It was a pleasure and a privilege to be part of the selection committee for the new ABRSM piano syllabus, 2021-2022. Following on from the publication of the graded material, the Online Academy has embarked on a project to create an extensive collection of resources for candidates, piano teachers or anyone using the syllabus as a guideline for their learning.

As a complement to these materials, I will be running a series of online workshops which will provide a more interactive format than the existing resources, allowing for questions and answers.
Each of the workshops in this five-part series will look at the following topics for one or more grades:
- Repertoire – Practice suggestions for learning selected pieces in addition to tips on technique, style and interpretation
- Scales & arpeggios – Overcoming technical problems, practice suggestions and tips
- General tips – How to prepare for an exam, practice strategies and dealing with performance nerves
- Sight-reading – How to include sight-reading in day-to-day practice and as part of the weekly lesson
The following video provides a whistle-stop overview of the Grade 5 pieces and gives an illustration of what to expect for repertoire walk-throughs in both the sessions and the accompanying Online Academy resources:
This workshop series will be useful not only for candidates and piano teachers following the syllabus, but also for those who want to learn some exciting new repertoire, make progress with scales and arpeggios, improve their sight-reading, and learn strategies for performance preparation and dealing with performance nerves.
As with all of our workshops, the sessions will be recorded. Included in the ticket price is also the full set of Online Academy video walk-throughs available for the grades featured in each session. Therefore if you’re not able to attend on the day, you will be able to watch the workshop in your own time and have access to further value-added resources.
ABRSM workshop sessions
The individual session dates and times are as follows:
- Part 1 (Grades 1 – 3) – Wed Oct 28th @ 13:00-14:30 GMT (includes 18 videos with 9 to follow) – Click here to purchase tickets
- Part 2 (Grades 4 – 5) – Thurs 5th Nov @ 10:00 – 11:30 GMT (includes 18 videos) – Click here to purchase tickets
- Part 3 (Grade 6) – Thurs 5th Nov @ 12:00 – 13:30 GMT (includes 9 videos) – Click here to purchase tickets
- Part 4 (Grade 7) – Thurs 12th Nov @ 15:00 – 16:30 GMT (includes 4 videos) – Click here to purchase tickets
- Part 5 (Grade 8) – Tues 17th Nov @ 19:00 – 20:30 GMT (includes 7 videos) – Click here to purchase tickets
Tickets can be purchased for individual sessions using the links provided above or you can save 20% by purchasing a combined ticket here!
If you’ve missed a session then you can still purchase tickets for a past session (or a combined ticket) to obtain access to the event recording and included resources.
Further resources
- Click here for more information on our ABRSM project and for links to preview videos for other grades
- Click here for an index of available resources for the 2021 & 2022 ABRSM syllabus
- Click here for a listing of resources for other examination boards and previous syllabi on the Online Academy