ABRSM Joining the Dots for Piano - Grade 5

Description

A Fresh Approach to Piano Sight-Reading -- "Sight-reading can be the aspect of learning that pupils find most difficult and frustrating, and which fills them with most fear when exam-time comes along. We all know that the skill of playing at sight is one of the most useful - and time-saving - for any musician, but helping our pupils to progess with their sight-reading, rather than merely undertaking tests in it, is a challenge to which there is no easy answer. ... Joining the Dots not only join[s] the musical 'dots' but also join[s] together different aspects of music making - knowledge of keys, technical exercises, improvisation, and playing at sight. The aim is to enable more effective learning of new music by developing a greater awareness of keyboard goegraphy. ... The five books in this new series for the piano cover the keys found in ABRSM's sight-reading tests at each of Grades 1 to 5, with a separate section for each key used within the tests at the corresponding grade. ... Similar activities are presented at an equivalent level in each key, so that your pupil can jump to any section, using the varied but logically organized material, alongside pieces, scales, and arpeggios/broken chords that are being learnt in that key." (Alan Bullard)

"Bullard's series is so appealing and well conceived that even students not participating in the ABRSM system should find it immensely useful....The strength of the series lies in the fine quality and variety of the reading pieces and in the engagingly creative activities in the 'Make Music' sections....Students will applaud him because these activities are lots of fun."--Brian Marks (AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER, December/January 2010, No. 11)