• Orchestral Instruments:  Eng. to Ger.

The group, “Conducting Mastery”, allows me to keep the information related to my conducting course into one easy to find webpage.  From there, the students can choose which “set” they would like to practice and work with.

Quizlet is so fast and easy to use, that it will soon become one of your favorite learning tools for you and your students.  I do not know of any other web 2.0 software that is as good at learning “rote” type information like vocabulary lists than Quizlet.

I was able to create 4 sets in well under 1 hour.  Once you get “on” to it, it is really easy to use, implement, and deploy.  In addition, you can make your sets “private” or share them with everyone, or whomever you wish!

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“The Dolmetsch family has devoted more than 120 years to music, in particular, to ‘early music’. Pioneering in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the family’s work continues.” More about thier history here: http://www.dolmetsch.com/historypage.htm

Dolmetsch Online offers an extensive collection of music resources:

• An online music dictionary
• An online collection of composer’s biographies
• An online music history selection
• An online music theory collection
• An online selection of fingering charts for recorders
• An online selection of printable manuscript and staff papers
• An online history & introduction to acoustics
• An online selection of music related articles

A view of some of their music theory offerings:

This site is useful for both beginners and experts alike. I, for one, am very appreciative of the free offerings, especially with no advertisements! The articles are very extensive and many have been written by the renowned Dr. Brian Blood. The information contained within these articles and chapters are broken down into easily understood segments, allowing anyone to learn from the information.

With all the information available AND depending on what you are trying to accomplish with your various levels of classes, this may very well become one of your texts! Best of all, at no cost.

~J. Pisano

February is for many brass bands in the UK a month of intensive rehearsal and extra home practice as preparations are made for the eight Regional contests in the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.

Sales of our Regionals 2008 recording have been particularly strong and many of you have taken the opportunity to buy it, or individual tracks from it, from our World of Brass Tunes download store. In fact, it’s our best-selling downloaded album to date.

As world-wide distributors for Prima Vista Musikk we have been delighted to have had the responsibility of delivering the test pieces for the 3rd and 4th sections; The Dark Side of the Moon (Paul Lovatt-Cooper) and Four Cities Symphony (Rodney Newton).  The Prima Vista Musikk catalogue contains many other works by these composers and that number has been added to recently with the publication of some new titles.

The Pilgrim’s Progress (Rodney Newton) was written for The International Staff Band who recorded it on their 2007 offering, Supremacy, and are currently featuring it in their Saturday evening concert programme while the composer has now produced a brass band accompaniment version of his popular solo for tenor horn, Tenor Toccata. Also for tenor horn and brass band is a technically demanding new solo by Paul Lovatt-Cooper called The Spellbinding Jewel which provides a welcome addition to the serious repertoire for the instrument.

A new CD from Black Dyke Band always provokes a lot of interest and Music for Battle Creek is already selling well. Featuring the music of Philip Sparke, the recording includes first studio recordings of his two most recent test pieces; Music for Battle Creek and Dances and Alleluias.

Last month, we told you about the latest solo CD from tuba impresario Oystein Baadsvik. It seems solo tuba CDs are like the old joke about London buses (you wait ages for one then three arrive together!) as this month we have recordings featuring Leslie Neish and Steve Sykes. Leslie Neish has been making a big impression recently with live solo performances of the highest order. Last year he teamed up with his old college friend Jonathan Corry to feature as soloist with Fuoco Brass on their second CD, Badinage. Steve Sykes has a huge presence in the brass band scene and his second solo CD, Basso Bravissimo! has been eagerly anticipated. Both Les and Steve demonstrate just what is possible on the tuba but, more than that, display a high level musical artistry in spite of the obstacles of the instrument.

Arguably an even more unsung solo instrument is the baritone. Baritones to the Fore! seeks to do something about that and Brass Band of Columbus enlisted the help of three British stars of the instrument (Katrina Marzella, Helen Tyler and Rob Richardson) plus their own Diana Herak in what must be the first ever solo baritone album. Look out for Katrina’s own solo album, with Leyland Band, later in the year.

World of Brass Radio continues to receive favourable comment from listeners around the world and has built up a dedicated and loyal audience since its launch just over a year ago. A new programme is added every Friday and you can also catch up on the previous three programmes if you happen to miss any of them. To listen to John Maines presenting World of Brass Radio follow the link on the World of Brass home page or save this link to your favourites; www.worldofbrass.com/wobradio.

• Each disc contains complete performances and minus one practice tracks for students to play along
• World-class performances by professional soloists, chamber musicians and orchestral players
• Top recording quality by highly experienced classical music producers

Viola Jokes

Part 1

These jokes have enjoyed wide publicity. They have been mentioned in such places as Alex Beam's Boston Globe column on Wednesday, November 30, 1994 (p. 65), John Hayward-Warburton's article in BBC Music, and Dave Barry's book Dave Barry in Cyberspace (pp. 153-4).

Acknowledgement

These jokes are a continually-growing collection, and unfortunately, I can no longer remember which jokes I heard from whom. If you have ever told, emailed, or otherwise communicated to me a music joke, thank you.

I also collect Jokes about other instruments.

How is lightning like a violist's fingers?

Neither one strikes in the same place twice.

How do you keep your violin from getting stolen?

Put it in a viola case.

What's the difference between a violin and a viola?

• The viola burns longer.
• The viola holds more beer.
• You can tune the violin.

We all know that a viola is better than a violin because it burns longer. But why does it burn longer?

It's usually still in the case.

How do you get a viola section to play spiccato?

Write a whole note with "solo" above it.

How do you get a violist to play a passage pianissimo tremolando?

Mark it "solo."

What's the difference between a viola and a coffin?

The coffin has the dead person on the inside.

What do you do with a dead violist?

Move him back a desk.

What's the difference between a viola and a trampoline?

You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.

What's the difference between a viola and an onion?

No one cries when you cut up a viola.

What's the definition of a minor second?

Two violists playing in unison.

What's the definiton of "perfect pitch?"

Throwing a viola into a dumpster without hitting the rim.

Why do violists stand for long periods outside people's houses?

They can't find the key and they don't know when to come in.

What's the difference between a seamstress and a violist?

The seamstress tucks up the frills.

What's the difference between a washing machine and a violist?

Vibrato.

Why do so many people take an instant dislike to the viola?

How can you tell when a violist is playing out of tune?

The bow is moving.

How was the canon invented?

Two violists were trying to play the same passage together.

Why is playing the viola like peeing in your pants?

They both give you a nice warm feeling without making any sound.

Why is a viola solo like a bomb?

By the time you hear it, it's too late to do anything about it.

Why is a viola solo like premature ejaculation?

Why do violists leave their instrument cases on the dashboards of their cars?

• So they can park in "handicapped" parking places.
• If someone mistakes them for mafia, they might get some respect.

Why don't violists play hide and seek?

Because no one will look for them.

Why do violists smile when they play?

Because ignorance is bliss and what they don't know can't hurt them.

Why shouldn't violists take up mountaineering?

Because if they get lost, it takes ages before anyone notices that they're missing.

What's the difference between a dead skunk in the road and a crushed viola in the road?

Skid marks before the skunk.

How do you get a violin to sound like a viola?

• Sit in the back and don't play.
• Play in the low register with a lot of wrong notes.

If you throw a violist and a soprano off a cliff, which one would hit the ground first? (two answers)

• The violist. The soprano would have to stop halfway down to ask directions.
• Who cares?

A conductor and a violist are standing in the middle of the road. which one do you run over first, and why?

What's the most popular recording of the William Walton viola concerto?

What do a viola and a lawsuit have in common?

Everyone is happy when the case is closed.

What is the range of a Viola?

As far as you can kick it.

What do a SCUD missile and a viola player have in common?

They're both offensive and inaccurate.

Why are violas so large?

It's an optical illusion. It's not that the violas are large; just that the viola players' heads are so small.

What's the difference between a chain saw and a viola?

If you absolutely had to, you could use a chain saw in a string quartet.

What is the definition of a cluster chord?

A viola section playing on the C string.

Why do violists get antsy when they see the Kama Sutra?

All those positions!

If you're lost in the desert, what do you aim for? A good viola player, a bad viola player or an oasis?

The bad viola player. The other two are only figments of your imagination.

Why shouldn't you drive off a cliff in a mini with three violas in it?

You could fit in at least one more.

How many violists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

None. They're not small enough to fit.

Why do people tremble with fear when someone comes into a bank carrying a violin case?

They think he's carrying a machine gun and might be about to use it.

Why do people tremble with fear when someone comes into a bank carrying a viola case?

They think he's carrying a viola and might be about to use it.

What's the difference between the first and last desk of a viola section?

• half a measure
• a semi-tone

Why can't you hear a viola on a digital recording?

Recording technology has reached such an advanced level of development that all extraneous noise is eliminated.

Did you hear about the violist who bragged that he could play 32nd notes?

The rest of the orchestra didn't believe him, so he proved it by playing one.

Why is viola called "bratsche" in Germany?

Because that's the sound it makes when you sit down on it.

Why can't a violist play with a knife in his back?

Because he can't lean back in his chair.

What instrument do violists envy most?

The harp. You only ever have to play pizzicato on open strings.

What's another name for viola auditions?

Scratch lottery.

What is the difference between a violist and a prostitute?

• A prostitute knows more than two positions.
• Prostitutes have a better sense of rhythm.

What is the similarity between a violist and a prostitute?

Both are paid to fake climaxes.

How do you get a dozen violists to play in tune?

• Shoot 11 of them.
• Shoot all of them.
• Who the hell wants a dozen violists?

What's the latest crime wave in New York City?

Drive-by viola recitals.

How does a violist's brain cell die?

Alone.

How do you call a violist with two brain cells?

Pregnant.

Why do violists have pea-sized brains?

Because alcohol has swelled them.

How many violists does it take to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies?

Ten. One to stir the batter and nine to peel the M & M's.

What's the similarity between the Beatles and the viola section of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra?

Neither has played together since 1970.

What is the longest viola joke?

Harold in Italy

What do you call a bunch of violists in a hot tub?

Vegetable soup.

Did you hear about the violist who played in tune?

Neither did I.

What is the main requirement at the "International Viola Competition?"

Hold the viola from memory.

Why did the violist marry the accordion player?

Upward mobility.

How do you transcribe a violin piece for viola?

Divide the metronome marking by 2.

Why do you always bury a viola player three feet under?

Because deep down they are all very nice people.

How do you keep a violist from drowning?

Take your foot off his head.

Note: the following joke is very funny in German, but doesn't translate well into English.
Was sind die drei Lagen auf der Bratsche?

(What are the three positions of the viola?

First position, emergency, and defeat.)

If music is a language, then musicians should be ‘literate’ in every sense. The UK regulatory authorities have recently classified theory exams as ‘music literacy’, implying that to be musically literate you need skills, knowledge and understanding in this area. We agree, and feel that the value of an Associated Board Grade 6, 7 or 8 practical certificate is significantly enhanced because holders have also successfully demonstrated their literacy in music.

A thorough understanding of the elements of music is essential for the full and satisfying performance of a piece, especially at the stage when ‘standard repertoire’ items come into the picture (at about Grade 6).

Once we start to use labels like ‘theory’, though, we run the risk of creating artificial divisions. Eric Taylor, in The AB Guide to Music Theory, reinforces this point, that while the Associated Board makes a distinction between its theory and practical exams, that distinction can be misleading. In ordinary speech the word ‘theory’ is often used as the opposite to ‘practice’ but in a musical context, theory is a very practical matter, inextricably linked to the performance and composition of music in the Western tradition. Quoting Eric Taylor, ‘Beethoven’s symphonies would have stayed in his head and we should never have heard them if he had not been able to write them down on paper, and if performers did not understand exactly what his written signs meant. Nor could musicians rehearse together if they did not all know the meaning of terms such as ‘F sharp’, ‘crescendo’, ‘6/8’, ‘rallentando’, ‘Da Capo’ and so on.’

The complex system of symbols dealing with pitch, rhythm, dynamics, meter, tempo and structure is a shorthand able to express the core elements of music. A knowledge and understanding of how these symbols relate to sounds, and the skill to interpret and transform them into musical communication, is an important part of the learning process for a musician.

By Grade 5, the Associated Board Theory Syllabus has introduced students to most of the basic building blocks of music shared by performers in the Western tradition, and has given singers and instrumentalists insights into each others’ worlds.

Candidates demonstrate their understanding through a combination of describing, analysing and creating, exploring phrasing, chord progressions and overall punctuation, shape and form. This working knowledge of music theory gives to a performer the basis on which to make music with sensitivity, understanding, and confidence, and to a listener an enhanced appreciation of what they are hearing. In an ideal world, all the various labels under which aspects of music are taught and learned would be integrated and not boxed into compartments, with aural perception, theory, sight-reading, technique and performing activities all overlapping and feeding each other.

The Music Teacher’s Companion, by Paul Harris and Richard Crozier (ABRSM Publishing) explores approaches to simultaneous learning and the many benefits it provides. Try to seize opportunities in lessons to discuss, sing and listen critically to the various elements of music as they arise in the learning process – good for understanding the music, good for performance and excellent preparation for aural tests and theory exams!

There are other routes into Grade 6 practical, giving flexibility of access. Pencil and paper in the form of theory exams remains the most popular option, but for candidates who prefer to take up a practical challenge rather than a written one there are the alternatives of Grade 5 Practical Musicianship or Jazz. Both these syllabuses require the understanding and demonstration of many of the same concepts tested in the theory exams, concepts which everyone who takes their music-making seriously should be thoroughly conversant with, knowing that their performing can only be more fulfilling as a result.

This article first appeared in Libretto, the journal of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

NEW PIANO SYLLABUS 2007-2008

ABRSM Publishing announces the publication on 6 July of an exciting new Piano Syllabus, albums of Selected Piano Exam Pieces Grades 1 to 8, CDs of the complete piano syllabus and Teaching Notes on Piano Exam Pieces.

The Associated Board piano syllabus changes every two years. 18 pieces are set for each of Grades 1 to 7, and 32 pieces at Grade 8, giving students a wide selection of pieces to create an ideal programme for their exam.

The published editions of piano exam pieces contain a selection from the complete list, while performances of every piece on the syllabus can be heard on the CDs, performed by a roster of international artists such as Joanna MacGregor, Noriko Ogawa and Melvyn Tan. Teaching Notes is full of useful advice on every piece at grades 1 to 7.

ROLAND MIDI FILES

The Associated Board and Roland UK have established a partnership to produce MIDI files of the pieces in the Selected Piano Exam Pieces albums, Grades 1 to 5. The MIDI files are available from Roland’s website – www.roland.co.uk/abrsm.

MIDI files present students with additional ways of preparing for their piano exams, allowing them to practise hands separately while the digital piano plays the other part; they can alter the tempo and listen to full performances of the pieces they are preparing.

RINGTONES FOR MOBILE PHONES

For the first time, pieces from the piano syllabus are available as ringtones allowing students to personalise their mobile phones with the pieces they are learning. A selection from each grade is available from www.abrsmpublishing.com/ringtones.

Review copies and further information from:

www.abrsmpublishing.com

The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) is the world’s leading music examining board, trusted and respected by teachers and students. Every year over 630,000 candidates take ABRSM exams in more than 90 countries around the world. Music exams offer a way of measuring success and motivating students to achieve their goals.

One option is to buy the accompanying ABRSM CD - if one is available. Often they're only available for a few instruments, such as the flute.

Another option is to download a track (MIDI or mp3) from Your Online Pianist website. This has computer-generated (i.e. from the score) tracks for a lot of instruments and for both Trinity Hall and ABRSM exam boards.

The instruments listed are:-

• Bass Trombone
• Bassoon
• Clarinet
• Eb Horn
• Euphonium
• Flute
• French Horn
• Oboe
• Saxophone
• Trombone
• Trumpet
• Tuba

The cost per track is £1.50.

Another site is Music Tools Direct. This provides ABRSM and Trinity Hall exam accompaniments for:-

• Cello
• Violin
• Baritone
• Cornet
• Euphonium
• Flugelhorn
• Trombone
• Trumpet
• Alto Saxophone
• Baritone Saxophone
• Clarinet
• Flute
• Soprano Saxophone
• Tenor Saxophone

Typical price is £2.25 per track

We now provide the following ways/sites for viewing calendar information:-

• calendar extract
• calendars at .Mac and iCalshare
• guidance on subscribing to calendars

Is anyone interested in learning the tuba? If so there will soon be a college E-flat tuba available from the music school for anyone wishing to take lessons (so you don't have to splash out the cash and you can see whether you and the tuba suit each other).

The tuba is a fun instrument to play. As it's not the smallest thing in the world you definitely stand out when playing amongst others - no good then if you want to hide! The one that we have available is a 3/4 size.

One other advantage is that as there aren't many around you do get asked to get involved with all sorts of groups from our very own Brass Band [0900 to 1000 on Sat morning] to any of the orchestras.

This is a rare opportunity to try something different. These sorts of opportunities don't come up often. Talk to Gary Sieling [01480 379220] or Robin Norman (our very own bass virtuoso) for more information. Don't leave it too long as someone else is likely to have snuck in before you!

Further to the previous article on the Early Music Workshop to be held on the 9th and 23rd February 2008 - open to all and where you can play an early musical instrument or simply listen, we now have a short audio introduction by John Mallett in which you can hear some of the instruments that you could be playing ... if you sign up...

Following on from successful trips to Wertheim (Germany)/Paris in 2006, Kirchheim im Innkreis in Austria in 2007 we are travelling to the Isle of Man in July 2008.

We leave on Wednesday 23rd July and return on Sunday 27th July. In between this we'll get the opportunity to play at various venues and also with musicians on the Isle of Man plus get to see some of the many attractions on the island. We also expect that it will be quite lively and there'll be opportunities for impropmtu sessions.

These are very sociable trips and players, their families and non-players are very welcome.

The hotel books will be held until the end of January so if you're interested please contact Gary Sieling at the Huntingdonshire Music School for further information.

There is a possibility that in 2009 we might be visiting Rhodes (Greece)....

It's not every music school that's as fun to be with as ours. We certainly don't sit around - we like to take our music everywhere!

We are offering two afternoon sessions in which there will be an opportunity to learn a little about music from the late mediaeval and renaissance periods with two members of a group who have been playing early music as semi-professional entertainers for over twenty years – The Troubadours. If you are not really sure what sort of music this is and what instruments it might have been played on, then this is your opportunity to find out a little more, and be entertained. Prepare to enjoy yourself! If you have a passionate desire to try playing this sort of music or these sorts of instruments, then this might also be an opportunity....

In the interests of playing with all things technical and trying to find new ways of keeping you in touch, we've created a podcast. It will be a very occasional thing - probably in fits and starts as we find our way around this stuff.

Once you've subscribed to the podcast (using the link below) then iTunes, Juice or whatever application you use will check for new episodes and download them automatically for you to listen to or view.

The address of the feed is: itpc://www.btpodshow.com/feeds/humsaloud.xml and the page for the podcast is at http://humsaloud.btpodshow.com/ where you can add comments.

As a working Music School we have the same problems that other schools must have. Just telling students doesn't always work since the message can get distorted (if it gets there at all) and sometimes teenagers only want to reply with "stuff" when asked what they've been doing - you know what we mean ! ;-)

Bits of paper don't always fare much better. I'll bet that more than a few end up going through the washing machine.

E-mail can be useful but it has it's problems. The first is trying to extract e-mail addresses in a systematic way. This usually requires paper (see earlier comment!). Not everyone reads e-mail or even gets them past the essential spam filter.

Communication also seems to depend on organisation. Our major groups of students (and teaching staff) are easily organised around ensembles, orchestras, bands and the like. It is therefore relatively easy to get hold of those who play in one of these through the respective director leading the ensemble.

What of those not in ensembles? This doesn't just include current students but also past students and staff and, of course, interested members of the public. We've therefore decided to try and maintain a contact list for these people. The idea is that we can send out irregular mailings to people who might be interested in news, events and performances given by the music school.

Yes, it's far from perfect but we have to try and provide as many mechanisms as possible.

For those interested the contact form lurks at http://www.humsa.org.uk/college/contact.htm#keepintouch

Having recently taken up the tuba and struggled with changing mouthpieces I'd like to find out more about how the design influences the sound. This article at Wikipedia is a useful start.

In order to make it easy to keep an accurate diary of our gigs et al available, we've published these online.

They are based on the iCalendar format and you can subscribe to them or simply view the calendars using a browser. The advantage of subscribing is that you get to keep a local copy on your computer which is automatically updated with the latest content when you connect to the Internet.

We have created and maintain 2 online calendars:-

• HUMS - calendar for the Huntingdonshire Music School. Terms times, concerts, exams, socials etc.
• External Events - music events accessible to all in and around Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire etc.

To subscribe to our calendars you need one of the following software applications:-

• Netscape browser/application suite (Windows, Linux, Mac, OS/2)
• Mozilla browser/ application suite (Windows, Linux, Mac, OS/2)
• Firebird browser (Windows, Linux, Mac)
• Thunderbird news/email application (Windows, Linux, Mac)
• iCal stand-alone calendar application (Mac only)
• Sunbird stand-alone calendar application (Windows, Linux, Mac)

All of these are free and can be downloaded and installed easily.

The instructions on our site show you how to install and subscribe to our calendars together with one showing UK holidays.

The music school caters for around 400 students ranging in age from around 4 to 84 years old. It provides instrument lessons, music theory and aural training as well as many opportunity to plays in orchestras, groups and ensembles. It does all this with no financial support from either local or national government nor any educational body (we don't fit any neat boxes or boundaries)

The purpose of this new-fangled technology is to provide short news and information items about the music school and the folks within it. The frequency will depend on what's happening and, more importantly, getting newshounds and snitches to report so that we can put these articles together!