Music Aptitude Test Tip of the Day: Picking the Perfect Audition Pieces

At your first music lesson of term, make sure you pick one or two pieces that you can already play quite well and ask your teacher to come up with a plan of action to get these perfect by the end of the month.

The new term is an exciting time for music scholars!

My top tip for choosing the right repertoire would be to go for something fun, funky and memorable. Choose a piece that’s not in the graded exam book as most musicians will turn up clutching the latest exam book so the audition panel will hear the same pieces over and over again.

Go for something with a catchy title that will be an interesting discussion point with the audition panel. Make sure you have asked your teacher how to pronounce the composer’s name. See if you can find out an interesting fact about the composer that you can throw into the conversation. A quick search online should reveal plenty of information as a starting point.

We offer 1-to-1 lessons on Zoom to help students prepare for the Music Scholarship & Aptitude Test. These sessions are open to all musicians from any area.

Keep an eye out for our new article in the 2020 Scholarships supplement publication from Music Teacher Magazine all about the Music Aptitude Test and State School Scholarships. Released on 1st September.

Music Aptitude Test & Scholarship Assistance

We offer a full range of services to help you prepare for Music Scholarships to state and private schools. Our teachers have many years’ experience of helping students achieve scholarships to schools such as Haberdashers’ (Habs), Kingsdale, Prendergast and Dame Alice Owen to name a few.

We offer Music Aptitude Test training, preparation for aural tests and interviews and also guidance for audition pieces. Lessons are on Zoom. Book online: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/se22-piano-school-16475016451

Look out for our latest article in the September 2019 issue of Music Teacher magazine.

We also have a dedicated site for Music Aptitude Tests.

Starter Digital Pianos: Casio CDP-S100

We recommend the Casio CDP-S100 as the ideal starter piano. A starter kit with stand and headphones is available for £389.99: https://amzn.to/2Y7VGWo

This piano is ideal for a beginner. Its fully weighted action helps build finger strength and encourages good technique from the start.

The CDP-S100‘s fully weighted key touch provides a solid foundation upon which my beginner students can successfully build on.

Thinking about starting piano lessons in East Dulwich? View our latest vacancies here: www.se22piano.co.uk/vacancies

We have a team of 6 piano teachers working 7 days a week at our studio on Pellatt Road. Home visits available for visits of a minimum of 1 hour.