By OUR STAFF REPORTER
MUSSOORIE, 18 Nov: Woodstock School is a 165 year old international residential school with students and staff from across the globe. The school has fostered a rich heritage of music education over the course of its history. The music department is one of the largest among the academic departments, with requires music for students in grades K to 8 and an optional elective for grades 9 to 12. The focus of the instrumental programme is on the ensembles including choir, orchestra and band, besides Indian music, piano and classical guitar. Students have numerous performance opportunities at recitals and concerts, both formal and informal. Students also opt to take external exams conducted by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music every year, both practical and theory. Woodstock School organised a Teacher Support Workshop here, today, with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London. During this workshop the teachers and senior students from Uttarakhand Region gained helpful insights into the aspects of musical performance which needs to be considered when preparing for an ABRSM exam. The session explained how the structure of an exam works, demonstrating how examiners apply the ABRSM marking criteria to assess the pieces or songs. They came away with creative ways to use the criteria to prepare their students for their exam and a clear understanding of how the mark form comments are intended to help guide the students’ future musical development. Ravi Arthur, Head of Music – Woodstock School, organised the workshop, having introduced the ABRSM exams to Woodstock School 25 years ago. ABRSM Examiner Christopher Baxter conducted the informative and interactive workshop, today, according to ABRSM Representative Sonia Khan.
