William Hay » video clips http://whay.me Piano Lessons in Chester, UK Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:53:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Piano Lessons in Chester, UK William Hay clean William Hay m@whay.me m@whay.me (William Hay) Will Hay Piano Tuition Piano Lessons in Chester, UK William Hay » video clips http://whay.me/willprofile100x100.jpg http://whay.me TV-G Chester, UK Monthly Sea Idylls Composition Project 2012 http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/sea-idylls-composition-project-2012 http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/sea-idylls-composition-project-2012#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:27:18 +0000 Will Hay http://whay.me/?p=2099

The composition project this term has a nautical theme. Students must compose a backing track to the associated video which is 1 minute and 21 seconds in length. A template score has been provided in Noteflight which already has the correct number of empty bars laid out for each section. Providing the tempo remains unchanged and the number and position of bars are left as they are then notes input onto this score should fit in with the video.

The piece must be in rondo form, taking as the three themes, the poetic ideas of “Waves”, “Pebbles & Shells” and “Lighhouses”. The closing date for completion of the project is 24th March, 2012 which is a week before the next concert.

(Please note that at this stage it is not possible to hear the notes composed AND playback the video within noteflight, it has to be one or the other. If you open the video in a seperate browser window to the one in which you are running noteflight then it is almost possible to synchronise the two!)

Students taking piano and keyboard lessons in school will have been organised into groups to work on this project in their own time with tutorial guidance during lessons.

More information about the project along with links to some more sample scores have been posted on my noteflight forum

]]> http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/sea-idylls-composition-project-2012/feed 0 Grade 1 – Piano Exam http://whay.me/piano-teaching/grade-1-piano-exam http://whay.me/piano-teaching/grade-1-piano-exam#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:00:38 +0000 Will Hay http://whay.me/?p=1399 (Updated Jan 2012)
ABRSM Grade 1 Exam – The vital statistics: The current entry fee (2012) is £33.50. The next exam period is 27th February – 31st March and the closing date for entries to these exams is Friday 20th January

The next in my vodcast series on piano exams. In this video, watch Amelia sit her Grade 1 piano exam. This time, not one of my videos,  ABRSM have staged an example of a Grade 1 piano exam which is a great way to give candidates an idea of what it is like to sit the exam. If only Stanley Palace, the venue used for the Chester exams was able to offer a wonderful grand piano as in this video! At least you can expect the same professional, supportive attitude from any of the ABRSM examiners, though the papers on their desk might not always be quite so beautifully aligned.

ABRSM: Grade 1 Piano Exam Video

]]> http://whay.me/piano-teaching/grade-1-piano-exam/feed 0 Concert raises funds as Autumn Leaves fall http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/concert-raises-funds-as-autumn-leaves-fall http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/concert-raises-funds-as-autumn-leaves-fall#comments Sun, 11 Dec 2011 13:50:57 +0000 Will Hay http://whay.me/?p=2045
The Autumn Leaves project has now concluded and a number of students have taken part. The completed videos can be found on the playlist below and have also been shared on the Noteflight Studio. A particularly interesting contribution came from Justus, who is our new bursary student at Kampala Music School.

Justus’ and Maya’s videos were played back at the recent “Playing Together” concert along with some great performances from my students. Certificates presented at the concert included a Distinction in Grade 1 Theory for Ruth along with a number of merits for piano exams. For quite a number of my students, it was the first time they had performed in a concert and one trio even played a piece they had put together themselves.

The concert raised another £130 towards the bursary fund which this year has already provided a Zoom Q3HD Handy Video/Audio Recorder for use at Kampala Music School. This fund will also continue to provide piano lessons for Justus at the school. I have put together a “Concert Moments” video below featuring a few of the performances. Credit must go to David Woods for the excellent still images used.

 AUTUMN LEAVES PLAYLIST

“CONCERT MOMENTS” VIDEO

]]> http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/concert-raises-funds-as-autumn-leaves-fall/feed 0 bursary student,newsletter,piano concert,student compositions,video clips The Autumn Leaves project has now concluded and a number of students have taken part. The completed videos can be found on the playlist below and have also been shared on the Noteflight Studio. A particularly interesting contribution came from Justus, The Autumn Leaves project has now concluded and a number of students have taken part. The completed videos can be found on the playlist below and have also been shared on the Noteflight Studio. A particularly interesting contribution came from Justus, who is our new bursary student at Kampala Music School. Justus' and Maya's videos were played back at the recent "Playing Together" concert along with some great performances from my students. Certificates presented at the concert included a Distinction in Grade 1 Theory for Ruth along with a number of merits for piano exams. For quite a number of my students, it was the first time they had performed in a concert and one trio even played a piece they had put together themselves. The concert raised another £130 towards the bursary fund which this year has already provided a Zoom Q3HD Handy Video/Audio Recorder for use at Kampala Music School. This fund will also continue to provide piano lessons for Justus at the school. I have put together a "Concert Moments" video below featuring a few of the performances. Credit must go to David Woods for the excellent still images used.  AUTUMN LEAVES PLAYLIST "CONCERT MOMENTS" VIDEO Will Hay clean yes LCM Pre-Prep Results http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/lcm-pre-prep-results http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/lcm-pre-prep-results#comments Wed, 11 May 2011 09:00:36 +0000 Will Hay http://whay.me/?p=1520 Following my first student entry into the LCM foundation exams, Lucy came away with a great mark (82/100) and she agreed to share some of her favourite pieces from the exam in this video.

Lucy’s PrePrep Pieces

]]> http://whay.me/piano-teaching/e-newsletter/lcm-pre-prep-results/feed 0 Playing Together – Piano Duets and Ensembles http://whay.me/resources/playing-together-piano-duets-and-ensembles http://whay.me/resources/playing-together-piano-duets-and-ensembles#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:16:35 +0000 Will Hay http://whay.me/?p=1417 It has been really encouraging to see a lot of work going into piano duets this term in preparation for the next concert. There will be a mix of piano-based ensembles in the programme besides piano duets as I have tried to set up a group to perform from each of the schools in which I teach. Those students involved should have received an email and the music for your ensemble will soon be available on your noteflight studio account if you have not already got a sheet copy.

Some of the duets I have been using have been taken from Piano Time Jazz Duets Bk1. This book features duets in various styles from an energetic boogie to a moody blues and lively samba.

Others are from Easy Jazzin’ About by Pam Wedgewood which also take inspiration from blues, rock and jazz styles with “cool syncopation and funky riffs”.

I was so pleased with Alice and Emily’s work on their duet that I felt it had to be shared below as a preview for the “Playing Together” recital.

Katie’s Waltz performed by Alice and Emily

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