The second of two films on harmony for beginners is particularly suitable for anyone preparing for the ARCO Diploma examination, where harmonising a melody is part of the keyboard skills tests.

This is the first of a series of two films on harmony, presented by Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick.  The films are aimed at complete beginners as well as those with some knowledge, and also will help those preparing for the ARCO exam.  This first film begins with introducing terminology, and looks at the seven chords of the major scale, cadences, and popular sequences of chords. 

Not all cathedral choirs are silent and choir leaders furloughed. We look at how some cathedrals and choral societies are finding ways to keep singers engaged with meaningful activities without a huge investment in equipment or new music, and investigate the practical issues around creating virtual choirs.

Anna Lapwood discusses three very different but engaging pieces by Bach, which will enrich your repertoire and stretch your technique.

Andrew McCrea takes a brief look at the rich history of organ anthology production in Britain in the last two centuries.

Only one inanimate object has been habitually described as having lungs or as being capable of a kind of mechanical breathing. That the organ lends itself to imagery and metaphor has not gone unnoticed: Francis O’Gorman takes this subject on by investigating a range of nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century poetry.

It may seem slightly perverse to be looking performance skills in Learning during Lockdown, when the coronavirus pandemic currently preventing most musicians from performing at all.  But lockdown is possibly an opportunity to step back and reflect on how we felt about our own performances in the past, and how they could improve.  iRCO has resources on performance techniques, and we look at competitions for organists that are still taking place in the next year.

Regular lessons may have fallen into abeyance during lockdown, and keeping up impetus and engagement in solitude can be difficult even for the best of us, without some sort of structure.  This week’s Learning during Lockdown looks at ways in which beginner and developing organists can gain inspiration and keep engaged through the structure of the RCO’s early qualifications, up to CRCO.  Established organists might like to use the enforced thinking time of lockdown to imagine how they could diversify their careers, and we have some suggestions.

A series of webinars, presented by Frederick Stocken, covering the Bach chorale question from the CRCO Diploma examination written paper.