LTCL Recital

Well, I know it’s a bit too early to discuss about what I’m going to do after my SPM examinations when I haven’t even started my first SPM written paper. But, I think there is no harm planning in advance.

Actually, I figured out that as I’m not selected for National Service, I’ll have approximately half a year off. That means half a year of holidays, with no school work whatsoever! I’ve got to get a part-time job (maybe in school, hopefully I can be a part-time teacher) or else I’ll rot at home. But I can’t just be working and doing nothing else, and I have the desire to further my musical studies.

Currently, I’m an Associates Diploma graduate from the Australian Music Examinations Board (believe me, although the exam fee is cheap, the standard of assessment is very high; Trinity College exams are more expensive, but less stringent), bearing the AMusA title. But I just don’t want to stop here. I want to go even further but this time not under Australian Music Examinations Board anymore. Their requirements are way too much.

I plan to continue in a Licentiates course by Trinity College London (TCL). I’ve already downloaded the syllabus and went through the repertoire list. However, out of curiousity I’ve also checked the syllabus of the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). The repertoires listed are quite difficult, but I might consider some of the pieces there to be used in my Licentiates course in TCL under Candidate’s-choice programme repertoire. I plan to do my Licentiates (LTCL Recital) degree on my own. If I pass, then I’ll have two titles. A pass in LTCL Recital gives you the LTCL (Licentiates of Trinity College London) title. Currently, in one of my friend’s presentations about the Chinese Orchestra, he did a profile on me and wrote my name as Yew Guo Zheng, AMusA. OK, I’m not bragging, but this is how things work. I deserve that honour, don’t I (wink)?

However, I’m facing a problem. As I’m doing this course on my own, I’ll have to be my own teacher. Performing repertoires isn’t a problem for me, but preparing a written programme note for every repertoire is. I’ve never done this before as I was required to sit for an interview (called the Viva Voce) instead of presenting programme notes. In LTCL Recital, there is no Viva Voce so I’ve no choice but to present my programme notes and I don’t know exactly how.

I was asked by a friend to be his page-turner (he was my page-turner when I was sitting for my AMusA examination) this coming Wednesday for his ATCL (Associates of Trinity College London) Recital examination. Maybe and hopefully I’ll be able to observe how he presents his programme notes. Maybe that will give me a rough idea.

Here, I’d like to ask for assistance to those who have gone through this process of preparing your programme notes. Anybody who has already obtained an ATCL, LTCL or FTCL degree is welcomed to share your experiences with me (because I need it, especially for my programme notes. Hehehe…) Those who have obtained their diploma degrees, could you please be kind enough to shed some light for me? I’ll really appreciate it.

To end this entry, it is only fair that everyone gets to know that I shall not be online or blogging for the next two to three weeks due to public examinations. Therefore, I hope to see you readers again putting in comments for me in around December 2005.

With that, I wish all SPM and STPM students best of luck in their exams. See you again later.