PJC Music School

🩷 Isabelle Passes Her Pink Book 🩷

This afternoon, Isabelle passed her Pink Book with this performance of Hot Cross Buns.✨

I was particularly impressed with her counting and the huge improvement she has made to her pulse keeping. These are such important foundations for every young musician, and Isabelle has worked hard to develop them. 🎹

With her Pink Book now complete, she has moved on to her Orange Book, the second stage in our three-part Young Beginners Programme. An exciting next step on her musical journey! Well done, Isabelle! 🩷🧡💙

🎶 Watch Alex Learn Syncopation in Real Time! 🎶

One of the most exciting things about learning music is seeing those lightbulb moments happen right in front of you.💡

Our Intermediate students have been learning the melody and chords to Pink Pony Club in our five minutes of Composer Time at the end of each lesson. When Alex performed the chorus for the rest of the group on Sunday, it became the perfect teaching moment. Together, we explored how the melody sometimes falls between the main beats while the chords stay steady underneath. This rhythmic contrast, known as syncopation, is a huge part of what gives the song its infectious groove. 🕺🏻

What I love about this video is that you can actually see Alex working it out in real time. With a little experimentation, careful listening and determination, he begins to bring the rhythm to life. 🩷🧡💙

Learning to feel and perform syncopation is a big step in a young musician's development, and Alex should be incredibly proud of how quickly he grasped this challenging concept. A brilliant piece of musical problem-solving and a wonderful example of how much can be achieved through perseverance and a willingness to try. 👏🏻🎉

✨ Popular for a Reason ✨

In tonight's PJC Daily Showcase Katherine is performing Spooky Wood Hollow by Heather Hammond! 👻🌲

So many of our students have chosen this piece for their Grade 2 repertoire, and you can hear exactly why. It's fun, jazzy, full of character, and always a joy to listen to. 🥰

Katherine received a DISTINCTION for her Grade 2 Piano exam, and it was fully deserved. She works incredibly hard every week, always approaches challenges with a positive attitude, and is an absolute pleasure to teach. 👏🏻

A fantastic performance from a fantastic young musician. Well done Katherine! 🩷🧡💙

🎼 Joseph Masters Music Reading 🎼

This clever four-year-old did absolutely brilliantly today, showing off his fantastic music-reading skills! 👏🏻

At PJC Music Foundations, we have the time to revisit and reinforce these important concepts week after week. By starting young, children like Joseph learn to recognise musical notes just as naturally as words on a page. 🎶

Being able to read music is a wonderful gift that can open the door to a lifetime of musical enjoyment and confidence. Well done, Joseph! 🩷💙🧡

✨ Oliver’s Sparkling Strength ✨

For tonight's PJC Daily Showcase we have Oliver performing Sparkling Splashes and Smooth Water by Barbara Arens. 🎹

This performance comes from his ABRSM Grade 2 Piano exam, where he achieved a MERIT. 🎉

One thing that really stands out in Oliver's playing is his finger strength. The forte staccato sections are exciting, confident, and full of energy, yet he still manages to create a lovely contrast in the softer legato passages. 👏🏻

A musical performance with some excellent dynamic and articulation contrasts throughout. Well done Oliver! 🩷💙🧡

🎹 Annabel's Outstanding Timing 🎹

For tonight's PJC Daily Showcase we have Annabel performing The Muppet Show Theme by Sam Pottle and Jim Henson. 🐸

This is a superb example of timing and control. Many of our students working towards ABRSM Grade 3 Piano are currently learning this piece, which features extremely challenging syncopated rhythms, and Annabel delivers it in completely secure, metronomic time throughout. ⏱️

I would strongly recommend all current Grade 3 students working on this repertoire take a moment to listen to this outstanding performance as a model of steady pulse and rhythmic precision. 👏🏻

A really impressive and disciplined performance from Annabel! 🩷💙🧡

🎹 Music Foundations in Action 🎹

Our Music Foundations classes have been loving our shiny new floor piano. Such a fun and interactive way to get children learning music while keeping both their minds and bodies active! ✨💪🏻🎶

Today during Composer Time, Ezra absolutely smashed the melody to Pink Pony Club. A brilliant mix of listening, coordination and musical memory. Well done, Ezra! 🩷🧡💙

☁️ A Moment of Calm ☁️

I've been looking forward to sharing Sienna's performance of Cloudscapes by Ailbhe McDonagh. 🎹

Sienna received a DISTINCTION in her Grade 4 Piano exam back in May, and I think you'll be able to hear why in this beautiful performance. 🥰

She is only the second student at PJC to choose this piece since the syllabus was released in 2025, which I think is such a shame. It is an absolutely hauntingly beautiful work that I find both moving and incredibly relaxing to listen to. ✨

I hope you enjoy Sienna's performance as much as I do. 🩷🧡💙

Esmé Finds Her Voice! 💕🎹🎤

Esmé absolutely wowed the rest of her Advanced Group last night with this self-accompanied performance of Pink Pony Club. 👏🏻✨

Inspired by our Composer of the Month, Chappell Roan, Esmé went home and taught herself the entire song. Her voice suits it beautifully, with a rich, powerful lower register and soaring vocals through the bridge. 🎤🎹

This has all the makings of an epic PJC Daily Showcase by the end of the month, but I couldn't resist sharing this mini snapshot from the first minute of yesterday's performance. I'm so proud of her dedication, initiative and musicianship- the sky is the limit for her both as a pianist and singer! 🩷🧡💙