Music Education
It happened again! During a performance of the Staatskapelle Dresden at the 43rd Hong Kong Arts Festival, an audience member showed his appreciation by eagerly clapping his way through the final pianissimo chords of Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen. Other audience members loudly objected, the conductor was visibly annoyed, and HK’
Music Education
Singers know well that bel canto opera is demanding stuff. For pianists, a quick glance at the sparse, simple accompaniments in the arias by Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini can give the false impression that the repertoire is simple. The notes may be straightforward, but there’s more to the art
Music Education
It’s probably one of the most instantly recognised ring tones on your mobile, and piano students are expressly forbidden to play it in piano showrooms! By now you must have guessed that I am talking about Beethoven’s Bagatelle Für Elise. Despite it’s almost universal musical appeal—or
Music Education
Opera is opera is opera, right? Lots of singing, some love affairs and some deaths? Well, of course. But within the broad term of “opera”, there are subgenres which all offer something a bit different. Whether you’re looking for some clarity on the operatic styles, or you’re hoping
Music Education
Although the indigenous inhabitants of Taiwan are less than two percent of the population today, each ethnic group has retained its ancestors’ unique language, dialect, and musical culture. Moreover, the island’s previous colonisers, including the Dutch, the Spanish, the Chinese, and the Japanese, also brought their own music. The
Music Education
Glove puppetry had its origins, it is believed, in China during the 1300s. Later, in the early 1600s, droves of Han Chinese migrants had crossed over to Taiwan and amongst other skills, they had carried this unique art form with them. It was evidently more practical for a puppetry troupe
Music Education
If you don’t recognise the term, you definitely recognise the device. Diegetic music in a show – be it television, film, or even opera – is essentially music that the characters hear as well as the audience. In film and TV, often we realise that music is diegetic because it stops
Music Education
Sixteen million dollars – roughly `104 crore – would be a modest price to pay for a Picasso or a van Gogh, such are the crazy amounts auction houses run up nowadays. That’s probably indicative of the fact that there’s too much money chasing too few paintings. Or less charitably,
Music Education
One of the best part about opera is that it can be a lifelong practice of discovery. Even some of opera’s best-loved arias come with hidden layers of meaning, that sometimes take a while to recognise. We’ve compiled a few of our favourite arias, and why they’re
Music Education
“It’s unplayable,” said the virtuoso pianist and composer Milij Balakirev, “there are passages in this work that I simply can’t manage.” Alexander Scriabin seriously damaged his right hand frantically practicing this composition, and Maurice Ravel remarked that his goal in writing Gaspard de la nuit was to compose
Music Education
John Holmes, ABRSM’s Chief Examiner, reflects on the connections between assessment and progression in music learning. As teachers, we know that assessment is an essential part of learning and progression, guiding students from one stage to the next via clear signposts. The two distinct types of assessment – formative and
Music Education
Grade 5 Theory has a unique place in music education. Not only is it a prerequisite for the Higher Practical ABRSM Grades but also mandatory for many contemporary, pop and jazz courses. Each year across East and South East Asia, approximately 34,000 candidates sit for the Grade 5 exam.