PDP: Improving your students' skills as performers

The latest series of Professional Development seminars were presented in Penang (24 August), Kuala Lumpur (25 and 26 August), Kota Kinabalu (28 August), Kuching (29 August), and Singapore (31 August and 1 September). All the seminars were delivered to highly appreciative audiences, who, most gratifyingly, asked lots of interesting and stimulating questions, thereby enlivening the days considerably.

Breaking with tradition

The presenters represented a break with tradition in two respects: firstly, they worked together throughout each day, rather than taking it in turns to present; and secondly one of the presenters was a conductor rather than a pianist.

Richard Dickins was trained at the Royal College of Music, where he studied conducting and clarinet performance. He has since established a reputation as one of the UK’s leading conductors. Loo Bang Hean is one of South East Asia’s leading pianists and is in much demand as a soloist, ensemble player, teacher and adjudicator.

The holistic approach

One of the main themes of the seminars was the importance of bringing together the elements of instrumental or vocal study, aural training, style and interpretation, so that each lesson is considered holistically or ‘organically’, to use Richard’s word - instead of treating the various elements as separate and unrelated. Richard was especially keen to encourage learners – teachers and students – to act as musical detectives by following the clues in the music, such as titles, names of composers, opus numbers, phrasing, dynamics and so on, in order to reach conclusions about appropriate ways of interpreting the music in imaginative and historically informed ways.

Stimulating discussion and superb musicianship

One of Richard’s greatest strengths as a presenter is his ability to discuss analytical elements of the music in a lively and stimulating manner, and to demonstrate their relevance to effective musical performance; he is also able to extract the essence of a musical structure without clouding issues with excessive and unnecessary detail. Bang Hean’s strength is, in short, his superb musicianship, as demonstrated by his exceptionally sensitive piano playing and his uncanny ability to describe and demonstrate analytical elements, such as phrasing, harmonic structures and so, on with grace, charm and ease.

All the examples were taken from the current ARBSM piano syllabus grades 1 to 8, with some demonstrations being very brief, and others, such as the session on Mozart’s F major sonata, K. 332, first movement, very detailed.

That the two presenters worked well together was plain for all to see, and, as the tour progressed, more role play was introduced, as delegates in Singapore were entertained to a delightful enactment of an ABRSM exam, with Loo Bang Hean playing the part of an over-enthusiastic candidate – ‘Good morning Mr Richard, I am sure I am going to play very well for you today' – and Richard as an eccentric examiner asking for non-existent scales.

Of particular interest to teachers was the description and demonstration of the standards of performance likely to lead to the awards of pass, merit, and distinction. Remarkably, Bang Hean was able to demonstrate convincingly at the piano all three standards of playing, a feat which is remarkably difficult to emulate.

Each seminar was enhanced by the presence of a trade stand from which teachers were able to browse and select from a good range of ABRSM books and music. Grateful thanks are due to Oxford Fajar, especially Jo Wong, in Malaysia, and Singapore Symphonia, especially Su-San Hay, for administrative support.