Nb. We are awaiting dates for 2025 admissions. Please see the school web site for latest information.
Have you got a burning question about the Music Scholarship process? Ask us anything about the Music Aptitude Test and Music Scholarship process for secondary schools here: http://eepurl.com/gfGsdH
Music Scholarship Preparation at the SE22 Piano School
London Year 6 students: The Bishop Stortford’s High School Music Aptitude Test takes place on Saturday 7October 2023.
You can download and practice the specimen Aural Tests online so that you know what kind of tests to expect. See more about the tests here.
Pitch: for these questions, candidates listen to two sounds and have to indicate whether the second sound is the same as the first, or whether it is higher or lower. Some of the pitches are less than a semitone apart. 20 questions.
Melody: for these questions, candidates listen to two tunes consisting of five notes. Candidates have to decide whether the second tune is the same as the first or if one of the notes has been altered. If there is a change, candidates will be expected to identify which note has been altered, by giving the number of the note. 10 questions.
Texture: for these questions, candidates listen to a number of notes played together at the same time; this is called a chord. Candidates need to decide whether or not each chord has two, three or four notes. 20 questions.
Rhythm: for these questions, candidates listen to two patterns of notes and have to decide whether the second pattern is the same as, or different from, the first, and where any difference occurs. Each rhythm will be four beats (or pulses) in length. 10 questions.
Helping you prepare for the Music Aptitude Tests and scholarships
As a private music teacher, it is my role each year to guide many students through the State Secondary Music Scholarship process. This is very different to the private school music scholarship system and uses a test called the Music Aptitude Test (MAT) as part of the selection criteria for most UK schools. The MAT is is designed to look for inherent musicality in a student. The test is designed to determine the listening skills and the ability to discern detail in pitch, texture, and rhythm.
However there is no standard MAT test used across the board and each school will use their own variety of test. Some schools include graphic scores to represent volume and tempo changes. Other schools use a variety of instruments and ask you how many different ones you can hear. Some schools will vary the test each year and not all will publish guidelines on what you will hear on the day. These variables mean that preparing for the test without the guidance of a teacher that is familiar with the MAT is a challenge.
Luckily there are many good resources available and more teachers are becoming familiar with the scholarship system. It is entirely possible to prepare for a Music Aptitude Test if you know what to practice and allow enough time to prepare. Preparing last-minute can often lead a student to feel stressed about the test so we advise leaving at least half a term in advance to prepare before the tests in the Autumn term.
The Format of the Music Aptitude Test
Many schools use a two-round system for the State Secondary Music Scholarship process. Round One is in the form of a listening or aural test called the Music Aptitude Test. Some schools may listen to you perform an instrument or sing on the same day, but the majority of schools will mark the tests and then only call you back to audition if you attain a certain score on the test. The pass-mark is often determined by selecting a certain top percentage to return but I have noticed that some schools invite back anyone scoring higher than 46 out of 60 on the Standard MAT test.
I mentioned above that the test measures listening skills. It is very common for the test to measure the ability to discern detail in things like pitch, texture, and rhythm. The test format can be any of the following:
A group of students sit in a room with an answer sheet in front of them and the test is played out loud
The test is conducted individually with a music tutor who sits at a piano and plays and asks questions, similar to the Aural section of a graded music exam.
I have often been asked whether the student will sit at a computer with headphones and individually answer the test but as far as I am aware, no school uses this system. I presume the reason is that a high number of applicants are sitting the test and most schools wouldn’t have the resources to accommodate this.
Whilst the contents of the test are kept secret, I do thoroughly question my students each year to find out as much information as possible about the test. I use this as a basis for training and helping my students feel confident on test day. With many students over a decade successfully gaining full scholarships, I am convinced that forward planning and preparation is the key to success with the Music Aptitude Test process.
What is the Music Aptitude Test?
What if you fail a Musical Aptitude Test?
If you fail a musical aptitude test it doesn’t mean you’re not musical. It often means that the test presented to you was unfamiliar and may have found you outside of your comfort zone.
The good news is that even though schools are looking for inherent musical aptitude, it can be acquired so long as you know what to practice. By working with your teacher and using online materials, you’re going to become more aware of the types of questions that could come up which will help you feel a lot more confident going into the test.
The Format of the Music Aptitude Test
Many schools use a 4-part test consisting of up to 60 questions. The four parts are described below:
Pitch
You will almost certainly be asked about pitch which is the vertical relationship between notes. For example, you will hear three notes played and you are asked which note is the highest. You select the first, second or third.
Melody
A short tune is played to you. It may then be played again but with a variation. You may be asked to identify a change in the melody by describing it or raising your hand when you hear the change, or answering whether the first tune was the same or different to the second tune.
Texture
This is by far the trickiest section of the test even though it sounds quite simple. Most tests will you give you a chord containing 2, 3 or 4 notes and you have to identify how many different notes make up the overall texture. This is always the section that requires the most practice. If you only practice one section, make sure it’s this one!
Rhythm
Similar to the melody section, you will hear a short tune played twice. There may be a change to identify or simply mark whether the second tune differed from the first.
Additional Questions
Here is just a small selection of questions students have been asked:
A note is played and the student is asked to sing it back. This is very easy to practise with your teacher. A variation of this would be singing back a short melody – very similar in style to the ABRSM graded exam aural tests.
Clapping back a short rhythm
3. Instrumental texture: How many instruments are playing, and can you name them?
Very best of luck to all the students sitting the Music Scholarship for this year’s state secondary admissions. For further reading, visit the dedicated MAT training web site. Individual lessons are also available.
Please note our Scholarship Specialist teachers are unable to offer phone or email consultations or support but we will answer all your questions about the scholarship process in the 60 minute lesson.
And finally – please note that many parents contact us and ask us if we offer the exact test for download and can prepare them for the very same questions they will hear on the day of the test. The simple answer to this is no. Each school uses a different version of the MAT test and they change it each year. We offer sample training tests for online download that are very useful tools to help familiarise you with the style of tests you will hear on the day.
Monday 9 September – Saturday 26 October (7 lessons) Half Term (1 week) Monday 4 November – Saturday 21 December (7 lessons)
Monday 6 January – Saturday 15 February (6 lessons) Half Term (1 week) Monday 24 February – Saturday 5 April (6 lessons)
No lesson on Monday 21 April & 5 May for Monday students (Bank Holiday)
Tuesday 22 April – Saturday 24 May (5 lessons / 3 lessons for Monday students) Half Term (1 week) Monday 2 June – Saturday 19 July (7 lessons)
TOTAL LESSONS: 38 lessons (36 for Monday students)
Here is some information about the Consultation Lesson and the terms and conditions.
How the Consultation Lesson Works We understand that you will have a lot of questions about starting piano, singing or guitar lessons. The most common of these is what age should we start lessons. This varies but generally anywhere from age 4 upwards is a guideline for starting. We can only assess readiness to start when you book a consultation lesson as no two students are alike. Consultation lessons are 30 minutes in duration and 1-to-1 only. We do not offer group tutoring. Parents are welcome to stay for this session. We also have many adult students too – it is never too late to start!
The consultation lesson is £50 and is payable in advance by online banking only. You will have time during the 30 minute lesson to speak to the teacher and we allow for 5 minutes at the end for a discussion of what we covered and how to progress. After the consultation lesson, we give you 24 hours to pay the balance of fees for the remainder of the term. We are unable to hold spaces open for students that do not contact us within this time period. Lessons are £45 for 30 minutes plus a new student registration fee of £20. We follow the Southwark state school timetable. We do not charge for holidays when we are closed. Your lesson time remains the same for the academic year and we do not refund or reschedule missed lessons for any reason as we are a private school.
About the SE22 Piano School We offer music lessons for adults and children from age 4 or 5. The business was established from a private residence in East Dulwich in 2007 before moving to commercial premises just off Lordship Lane and we have been in this property for well over 10 years now. You can read more about our piano school’s journey here. We are proud winners of the Southwark Business Awards and we are partnered with Casio pianos.
Our students can follow a graded exam system or they can just learn for pleasure. We teach various styles of music including pop, classical and jazz. We include skills such as ear tests, aural training, improv and sight-reading in lessons. Some students will go on to achieve Music Scholarships to local schools such as Kingsdale, Prendergast and Haberdashers and we offer specialist tutoring for these entrance exams. We also tutor students for all local private schools (Dulwich College, JAGS, Alleyns). In addition to the weekly lesson we offer twice-yearly performance opportunities at our student recitals.
Our Team Please click here to read the teacher bios. We don’t just teach piano, we also offer singing and guitar lessons too. Our teachers also offer lessons in a variety of languages (French, Spanish, Russian and Bulgarian).
Please watch our welcome video from our Head Teacher Lorraine:
At your first lesson your teacher will go through the Terms and Conditions for lessons with you. These are included below and we ask all parents to sign a copy of these both electronically and on paper which you keep for your records.
Please sign up to our mailing list and agree to the terms and conditions for lessons before attending your first lesson. (Mailing list link provided by email when you register).
Term Dates are listed on your invoice and on our website. www.se22piano.co.uk. We are unable to respond to emails asking for term dates but we have included this information on the auto-reply for your convenience.
Nb. We cannot swap or refund missed lessons as our timetable is heavily booked without any breaks and your teacher only works set days. Your lesson time is your weekly slot and cannot be altered so please look after it carefully!
Late payments incur an admin fee of £10. This is automatically added to your next invoice should you pay late. For the smooth running of the piano school, we rely on your cooperation to settle all invoices no later than 5pm on the last Monday of each half term.
You can choose from the entire Casio digital piano range and get 20% off any Casio piano and keyboard* when purchasing direct from casio.co.uk/emi. Email se22pianoschool {@} gmail.com for the discount code.
*Sale items excluded.
Terms and Conditions for Lessons:
We do not reschedule or refund missed lessons as we operate the same terms as a private school
Your lesson time remains the same for the academic year
A supply teacher will be used if your teacher is not available
In the case of lockdown, lessons will be online. No refund or carrying over of lessons is allowed so please ensure you are able to attend Zoom lessons before you enrol for lessons.
Late payment of an invoice incurs a £10 administration charge. We reserve the right to give away your space if payment is not received after issuing one reminder.
Your teacher is the first point of contact for all queries. They will contact our admin team on your behalf if they are unable to assist you.
One term’s written notice is required to quit lessons. This allows us ample time to advertise the space and fill with another student.
Payment is by online banking only on the last Monday of each half-term for the next block of lessons. We do not offer lessons during the school holidays and no charge is made for lessons during this period.
How to Contact The Piano School
Please note we do not have a full-time administrator and your teacher will be able to answer all questions about progress, purchasing books, exams and any other music-related queries you may have. Our administrator primarily focusses on issuing invoices and chasing late payments. If you have asked your teacher a question and they cannot answer they will ask our administrator to assist you.
