Today I had the great pleasure of presenting an ABRSM Grade 5 Pass certificate to my pupil Mark. His improvement over the last couple of years has been amazing!

Mark played a wonderful programme consisting of: Bach: Andante, T. A. Arne: Presto (2nd movt from Sonata No. 6), Tchaikovsky: Douce rêverie (No. 21 from Album pour enfants, Op. 39) and finishing with Heather Hammond: Changing Times (from Cool Piano 5).

The examiners notes were a pleasure to read: Bach: Andante “Played with a tastefully moderated touch, the opening phrases flowed eloquently.”, T. A. Arne: Presto (2nd movt from Sonata No. 6) “A neatly articulated start to this… hands were balanced.”, Tchaikovsky: Douce rêverie (No. 21 from Album pour enfants, Op. 39) “Pedalling warmed and blended the textures, acknowledging the Romantic origins of this piece. Much of this was fluent and accurate.”, Heather Hammond: Changing Times (from Cool Piano 5) “An accurate start to this… remained broadly secure.”

Summing up the performance “An apt sequence of pieces was presented… the technical delivery was largely reliable… there were some well-communicated moments in the slower paced items.”

I would like to thank Mark for his hard work as we finalised his preparation in the lead-up to the exam and also for having confidence in me to teach him.