Delve deeper into ABRSM Performance Grades

Take an in-depth look at what makes a successful musical performance with ABRSM’s Chief Examiner, John Holmes.

In this interactive session, we will cover:

• The essential characteristics of performance
• Thoughts and ideas about how to devise an effective programme
• Key things to consider when choosing repertoire for a Performance Grade
• The order in which pieces are performed, including ideas from three teachers
• The marking criteria in greater depth, particularly how the ‘Performance as a Whole’ is assessed

You will leave with plenty of ideas and practical tips to help you plan an effective programme for a successful musical performance.

Webinar places are free but must be booked in advance, and spaces are allocated on a first come first served basis. 

Book your free place:

Monday 9 May: 1pm – 2pm (BST) Book now

Tuesday 7 June: 5pm – 6pm (BST) Book now

Thursday 7 July: 9am – 10am (BST) Book now

Monday 8 August: 4pm – 5pm (BST) Book now

John Holmes: Chief Examiner, ABRSM

John Holmes is Chief Examiner and an Executive Director of ABRSM, the UK’s largest music education body.

As Chief Examiner, John has strategic leadership of the ABRSM examining community of around 700 examiners, who deliver over 600,000 music exams in over 80 countries each year, and a department of 20 staff who manage the examining standards, quality and approach of ABRSM assessment. A teacher himself of over 30 years’ experience, John is committed to supporting progress in music teaching and learning worldwide, setting the musical and educational direction of ABRSM’s professional development offer for music teachers.

John has experience of ABRSM exams from a wide range of perspectives; as a candidate himself, as a parent, as a teacher, and since 1990, as an ABRSM examiner. Arriving as Chief Examiner in 2010, John’s vision was to transform the traditional perception of the examiner as ‘scary’, and his ABRSM Examiner’s maxim ‘I’ll do my best to help you do your best’ is at the heart of ABRSM examiner training and practice.

John is a champion for assessments that are both valid and reliable, which also inform and encourage future musical development. A large focus of John’s work has been to devise clear, transparent and helpful criteria for assessment; designed not only to facilitate objective and consistent examining, but also to be a useful tool for both teacher and learner in music lesson and curriculum planning, as well as practical exam preparation.

John read music at King’s College, Cambridge, studied piano with Bernard King and Alexander Kelly, and clarinet with Jack Brymer. As a clarinettist, he performed with professional orchestras, and for many years, John was Head of Woodwind and Head of Academic Music at Tonbridge School. He is passionate about nurturing the next generation of teachers and musicians, and leads the ABRSM team delivering presentations, teaching courses and online resources in the UK & overseas, with an active schedule himself as a presenter, trainer and adjudicator. John is co-author of Aural Training in Practice (ABRSM 2012), and regularly publishes articles and blogs about music education and assessment.