Video Lessons for Grade 8 Works Published!
Our fourth and last instalment concludes our series of video lessons for the ABRSM 2025 & 2026 syllabus with a selection of Grade 8 works by Debussy, Mozart, Melanie Bonis and Scott Joplin.
In this blog post, we give a preview of four of these lessons, beginning with Mozart’s famous Rondo alla Turca, followed by an impressionistic work by French composer, Mel Bonis, evoking the sound and feel of rain.
We continue our foray into impressionism with Debussy’s lyrical and deceptively simple Prelude, The Girl with the Flaxen Hair before finishing off in ragtime with Scott Joplin’s toe-tapping Maple Leaf Rag!
Video Previews
Grade 8 A1: Mozart – Alla Turca (3rd mvt from Sonata in A, K. 331)
Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca is the spirited final mvt of his Sonata in A major, K. 331, imitating the sound of Turkish Janissary bands known for their loud, rhythmic and often percussive music. In this excerpt from his video lesson for the full movement, Graham Fitch gives tips for pedalling, grace notes and dynamic contrasts in the rousing coda:
Grade 8 A2: Mel Bonis – Il pleut
Next up is a miniature by a French female composer, Mélanie Bonis, Il pleut which thoughtfully evokes the sound and feel of rain. In his video lesson, Graham explores the piece’s impressionistic textures and offers practical strategies for voicing, phrasing and layering of sound.
In this excerpt, Graham demonstrates how blocking can be used as a practice tool to learn the notes of the opening theme alongside developing an understanding of the harmonic structure:
Grade 8 B1: Debussy – La fille aux cheveux de lin (No. 8 from Préludes, Book 1)
Debussy’s The Girl with the Flaxen Hair is one of his most lyrical and deceptively simple preludes. It evokes a sense of innocence and naivety featuring a meandering melody, unconventional intervals, parallel chords and a pentatonic scale to create a dreamlike atmosphere.
In this excerpt, Graham gives some background to the work, delving into the poetic inspiration behind the piece (Leconte de Lisle):
In the full video, Graham provides a deeper understanding of tone production, dynamic restraint and pedalling to move beyond surface-level beauty and focus on colour, control and expressive nuance.
Grade 8 C2: Joplin – Maple Leaf Rag
Scott Joplin, popularly known as the ‘King of Ragtime’, wrote many lively, syncopated rags that became a major precursor to jazz; of which Maple Leaf Rag is a popular example. The constantly jumping left hand coupled with syncopated rhythms add to the sense of fun, but can be very troublesome for pianists!
In this excerpt, Graham takes us through the leaps in the beginning of the piece and demonstrates ways in which these can be practised to achieve greater accuracy:
Other Videos
The full video lessons for the works featured from Grade 8 in addition to two additional works by Scarlatti and Liszt can be viewed on the Online Academy via the following links:
- Grade 8 A1: Mozart – Alla Turca (3rd mvt from Sonata in A, K. 331)
- Grade 8 A2: Mel Bonis – Il pleut
- Grade 8 A3: D. Scarlatti – Sonata in C, K. 513
- Grade 8 B1: Debussy – La fille aux cheveux de lin (No. 8 from Préludes, Book 1)
- Grade 8 B3: Liszt – Consolation in E (No. 2 from Consolations, S. 172)
- Grade 8 C2: Joplin – Maple Leaf Rag
Click here to view the full index of a of videos for the 2025 & 2026 syllabus.
How to access?
The full video lessons are all included with a subscription to the Online Academy. Click here if you’d like to find out more about subscription options or click here to subscribe. Alternatively, they can also be purchased via the following links without subscription from our store:
Further Resources
We’ve also run a series of online workshops in partnership with the Piano Teachers’ Course UK and The Curious Piano Teachers on choosing the right repertoire, ideas for improvising on works from the syllabus and strategies for learning and connecting with new pieces. Click here to find out more or to purchase access to the workshop recordings and resources.
Links to more resources on previous syllabuses from the ABRSM and Trinity examination boards are available here.
Here’s what some of our subscribers and participants in online events have had to say about our resources for previous examination syllabuses:
- “Essential advice for any teacher preparing students for an exam or looking for graded repertoire ideas for their students.”
- “Although I’m not planning on doing exams, I discovered some lovely new pieces with loads of practical suggestions for how to learn and practise them!”
- “These workshops are a very nice complement to the Online Academy videos by giving the opportunity to ask questions and discuss specific topics. Graham was able to provide me with some excellent tips for assisting a student with a particular trouble spot.”
- “Graham has a unique ability to apply his vast knowledge at any level and show how to bring works from each grade to life!”