Monthly Musical Miscellany – November 2025
Hello all!
A few updates as we move into the end of the year — admin, new music, a few Youtube recommendations, and (naturally) some unsolicited thoughts about music exams…
Enjoy! (?)
Waiting Lists Update
For those of you currently on the waiting lists: thank you for your patience, and apologies for the somewhat intermittent communication recently. I’ve been working through a sizeable admin backlog — slowly but surely — and I’m pleased to say things are moving again.
In the past week alone I’ve been able to offer two new regular lesson slots, so progress is definitely happening.
As always, please feel free to contact me directly if you’d like a personal update or a realistic time frame for when a space might open up.
Studio Times: Christmas Holidays
A heads-up on studio dates: I’ll be teaching right up until 23 December this year, then taking a couple of weeks off over the Christmas break.
It would be incredibly helpful if you could let me know as soon as possible if there are any remaining December dates you can’t do, so I can plan the rota and offer free slots to those waiting.
New Music Spotlight: Chiptune String Quartet Mash-Up
I’m always on the lookout for new compositional approaches, and while Chiptune is hardly new, I haven’t often seen it integrated so beautifully into a traditional string quartet setting.
This particular mash-up is a lovely example of how older game-music aesthetics can collide with acoustic instruments to create something really fresh.
Rota Students — Extra Wednesdays in December!
For those of you on the rota list, keep an eye on the online portal schedule. December usually brings more cancellations as people wind down for Christmas, which means extra free slots for you.
I’ll also be teaching a handful of Wednesdays this month to help a few students catch up or put together practice plans before the break. If you’re interested, send me a message and I’ll point you to the available times.
Recommendation: Tones, Drones and Arpeggios (BBC Documentary)
Minimalism has been something of a mini-obsession in the Studio this year — especially the Philip Glass ‘Etudes’, which some of you have tackled with impressive stamina.
It’s easy to forget just how transformative the minimalist movement was. Composers like Reich, Glass, Riley, and Adams genuinely reshaped the musical landscape — we’re talking Picasso/Matisse-level paradigm shift, but in sound. Their influence filters into everything from film music to pop production to contemporary classical writing.
This documentary series is a great deep-dive, especially the sections on Terry Riley’s ‘In C’ and Reich’s ‘It’s Gonna Rain’.
Shower Thoughts: What Is The Point Of Music Exams?
Anyone who’s been with me for a while knows I’m… let’s say skeptical about the current UK music exam culture. It’s a profit-orientated system designed in 1933, with little change since then, and it’s increasingly not fit for purpose: too many micro-levels that are hard to tell apart, too much box-ticking, too much money spent by the consumer, and not enough real musicianship or creativity encouraged. For students, it’s often a hollow experience, and thrill of an accredited certificate is often short-lived.
So — after two coffees and with the luxury of a day off — here’s my quick pitch for a system that might be a little more meaningful:
Only 3 Levels Instead of 8+
Students progress through just three broad stages:
Elementary (Initial-Grade 3)
Intermediate (3-6) - equivalent of GCSE
Advanced (6-8+) - equivalent of A level
Organic, non-linear progression with more emphasis on internal, intrinsic motivation and teacher/community relationships, and less on the ‘exam treadmill’ of yearly testing that robs the student of confidence, spontaneity and musical creativity.
Open Repertoire Library (1,000+ pieces from all eras)
Instead of buying exam-specific books every year, students choose any piece from a curated public library of songs they actually want to play and that last longer than 20 seconds (presumably because examiners don’t want to miss their lunch break).
Instead of being forced into a classical-centric system, this model supports from the start: classical, jazz, blues, folk, contemporary, film music, world music, video-game music, popular, experimental.
Students demonstrate techniques through pieces and genre specialisation, not isolated tests.
Portfolio-Based Assessment
No high-pressure one-day exam.
Students maintain a digital music portfolio, including: videos of performances, recordings, compositions, teacher feedback, notes on pieces they’ve studied.
When ready, they submit the portfolio online. A trained assessor reviews it over a week. Simple.
Minimal Costs
A public model that teachers and schools can use freely.
No need to buy multiple books of material. No annual exam fees. No travelling to far away exam centres and paying massive parking fees. Large amounts of repertoire free or low-cost.
Personal Projects
In addition, students complete one meaningful artistic project per level, such as:
• Record a three-track EP
• Arrange a theme for ensemble
• Compose an original piece
• Produce a beat or backing track
• Prepare a live performance set
• Make a video analysis of a piece
• Collaboration with other musiciansThis is far more meaningful than “play scales at MM=132.”
In Summary
Teach practical musicianship and music literacy, not exam-content
Help students build their own musical identity and taste
Use wide and culturally diverse repertoire from across the globe
Teachers are no longer mere agents of the exam board but can actually share their unique interests and skills
Repertoire chosen 50% by student, 50% by teacher, and this might not include any classical or baroque pieces (the horror)
Things are shifting in some of these directions, but the whole thing could do with an overhaul and more national support from the government.
Maybe one day!
Concert Pick: Penguin Cafe Orchestra, 1989 (Live at the BBC)
I’ll likely talk about Simon Jeffes and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra more extensively in a future Sunday Listen, but for now: this 1989 live TV performance is pure sunshine — a warm antidote to the darker winter months.
Jeffes carved out a space for what he simply called “beautiful music” — simple, tuneful, human, emotionally uplifting. Music that didn’t quite belong in the mainstream or the avant-garde. It still feels as fresh and joyous today, and the cult following around it only grows.
Reminder: Lesson Rates Going Up
And finally! A quick reminder that from Monday 1 December, lesson prices will be increasing for most students.
Please check your invoices for the updated amount — especially those of you with standing orders set up.
Happy practising!