Music
A few pointers to help you on your way to study music at a university or conservatoire.
1. Practice!
Use this opportunity for daily practice.
* Get into a positive routine
* Learn some new repertoire
* Practise technical exercises
* Plan a programme for a public recital
Suggested reading:
The Musician's Way by Gerald Clickstein: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Musicians-Way-Practice-Performance-Wellness/dp/0195343131/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+musicians+way+gerald+klickstein&qid=1589739906&sr=8-1
Then....
Research the piece you are learning. Is there anything about the context which will change the way you perform? What were the performance practices of the day?
* A Performer's Guide to Music of the Baroque/Classical/Romantic Period published by the ABRSM.
* The Cambridge Companion to [insert instrument here]. (There is one for singing Izzie, it's on my bookshelf!)
2. Read
Get ahead of the game and really brush up your knowledge on musical history and musical philosophy. These books are often cheaper as a kindle download.
* A Short Introduction to Music by Nicholas Cook
* Listen to This by Alex Ross
* An Introduction to Music Studies by Harper-Scott and Samson.
* The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross
* How Music Works by John Powell.
* The Oxford History of Western Music by Richard Taruskin. (There is a college edition for those not fancying the five volume set!)
3. Watch
Watch some professional standard performances on Youtube.
Watch some Howard Goodall, for example:
Watch some BBC 4 programmes: Here is the BBC Young Musician of the Year https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08b91rg/bbc-young-musician-2020-extended-versions-2-complete-woodwind-final
Suzy Klein presents a documentary series called 'Tunes for Tyrants': https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b097f2gv/tunes-for-tyrants-music-and-power-with-suzy-klein-series-1-1-revolution
4. Listen
...and really listen. Stop what you are doing and make listening your primary purpose.
Listen to a wide range of music. Any serious music student should be familiar with Beethoven Symphonies, Haydn Sonatas and Bach Cantatas.
The Guardian has published a list of the 50 greatest symphonies: Why not listen to one per day?
https://www.theguardian.com/music/series/50-greatest-symphonies
Your radio should be permanently tuned to BBC Radio 3.
The Listening Service is available as a podcast and is a 30minute educational programme: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b078n25h/episodes/player
5. Study
Research how to write a really good essay
* How to write an essay by Johnny Patrick.
6. Learn
Take up music theory and study for Grade 7 and 8.
https://www.mymusictheory.com/ is a splendid down-to-earth resource intended to guide you through your studies.
Grade 7 expects you to have a working knowledge of figured bass, diatonic secondary seventh chords and their inversions, the Neapolitan sixth and the diminished seventh chords, chorale writing, piano writing in the classical style, suspensions, melodic decoration, composition and analysis.
Grade 8 expects you to have a working knowledge of all standard diatonic and chromatic chords, writing a trio sonata, composition, analysis and completion of a piano piece in the style classical style onwards. Some composers to study are: Haydn, Schubert, Schumann and Mendelssohn.
NB Grade 7 lays the foundations for Grade 8 and it is recommended that Grade 7 should be studied in full before embarking on Grade 8.
To improve your knowledge of harmony, read and study:
* Harmony in Practice by Anna Butterworth
Gareth Green runs some online courses from his home in Barnsley:
Good luck and remember to take time to rest!
S M Austin 2020.