Just wondered if anyone had looked at the selected flute pieces books yet and could reveal exactly what the CD's contain?
I have pupils working towards Grade 6 and have ordered the flute, piano and CD version, but does the CD contain recordings of just the 9 pieces that the book contains, or is it all pieces on the whole syllabus?
Have looked at the listing for the Grade 8 CD and it only lists 2 thirds of the pieces on the syllabus?! But it does have some List C recordings back, which is great!
Thanks!
Full Version: New Flute Books
Are the books out now?
Out yesterday! Off home now to check the post to see if mine has arrived yet!
I got a mailshot in the post today about the books, it doesn't make it clear. I'll be buying one next week, that'll hopefully make it clear, although no doubt someone will post a definitive answer before then.
Bagpuss was clutching one of the new books when she called in to see me today...she seemed to be muttering something darkly under her breath...
QUOTE(dcmbarton @ Sep 7 2007, 09:25 PM) 
A lot of teachers and publishers, including me, are boycotting these new books. They will ultimately have a detrimental effect on the music being produced for instruments.
David
I'm not boycotting them, per se, but I will certainly avoid them as much as possible. If my pupil ends up doing grade 3, she already has Carol (Finzi) and Witches Dance (First Rep).
Complete opposite to my attitude with my piano pupil though, who will do all her grade 2 pieces from the book and play Wedgwood, PT Classics etc. in between. Maybe the picture is different for the two instruments.
I may use them if I get people who consider music a cheap pastime/paperchase etc., which sadly is a lot I met in school.
I'm not too happy about the appearance of these books either.
If all a pupil (or their parent) wants to do is trudge through the exams, then they are a cost effective way of obtaining the music, especially in Grades 1 - 5 where a pupil only need buy the solo part so long as the teacher or accompanist has the piano part. That would show a complete lack of awareness of the piece of music as whole. Even non-piano-playing Grade One can look through the piano part with the teacher, notice a 'busy' bit, see that there's an introduction, discover that the piano part will change in character when it goes from looking like this to looking like that. . .
Where only one movement of a sonata, for instance, is set for an exam, then that's what they get, no possibility of learning the whole sonata, learning a little about sonata form, extending repertoire etc.
It will have a very bad effect on the publishing business, far less music will be bought. Getting parents to pay for music is often a battle anyway, this will make it worse.
The books only have half of the syllabus. I fear that many teachers will 'forget' about the other half, the pupils may not even be aware that it exists, valuable repertoire will be neglected, and so on. I have seen so many times, when I have been at our local exam centre, piano candidates playing all three pieces from the set book. I often wonder if the examiners award an extra mark or two to pieces which aren't in the set books! Certainly, I once overheard an examiner say "that was a breath of fresh air" after a piano exam where none of the pieces were from the set book.
I will probably use the books in some cases, but will share my concerns with pupils. I am assuming that if a piece is also published in another format, eg in a whole sonata or in a collection of studies, that AB will accept this in the exam, if it hasn't rapidly gone out of print.
In any case, there is absolutely no need to do each exam, I can't think of any pupil I've ever had who has done them all. Skip one or more, do lots of repertoire, technique, enjoyable playing, then perhaps take one later on. We should all be encouraging our pupils to think of music learning as being enjoyable in its own right, not simply an exercise in certificate-collecting.
If all a pupil (or their parent) wants to do is trudge through the exams, then they are a cost effective way of obtaining the music, especially in Grades 1 - 5 where a pupil only need buy the solo part so long as the teacher or accompanist has the piano part. That would show a complete lack of awareness of the piece of music as whole. Even non-piano-playing Grade One can look through the piano part with the teacher, notice a 'busy' bit, see that there's an introduction, discover that the piano part will change in character when it goes from looking like this to looking like that. . .
Where only one movement of a sonata, for instance, is set for an exam, then that's what they get, no possibility of learning the whole sonata, learning a little about sonata form, extending repertoire etc.
It will have a very bad effect on the publishing business, far less music will be bought. Getting parents to pay for music is often a battle anyway, this will make it worse.
The books only have half of the syllabus. I fear that many teachers will 'forget' about the other half, the pupils may not even be aware that it exists, valuable repertoire will be neglected, and so on. I have seen so many times, when I have been at our local exam centre, piano candidates playing all three pieces from the set book. I often wonder if the examiners award an extra mark or two to pieces which aren't in the set books! Certainly, I once overheard an examiner say "that was a breath of fresh air" after a piano exam where none of the pieces were from the set book.
I will probably use the books in some cases, but will share my concerns with pupils. I am assuming that if a piece is also published in another format, eg in a whole sonata or in a collection of studies, that AB will accept this in the exam, if it hasn't rapidly gone out of print.
In any case, there is absolutely no need to do each exam, I can't think of any pupil I've ever had who has done them all. Skip one or more, do lots of repertoire, technique, enjoyable playing, then perhaps take one later on. We should all be encouraging our pupils to think of music learning as being enjoyable in its own right, not simply an exercise in certificate-collecting.
I actually welcome these publications! It means that if money is tight, you get a choice of three pieces from each list, and there's probably something you'll like even buying the music "blind" as some of us have to do.
Having said that, when teaching violin and piano, I always look at the alternatives on offer, and quite often someone chooses one of those. And as far as flute is concerned, the fact that half the exam pieces are published in a single volume would not stop me buying other flute repertoire outside the syllabus.
Having said that, when teaching violin and piano, I always look at the alternatives on offer, and quite often someone chooses one of those. And as far as flute is concerned, the fact that half the exam pieces are published in a single volume would not stop me buying other flute repertoire outside the syllabus.
Have spent the weekend bemoaning the new books. I can see their value in that as teachers, it is a cost effective way of familiarising yourself with parts of the new syllabus quickly and as parents it is easier to fork out for one book rather than 3 or 4.
However - what confuses me is whether the AB will in future release complete syllabus recordings on CD as with the previous two editions, forcing the conscientious teacher to buy two versions of the same thing. The CD that accompanies the books appears to have demonstration and playalong parts to the 9 printed pieces, plus demonstration and playalong parts to 3 more options out of each list. Stops short of complete recordings by 2 or 3 pieces. I don't see the point in that - why not just record the whole darn thing?!
I haven't checked each grade yet, but frustratingly the Grade 8 CD has only 2 thirds of the syllabus too, and even more bonkers is the fact that some of the ones they've missed off actually were on the previous syllabus and have been recorded already!
Think I have too much time on my hands...!
However - what confuses me is whether the AB will in future release complete syllabus recordings on CD as with the previous two editions, forcing the conscientious teacher to buy two versions of the same thing. The CD that accompanies the books appears to have demonstration and playalong parts to the 9 printed pieces, plus demonstration and playalong parts to 3 more options out of each list. Stops short of complete recordings by 2 or 3 pieces. I don't see the point in that - why not just record the whole darn thing?!
I haven't checked each grade yet, but frustratingly the Grade 8 CD has only 2 thirds of the syllabus too, and even more bonkers is the fact that some of the ones they've missed off actually were on the previous syllabus and have been recorded already!
Think I have too much time on my hands...!
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