The course is designed to help develop the ear and memory retention needed for the singing element for practical ABRSM Examinations, listening and appraising exercises for GCSE music examinations and general ear training. 


At the beginning the sessions will discuss and examine what is expected for the aural section for each of the eight practical grades for the ABRSM and listening/appraising section of GCSE Music. As expected, the requirements for each grade increase in difficulty. There is also a need to develop memory retention as the length of each melody presented increases for each grade. Thereafter, there will be 

suggestions/illustrations/demonstrations for exercises to help train the ear to hear pitches. There will also be an opportunity to test an individual’s standard and level of hearing to the possibility of having either perfect pitch/absolute pitch, semi-perfect pitch or relative pitch. It is possible to improve the ear to a high degree, no matter if a person does or does not possess perfect pitch. 


Consequently, this course is applicable to anyone who may be considering taking ABRSM practical examinations at any level, starting to prepare for GCSE Music or to simply for those musicians that would like to know if they indeed possess perfect pitch, semi-perfect pitch or relative pitch.



All lessons are taught over a live Zoom stream from our real classrooms, by our qualified and experienced teachers.

  • Lesson Duration and number of sessions: 50 Minutes - 2 Lessons a Week

  • Class Size: 12 Students

Class Timetable

Classes run weekly starting on the 8th March and run for 3 weeks.

Tuesday 
 4pm
Friday
 4pm

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Week 1

    • Perfect pitch, absolute pitch, semi-perfect pitch and relative pitch. During this week, we will discuss each aural ability and how to develop the ear to its full potential.

    • Live Zoom Lesson
  • 2

    Week 2

    • GCSE listening and appraising - What does conjunct, disjunct or triadic mean when listening to music? The ability to know and understand such elements will be discussed, along with recognising texture when related to music.

    • Live Zoom Lesson
  • 3

    Week 3

    • In the final week we will discuss and determine the underlining requirements for listening to music with understanding along with recommendations for future study.

    • Live Zoom Lesson

Teacher

Cliff R

I am the current Director of Music at Brockhurst & Marlston House schools. I have been teaching music for over 40 years at all levels, children and adults, and before that I was a musician in the Royal Air Force for 23 years, for which I performed music all over the world, including music for the Royal Family, and even served as a medic in the first Gulf War. I have Grade Eight practical qualifications for the Flute, Piano and Trumpet, GCE Music, A Level Music, BA (Honours) Humanities & Music (open un.) and MA in Music (open un.).