Practise & Progression
Why Practise?
Learning an instrument is asking the brain to develop a massive skill set including:
Language Learning - Music Notation is literally the visual representation of sound in time and your child will need to learn all the “words” and “grammar” to understand this complex writing system.
Fine Motor Skills - All instruments require an exceptional level of coordination between the brain and: both hands, ears, breathing mechanisms, and core body muscles to name a few of the systems at play.
Maths - There are a lot of numbers in music, from rhythmic durations to intervals and key relationships, though there is nothing too complicated quick manipulation of basic numbers goes a long way.
Problem solving - A vast portion of being an instrumentalist is solving problems. How can I go from this note to that note? How can I make that sound better? What note even is that?!
Ask Yourself
Would you expect to learn a foreign language where you only focus on it for 20, 30, or 40 minutes a week?
Could you learn to drive without practising between lessons?
Do you think you could easily solve a problem you have never come across before? How about a problem where you have seen something similar?
Whose job is whose?
It is the job of your child’s tutor to provide your child with all the knowledge, tools, and frameworks needed for your child to succeed in developing their skills and learning their instrument during lessons - they will document this in either a practise book or on their MyMusicStaff lesson notes
It is this job of your child to strengthen the learning and build neural pathways in their brain to develop muscle memory by practising throughout the week.
Some students may not practice on their own accord so it may be the parent’s job to instigate and / or supervise practise.
General Practise Tips
When it comes to practise, there is no one-size fits all approach as each child is unique, however there are some aspects to consider that will help in all circumstances:
Space – a quiet space where your child can practice without being disturbed should be identified;
Time – it is often a good idea to fix a regular time for practice so that it becomes part of your child’s routine.
Amount – the amount of practice will vary according to age, stage of learning and the instrument being studied, with 15 minutes being the recommended daily starting amount. At the beginning, this does not need to be done everyday and if there is not enough time for 15 mins it is always better to do some practise rather than none!
Aims – your child should have clear instructions from their tutor as to what should be practised and how. This will be written in either a practise diary or on the lesson notes on MyMusicStaff.
Support – although students should be encouraged to learn to practise on their own, parents/carers can contribute a great deal by assisting with their child’s practise and monitoring their progress. This is particularly essential for the first few years of learning. If possible, try to arrange an occasional “informal performance” at home.
Practise smarter, not harder. Play slow scales as a tone exercise - you’ll warm up and practise scales at the same time!
NOTE
If your child is not wanting to practise - talk to Gavin as soon as possible so we can monitor and address the situation.
Prolonged periods of no practise could result in your child being asked to leave the programme - especially if they are in a group lesson as this could slow down students who are practising. Of course, we will always try and fix the issue first!
Your child’s practise should not just be playing through pieces! Their tutor will have given them warm up exercises (perhaps long tones), scales, and other technical work to do.
It is ok not to practise every day!
Fix rhythm mistakes by clapping or singing, rather than playing!
Mistakes should always be corrected - it is much harder to unlearn an engrained error than to fix a mistake!
Make sure to practise everything slowly - once it is correct speed it up!
Progression
Exams
There are a series of OFQUAL standardised levels called “grades” that allow for benchmarking of students across different instruments for the entire country. These are offered by several exam boards including ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music), Trinity, Rockschool, and MTB (Music Teacher’s Board).
The grades run from 1-8 with the general tie in of primary through sixth form (i.e. it is normal for students to do their grade 8 in sixth form) and come in two flavours, either recorded or in-person.
It is not necessary to take the examination for any grade, students can progress by learning pieces, scales, and techniques for each grade level and be considered “grade x level” without taking the exam.
Taking an Exam
At the end of each term tutors will have a meeting and suggest students who could take an exam at the end of the next term, if there are enough students to create an exam centre then parents will be contacted and the process will begin. If there are not enough students to form a centre a check will happen at the half term of the following term to see if any more students have reached the point where they could take an exam.
Parents do not need to worry about putting their child forward for an exam - they will be alerted when their child is ready and the opportunity for an exam is presented.
It is possible that timing is not on your child’s side and that they are not ready for an exam when we are running a centre or they are ready for an exam when we are unable to run a centre. If this happens, the tutor will use their judgement on what to do but could include:
Skipping the exam and moving on to the next
Learning an extra piece from the exam syllabus
Taking a break from exam repertoire to learn something else and then sitting the exam at the next opportunity
CYMH Progression
Students progress through CYMH as outlined below:
Students who are pre-grade 1 will be in Yellow. Most of our students do not take their grade 1 exam if they are learning in a group, this is due to the complex logistics of balancing multiple levels and speeds with the examination requirements.
Once a tutor believes that a student has reached a point where they could pass the grade 1 exam they will move up to Green.
Once a student has taken their grade 3, or their tutor believes they could pass the grade 3 exam they will move up to Blue. Note, sometimes students will stay in their Green chamber ensemble if tutors think this is best for them.
Students having additional lessons will be offered to move to a 30 minute lesson upon passing grade 3 or if their tutor believes they could pass the grade 3 exam.
Please remember that the speed at which your child progresses is directly linked to the amount of practise they do at home!
Theory
It is important for students to understand musical theory and those aiming for ABRSM grades 6-8 have to pass grade 5 theory as a pre-requisite. Students in Green learning classical orchestral instruments should consider joining a theory group early so that they can learn the syllabus comfortably.
Grade 5 theory is often an alternative qualification to a GCSE in Music (Ofqual level 2) so is a commitment and not something that should be expected to be gained in a short amount of time, especially if starting young.