On Tuesday 9th February the Music School enjoyed a visit from Mr Alec Hone, Head of Piano at Oundle School.  Mr Hone, who is also an Associated Board examiner, met with the visiting music staff to discuss exam techniques, teaching and general music matters. He then addressed all the piano pupils and talked about the piano, how to approach exams and ways to improve performances. 

A succession of workshops followed, with pupils playing their pieces to Mr Hone, who then helped them to overcome difficult passages and phrasing, drawing attention to dynamics and the mood of each piece. The afternoon was rounded off with a concert involving some of the pupils who had played during the workshops.

The piano can be a fairly solitary instrument to learn as there is not a great deal of ensemble opportunity, so it was lovely to see all the pianists playing and listening to each other’s pieces. The afternoon proved a very successful venture in highlighting this instrument and has given our keyboard players renewed enthusiasm for the future.