BOOST your piano Teaching & get certified

• Do you teach young kids?
• Think you could use some ideas and methodology to better engage with children?
• Want to meet other teachers & network?
• Want to be certified and be part of an Australian Award Winning Programme?
• Teach adults? Could use confidence in improvisation?

Encore Music Education

Do you agree that learning piano is not just about read music notes and play music notes? There is a whole world of senses that we unlock to ENGAGE the student in the learning process, making piano learning a meaningful and ENJOYABLE journey.

A world-class approach to the teaching of music

About the Workshop:
– Teach & motivate young children through to adolescents
– Improve learning process for your students
– Incorporate rhythm & movement activities
– Develop essential piano technique
– Teach Improvisation with confidence
– Add creative extensions
– Gain access to materials designed for children (Teacher’s guides available)

About the trainer

Ms Rita have taught hundreds of children using the Kinder Beat & Encore on Keys programme in Kindergartens and private students since 2007. Working closely with authors of Encore, Rita also trains piano instructors on the programme.

Experience:

Music Director for the Anglican diocese in Sabah (1992 – 1994)
Missionary Work in Thailand with OMF International (1994 – 2006)
Encore teacher in various kindergartens in Singapore (2007 – current)
Singapore Representative for ANZCA (2009 – 2015)
Started Music Matters in 2011
Singapore Representative & Trainer for Encore (2010 – current)

Workshop:

9.30am to 1.30pm

Fee:

$250

What do I get:

– Workshop
– Student Kit (including App by Encore Music Education (Australia))
– Certificate awarded by Encore
– unlimited re-sit ins
– network & community to exchange experiences, ideas & tips

Which month are you considering to attend workshop?

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Email us for more information at enquiry@yourpianolessons.com

Dear Teachers and Students,

May the good times and treasures of the present
become the golden memories of tomorrow
Wish you lots of love, joy and happiness. Really appreciate your past year of support. May we continue to strive to better serve you.

Love,
YPL Team
YourPianoLessons.com.sg

Merry Christmas in advance & a Happy New 2013!

Win a Piano Scales Template now, its easy! We have 3 sets to give away this Christmas. Find out how and do that right away, could take as little as 1 minute, no forms required!

Dear parents & students,

We are giving out 3 packages of Easy templates for Piano Scales for (Grade 1 to 8) (U.P. $29.90) this Christmas!

How to participate in draw
Simply do either or both of the following from now till 24th December. (If you do both, that is 2 chances)

1

For parents / students, share a testimonial for us, be it on the piano teacher or on our service and stand to win the template! If you are our teacher, a testimonial on our service or students! [/number]

Here is where you email us on testimonial 

2

We are launching our Facebook page. Like us! [/number]

This is our FB page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Piano-Lessons-Singapore/118294881542469?fref=ts

How the draw will be done

All are welcomed, whether you are our student, parent or teacher, or even if you are not (a FB like if you aren’t)! If you do either of No. 1 or No. 2, that is a chance. If you do both, thats 2 chances. Your entry is automatic so long as you do either No. 1 or No. 2. No forms to fill! We will pick 3 winners in a draw on 25th December and announce the winners here. Each winner will win a template (worth $29.90) each.  Winners will be notified by Facebook, if you like us, OR by email, if you email us your testimonial. Through the email / FB notification, we will require your address and the template will be mailed to you by 28th December, just in time for the new year!

More about the giveaway

Here is more information about the template we are giving out!
Distinction for Piano Exams

Ms Samuel Sim, Anglo-Chinese (Independent),MEP (Music Elective Programme) student who under the tutelage of Miss Evelyn Lim, aced his ABRSM grade 8 Practical examination with only a previous foundation of ABRSM grade 5 qualificaton.

Evelyn Lim, a passionate piano teacher who teaches in Sengkang, has a string of students who score distinctions. We have received quite many pleasant feedbacks from parents.

 

 

 

Toh Hong Hun, a section leader for alto and assistant student conductor for her JC choir, has a series of distinction and merit results tucked under her belt through her ABRSM grades.

Some of her students:

There are many piano teachers registered with us in Singapore with theses Diplomas. What are they? Get a better understanding with these quick information.

 

Trinity College London – ATCL, LTCL, FTCL

ABRSM – DipABRSM, LRSM, (FRSM)

NAFA (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) – 

• Diploma in Music Performance
• BA (Hons) in Music (Validated by the University of Wales, UK) 
• Diploma in Music Teaching 

Diploma in Music Performance 3 year full time course
Practical & Theory
A range of music electives such as conducting, music therapy, orchestration, ethnomusicology, may be chosen in the second and third year
Students gain performing experience with ensembles relevant to their principal study

BA (Hons) in Music

2 semesters, full time basis at Nafa in Singapore
Students with enough credits from Diploma in Music Performance can study 1 more year to achieve BA (Hons) in Music 
Strong focus on instrumental performance skills, musicianship, independent study and personal development

Diploma in Music Teaching

Programme developed for MOE (Ministry of Education) to train O’Level holders for Music Teacher Training Scheme
4 year double diploma course – Diploma in Music Teaching & Diploma in Music Education 
3 years at NAFA, final year at NIE (National Institute of Education)

For further details, please visit www.nafa.edu.sg/music 

Other Nafa related articles:
Royal College of Music degrees in Singapore via Nafa diploma!

How to keep children interested in piano

Learning the piano is meant to be an enjoyable process. Maintaining the engagement and sustaining the interest of the child are the usual uphill tasks that most teachers grapple with. With the right approach, it does not require a Herculean effort to keep his focus in track. In my teaching, I have discovered certain pointers to be most helpful.

Maintaining rapport with the child

Adapt a communicative and stress-free style from the onset. Let the child know that you seek to understand rather than to reprimand. Tell him, ” If you cannot remember a point, or if you have never practiced during the week; tell me, I will not get angry. I will teach you and learn it together with you again.” Practicing this approach will increase the child’s comfort level with you over time. Children are sensitive beings and can detect vibes effortlessly. The child’s week is already packed with art, swimming, ballet and other classes. Looking forward to the piano lesson will be the last thing on his mind if the lesson is peppered with negative comments.

Breaks during lessons

Inclusion of breaks during lessons may be necessary for the younger kid. It is common for the attention of a 5 to 8 year old kid to wander after 20 minutes into the lesson. This distraction is more prominent, especially if they do not understand the material being taught. When this happens, engage them in small talk by asking them about their other interests or week’s activities. This “break in routine” brings in a sense of positive deviation that indicates to the child that you are interested in him as a person other than just as a student.

Similarly, if a child is tired, offer him a min-break too. Once the break is over, he has to get on to learning that particular part again. If you do this, the child will continue to practice and eventually master the technique.

Employ a reward scheme

Reward the child once he has achieved learning of a particular aspect. It could be having played just a few bars correctly or successfully drawn a treble clef. Regardless of the magnitude of the achievement, the aim is to create a motivating learning atmosphere. The reward could be stickers, candies or a hybrid of both! It is really up to the individual teacher to structure their reward scheme.

Increase the quantity of the reward with the magnitude of the task to sustain their perseverance. ” I will give you more stickers when you have completed learning the whole piece.” This approach can be applied to the next platform. For instance, ” When you have collected 20 stickers, you can exchange them for a musical gift.” A musical gift could be a musical stationery as such. The quota needed to achieve a musical gift can be set to coincide with the learning of the syllabus required, ie the learning completion of 3 examination pieces.

Teach by demonstration

When coaching on a certain technique, do not just instruct. Attempt to demonstrate it as well. Just as the saying goes, ” A picture tells a thousand words.” Nothing beats the visual clarity of a live demonstration. The demonstration should be repeated as repetition reinforces memory. Remember not only children learn by imitation, older learners do so too.

Likewise for teaching younger children, other than demonstrating technique on counting and playing; for the usual pieces with lyrics, attempt to sing together with them. This stimulates the child’s aural sense and creates a musically fulfilling lesson.

Liberal with praises

Proactively praise the child when he has done something correctly instead of assuming a passive stand as per the usual Asian mentality. Praise is a wonderful incentive and surprisingly, regular but non-excessive praise will spur the learning desire. A lesson peppered with praise definitely holds more attraction.

Even when the child does not get it completely right, praise him on the areas he has done well. Remember praise is paramount to the child wanting to return and learn further.

Afternote

Above are some of the humble pointers which I sincerely share with you on keeping the child’s interest in learning piano. They are by no means exhaustive.You are most welcome to share your own insights. Any feedback can be provided via email to enquiry@yourpianolessons.com

Courtesy of Evelyn Lim

The number 1 complaint piano teachers have about the students must be that they do not practice enough! It is no trade secret that in order to progress when learning a musical instrument, one has to practice enough.

In today’s Recruit in Straits Times, there is an article titled 10,000 hours. Do you want to be outstanding in your profession? is discussed that there is a secret formula to achieve the goal of becoming better than your peers, achieve success faster, be outstanding and get the recognition, etc. But there is a bad news, there is no short cut!

Canadian author Malcolm Glawell suggests in his book, Outliers, that if you want to be a specialist in your trade, you have to clock at least 10,000 hours. In the article, there are several examples on this “secret formula”.  One of them was on Classical music. Anders Ericsson, an American psychologist, found that in Berlin’s elite Academy of Berlin, those who clocked more than the 10,000 hours of practice before they reach 20 years old, has the highest potential to be a world-class soloist. Anders found that those who clocked 8,000 hours only were good and that those who intended to be teachers, had averagely clocked 4,000 hours.

Based on his studies, he believed that there were no naturally talented who could breeze through only a few hours of practice and become a world-class soloist. He concluded that musicians who were at the top, did not work as hard as the others. They worked much harder than others. Is that good news to you or otherwise? 😉

Let us do the Math. If a student puts in an hour of training a day, it will take him 27 years to clock the 10,000 hours! If he however, practices 2 hours a day, it will half to 14 years. If a student can practice 4 hours a day, the number will drop to 7 years. 

Lets say a 6 year old starts learning piano and averagely practices an hour a day for the first 4 years, he would have clocked 1460 hours. If he at the age of 11, starts to increase the number of hours to 2 hours a day for the next 4 years, its another 2,920 hours.  So, that is accumulate, 4,380 hours. For the next 5 years, from 16 to 21 years old, the student has to do 3 hours of piano practice every single day, without missing a holiday. How’s that?

I was told by a piano teacher that his sister has a friend who went to China to pursue learning piano. She practiced an average of 10 hours a day! (She is an adult) And guess what she achieved in 1 year under a world-class piano instructor? She achieved from grade 1 level, to a grade 8 level, all in a year! That is sheer hard work! Are you already feeling like you should practice more? Victor also had student who started learning piano at the age of 6 and got his FTCL (Fellowship with Trinity) in 5 years time at 11 years old! That is quite something considering his age and that many think that it normally takes 8 to 10 years to reach only Grade 8, we are not even talking about the diploma level.

Please refer to ABRSM for more information on the Piano Grading / Marking Criteria.

There are Pass, Merit, Distinction & Fail results for ABRSM Grading exams. Examiners do not deduct points nor add up points to derive the results. It is based on the different aspects of qualities and proficiency.

The following are the components that make up the marking scheme for ABRSM Exam.

Components of exam There are 4 different components to a graded practical music exam. Specimen tests are available for home practice. 1. Pieces  – Performance of 3 pieces chosen & prepared, from a list during exam
(Pass: 20 onwards, Max: 30) for each piece
2. Technical – Scales & Arpeggios 
(Pass: 14 onwards, Max: 21) 
3. Sight-reading – With 30s of time given preparation given on the spot, student is to play a new piece of music provided
(Pass: 14 onwards, Max: 21) 
4. Aural Tests – Rythmic, melodic and other music skills
(Pass: 12 onwards, Max: 18) 

ABRSM Exam Marking Criteria – Pieces
Please refer to ABRSM for more information on the Grading / Marking Criteria.

For pieces, students are assessed based on accuracy, continuity and fluency, tonal awareness, musical character and a sense of performance

For Grade 1 to Grade 8, to achieve the following band of results, one has to achieve the marks:

Distinction – 27 to 30
Merit – 24 to 26
Pass – 20 to 23
Fail – 19 & below

For PIECES ABRSM Exam marking criteria,
For Scales, Sight Reading ABRSM Exam marking criteria,
For Aural Tests ABRSM Exam marking criteria,
Please refer to ABRSM for more information on the Grading/ Marking Criteria.

For a quick reference of Fees of Piano exams, click here.

Grade 5 Music Theory Revision

Need to pass your Grade 5 theory so that you could do your Grade 6 to 8 Piano Practical Exam? We have the solution, but hurry now, Only 7 weeks left!

Revision on Grade 5 Theory Music  is catered to all Grade 5 students in any music instruments like Piano, Guitar, Violin, Drum and etc who are taking their ABRSM Theory Examination on 30 October 2010.

Some of you might need more Grade 5 Theory Music Revision in Singapore or other countries to refresh your knowledge, or some might prefer to study in the comfort of your own home. All you need is to connect to a computer and you can follow my step by step revision to get you ready for your Exam in October.

We realize that Grade 5 theory music is of the utmost importance as you need it to progress to Grade 6 Practical and higher. Hence, we decided to come up with this revision package for students.We understand the busy schedule of many students and to save your time and traveling, we came up with this online course, which you will find beneficial in getting prepared for the examinations.We realize that Grade 5 theory music is of the utmost importance as you need it to progress to Grade 6 Practical and higher. Hence, we decided to promote this revision package for students. We understand the busy schedule of many students and to save your time and traveling, we came up with this online course, which you will find beneficial in getting prepared for the examinations This educational webinar (Online learning) will be focusing on 8 weeks of Grade 5 music theory revision to prepare you for the exam.

Here’s to your success in the Theory Examinations!

Upcoming Grade 5 Theory Music Revision
(8 weeks session – 1 hour per session)

Note : in each grade 5 music theory online learning, you will learn from me via computer (LIVE) via educational webinar. This session will be conducted LIVE verbally by me, and theory & guidance notes will be explained LIVE during the session.

How much Special Rate : SGD$50 ONLY per session (1 hour)
You are to register for 8 sessions where we will cover the full 8 sessions in 8 weeks to get yourself ready for grade 5 theory music exam.
Register Grade 5 Theory Music Online lesson NOW. Last call. What you will learn During this 8 weeks online revision grade 5 you will learn about melody writing, scales, and relevant topics to the ABRSM Examinations. The objective of this revision is for you to revisit all topics in a comprehensive ways so that you can have more confidence in answering the questions. Min-Min will be personally train you during these 8 weeks theory music revision LIVE via computer, and I personally recommend this course to you if you really know that it is important to pass your annual ABRSM exam. Min-Min is a Master of Music Graduate from Washington University, USA and have more than 10 years experience in practical and theory music training. To read more about Min-Min, click here. What you will need In order to participate on this online theory class,
1. You will need to have computer connected into the internet & your computer must have a speaker. a mic is (optional).
2. Pls login 15 minutes before the online class starts, to prevent any technical issue that might occur.

Student’s Testimonials Kathy : Now I can learn without leaving my home, with just a computer on my lap. Wonderful and comprehensive theory revision sessions. really love it .
Tony : First time I am using Webinar online learning, I can post questions as well. It is not as difficult as i thought. Now I am ready to face for my theory exam.
Mr Tan (Parent) : I enrolled for my daughter without knowing how it works. Amazing that my daughter just turn on the computer and click and connected with the online learning with the piano teacher, who guides verbally and revise notes via computer. I am very happy with my daughter’s progress.

Many students and parents may ask about the difference in having lessons at the Music School and with private piano instructors.This article is meant to offer an objective comparison based on most school’s system vs that of private piano teacher’s policies.

Fees/Deposit & No of lessons per year

Piano Lesson Fees – Music schools

• Most piano music school includes deposit (refundable upon giving 1 month notice when terminating) which ranges from $50 to $100 usually
• Most piano music schools charges upfront by per term. Some school charges the fees upfront by per month though.
• There are fifty-two (52) complete weeks in a given year (plus the extra day, or two). Some schools offer 11 lessons a term (3 monthly), so in a year, that is 44 lessons. There are 8 weeks when there is no lessons. However, different schools have different policies and some schools may offer a couple of lessons more or less.

Piano Lesson Fees – Private PianoTeachers

There is generally no deposits for private piano teachers.
Most private piano teachers collect payment every monthly or per 4 lessons.
There are generally 2 types of fee structures for Private Piano Teachers.
Some private teachers collect payment on the first lesson of the cycle while some collect payment on last lesson of the cycle. Most of our teachers require payment on the first lesson of the cycle.

4- Lessons cycle:

For most piano teachers, their fees are for 4 Delivered lessons. So long as 4 lessons are delivered, that is a cycle. This is very fair and transparent to the students.

Monthly Lessons cycle:

For some piano teachers, they do not conduct lessons if there is a 5th week. The 5th weeks could be used for make-up lessons. Minority of the private teachers follow a calendar similar to the schools.

Missing of lessons, Flexibility of make up lessons

Music Schools For many schools, make up lessons are out. If your child cannot make it for the piano lesson, there is usually No make up lessons. Of course there are some exceptions. Some schools allow the teachers to practise discretions, especially if there is an MC (medical Certificates) and it is a one to one class (instead of a group).

Private Piano Teachers For private piano teachers, they have different policies. Of course when there is an MC, it is straightforward. Some teachers are very kind and understand the commitments the children have in school, especially where there are unforeseen supplementary classes or CCAs in academic schools.

They generally require the students to let them know a day before hand. They will usually try to do make up lessons for the students. But of course, some teachers who are very packed will subject the make up lessons to availability of their slots. Some could teacher teach longer for a few lessons to make up for 1 missed lesson.That being said, there are a minority of teachers who generally do not do make up lessons. Group lessons

Schools have many pianos and can do group lessons, especially for the young ones where one of your objectives of sending your little one is to meet the others and socialise. Most private teachers do not teach in a group as it is more efficient and effective to do individual coaching. It is workable if 2 kids or students are of similar learning speed to go for lessons together though.

Ownership & Change of Teachers

When you are learning under a private piano teacher, a teacher’s sense of ownership of the students is naturally stronger than compared to teaching in the schools where the teachers for a class could be changed due to teacher’s resignation, leave and so on. The curriculum of the piano lessons at schools is usually structured and set, whereas that of private piano teachers may be customized and tailored to that of the student’s learning style and ability, though it may be less defined on paper.

Venue Private piano teachers do house visits, they could go to students’ place for lessons especially when it is convenient or near their place. This makes piano lessons very feasible for children who have busy parents. Parents need not send children to music schools.
In Schools, all students have to go to school, which may offer better learning environment then when you have other children whom may be a source of distraction, other than things like TV.

Timing Schools have limited slots as the school area is fixed. Students may not have the ideal timing, especially the more popular slots would be quite filled. This is especially so when parents have to fetch children to the schools after work or during weekends.