CPD
Discover Singing 2020 Repertoire Challenge
Discover 30 prompts to help advanced singers to explore new repertoire!
For Learners
Why You Need HARD Goals
I’ve written before about SMART goals, but last year, I came across the idea of HARD goals, and it was a bit of a revelation. What are HARD goals? HARD goals are big goals. They’re not manageable, or realistic; instead, they’re: Heartfelt – something that you really want to achieve. Read more…
For Learners
5 New Years Resolutions Singers Should Make
January is that time when we all look at our post-Christmas selves and consider the improvements we could make to our lives. Us musicians are no different. We’re all making resolutions to practice for two hours a day and watch more operas. If you’re one of us, here are five Read more…
For Learners
Setting Goals for your Music – Why You Should be SMART [repost]
This is a re-post of an article I published last May. As it’s a New Year, I thought this might be a good time to share it again. No matter what it is you’re learning, setting yourself a target is essential. You need to know where you’re going to Read more…
For Learners
Planning Your Practice – Some Ideas
Practicing is the most challenging part of every musician’s life. Whether we’ve been playing six months or sixty years, we all face days when we just don’t want to sit down and work, or if we do, we don’t want to do what we should be doing. We face many Read more…
For Learners
What do I do if I’ve failed?
I was having a look through the search terms that led people to look at this blog, and I noticed that a couple of them were things like “failed sight reading on singing exam”, “abrsm grade 6 theory fail” and “abrsm grade 8 fail”, so I thought perhaps it was time Read more…
For Learners
“But I’m Not Musically Talented!”
This is the cry of many people I encounter, and on the surface it might very well seem true. Perhaps other people seem to be able to hear music better, or pick up how to play an instrument faster. Surely they must be more “musically talented” than others? Well, actually, Read more…
For Learners
The Mythical Grade 8
Grade 8 is the highest available graded instrumental exam. For parents and students alike, it can seem like a glowing light in the distance – a magical target that once achieved will bestow the mythical status of ‘musician’ on anyone who can reach it. Here are 8 myths about reaching Grade 8: Read more…
For Learners
Singing Through the Summer
It’s school holidays from this week, up in slightly sunny Scotland, and it won’t be long before the schools are off in England too. That means lots of music teachers are on holiday too. Some teachers take the whole summer off and most of us will take a couple of Read more…
For Learners
Setting Goals for your Music – Why You Should be SMART
No matter what it is you’re learning, setting yourself a target is essential. You need to know where you’re going to know how to get there. It’s one of the main reasons why schools have a curriculum – there’s so much information in the world, so a curriculum gives teachers Read more…