Essential Aural Skills

online course

This one-week online music course at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, led by professor Shelagh Sutherland, will help you practise your aural skills, accelerate the learning process and make your playing more expressive. You will work on listening and memorising skills up to the level required for Grade 5 ABRSM.

Course leader

Taught by Shelagh Sutherland, a freelance pianist who has been teaching piano, violin, singing and Alexander Technique since 1972. She has been teaching the aural course at the Guildhall School since 1990, which she was instrumental in designing.

Target group

- Ages 11-17
- Anyone who sings, plays and/or composes and wants to work on refining aural skills, whether for exams or personal development.

Course aim

You will work on listening and memorising skills up to the level required for Grade 5 ABRSM and Trinity exams for the following topics:

Melody:
- copying vocally and instrumentally
- interval recognition
- sight singing

Harmony:
- cadences
- chord-naming
- tonality
- modulation

Rhythm:
- recognising time-signatures
- clapping back
- sight clapping

- Practical working knowledge of theory up to ABRSM Grade 5
- Mistake spotting
- Style and historical period recognition
- Understanding of character within music (e.g. dance, lullaby)
- Understanding of form and structure, dynamics, phrasing and articulation

Fee info

GBP 400: £400

Scholarships

Participation Bursaries are available for this course. (Please note the application deadline for participation bursaries is 1 June 2021). Further information can be found on our website.