Music Examinations Preparation
Top Tips From Professional Music Teachers
Pieces and Studies
~ Choose the pieces you really like with your teacher.
~ Practice slowly. Once you know the piece, practice it through without stopping, keep going and even if you make a mistake.
~ Tackle on short section you encounter with difficulties at a time with patience.
~ Practice with metronome, always work on a slower pace and gradually increase the tempo as you practiced on.
~ Prepare in good time – do not practice last minute before your exam. Practice regularly.
Suggested Books: Abrsm Exam Pieces Book (Abrsm Publishing)
Grade 8 Piano Anthology (Edition Peters)
Josephine Koh Teachers’ Choice 2011-2012 (Wells Music Publishing)
Scales And Arpeggios
~ Practice daily as they are essential for building good technique.
~ Practice slowly with metronome.
Suggested Books: Piano Scales & Arpeggios (Abrsm)
Improve your scales! (Faber ff)
Hanon (Alfred / RhythmMp / Schirmer Performance Editions)
Czerny (Alfred / RhythmMp / Schirmer Performance Editions)
Sight-Reading
~ Keep going without stop is the key to a Pass
~ Watch out for the key and other details.
~ Do more
Suggested Books: Piano Specimen Sight Reading Tests (Abrsm)
Joining the Dots (Abrsm)
Sight Reading (Alfred)
Sight Reading For Today (Bosworth)
The Sight-Reading Sourcebook For Piano (Chester Music)
Right@Sight Piano (Edition Peters)
Improve Your Sight-reading! Piano (Faber ff)
Perfect Your Sight-reading! (Faber ff)
Piano Time Sight-Reading Book (Oxford)
Sight Reading for Young Pianists (Poco Studio)
Progressive Sight Reading Pre-Grade One (Simon Soh)
Aural
~ Listen to as much music as possible and attend live concerts whenever you can.
~Sing more or back to the tunes you have heard for the first time you on the Television or radio.
~ Join choir, band, chamber group or orchestra.
~ Read more books on the composers, their background, style and their work.
Suggested Books: (NEW) Specimen Aural Tests Grades (Abrsm)
Aural Training in Practice (Abrsm)
Ear Training Book (Alfred)
Prep Course For the Young Beginner Activity & Ear Training Book (Alfred)
Aural Time! (Bosworth)
Aural Test Survival Book (Edition Peters)
Improve your Aural ! (Faber ff)
ABC Of Aural Awareness (RhythmMp)
Other Advice From Professional Musicians
~ Practice separate hand at slow pace (be patient) , only speed up when you are “note perfect”
~ Practice everyday, of course. Everybody says “Practice make perfect!”
~ Concentrate and ignore any distractions
~ Warm up 10-15 mins before lesson, try to include scales, arpeggios, and sight reading each time you practise
~ Perform more often to family and friends, play with confidents.
~ Keep your instrument tuned and clean all the time
~ Ask if you do not understand, and jot it down
~ Listen to lots of music – pop, classical, jazz etc..
~Take good care of yourself by – eating a healthy, varied diet
– drink lots of water
– getting lots of sleep
– aiming for a good posture
– avoid real loud music that could damage your hearing
~ Enjoy and appreciate all kinds of music