Music Theory Lessons
Music theory lessons to prepare you for your ABRSM Theory Exam
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MUSIC THEORY LESSONS IN SINGAPORE
So you are thinking about taking some music theory lessons in Singapore? Perhaps they are for your child who needs a certain level of music theory to pass their practical exams. Perhaps you have decided that it is something that you would love to learn yourself. Whatever your reasoning, taking music theory lessons can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
However, it can be difficult to know where to begin in finding suitable classes and a suitable teacher. That’s why we’re here. With this article, we will guide you through everything you need to know and think about before you start taking music theory lessons in terms of music theory lessons price, where to take them, and how often.
WHAT IS MUSIC THEORY?
Music Theory is the study of the fundamental rules of music. Basically, it tells you on paper how music works. It defines the aspects of music and provides a numerical-based system on paper so that musicians can communicate their ideas to other players.
There are many different levels of music theory and you will be able to progress through these levels of difficulty during your music theory lessons. Usually, music theory lessons are divided into ‘grades’ much like the practical exams that many students take. Once you reach Grade 8, you have reached the highest level of music theory!
WHY DO YOU NEED TO LEARN MUSIC THEORY?
Learning music theory is vital in furthering your musical development. In order to be able to understand your instrument fully, and understand the music that you are playing during your music lesson, for example, violin lessons, you will need to study music theory.
Music theory can be extremely complicated and without music theory lessons, you may struggle to learn it completely. Not only will music theory help you become a better musician, many performance exams require the student to undertake music theory exams in order to be able to progress. For instance, in order to move on to Grade 6 violin, you must have completed your Grade 5 theory. In these circumstances, if you do not complete the music theory class or exam, you will not be able to progress to the higher classes in violin performance. You may combine your music lesson together with your music theory lesson. For example, 30 minutes piano lesson and 15 minutes music theory lesson.
BENEFITS OF HAVING MUSIC THEORY LESSONS
There is a multitude of reasons why people take a music theory class, and there are many benefits that explain it. Here we have detailed the main five benefits of learning music theory:
Learning your pieces faster and better
By learning music theory you will better understand the music that you are playing and therefore, will be able to translate this knowledge into the practical performance of the piece. Having a clear understanding of the music behind the piece will, no doubt, help you learn it faster. You will be able to identify many musical themes in the piece, which will help you translate this to your instrument. Without this knowledge, you will struggle to effectively learn the piece as fast as if you could if you did have this knowledge.
It helps with creativity
One of the main benefits of learning music theory is the ability to improvise and become more creative with your music. If you learn the ‘rules’ of music theory well, you will be able to effectively and quickly transfer this knowledge to your instrument. You will be able to predict chord and harmonic changes. This means that you can improve on the spot and join in on ‘jams’ with other musicians with very few problems. If writing your own music and playing with other musicians is a big goal of yours, then you should definitely put some time and effort into learning music theory.
It helps when learning a new instrument
If you are planning on learning another instrument then having a solid knowledge of music theory will help you tremendously with this. Since you will already have the knowledge of transcribing music, scales, keys, and many more things, transferring this knowledge to another instrument will be much easier than if you were to start learning without this knowledge foundation. If it is a goal of yours to learn many new instruments, then taking music theory classes is a necessity for you.
Appreciate music better
Since you will be developing a niche, in-depth knowledge of music, and how it actually works, you will gain a newfound understanding for any music that you listen to. You will be able to identify clever things that the composer or songwriter has done, which will only surprise you more and more. Having this new appreciation for music will give you an intense pleasure that you may not have gotten from the piece of music previously.
It helps with sight-reading
By taking music theory lessons, you will be better at predicting what progressions and different structures will be happening within a given piece. This will undoubtedly give you a much better skill in sight-reading and increase the learning effectiveness of your music lesson. As you will understand the different intervals at a deep level, you will be better at recognising these on paper at rapid speeds, making your sight-reading much better than before.
Overview of what you will learn
Music theory lessons in Singapore will assist you in understanding the foundations of how music is composed. There will be a variety of topics to cover, and these topics will change depending on what level of music theory you are studying at. Music theory lessons will examine the elements that make up a piece of music. This will range from notation, key signatures, time signatures, scales, chords, rhythm, cadences, and many more elements. Within music theory class you will also look at composition techniques, meaning you will have to essentially compose or ‘fill in’ a part of a piece of music.
You will also look at music historical analysis and Italian terms. In addition, research showed a group of cello students who did music theory lessons in addition to cello lesson scored an overall better result in their music exams.
What Music Theory can progress to
As previously mentioned, many performance examinations can not be completed until you have undertaken some kind of music theory exam also. If you are planning on taking an exam with the ABRSM or Trinity College London, you will need to complete the Grade 5 music theory exam before you can progress to the Grade 6 performance exam.
Music theory can give you a great foundation in learning music at GCSE and A level exams, so if you or your child is undertaking exams at this level it would be wise to consider music theory classes. Not only that, but having completed music theory examinations up to a certain standard will look great on your University application! The ABRSM or Trinity College London music theory examinations are internationally-recognized and can be counted as an academic qualification.
Online or In-person Music Theory lessons
If you are considering taking music theory lessons in Singapore you can choose to take them in-person or online. At the LVL Music Academy, we offer both ways of undertaking your music theory class. If you decide to take your music theory classes with us, you will learn and train under the Associated Board of Royal School of Musics (ABRSM) graded exam syllabus, with expert teachers who are professionally trained and highly experienced.
The course provided by the LVL Music Academy will ensure that every student registered will undergo a thorough education designed to improve your melody writing, music theory knowledge and more. You will gain the upper hand within music theory and learn the essentials from understanding to interpreting a wide variety of scores and styles of music. Every student will encounter difficulty in their learning, of course, but with the LVL Music Academy, our teachers are trained specifically to simplify complicated concepts that will help students overcome even the most challenging parts of this course.
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