Grade Five - then what?
When a student passes the landmark of Grade 5 we thought it would be a good time to offer them the experience being a soloist. This was the thinking behind a phone call I made to Alan Ridout. He was a man who loved to write for actual performances, and spent a lot of time encouraging musical youngsters.
The result of a long and riotous conversation, which puzzled the people in my office at the time, was a delicious series of Concertinos. Each piece could be played with piano, but was also scored for strings, so that the player could have a first taste of performing with a small orchestra (or string quartet.)
Once he had started he kept going, completing Concertinos for:
Flute
Oboe
Cor Anglais
Clarinet
Saxophone
Bassoon
Horn
Trumpet
Flugel Horn
Trombone
Tuba
Bassoon
Several of these have been on exam syllabuses over the years, but not everybody is aware that there are string parts available for performance. If you have a student who would benefit from a bit of stage experience, please give them this opportunity.
