Since 1991, Rockschool (RSL) has been striving to change the landscape of formal music education, providing a viable alternative for many to the traditional classical grade examinations for almost three decades. The number of different disciplines offered (including all ‘rock band’ instruments as well as ukulele and music production) is hitting double figures this year with the revamped piano and keys books giving students even more choice on their journey towards becoming master of their favourite instrument.
Last year saw the release of the guitar, bass and drums suite of performance pieces, updating their most popular disciplines with 170 new songs, from 100 world-renowned artists, across seven decades. Even from their pre-Grade 1 Debut exam, students can now play real songs they recognise to tracks recorded by top session musicians at Real World Studios. These tracks enable the performer to feel like they are part of a real band from the outset, developing key listening skills and a sense of pulse without having to wrestle with a metronome. Included in the audio download bundle for each book are full tracks, allowing the student to hear their part played over the backing as a reference point (useful for tone, interpretation, feel and solo examples).
The database can be filtered by location and specialisation
RSL has tailored each piece to the appropriate standard which means that the student is challenged but not demotivated by unrealistic technical demands. For example, guitarists begin by learning power chords, simplified open chords, and mainly first position pentatonic melodies, before progressing through palm muting, partial barre chords, faster alternate picking and various bends. Certain popular genres call for specific styles and techniques of playing, so from a teacher's point of view, the broad selection of pieces ensures the student develops into a competent all-round instrumentalist and musician.
Adding lots of detail to your profile can help you to stand out
Features which have continued to be included are the excellent ‘Background Info’ and ‘Walkthrough’ pages, putting the song and artist into context as well as discussing instrument and amplifier settings and relevant theory components. Each grade book lists the required ‘Technical Exercises’ and an example of the ‘Sight Reading’, ‘Improvisation and Interpretation’, ‘Ear Tests’ and ‘General Musicianship Questions’ elements of the exam. Along with the three performance pieces, this all adds up to create a well-rounded candidate with qualifications that are valued and respected.
A resource which goes hand in hand with these new publications and has been steadily growing over the last six months is the RSL worldwide online teacher registry. No longer do students have to scour coffee shop noticeboards or put up the bat signal to their entire social circle when searching for the next Dewey Finn. Along with purchasing sheet music and booking exams, students can now search for local teachers directly on the RSL website, comparing locations, qualifications and rates.
As a teacher, the sign-up process is straightforward. After supplying your personal details and which teaching specialisations you teach, you have the option to add a photograph, biography, details of certifications held and up to four testimonials. RSL lets prospective students search by country, city or specialisation and helpfully displays the teacher's location on a map for each listing. No clumsy messaging platform gets in the way, as contact and website details are all listed in plain view.
Looking to the future there is no doubt the number of teacher profiles will grow, especially abroad where RSL have been expanding their reach this year by holding presentations, conferences and launch events. Online integration such as this can only help to save everyone valuable time to spend with their chosen instrument.
