Online Academy – What’s Coming?

It’s been almost a year since the launch of the Online Academy in September 2016 and the site has grown to almost 200 articles and over 700 music excerpts, 150 videos and 100 downloads (a full index of series and articles can be viewed here). A big thank you to all our subscribers who have helped make this possible, your support is very much appreciated!

What’s coming?

We have many exciting updates in the pipeline for the year ahead which include extending existing resources, delving into specific topics in further detail and covering new topics. The following are some examples of what we’re currently working on and will be adding during the next year:

• Technique – We will be creating an extensive set of resources covering various components and areas of technique with a combination of text and video demonstrations using different camera angles and playback speeds to illustrate key points. A library of exercises categorised by level and tips on how to best utilise them will also be included.
• Practice Tools – The current series on Practice Tools will be extended and adapted for the elementary, intermediate and advanced levels.
• Scales – Following from the highly popular resources on elementary scales, we will shortly be adding a set of resources focussing on scales at the intermediate level. This will include exercises, downloads, video demonstrations and further information on alternative fingerings.
• Study Editions and Walkthroughs – The existing collection of Annotated Study Editions will grow to include popular works at varying levels by Mozart, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven. We will also be adding walk-throughs and resources for a wide range of new works from across the repertoire.
• Examination Resources – Our existing resources for the ABRSM examinations will be extended, and we will also be providing resources for other examination boards.
• Sight Reading – Further sample tests and practice materials from ReadAhead are currently in production.
• Q&A with Authors – We will be trialling a Q&A forum in which subscribers can submit questions to authors who will then address selected questions in a series of video masterclasses.

There will also be several updates to the website itself, largely based on feedback we received from our survey earlier on this year. Most of these updates will focus on making it easier to find and navigate content. We will also be creating a series of “learning pathways” or micro-courses offering a guided progression through collections of resources aimed at specific topics, levels and learning outcomes.

I am very excited about all the future developments we are planning for the Online Academy. We are fine tuning content and presentation based on your feedback, so any ideas or suggestions you have for what you would like to see included are very welcome. Please keep them coming!

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