Creating a Music Journal for your Practice

Hi everyone,

In todays post I will be talking about creating a music journal for your own music practice.

My own personal music journals

Music journals are a great way for you to be able to keep track of your practice sessions, and to see how far you have come along from when you first started either working on a grade, a new piece or just starting out learning a musical instrument.

Because I'm working through my grades I want a copy of my practice sessions as a personal 'keep sake' for me to be able look at further down the line. Your more than welcome to use this idea, if you fancy keeping something to show your own personal music development throughout your grades.

Do a Rough Version First

To do this, I make notes throughout my practice session just so then I have a record of that practice session. I do this every time that I practice, and across multiple practice sessions.

Use a Nice Notebook for Your Keep Sakes

I personally like to use the notebooks from a company called Papier, as you can choose the design of the notebook and then personalise it. All of the notebooks in the above photograph are from Papier. I also really like the paper quality that they offer within their notebooks. You don't have to use Papier for your own personal 'keep sake'; you could just treat yourself to one that you really like from another company and use that. I also like use blue gel pens to transfer my notes from the rough into the Papier notebooks.

Reflective Post Talking about Your Journey on the Grade that you Have Been Working Through

This is essentially a piece of writing looking back on the Grade that you have just undertaken, and the journey that you have been on with that grade. You might want to talk about the skills that you have developed while working through the grade, the pieces that have been working on and did you enjoying learning and playing them, any syllabus changes, changes in the pieces that you where learning, and technical development. Where there any bumps along the way?

These are just a few ideas that I have come up with for creating a personal music journal. 

Trinity College Practical Exam Materials

Hi everyone,

In todays post I'm going to talk materials needed for your Practical Music exams with Trinity College.

Trinity Syllabus 

These books contain all of the material needed for the Trinity College practical music exam, and these are available Grades 1 - 8 across a range of instruments.

The newer syllabuses contain the instrument part, piano part, and a link to download the Soundwise App with a unique download code.

Soundwise App

This is a free app which you can download from your relevant app store. You need to register through the Soundwise website, which is www.soundwise.co.uk, and then imput your same login information onto the app. You also need to go to the Soundwise website to imput your unique code for your chosen grade, and then that all of the information will be available both on the app and also on the website.

With the unique code you will get a performance example, and also a backing track per piece of music that can be found in the Trinity Syllabus book. Also, you may have examples of exercises from Grades 1 - 5 included in your download. 

The Soundwise app takes over from the CDs, which you used to have to buy separately. Where as it is now all included in one price of the Syllabus book.

Extended List

Trinity has an extended list for each instrument, and per grade to give you even more options. You don't have to work from the extended list if you don't want to, but it is an additional option for you if you choose to do so. Any pieces from the extended lists won't be available on the Soundwise app.

Scales, Arpeggios and Exercises

This is Trinity College scales, arpeggios and exercises book, and this is available for a wide range of instruments. This book features all your scales and arpeggios up to Grade 8, and exercises up to Grade 5. Trinity College gives you the option of either taking scales and arpeggios or exercises up to Grade 5. This changes for the higher grades, as the exercises change to orchestral excerpts. For the face to face practical exams you need to choose three exercises, and for the digital practical exams you only need to choose two.

Orchestral Excerpts

From Grades 6 - 8 you have the option to either learn scales and arpeggios or orchestral excerpts, and there's a set book for this that you have to use and this is laid out in the Graded Syllabus documents, and also on the Trinity College book store for each instrument. For the face to face practical exams you have to choose three pieces, and for the digital practical exam you only need to choose two pieces.

Sight Reading

Trinity College have been improving their sight reading material that offer over the past few years. Trinity's previous sight reading material was known as 'Sight at Sound', and its now 'Sight Reading - A Progressive Method'. The new sight reading material offered by Trinity is split up into three separate books, and they are :-

- Initial to Grade 2

- Grades 3 - 5

- Grades 6 - 8

These are available across a wide range of instruments, and have done in calibration with different composers.

Aural Specimen Tests 

Trinity College offers two books for Aural Tests, and they are :-

- Aural Specimen Tests Book 1 (Initial to Grade 5 - comes with two CDs)

- Aural Specimen Tests Book 2 (Grades 6 - 8 - comes with two CDs)