Another term has gone by, with a mix of face to face and online teaching. It has been lovely to see students face to face, albeit not as often as I would like, and whilst online teaching is infinitely preferable to no teaching (!) I have appreciated the face to face time all the more when the opportunity has arisen. The return of students to school has also enabled some limited options for ensemble singing to return to my weekly schedule, and it has been a real joy to have both weekly rehearsals with these girls, and online concerts featuring live recordings of the vocal groups, as well as some performances which have been edited together from individual recordings when live recordings haven’t been possible. Admittedly it has taken some getting used to rehearsing ensembles ‘remotely’ (so they are in a room together, and I’m at home coaching via a screen) and I’ve particularly enjoyed watching the girls decide where to ‘put’ me (the screen) at the start of each rehearsal so I am best positioned for them to hear whilst also ensuring I can still see as many of them as possible whilst they maintain the required social distancing in the rehearsal space!
The term also saw the introduction of ABRSM Performance Grades. As the name suggests, the new exams focus on performance only and so don’t feature the traditional aural and sight reading tests. Whilst I still believe the ‘old style’ practical grade exams to be a more rigorous test of all round musical ability, the new grades are examined online from a live recording, and therefore are much more possible under COVID restrictions. Despite my initial scepticism, once mark schemes became available for the new exams it was clear that they presented interesting and alternative challenges for candidates. A whole 30 marks from a possible 150 have been allocated for this overall performance, which includes programme choice, appropriate communication during the performance of each piece and how candidates manage the gaps between each song, and communicate with their accompanist. These are important skills which I am always encouraging my students to develop, and it was interesting to see how the first two of my exam candidates fared. I’m delighted that both girls achieved Distinction marks for their exams, despite general feedback from this first session highlighting some issues with the overall marking consistency from the exam board. Congratulations to Giulia and Arabella for this achievement. I have no doubt that some other students will be taking these exams in the coming terms, especially whilst covid is still affecting school life, but I will be interested to see how the Performance grades sit alongside Practical grades when both options are fully back in operation at the school. I am sure that the lack of supporting tests will appeal to many students, but I have been heartened that some students at least are holding out for face to face examinations to resume, or at least only planning on using the performance grades for now.
I’d also like to congratulate Olivia Y for gaining a Music Scholarship for 6th form! She has worked very hard for this, and I know she will be an asset to the whole department in this role next year.