Looking ahead and inspiration

After the wild weather over Christmas it’s lovely to look out on a perfect, yet unseasonal, spring-like day. It makes one look forward to the new year ahead and think of all the exciting things that will be happening in the next few weeks.

The new term at Chetham’s begins on Monday, and I am really looking forward to seeing my upper 6th form pupil to find out which music college place she has accepted. She has been spoilt for choice, so I know it will have been a very difficult decision! Also at Chet’s, one of my other students came 2nd in a guitar competition in Hungary last term, and she has been invited to give a recital in Budapest next weekend. I wish I could be there to hear her, and would have loved to have had time for a weekend in that beautiful city, especially at this time of year in the snow!

Like most other teachers I have students preparing for their grade exams at Easter, and notably one of my adult students will be doing his grade 5. It is one thing to do these exams as a young person, but for an adult I believe it takes so much more courage. Whilst I’m normally happier for my mature students to work at interesting pieces without the pressure of an external assessment, in this case it has really given him focus, and has made him do all sorts of things he might not otherwise have been happy to do! The end result is that he has become a much more confident player, and isn’t that the main thing?

Lastly, here is something to inspire you. In 1978 the BBC broadcast a series of masterclasses given by Julian Bream at his, then, home in Wiltshire. They are fascinating and truly wonderful to watch, and I am delighted that the BBC has put these on iPlayer for everyone to enjoy again. Sad to say, I don’t believe programmes like this will ever be made again, but thank goodness for things like this in the archives!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01d0zll/episodes/player

Very best wishes for 2014, and let’s hope it will be fun!