In preparing candidates for a music examination, tutors often find the aural test sections difficult to teach. All too often it is only the looming exam date that motivates efforts to improve this area of musicianship, by which time, it is usually too late as these are not skills that can be acquired easily by ‘cramming’. The two main practical problems in teaching aural tests appear to be:

The second of these is not such a problem for teachers who improvise well, although few will be able to improvise (and then repeat precisely) useful examples of the more involved type, which require strict attention to mood, key, dynamic detail, etc. With this in mind, any resource that provides a series of graded examples is a welcome addition to any armoury of teaching aids. If nothing else, Roy Wilkinson and Maria Chen's ABC of Aural Awareness certainly does that. The availability of an accompanying cassette also goes some way towards tackling the first of the above points, especially for teachers who are not keyboard literate, although only the first three books are complimented with this option; in the higher grades the tests are too complicated to benefit easily from taped examples.

The first three books cover grades 1 to 5, and provide sufficient exercises to help the majority of pupils attain an acceptable level. I was disappointed, however, to find that a series called ABC of Aural Awareness should not discuss initial approaches to teaching aural in these early grades. Pupils with a lower natural aptitude can easily bewilder a teacher, and repetition of example after example is not always going to be the best method for improvement. This seems to be a missed opportunity to provide specific guidelines, or at least suggestions for methods of teaching this difficult subject.

The two higher-grade books fare much better in this respect. Grades 6 and 7 are given a whole book each, a sensible approach since here the tests become much more demanding. Each section begins with advice under the headings ‘guidelines’ and ‘preparation’. Generally, this is well thought out and useful information, especially in sections where extensive details of textural styles, typical dance rhythms and formal patterns attempt help pupils cope with the complexities of the questions. Information is presented in a sensible progression that is easy to follow, and where appropriate, such as in the section on modulations, pupils are encouraged to play examples in order to create mental associations between what they hear and the type of modulation being explored. Cadences are another example of this.

It would be difficult not to recommend this series to teachers, as the sheer number of examples provided will doubtless make life much easier. My only reservation is the lack of teaching advice for the lower grades; it is certainly not always easier to help lower grade pupils improve in this subject, and I’m sure most teachers would welcome some words of advice on the matter.

Gavin Meredith