Blitz News - November 2009
By Samantha Coates
FANTASTIC WORKSHOPS!
Don’t miss out on Samantha and Abe’s fabulous ’Everything But the Pieces’ workshop tour 2010—back by popular demand! Go to www.blitzbooks.com.au/events/ for more information.
BlitzBooks: The Only Way to BLITZ Your Music Exams!
Blitz News
Greetings music teachers!
Where has the year gone? It seems like only a moment ago I was writing to you in May!
2009 has been a bumper year, starting off with fabulous feedback from the summer workshops, followed by some excellent Music Craft experiences, and now the release of Book 2 of How to Blitz! Sight Reading!
New Release: Sight Reading Book 2
The highly-anticipated second instalment of the Blitz Sight
Reading series has hit the shelves and is causing great excitement
in piano studios everywhere.
The unprecedented success of Book 1 (released last year) has
meant an incredible increase in sight reading skills across the
country!
Some of the new features in Book 2 include:
• Preparation for early Grade 3 to end Grade 4
• Six sections per level, with patterned key stickers
• 5-star rating system for sections or individual examples,
encouraging students to keep track of their progress all
the time
• Special reward stickers for various extra challenges along
the way
• 2-part rhythm reading, fingering exercises, tempo and
expression markings and much more
• Heaps of repertoire in a variety of styles
Praise for ‘How to Blitz! Sight Reading’:
“This resource is easily the best I’ve found. The students
actually want to open the book!” Helen Boer, NSW
“You’ve got a lot to answer for Samantha. Some amazing
things are happening with attitude and sight reading success.”
Di Burt, QLD
Summer Workshops: Everything But The Pieces!
Back by popular demand, these fantastic workshops will be taking place
around the country this coming January. Teachers all over Australia can
enjoy listening to Samantha Coates and Abe Cytrynowski talk on four
rarely-covered exam topics:
• Scales—focusing on the new piano syllabus
• Aural Tests—how to help students who struggle
• Sight Reading—detailed information on how to practice and
master the skill of sight reading, with a special focus on
Grades 3-4
• General Knowledge—handy resources for this often-neglected part of
exam preparation
We may even be joined by the fabulous ELISSA MILNE for some of the
workshops… we’ll keep you posted on www.blitzbooks.com.au!
Theory vs Musicianship vs Music Craft
With three written syllabuses to choose from, teachers and students now
have more choice than ever before!
It’s important to know exactly what’s in each syllabus in order to make
the right choice, particularly when sitting a prerequisite exam.
For example, a student sitting a Grade 6 practical exam on any instrument
is required to have completed a Grade 2 written prerequisite exam
in Theory, Musicianship or Music Craft.
However, despite the fact that they are all Grade 2, Theory, Musicianship
and Music Craft are vastly different from one another!
The link below has a download with a comparison (see page 4) of the requirements for Grade 2
across Theory, Musicianship and Music Craft.
Comparisons of the other grades (Preliminary to Grade 4) can be
downloaded from www.blitzbooks.com.au