Contents. Welcome to Upbeat! Volumn 16 September Inside this edition of Upbeat! 1. Examination fever

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1 Volumn 16 September 2008 Welcome to Upbeat! Examination fever All around SE Asia examination studios, hotel rooms and recital halls have been resounding to the sound of thousands of candidates as they have taken their ABRSM practical examinations in recent weeks. In every State in Malaysia, across Java, Sumatera, Bali and Sulawesi islands in Indonesia, in every corner of Singapore and from north to south Thailand candidates have played their scales, proudly presented their exam pieces, boggled their eyes at the sight reading and twitched their ears at the aural tests. Yes examination fever is everywhere around us at this time of year. In Malaysia, no sooner have the ABRSM examiners returned to UK the schoolchildren have to face their UPSR national testing. Teachers, parents and students themselves will be waiting for the envelope to arrive in the post let s hope for good results all round! A small tip for teachers and candidates scales need not be played at Formula 1 speed (some candidates will definitely have a future as racing drivers) and touch could be lighter in scales from some candidates too (some will go on to become great karate masters, I feel!) In fact, during a visit to an examination centre I recently heard a young candidate play his scales he may have come from the Shaolin Temple school of karate and piano playing! The recent Professional Development Programme was the place to be for teachers who wanted tips and the very best of guidance as they embark upon the new and exciting piano syllabus. Read about it by turning to pages 6-7. Contents Inside this edition of Upbeat! 1 Around the region with Bill Thomson 2 Events in your area 4 Reflections on PDP 6 Changes in the piano syllabus 8 Examination news 10 ABRSM Publishing news 11 Pathways to success with ABRSM 12 During the recent Malaysia Examinations Syndicate ABRSM Conference in Kuala Lumpur delegates were able to enjoy an evening together. Alan Tait (Deputy Head of International Operations) in London and Bill Thomson joined the festivities in traditional batiks. In response to warm Malay hospitality, Alan Tait delighted the group by singing the Scottish folk song Loch Lomond. See page 10 for an update on Examination News for 2009.

2 2... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk 3 AROUND THE REGION WITH BILL THOMSON Practical examinations dominated the scene across SE Asia, as usual from June to September. ABRSM examiners enjoyed a greater range of instruments and examination pieces this year. Whilst the piano remains the king in terms of its unrivalled place as the preferred choice for learners, it was wonderful for examiners to have singers, violinists, cellists, percussionists, trumpeters, clarinetists, flautists and horn players visiting their examination studios too. Examiners value every candidate, regardless of age or size (one little candidate was so tiny that he needed his teacher to lift him on to the piano bench!) and it is heartening to see so many youngsters taking the Prep Test too. Teacher meetings and seminars have taken place in a variety of towns and cities on a wide range of topics from Grade 6-8 Aural Matters to Diploma preparation and from Vocal studies to Jazz. In June, whilst Alan Tait (Deputy Head of International Operations) visited Malaysia he travelled to Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, visiting examination centres in Kota Bahru, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan and Mentakab. During a teachers seminar in Kuantan, Alan played the cello and we conducted a mock Grade 3 cello examination. The teachers all had mark forms and had the chance to be the examiner for the day! Alan Tait takes a mock grade 3 cello examination with teachers from Kuantan as the examiners Examiner Clive Simmonds conducted the first examinations in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and whilst there in June, Clive led some teacher workshops on ABRSM matters and examination standards at the British International School. Colin Walker led a teacher workshop in KL after the examinations. The event was an opportunity for teachers to gain greater insight into the examination process. Later on, in early September, I conducted a follow up event on Jazz in Bangsar for a group of brave teachers they grooved, they sang, they improvised, they played boogie-woogie and they even all engaged in some scat singing too I believe they were truly surprised at just how accessible jazz can be! Jazz afficionados Pearly Lee, Michael Wong and Charles Tan helped me to get the grooving off the ground! Teachers enjoy a jam session at the Bangsar Jazz seminar. Charlie Tan and Mike Wong (pictured behind) helped to get the groovin going Also in early September examiner Caroline Diffley led a teacher seminar in Jakarta on the new ABRSM vocal anthologies. Indonesians love to sing and so it was really excellent to be able to provide the teachers with a chance to gain some insights into this new series which also has a delightful selection of traditional songs and which is sure to be welcomed by vocal teachers across the region. The main thrust of Professional Development and support for teachers always comes in August, when the PDP one-day event provides a chance for teachers to come and network with colleagues, browse new publications from ABRSM and gain insights into teaching and learning issues there is usually a delicious lunch too! This year the PDP professors Vanessa Latarche and Tim Barratt had the pleasure of meeting up with 2,000 Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian teachers in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Bahru, Singapore and Jakarta. The topic was the new piano syllabus the new pieces, new scale and sight-reading matters. A visit to Batam in Indonesia in July allowed me to meet a new group of teachers. During a meeting there on the topic of Grade 1-5 Aural matters, Mr Hadwin Umar helped me to demonstrate some strategies to strengthen aural and musicianship skills. At teacher seminars in Jakarta and Medan more than 150 teachers attended meetings in July to learn about the process of bridging Grade 8 and Dip ABRSM. Ben Selby takes his chances in a Grade 1 mock violin examination, pretending to be a nervous little boy but he still passes with distinction! ABRSM Publishing conducted a one-day Product Presentation event for music dealers from across Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in July at the Prince Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. New music for singers, guitarists and pianists was presented by Miss Jo Wong (ABRSM Sales and Marketing Agent) and Mr Ben Selby (ABRSM Marketing Director). Ben also took his chances by being a violin candidate, taking Grade 1. I was his examiner and he was relieved when he discovered he managed to pass with distinction! The exercise was to illustrate to music dealers the importance of teachers having support materials for scales, sight-reading and aural training. Tim Barratt (pictured at the Bayview hotel ballroom Penang ) demonstrates a point on cantabile playing Check out the pages of this Upbeat! and you may be there, somewhere amongst the hundreds of teachers who have attended these ABRSM events. Look at the final page too you can check out forthcoming events across the region! Best wishes to all friends from across South East Asia. Vanessa Latarche (pictured in Kuching) goes through the new piano scales syllabus, grade by grade Ben and Jo conducted a quiz and everyone entered into the spirit of the event. First prize went to Patricia Ong from Yamaha Music (Singapore) who achieved full marks! Jazz examinations took place in Singapore, Penang and Kuala Lumpur and examiner Patricia Ong takes first place in the quiz hosted by Ben and Jo and here she graciously receives her London telephone box prize Bill Thomson South East Asia Regional Coordinator

3 4... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk EVENTS IN YOUR AREA... During the past three months examiners have travelled to 17 cities in Indonesia, 45 studios across Singapore, every state in Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Thailand. In addition teachers have attended seminars in Batam, Brunei, Bangkok, Jakarta, Singapore, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Medan check out the pictures below you may be there! Vanessa shares some tips on preparing for the new sight reading syllabus Theory past papers were on sale too Teachers were able to browse a wide variety of ABRSM Publications Jo Wong addresses a large group of Music dealers and shows the new Theory in Practice publications Tim addresses a large group of 530 teachers in Kuala Lumpur s historic Victoria Concert Hall with 500 Ben claps his Aural tests in a nervous way, to the amusement of all the music dealers Ben Selby greets music dealers at the Product Presentation day Jo accompanies Ben and gives him some courage!

4 ... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk 5 Vanessa indicates to Tim which sight reading test he has to prepare for his Grade 1 examination oh dear! thinks Tim (pictured in Jakarta) Hadwin Umar demonstrates Grade 5 Aural tests as a mock candidate during a teacher seminar in Batam, Indonesia Encik Sabudin bin Mustafa, Penang State ABRSM officer, receives a prize from Alan Tait at the Ministry of Education Conference in Kuala Lumpur. Music dealers enjoy a relaxed lunch together at the recent ABRSM Publishing Product Presentation Day in Kuala Lumpur Alan Tait and Bill Thomson adjudicate a role play competition at which Ministry of Educcation officers enacted real situations related to their work as the ABRSM Representative for Malaysia Alan Tait tries hard to succeed in Grade 3 sight-reading during a mock examination in which the Ministry of Education officers could see the examination process in action don t stop, keep going Alan! Christina Chiam CT ABRSM, LRSM is one of the hundreds of teachers welcomed to the Singapore PDP event Tim commands attention in Singapore s Victoria concert hall as he suggests ways of improving technique Vanessa describes golden tone and demonstrates sinking wrist action

5 6... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk 7 REFLECTIONS ON PDP Professional Development programmes are planned to reach the maximum number of interested teachers and students. This year s event in August 2008 certainly drew teachers from cities, towns and rural locations around the region. Although the principal centres for the PDP events were KL, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Bahru, Singapore and Jakarta the teachers who attended came from as far away as Bali, Sulawesi, Medan and Palembang in Indonesia and in Sabah teachers had travelled from Sandakan, Tawau, Tenom and even Ranau. All with a common purpose to learn about the new ABRSM Piano syllabus and to make new friends in the process. We were delighted to welcome back to the area Vanessa Latarche and Tim Barratt as our PDP Professors. Both Vanessa and Tim are eminent piano teachers as well as being ABRSM Examiners and Moderators. It was a great privilege for me to meet up with teachers in the various locations as they came to meet and learn from Vanessa and Tim. Matters such as finger technique, fingering, pedalling, cantabile, staccato playing, phrasing and musical shape were introduced through the music itself. Vanessa s expression golden tone struck a chord with many teachers, as they strive to help their students develop their cantabile playing. Tim s demonstrations of tonal balance between melody and accompaniment helped many teachers who are looking for strategies to improve this area with their students. It is always wonderful to have teacher interaction at these events and opportunities for some singing were never far away. In Kuala Lumpur we had more than 500 teachers at the Prince Hotel and the music dealer, Chambers Music Sdn Bhd from KL provided a wonderful range of music for teachers to browse and buy on the day special discounted rates. The mock examination conducted by Vanessa with Tim as examinee (he pretended to be a small boy taking Grade1!) provided some light relief and although teachers were invited to complete mark forms most could not as the hilarity was too much and the laughter in the hall was infectious. Tim usually managed to scrape a pass in his Grade 1 in all centres I saw him on a particularly bad day in Kota Kinabalu when he only got 100 marks it is not easy for such a top ranking musician to play to such a modest level. Teachers learned much about how young children can sometimes behave (or misbehave) in the examination room! Penang followed KL. Once again a full ballroom of eager teachers awaited Tim and Vanessa. Music dealers Rhythm MP Sdn Bhd, with Miss Grace Chew, Miss Teh Soo Keow, Mr Phuah Ewe Kheng and Miss Toh Lay Heong provided an efficient and courteous service and teachers were keen to buy all the support materials for the new Scale and Sight-reading changes in the syllabus in Vanessa and Tim (pictured in Jakarta) greeting the teachers Tim tries his best to cope with Grade 1 Aural Tests Teachers can only laugh as Tim struggles to pass Grade 1 Miss Grace Chew helps teachers in their music purchases in Penang On to Kota Kinabalu next and Le Meridien Hotel, with its lovely outlook over the harbour. Teachers arrived early and began buying their ABRSM examination materials and other music too from Mr Pang and his helpful wife, Alexandra. It was another action packed event. Afterwards during the farewell address I also said goodbye to one of Kota Kinabalu s teachers Mrs Helen Barker has lived in KK for 17 years and now, along with her husband and two children returns to her native Nottingham. In her many years in KK Helen has become a great friend of the teachers, a great supporter of the ABRSM HSC event and more recently became one of the first in the region to gain an FRSM in teaching. From Sabah to Sarawak and on to Kuching and the ballroom at the Hilton Hotel. Once again teachers travelled from far and wide. Music dealer set up early so as to serve the teachers well. International Music House Sdn Bhd provided the sales team and a large group of teachers were already at the hotel one hour before the event! Heaps of heaps of new piano materials all gone by the end of the day in Johor Bahru Teachers and sales staff in Kota Kinbalu where early morning sales were dynamic one new teacher, Oscar, had travelled all the way down the mountain from distant Ranau for his first PDP Back to West Malaysia and to Johor Bahru where the Puteri Pacific Hotel was next on the itinerary. Vanessa and Tim remained full of energy and enthusiasm always energised by the teachers. At JB we had 250 teachers (some of whom had managed to come over from Singapore, which was excellent). In fact, it is always so wonderful to see familiar faces at these events and former CT ABRSM students appeared at JB too! This was the first PDP event in JB for 4 years and the teachers were especially delighted to welcome Vanessa and Tim. Schumann Music Centre from JB provided an excellent range of music and teachers really maximised their chance to buy on the day itself. Across the causeway and on to Singapore and the Victoria Concert Hall where the next PDP event had a registration of 500 teachers. This was a little different, being a concert hall as opposed to a hotel ballroom. It was particularly good for Vanessa and Tim to be able to demonstrate on the Steinway concert grand piano on stage particularly wonderful too to hear the more mature music on this fine instrument performed by capable musicians. Yamaha Music in Singapore, under the guidance of Patricia Ong, provided an excellent range of music for the teachers. This was the time for Patricia, who had won the quiz at the recent ABRSM Product Presentation day, to show her amazing expertise! Tim addresses the 500 teachers in Singapore s Victoria Concert Hall Vanessa demonstrated some deeply expressive and heart rending Russian music by Rachmaninov and Scriabin Sales of music in Singapore it was like a market place! With only one event left the team left Singapore and headed for Jakarta. A group of eager teachers awaited their presentation and one really useful aid at this venue was the use of a camera, which could be directed at the players hands and fingers at times and at other times at the pedals. This enabled teachers to see very clearly on a large screen every muscle movement! Once again, teachers were able to buy a wide range of music, supplied by the Representative, Mr Denis Umar. Throughout the tour the presenters were accompanied by Miss Colleen Sainlo from ABRSM Marketing Department in London. Colleen enjoyed meeting so many teachers and she has taken back to UK all of your completed questionnaires. Miss Jo Wong from ABRSM Publishing also accompanied the tour, in order to support and assist the music dealers. It was quite an amazing achievement in only 10 days! and Vanessa and Tim managed to get back in time to start work at the Royal College of Music and Royal Academy of Music and catch up on some sleep but I am sure they are still remembering their many happy experiences of meeting the teachers in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

6 8... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk 9 CHANGES IN THE PIANO SYLLABUS Question What s new in the piano syllabus? Answer pieces, scales, sight-reading aural remains the same Changes in repertoire Changes in Scale Requirements Changes in Sight-reading Aural stays the same Repertoire (examination pieces) In common with all teachers of music, examiners feel the same buzz and excitement when dipping into the new selected piano examination anthologies. When I received my pack in the post from ABRSM containing all 8 grades I made myself some hot coffee and retired to my study and laid out the books on my desk, next to my piano in order to explore and enjoy the treasures within! I live in a very quiet corner of the UK and so the only disturbance I had was occasional sheep in a neighbouring field who complained when my playing was too loud and excitable. Who would ever have thought that the music of Eric Clapton, Fats Waller, as well as music from African traditions and the wonderful music of Tan Dun (famous for his Crouching Tiger movie score) would one day find its way into an ABRSM piano examination syllabus? In amongst a core of baroque, classical and romantic repertoire there is a superb variety of music to suit all tastes. I was just launching into Fats Waller s Alligator Crawl (Grade 8) when my wife entered the room with more coffee she knew I would be there for a long time! Later that same day I came to the conclusion that this syllabus is the most dynamic and varied the Associated Board has ever produced. Teachers will surely find great joy in selecting music and matching up its character with the individual personalities of their students. Apart from the Selected Piano Examination Pieces in the anthologies there is a great wealth of valuable music in the alternative lists. By the time I finished in my study there were about 30 books on my desk as I had explored the alternative pieces too. ( I heard my wife call to me don t forget to tidy up in there but I pretended not to hear, as I played Alligator Crawl one more time whilst thinking how much teenagers were going to enjoy this!) You may prefer just to sit back and play the CD recordings of the pieces. These are equally stimulating and motivating for your students. The pieces are accessible for enjoyment and for lively discussion between teacher and student. CD recordings also provide the learners with the opportunity to hear the entire set of pieces and, with their teacher s help, decide which pieces are best for them to demonstrate their strengths and enthusiasm in the examination room. Syllabus planning and setting of repertoire begins at ABRSM in London years before the issue of new examination anthologies. In fact the committee for the piano examinations has already met and made their recommendations. The ABRSM consults widely with teachers and is always eager to respond in a dynamic way to the needs of candidates worldwide. New Piano Scale requirements ( (from 2009) Teachers need to be familiar with changes with the scales section in Grades 2-8 (Grade 1 remains the same) Grade 2 G minor scale replaces B minor G minor conforms to standard LH finger patters and has two flats in key signature Grade 3 Harmonic A minor in contrary motion replaces Eb major in contrary motion Chromatic scale beginning on B is now no longer required Grade 4 Changes to the contrary motion scales Grade 5 Less contrary motion scales to prepare Grade 6 There are two less majors and minors to prepare and a replacement contrary motion Grade 7 no significant change Grade 8 Addition of whole-tone scale in introduced here New Arpeggios and Broken Chords requirements (from 2009) Grades 1-3 Broken chords are required in the first two grades only Arpeggios now appear from Grade 2 Arpeggios have two examples with hands together in Grade 3 Grades 4-5 All grade 4 arpeggios must be prepared with hands together and separately Grade 5 arpeggios now three octaves ( please note no longer two!) Grades 6-8 Two diminished 7ths are removed from Grade 6 Grade 7 arpeggios in root position and first inversion and two diminished 7ths are introduced in Grade 7 also. The changes at Grade 7 help to create a smoother flow between Grade 6 and Grade 8 scale teaching and learning. Please note that the supporting publications from ABRSM Piano Scales and Arpeggios are available from your local music dealer. VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION In 2009, even if candidates choose to play repertoire they will be expected to play scales from the new syllabus teachers please take note!! Changes to the Sight-Reading Tests Research has shown that that many candidates find this part of the examination difficult when they are unable to make musical sense of the test. New tests have been prepared by the Board after a very extensive exercise of moderation and consultation process. In the early Grades the tests are slightly shorter and attractive as pieces of music in their own right. In the upper grades the character of the music can be detected by candidates as the pieces have descriptive titles. Once again, the Board has produced support materials for teachers and learners and the Piano Specimen Sight- Reading Tests are available from your local music dealer. Of course all of us piano teachers are always eager to add to our collections of music which we use with our students to improve their reading skills and confidence and I would certainly recommend to you some which I have also found to be wonderful resources. Amongst the wide ranging publications from ABRSM you can find music from the early baroque right up to contemporary repertoire in the Spectrum publications. By browsing the material at your local music store you will find material suitable for beginners, as well as excellent material for your Diploma candidates too! A favourite of mine is the Romantic Sketchbook series there is something for everyone in there. and don t forget the Board s website is always a great starting point! Aural matters Don t worry the examiner will not ask was it baroque, classical or hip-hop? The Aural section of the examinations in remains unchanged. Many teachers have found the ABRSM Performer s Guides extremely helpful for preparing candidates for Grade 6-8 Aural work, as well as for Diploma candidates. These resources provide excellent historical and contextual information for students of music and they are supported by CD recordings there is A Baroque, a Classical and a Romantic book each providing a wide range of music of the period so far though no Hip-hop edition is planned but watch this space!

7 10... from the ABRSM Regional Coordinator s desk ABRSM Publications 11 NEW NEW EXAMINATION!!! ABRSM Songbook EXAMINATION!!! Keyboards Together MALAYSIA During the recent Ministry of Education Malaysian Examinations Syndicate ABRSM Conference we discussed new centres for practical examinations in Teachers are reminded that we now have two examining periods in Malaysia and that registrations for the April 2009 examinations may be made by online registration only. In April 2009 practical examinations will be offered in Kuala Lumpur Petaling Jaya Shah Alam Penang Sebering Jaya Ipoh Kuantan Johor Bahru Kuching Sibu Kota Kinabalu For the usual June to August practical session all the usual examination centres will be available and additionally there will be centres in Subang Jaya Mersing Please note that all practical subjects, jazz and Diplomas will be examined in each session. Enquiries should be addressed to Miss Maureen Hagan mhagan@abrsm.ac.uk SINGAPORE As we respond to increasing use of online registration we shall be offering March 2009 Theory of Music in Singapore with online registration only. The good news is that, for occasional teachers still not fully conversant with the online process, assistance will be given at the Music Examinations Office at Victoria Concert Hall, Empress Place. Enquiries should be addressed to Miss Agnes Lau alau_sg@abrsm.ac.uk INDONESIA Teachers in Indonesia will be pleased to learn that a new second Practical session will be offered in Jakarta in March Enquiries should be forwarded to the Representative, Mr Denis Umar denis@indo.net.id All practical subjects and Diplomas will be examined Book Book Book Book Book 5 This five-volume series offers singers and their teachers an unrivalled choice of core repertoire that will provide the bedrock for many years of rewarding vocal study. These progressively graded volumes help build technique and repertoire. They contain over 100 art songs selected for the new Associated Board Singing Syllabus and 60 Unaccompanied Traditional Songs from around the world. Each volume also contains CDs of piano accompaniments and pronunciation guide. Guitar Repertoire Time Pieces Time Pieces for Guitar is a two-volume anthology of wellcrafted and idiomatic arrangements of music from the thirteenth century to the present day. The pieces are presented chronologically within each volume and include the year in which they were written. These volumes include pieces from each list at Grades 1 and 2 in Volume 1 and from Grades 3 to 5 in Volume Volume Volume 2 Weiss for Guitar Weiss for Guitar is an anthology of ten pieces taken from the composer s many lute suites Scarlatti for Guitar Scarlatti for Guitar is an anthology of ten keyboard sonatas All volumes have been arranged by Richard Wright and Peter Batchelar. Both authors are experienced composers and arrangers of music for young guitarists Book 1 Copper Book 2 Bronze Book 3 Silver Book 4 Gold Book 5 Platinum Five progressive volumes for electronic keyboard groups. They provide a wealth of enjoyable repertoire for groups of electronic keyboard players. Containing arrangements and original pieces in two, three and four parts, they are perfect for classroom use as well as for smaller groups

8 12 PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS WITH ABRSM FORTHCOMING EVENTS High Scorers Concerts Early in 2009 we shall be celebrating success in four of our regional High Scorers Concerts additionally, there are numerous teacher events coming your way too! th 21 st October CT ABRSM study days, Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta 6 th November Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta 0900hrs-1500hrs Meet the Chief Examiner and masterclass with Clara Taylor 7 th November Hyatt Regency Hotel, Surabaya 1300hrs-1830hrs Meet the Chief Examiner and masterclass with Clara Taylor th 11 th January CT ABRSM study days, Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta 14 th January Grade 6 Theory of Music Seminar Kota Kinabalu ( hrs) 15 th January Grade 6 Theory of Music Seminar Kuching ( hrs) 15 th January High Scorers Concert Kuching (1930hrs) 16 th January Diploma Quick Study seminar ( hrs) The Recital room, My Inspiration Music School, Singapore 17 th January High Scorers Concert (1400hrs) Victoria Concert Hall Singapore 18 th January High Scorers Concert (1400hrs) KL Convention Centre 19 th January Jazz teachers study day, Music Makers Studio, Bangsar KL 2 nd 4 th March CT ABRSM study days, Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta 21 st March ABRSM SE Asia Diploma Awards Ceremony, Singapore 28th March Aural training seminar (Bali Hyatt Hotel, Bali) 29 th March High Scorers Concert for Bali and Sulawesi islands, Bali Hyatt Hotel