01 Lib2 Cover.qxd 29/4/09 14:25 Page 1 2009:2 Librettowww.abrsm.org I Teachers’ corner – how best to Music past, motivate classroom learners I Raising an Amazing Musician – our music future self-help guide to music education I Syllabus review – a new Bowed ABRSM turns 120! Strings syllabus for 2012 02-05 Lib2 Contents News.qxd 28/4/09 15:43 Page 1 6 10 Welcome s promised in this column in the last issue, I welcome you to Libretto in its new rebranded Aformat. I very much hope that you will find this format both fresh and clear, full of useful information and interesting articles, with more for the eye to enjoy. The new Libretto is sealed with the new ABRSM logo. Let me emphasise that none of this represents change for its own sake. Rather, it is designed to 9 18 reflect what we have been told – much of it by Libretto readers – during the course of our lengthy brand review. All ABRSM stakeholders wanted us, at all costs, Contents to retain our fundamental values, such as reliability, rigour, quality and friendliness. Alongside this wish, 3 News ABRSM developments worldwide we recognised two further strands: first, that we 6 Music past, music future ABRSM enters its 120th year should become a more integrated operation, effectively joining up our range of services, whether 9 Inspirational giving Our work with UK-based charity exams, publications, courses, seminars or online Music for Youth facilities; and secondly, that we should strive to be more outward-looking and engaging, with a bolder 10 Syllabus review Nigel Scaife, Syllabus Director, approach to all our communications. updates us on the Bowed Strings syllabus review As a result, you will find in this and in future editions of Libretto matters of interest to a broader 12 Specialist services Exam visits under the microscope constituency within music education. For example, this issue features our new publication Raising an Amazing 13 Expert opinion John Witchell considers Ofsted’s latest Musician, which we believe will be of great interest to report on music education in England parents, as well as to teachers and pupils. You will find less news from individual departments within ABRSM, 14 Parent power A new self-help guide for parents, but more articles covering ABRSM as a whole and all teachers and pupils sorts of wider topics across music education. Our new logo aims to encapsulate these ideas 17 Examiner stories Ian Denley visits South in a simple but strong visual image. It will be used Africa’s Western Province worldwide to denote all ABRSM offerings, whether 18 Teachers’ corner How best to motivate all learners exam services or other products, offline or online, thus reflecting our ambition to be a ‘one stop shop’ 21 Diary dates Your essential run down of key events to meet the needs of music teachers and learners. Having carefully considered all the different 22 Clara’s Comment Share your views with our Chief names by which the Board has been known across Examiner Clara Taylor the world in the past, we concluded that the initials ABRSM are the single instantly recognised common factor. Our new logo also retains our royal Editor-in-Chief Tony Pinkham Libretto is designed for ABRSM by connection, reflecting the importance attached to Editor Lucy North Impromptu Publishing 2nd Floor Century House, that by virtually all our stakeholders, and seeks at Insert & advertising sales 11 St Peter’s Square, the same time to suggest musical elements. The Michaela Duckett Manchester M2 3DN T +44 (0)121 429 4362 T +44 (0) 161 236 9526 chosen colour is different and bold. E [email protected] www.impromptupublishing.com I hope that this article illustrates the important Designer Henrietta Creedy ideas which underlie our change in image and ABRSM 24 Portland Place © The Associated Board of the Royal Schools reassures you that the same fundamental values London W1B 1LU of Music. All rights reserved. Unauthorised United Kingdom will continue to underpin all our operations. reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited T +44 (0)20 7636 5400 without permission. The views expressed in Richard Morris E [email protected] Libretto are not necessarily those of ABRSM www.abrsm.org neither are the products or services appearing in COVER PHOTO: © VESILVIO/DREAMSTIME.COM Chief Executive REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 292182 advertisements and inserts endorsed by ABRSM. 02-05 Lib2 Contents News.qxd 28/4/09 15:43 Page 3 News News 3 YoungYoung composerscomposers competecompete forfor prizesprizes IN BRIEF 0 I New resources for International Reps Building on last year’s Representative Review and Development Project, we have been working on two initiatives that will help us and our International Representatives to provide even better levels of customer service. Work continues on our new IT system for Representatives. Soon to be piloted, this will ultimately enable Representatives to process all entries and results themselves, allowing us 8 to issue exam appointments and PHOTO: © ISTOCK.COM/LAURA CALLAGHAN certificates earlier. We are also ore than 170 applicants have registered for ABRSM’s inaugural International Young working on a new electronic MComposers’ Competition. Open to anyone aged 18 or under who has taken an ABRSM exam, information resource through which the competition forms part of our 120th anniversary celebrations. In all, four prize-winning we can keep Representatives up to compositions will be considered for performance at our 120th anniversary gala concert, which speed with the latest ABRSM news. takes place at London’s Cadogan Hall on 27 July. In March representatives from both age I categories (14 or under and 15 to 18) courageously performed their scores at Music for Youth’s Organ pilot launched 2009 Regional Festival Series – an initiative co-organised by ABRSM (see page 9). As part of a complete revision of our ‘As we approach the deadline, we have had over 170 entries for the competition and I suspect Organ syllabus, we are appealing to we’ll get more before the adjudication process begins,’ said Leslie East, ABRSM Executive teachers to try out some new ideas with their students. We established a Director: Syllabus and Publishing, as Libretto went to press. ‘Entries have come from all over the consultative group at the end of last world and I’m particularly excited to have received pieces from China, the West Indies, South Africa year and have since commissioned and Indonesia. Our youngest composer so far is six years old!’ new sight-reading and transposition ‘ABRSM wants to recognise the creativity of our young exam candidates through this tests and have also developed competition,’ East added. ‘We feel that our 120th anniversary provides a great occasion to revised scale requirements and celebrate the compositional talents of the young musicians who take our exams. We also hope to pedal exercises. find pieces to put on future exam syllabuses.’ Prizes of £1,000 and £500 will be awarded to the We are currently piloting the new winners and runners-up in each category. materials, having already invited applicants with an email address to participate. If you have not been contacted and would like to take Diploma news for blind candidates part, please email us at: [email protected] remain the same. Consideration will also be given to any compositional details that may not transcribe well into Braille. Singing candidates also have two options: they may perform directly from the Braille without the words, with 10 minutes’ preparation time, or perform the test from memory with the words, PHOTO: © ISTOCK.COM/JEREMY SALE with 30 minutes’ preparation. Singing tests will s a result of our recent diploma quick study be presented in different formats, however, with Apilot, new arrangements are now in place the lyrics and melody given separately. for blind candidates. Entrants can choose to In all cases, tests will be recorded on CD – take their quick study as a Braille memory or although candidates are expected to bring their aural repetition test depending on their own playback equipment to their exam. preferred approach. Those taking the Braille We have now updated the guidelines for memory test will be given 30 minutes to study blind and partially-sighted candidates to and memorise a short piece of approximately include these changes. In addition, we are 16 bars, while candidates taking the aural producing a selection of indicative tests repetition test will be given 15 minutes. (starting with the most popular instruments, Although both are shorter than our standard and thereafter by request), offering candidates tests, the technical requirements of each guidance on what to expect in their exam. 02-05 Lib2 Contents News.qxd 28/4/09 15:43 Page 4 4 News High Scorers’ Concert proves inspirational BRSM’s first ever High Scorers’ hours’ drive from Johannesburg – as AConcert in South Africa’s North well as those from the communities West Province proved a resounding of Ottasdal and Potchefstroom, the success in February. Attracting concert served to motivate and parents, teachers, students and inspire candidates as they continue friends, the event – which took with their musical studies. place at the Hoër Tegniese Skool Our thanks go to staff at HTS Klerksdorp – showcased 14 Klerksdorp for use of their school candidates playing the violin, flute, hall and piano at no charge and for alto saxophone and tuba with arranging refreshments and Grades ranging from 1 to 7. publicity for the event – one that Bringing together performers may well become an annual from Klerksdorp – a small gold- occurrence at the request of all mining town approximately two those involved. German edition of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas published German edition of Barry Cooper’s critically Aacclaimed Beethoven: The 35 Piano Sonatas was unveiled at a special event during the Frankfurt Music Fair in April.