FAQs

How do I cancel my subscription? Here's the answer...

Please log in, click MY PURCHASES, click CANCEL, click CONFIRM. Please CANCEL AT LEAST 3 DAYS BEFORE THE PAYMENT IS DUE. Your subscription WILL REMAIN VALID until the date it would have renewed. If you have difficulty with the cancellation process, you are welcome to contact us. If you are using a phone please view in LANDSCAPE to access the CANCEL button!

Why was my payment declined and what should I do?

Your bank declined the payment either due to card expiry or as a response to the stricter 2022 card security regulations. Your current subscription will expire in the next few days so please simply cancel it, wait a few days until your access to the examples is 'greyed out', then take out a new subscription. You can re-subscribe using the same E-MusicMaestro login details as before. Thank you for continuing to use E-MusicMaestro!

How can I update my card details?

For technical reasons, it's not yet possible to update your card details via the E-MusicMaestro website (although, if your payment has failed, you may have had an automated email to the contrary!) and I'm sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. Please would you kindly cancel your current subscription and take out a new one to replace it? It will take around three days for your current subscription to become inactive and, at that point, you'll see that your access to the examples is 'greyed out'. You will then be able to replace your subscription with the new one. Your previous statistics will have been saved for you. Thank you!

Is E-MusicMaestro suitable for Trinity and ABRSM exam preparation?

E-MusicMaestro resources were created by music examiners to support ABRSM and Trinity music exam candidates and busy teachers. Trinity College London actively recommends E-MusicMaestro Aural Test Training as a part of exam preparation. E-MusicMaestro sight reading pieces were specially composed by Sandy Holland (pianist, piano teacher & examiner) to cover everything an exam candidate could possibly encounter at Grades 1, 2, 3 and 4 across all piano exam boards.

Are you connected with ABRSM or Trinity?

E-MusicMaestro Aural Test Training is recommended by Trinity College London as part of exam preparation. E-MusicMaestro has no commercial connection with Trinity College London or with ABRSM. Any opinions expressed on the E-MusicMaestro website are given from an independent professional perspective and do not in any way represent the opinion of any examining board. Any reference to 'ABRSM' or 'Trinity' is solely for the purpose of identifying the relevant level of practical examination to which our material may relate. E-MusicMaestro is the author of all original materials on this website and makes links available to resources and information already within the public domain. The creative original contents of this website are copyrighted by E‑MusicMaestro.

How many Aural Test Training practice tests are there?

ABRSM: Examples are divided into A, B, C and D tests, as appropriate to the grade. Each grade contains a total of 125 - 225 practice test elements. The number of examples is not standardised; the number of tests depends on what we feel is sufficient to be effective for each element at each grade. TRINITY Grades 1 - 5: an average of 50 complete tests per grade, each containing 4 individual elements - the earlier the grade the more examples ranging from 90 at Initial to 20 at Grade 5. Grades 6 - 8: on average 22 complete test units, each containing 3 or 4 individual elements according to grade requirements. For best results: we advise doing one or two examples each day; cramming a lot of examples into one practice session is not as effective. Begin working at least one grade lower than the one you are studying.

Is E-MusicMaestro a secure site?

Yes! We do not store card details on our website database; we use Worldpay secure payment gateway. If you go to the payment page you will see that this is https://secure.worldpay.com/wcc/purchase, the 'https' indicating that this is a secure site. All passwords entered by customers are encrypted for extra security. We have a track record of ZERO breaches of security. We need you to enter correct details when you subscribe to ensure that your bank allows the payment to go through. We never, ever share your details.

I forgot to cancel! Can I get a refund?

If you forgot to cancel we are sympathetic and may, as a gesture of goodwill, offer a refund for an unused month. First please cancel your subscription via our website (log in and click on My Purchases), then contact us. Please do not apply via your credit card or bank because they are NOT able to cancel your subscription for you.

Technical enquiry / can't hear the sound files?

E-MusicMaestro resources are available in all countries worldwide and are compatible with desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones (such as iPhone and Android). If you have any difficulty viewing videos or hearing sound files please switch to using Chrome or Firefox - both browsers are free, safe and highly recommended for the best experience. If you still experience difficulties, please contact us - we will need to know the device, operating system and browser you are using in order to advise you.

Why can't I log in?

You may have entered an incorrect password or an incorrect email address (not the one you gave when you subscribed). The password you chose when you subscribed is the one to use, not the Worldpay password that was sent to you in case you need to change your card details. Login details are case sensitive so please take care with capital / lower case letters. If you tried to reset your password but didn't receive and email, please check your spam folder. If nothing works - please contact us!

Do you use voice recognition?

We considered the voice recognition option seriously but we made a firm decision to base the sight singing and clapping elements of our aural training programme on self-assessment, which is regarded by teachers and confirmed by research as a very powerful learning tool. We decided not to use voice recognition because we feel that it is an unmusical option, which itemises faults but fails to develop a musical response. Voice recognition is a cheap option in terms of software but it points out minute errors in intonation and timing that could give the student a false impression that their answer was seriously inaccurate. Sung responses are less definitive in accuracy than, for instance, stating the time signature or naming a cadence just as, in a real musical performance, timing should not be computer-like, but should show slight flexibility according to the musical phrasing. Even more importantly, we know (because we are examiners) that credit is given in a real exam for a partially accurate response.

Is there an E-MusicMaestro Aural Test Training app?

Because Aural Test Training contains a huge number of high definition sound files and videos, there is too much valuable information to be presented, in full, in an app. Rather that produce a 'lite' version of our resource, we prefer users to gain the full value of the complete programme. An app is, in fact, unnecessary since Aural Test training is compatible with all reasonably up to date phones as well as with computers and tablets.

Can I subscribe for just a month?

Yes it is possible to subscribe for one month - just cancel your subscription the day after first subscribing. Cancelling ensures that no further payments will be made. Your subscription will expire as from the next due payment date, so you will be able to continue using your resource for a complete month until then. When you want to use E-MusicMaestro again, just log in and go to My Aural Test Training to subscribe to a new package.

Other

Most queries are answered in the FAQs section - please see the FAQs link at the bottom, right-hand side of the homepage. If your question is not answered there, or if you need technical assistance with using or subscribing to E-MusicMaestro please use this form to contact us. We read every email and we nearly always reply within 24 hours on working days. To keep the cost of your subscription down, we do not employ a 24/7 phone service so email is usually the quickest form of communication.

Can I do the tests more than once?

We advise subscribers to go through the examples more than once, even when they have got the answers right because, just like in a real exam, it is possible to guess some of the answers correctly. For this reason, our examples are presented in random order and, when all have been completed, they appear again in random order. The subscriber may do the tests as often as they wish, with no limit.

How can I change my email address or password?

Please log in as usual, go to 'My Account Settings', enter your new email address and/or password and click 'Update account'.

What can I do if the same few tests start repeating after a while?

This may happen if you have attempted all the tests at that grade because the system eventually prioritises asking you, again, the ones you got wrong. Please reset your statistics and begin again by going to MY STATISTICS & PROGRESS and clicking the 'box with arrow' icon. This clears your stats only within E-MusicMaestro so you MUST please CLEAR YOUR BROWSER history and cache, or alternatively log in using a different browser - we recommend Firefox.

Where can I buy an E-MusicMaestro Learn to Sight Read book?

You can buy an E-MusicMaestro Learn to Sight Read book here: https://www.e-musicmaestro.com/products

What is the E-MusicMaestro GDPR policy?

General Data Protection Regulation Please see https://www.e-musicmaestro.com/legal for full details. In brief: we use a secure payment gateway, Worldpay to collect payments, which means that we do not store any card information in our database. For customer security, for being sure we have identified the correct account in case of enquiries, and to ensure that your payment goes through when checked by your bank we need you to enter your correct email address, name and home address, including postcode when you subscribe. A phone number is useful but optional. Please subscribe on behalf of your children if they are under the age of 16 years; they should not complete the registration process themselves. If you are subscribing on behalf of a child, you can personalise their login, if you wish, after you have completed the initial subscription process by going to My Account Settings and entering your child's name as the user. We never, ever share your data and we are fully compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

Eek - I bought the wrong package! What can I do?

Don't worry if you accidentally bought the wrong package - please get in touch straight away without using it. We will cancel it and refund your payment so that you can buy the one you really wanted.

How do I reset my Worldpay password?

We have discontinued using Worldpay in favour of the Stripe payment gateway so please do not attempt to update your card details in Worldpay. If you have any problems with payments, please let us know using the Contact Us form. No matter what the issue is, we can sort it out for you.

Why didn't I didn't receive a password reset email?

Problems sometimes arise with Hotmail / Outlook email users. If you don’t receive an email that you expected, please go to your Junk/Spam Folder (often not visible on mobile phone email). Open the email. Press the 3 dots at the top right corner of the message. Select ‘Add to Contacts List' or 'Add to Safe Senders List’. You might also need to press ‘OK’. This will move the message to your inbox. Going forward, messages from us should come into your inbox, not your Junk folder.

After I've cancelled, when does my subscription stop working?

Because payments are made in advance, you get a full month's use after making any payment even if you cancel your subscription in between payment dates. Your access is not cancelled when you cancel; it is cancelled when your paid-for month has expired. This works for the duration of your subscription.

Can I use E-MusicMaestro on any device?

Yes - you can access E-MusicMaestro anywhere you have internet. E-MusicMaestro is compatible with virtually all iOS and Android phones and tablets, eg iPhone and Galaxy, as well as PC and Mac desktop and laptop computers.

How do I archive my stats and start again?

Please log in, go to My Aural Statistics, then click on the little box-with-arrow icon to the right of the page.

Chord II and Chord V/V7

We were aware (as ABRSM examiners), at the time we produced the examples, that chord II was not a requirement in the cadence question but, when we were choosing and creating the examples, we found we were coming up with lots of cadences that included chord II. We are also music educators and, because the cadence II-V-I is so prevalent in all types of music, we wanted to include chord II to give a broader, more realistic aural experience. We think that the inclusion enhances the aural learning experience. At the higher grades, E-MusicMaestro marks responses such as V-I instead of Vb-I as correct because credit would be given for this response in a real exam. Marking it incorrect online would give a false impression to the learner that they were failing to recognise chord V and would affect their stats. The logic of our thinking on these points might not be appreciated by everyone but we remain happy with our decisions!

I thought I had cancelled - why was I charged again?

Our cancellation system is very robust - click to cancel then click to confirm - so mistakes virtually never happen. However, if you think a payment has gone through when you have cancelled, please contact us straight away so we can help, by making a refund if necessary. Please first check that you have not subscribed twice using different email addresses - this has occasionally happened when a daughter or son forgets their login and uses their parent's card to re-subscribe!