Scales ~ Sight Reading and Exam Practice

E-MusicMaestro Review

During the autumn of 2016 we will be offering scale backing tracks for all instruments, grades 1 - 3, piano sight reading and exam practice reources for ABRSM piano exams grades 1 - 3.

Nail those scales !

A set of entertaining backing tracks will be launched in early autumn 2016, available for every instrument grades 1 - 3 for all major exam boards.  These come as mp3 files at different tempi and in a range of different styles. These are ideal for practice at at slow learning tempo or at performance tempo.

Here's a couple of examples for early grade piano:

 

Then, should your pupils want to challenge themselves a little more, they can try out the Strauss waltz version !

Sight Reading

Practise every day and you'll soon get better.  You can practise at your own leisure and pace with this set of imaginatively titled pieces, or use this set of videos in real time exam conditions with allocated preparation time.  You can also hear what it should have sounded like at the end.

Here's an example for grade 1 piano:

E-MusicMaestro's Practice Buddy

Everyone needs help to practice most efficiently.   That's why we will be launching a set of videos to help those learning early grade piano pieces. Getting into the habit of practising well is a learnt activity and the Practice Buddy is an excellent means by which to achieve that.

Here are some examples from the current syllabus.  A tip on how to play the turn in Vanhal's Cantabile:

 

Know how to practise the left hand chord patterns:

Understand what is musical playing:

Apps for Learning ~ Know what works !

An app is essentially a means of wrapping for a mini website which is then downloaded onto your device. One advantage is that you do not an internet connection to use it.  It's useful because it can live on the device of your choosing and is instantly accessible. It's appealing, it's trendy and it's popular. It is also entirely dependent on being bug-free, suitable for your particular device, and always up to date with the particular operating system which you are using.  Supporting older versions of operating systems is expensive and providers often make decisions to abandon all but the latest versions, or, as can sometimes be the case, will only make it available for Apple based devices since these tend to be the most popular. 

Today's most up to date websites, especially those that are beautifully designed, are mobile friendly and will work on a whole range of devices and operating systems, whereas a lot of apps do not.  Whilst the catch may be that you need internet access, the advantage is that because browsers are always updated for compatibility with a whole range of older as well as more up to date operating systems there is a much greater consistency of delivery and reliability.

More to the point, if you have any access problems or queries you can instantly contact the website customer service.  Or you can search the site for FAQs, or delve deeper into what that particular provider has to offer.  It's a richer, altogether more convenient experience and way of delivering services to you whilst you are on the go.