F A Q
How many people will there be on a course ?
There is a minimum of three and a maximum of six participants on each course.
How long is each day of the course ?
There are five 50-minute sessions in each day, during the morning and afternoon, to cover twenty-eight topics, and allow time for practice and revision. Each day starts with a game based on the previous day’s topics, and a revision quiz.
Can I skip parts of the course, or the revision sessions ?
You can, but you probably shouldn’t. The course builds on previously covered topics, and the order in which the topics are presented has been carefully considered: for example, knowing the structure of a major scale is an essential prerequisite of being able to name intervals accurately.
Can I do any preparation before the first day ?
Yes! I send out a short list of Performance Directions to learn, just before the first day. You might also work through a Music Theory Workbook. I recommend the Theory of Music Workbooks by Naomi Yandell, published by Trinity College of Music, London. The Grade 3 workbook is very useful.
It might seem odd, since the course is centred on the ABRSM syllabus, for me to recommend a Trinity Exam Board book, but the Trinity books have advantages: the Trinity Theory course is better presented, better thought out and more rounded in its curriculum than ABRSM, imho. Also, all the information you need to do the exercises is presented in the one book: the ABRSM guide to theory (called ABRSM Guide To Music Theory by Eric Taylor), is difficult and over-specified: worse, it is a separate book from the exercises. Again, imho!
It might seem odd, since the course is centred on the ABRSM syllabus, for me to recommend a Trinity Exam Board book, but the Trinity books have advantages: the Trinity Theory course is better presented, better thought out and more rounded in its curriculum than ABRSM, imho. Also, all the information you need to do the exercises is presented in the one book: the ABRSM guide to theory (called ABRSM Guide To Music Theory by Eric Taylor), is difficult and over-specified: worse, it is a separate book from the exercises. Again, imho!
Is there any age or experience restriction ?
I recommend that students should have passed a Grade 4 practical exam as a minimum. This page has a quiz to test if candidates for the course will get the most out of it.
Also, age helps: gifted primary school children might understand the concepts, and may get through the exam. However, younger children tend not to have experience in exam techniques, and in my experience do not retain a sufficient grasp of theory beyond the exam. I would encourage students to wait until they are at secondary school. Most of the previous course participants have been in KS3 and 4, School years 7 - 11, and adults.
Also, age helps: gifted primary school children might understand the concepts, and may get through the exam. However, younger children tend not to have experience in exam techniques, and in my experience do not retain a sufficient grasp of theory beyond the exam. I would encourage students to wait until they are at secondary school. Most of the previous course participants have been in KS3 and 4, School years 7 - 11, and adults.