Jenny Soh Music School

🎹 Funny Piano Teacher’s Diary 🤣

On 20th May, Wednesday early in the morning, I was urgently
awakened by a phone call. (A piano teacher’s version of an emergency! 😆)

It was my piano agent, Fiona.

“Jenny! Jenny! I received several private Facebook enquiries for diploma piano lessons!”

Naturally, I thought, “Wow, some hardworking youngsters preparing for their exams?”

But guess who they were?

My long-lost friends from more than 20 years ago! 😱

These were the same three friends who used to spend school holidays jamming pop songs with me on the piano, laughing away and dreaming about life. Later, we all went our separate ways. They pursued university studies and respectable professions, while I was the stubborn one who gave up A Levels and continued with music.

Back then, they all tried very hard to persuade me:

“Jenny, don’t give up your academics!”

Of course, I didn’t listen. 🤣

I followed my heart instead.

Fast forward twenty-plus years later…

Who would have imagined that we would meet again?

And this time, instead of asking me to return to academics, they said:

“Jenny… maybe you made the right choice after all.”

After years of working as accountants and professionals, they confessed that although they had successful careers, they never truly found joy in what they were doing.

Now that they are old enough to make their own decisions (without their parents chasing them with report cards anymore 😆), they decided to come back and pursue the dream they had quietly kept in their hearts all these years — diploma piano.

Out of curiosity, I asked them:

“If we could travel back in time to 20 years ago, would you choose full-time music education instead?”

Ironically…

The answer was still NO! 🤣🤣🤣

Because even today, a music career is still uncertain and unpredictable. Most parents still prefer their children to focus on academic studies first.

And honestly, I understand.

⸻

❤️ But perhaps life isn’t really about asking:

“Did I choose the perfect path?”

Maybe the better question is:

“Did I continue to keep music alive in my heart?”

Because dreams don’t always expire at age 18.

Sometimes they take a coffee break for 20 years…

And then suddenly come knocking on your piano studio door with reading glasses, office bags, bad backs, and enough savings to finally pay for the lessons they always wanted. 😂

Looking at these smiles in the photos, I realise something.

We may have aged.

Some of us have become accountants, engineers, teachers, mothers and fathers.

Our hairlines may have moved backwards and our eyesight may require stronger spectacles… 🤣

But the joy of making music together?

That part never grew old.

Twenty years ago, we played piano for fun.

Twenty years later, we are still doing exactly the same thing.

Maybe that is what success really means.

Not fame.

Not money.

Not certificates.

But having something you still love after all these years.

And judging from the smiles in these photos…

I think all of us have graduated in something far more important than a diploma.

❤️ We graduated in not giving up on our dreams.

🎹✨

“Piano keys may turn yellow with age, but thankfully, musical dreams don’t.” 😆❤️

🎹💕

Most people in their late 50s are thinking about retirement plans.

My student Ms. Susie Phua decided to learn Ravel instead.

After successfully passing her Grade 8 piano exam, she is now continuing her musical journey with diploma-level repertoire and honestly… her musical interpretations sometimes surprise ME as the teacher.

I first met Susie through Pianover events many years ago. One thing I immediately noticed was her elegant stage presence and confidence. She never walks to the piano looking terrified as though the instrument is preparing to wrestle her publicly.

Meanwhile many younger piano students panic after one wrong note and immediately look like they want to disappear into another dimension.

What I enjoy most about teaching mature adult pianists is that they often bring deep life experiences into music. Sometimes Susie would suddenly play a soft “subito piano” during a climax and I would think:

“Wait… why does this actually sound so artistic?”

These are the moments that make piano lessons exciting.

Currently she is working on Ravel’s “Pavane for a Dead Princess,” a beautiful and atmospheric work full of rich harmonies, warm colours, and emotional depth. Honestly, she has very good taste in repertoire. Some people buy luxury handbags during midlife. Piano people buy Henle scores and discuss pedal markings for 45 minutes.

As a teacher specialising in ARSM diploma piano lessons and DipLCM diploma piano lessons in Singapore, I genuinely believe adult learners and mature pianists often develop unique musical voices that younger students may not naturally discover yet.

Diploma piano studies are not only about passing exams.

They are about discovering your artistic identity, imagination, and emotional storytelling through music.

And honestly… piano lessons become much more interesting when the student occasionally surprises the teacher too.

Diploma Piano Course for Senior Citizens, ARSM & DipLCM Diploma Piano Lessons. Perform By Susie Phua Many people think piano dreams expire after adulthood.Apparently my student Soo Ngern did not receive that memo.After successfully passing her Grade 8 piano ...

🎹 DIPLOMA PIANO EXAM CANDIDATES PLEASE… I BEG YOU… 😂

Some students preparing for DipLCM & ARSM diploma exams play Beethoven beautifully…

…but dress like they are going to:
❌ sleep
❌ gym
❌ buy chicken rice downstairs

One examiner basically gave this energy:
“Is this a diploma recital… or somebody sat at the piano after waking up from nap?” 😭

I have REALLY seen:
💀 Pajamas vibes
💀 T-shirt + jeans combo
💀 “Just came back from jogging” fashion
💀 Mini skirt so short even the examiner nervous to watch pedal work 😂

And then AFTER finishing a beautiful emotional Chopin piece…

Candidate immediately:
FLIP SCORE
“NEXT PIECE LET’S GO!!!” 🏃💨💨💨

Excuse me…
The examiner’s soul still floating in Paris with Debussy and suddenly got slapped into Prokofiev in 2 seconds. 😂😂😂

PLEASE.

Diploma piano exam is NOT:
❌ Amazing Race
❌ TikTok live
❌ Pajama home concert

At least let the last note die peacefully before murdering the next piece. 😭🎹

Moral of the story:
Sometimes wrong outfit and panic page-turning more memorable than the actual performance. 😂

What to wear - Piano Exam Recording? 2 Diploma Piano Exam Presentation Mistakes That Affect Results Top 2 Diploma Piano Exam Presentation Mistakes That Can Affect Your DipLCM & ARSM ResultsWhat Diploma Examiners Really Notice Beyond Just Wrong NotesMany pia...

🎼 Why Learn Fugue After Grade 8 Theory? Because Bach Is Not Done Torturing Us Yet 😂

Many students finish Grade 8 Theory and say:

“YES! I am finally free!”

Then AMusTCL appears and says:

“Hello. Please analyse Bach’s fugue.” 😃

And suddenly everyone realises… Grade 8 Theory was just the appetizer. The real main course is Bach serving subject, answer, countersubject, episode, stretto, augmentation, inversion… all on one musical plate.

But honestly, this fugue from Bach’s Partita No. 6 (Toccata–Fugue) is SUPER interesting.

Why?

Because fugue is basically musical gossip.

One voice starts talking:

“E–F #–G–A…”

Then another voice replies:

“Excuse me, I also want to say something.”

Then another voice interrupts.

Then they chase each other.

Then they overlap.

Then they all talk at the same time.

That is called stretto.

In normal life, we call it “family dinner conversation.”
In Bach, we call it “advanced contrapuntal craftsmanship.” 😂

What makes this fugue so fun is that Bach takes one tiny 4-note idea and uses it like a magician:

✨ turn it upside down = inversion
✨ make it longer = augmentation
✨ move it to different keys = modulation
✨ break it into fragments = episode
✨ make voices interrupt each other = stretto

Bach basically says:

“I only need 4 notes to create a whole universe.”

This is why diploma music theory after Grade 8 is so important.

Grade 8 teaches students what chords and cadences are.
Diploma theory teaches students how great composers think.

At diploma level, students learn to:
🎓 understand musical structure deeply
🎓 explain why a passage sounds exciting
🎓 analyse polyphonic writing
🎓 write mature exam answers
🎓 appreciate Bach instead of being traumatised by him

And for piano teachers, this knowledge is priceless. Once you understand fugue, you don’t just teach notes anymore — you teach musical intelligence.

So yes… Bach may look scary at first.

But once you understand him, fugue becomes like a detective game:

“Who entered first?”
“Who answered?”
“Who copied whom?”
“Who interrupted the conversation?”
“Why is everyone suddenly in B minor?” 😂

That is why I love teaching Bach Partita No. 6.

It makes students laugh, suffer slightly, and then suddenly say:

“Teacher… actually Bach is quite interesting.”

Mission accomplished. 😄

🎼 AMusTCL Bach Partita No. 6 Toccata–Fugue Analysis
Part 1 & Part 2 available in my members-only lessons.
Learn the fugue properly — before Bach starts chasing you in your dreams.

Jenny Soh 2 likes. "AMusTCL Bach Partita No.6 Analysis | Toccata–Fugue Explained + 8 Exam Questions You Must Know"

🎹 BIG NEWS from my piano studio today… I had the joy of meeting Mr. Ben Norbury, Head of LCM Music Examinations — yes, the very person who helps shape the syllabus and chooses repertoire for LCM exams! 😄 And also used to be the examiner who set the Amustcl diploma music theory exam papers many years back, 😆😎😎isn’t it cool??

And guess what… LCME Piano 2026 Grade 8 syllabus is looking VERY exciting. I told Ben, “You are making students want to practise more!” 😂

Some delightful surprises from the new Grade 8 repertoire preview:

✨ Beethoven Allegro Op.2 No.1 (yes, some serious fireworks!)✨ Bach Prelude and Fugue in C minor BWV 847 — hello Baroque lovers!✨ Debussy Dr Gradus ad Parnassum (I nearly cheered when I saw this!)✨ Scarlatti Sonata in D K443 — sparkling virtuosity✨ Rameau Les Cyclopes — exam pieces with attitude! 😆✨ Gershwin The Man I Love — yes, Gershwin in Grade 8!✨ Messiaen Prelude — who expected that?✨ Kapustin Sonatina Op.100 — jazz fingers beware!✨ Even quirky gems like Wireless Rag and Graceful Ghost Rag made me smile.

And the funniest ones are ‘Peppa pig theme song’ and ‘Diary of a fly’

I joked with Ben:“Did you design this syllabus for pianists… or to make teachers buy more scores?” 🤣

And wait… there’s more:

🎉 POPULAR PIANO list is coming too! He confirmed a separate Pop Music selection list will be published online soon.

So yes… LCM has officially decided:Why choose between Beethoven and pop songs, when you can have both? 😄

What I love is that the syllabus seems broader, fresher, and more imaginative — serious classical literature, hidden gems, modern colours, ragtime, jazz influences… even options that may suit different personalities of students much better.

Honestly… some of these pieces look so interesting I feel like sitting the Grade 8 exam myself again. 😂

Huge thanks to Ben for sharing insights about the new syllabus launch on 13 May.

Teachers and students — which pieces catch your eye?Are you team Bach, team Kapustin, or waiting for the Pop list like it’s a concert ticket release? 😆🎹

🚨 TRUE STORY (100% REAL… I wish I was joking 😅)

One of my students once wrote a Bach chorale…

Everything looked “okay”…
No wrong notes…
Very neat handwriting…

He confidently told me:
👉 “Teacher, I think this one can get full marks.”

I looked at it for 10 seconds…

Then I said:
“This will get FULL MARKS… for losing marks.” 💀

Why?

Because in Bach chorale…
❌ One parallel 5th = bye bye marks
❌ One wrong cadence = examiner say goodbye
❌ No decoration = sounds like robot singing

And the worst part?

👉 Most students don’t even know WHY they lost marks.

🎯 So in this video, I break down:
✔️ How examiners ACTUALLY mark your paper
✔️ The MOST COMMON mistakes (that kill your marks instantly)
✔️ Real “examiner secrets” they NEVER tell you
✔️ What a FULL MARKS answer actually looks like

⚠️ BUT…

This video is only a PUBLIC PREVIEW

I only reveal HALF of the full solution.

💣 The REAL powerful part is inside my MEMBERSHIP:

Inside, I show you:
🔥 Full step-by-step Bach chorale solutions
🔥 EXACT scoring techniques to secure marks
🔥 How to avoid hidden mistakes
🔥 20+ past year papers (gradually uploaded)
🔥 Melody writing + composition skills (very important for high marks)

💡 Think of it like this:

Public video = “You see the problem”
Membership = “You finally know how to score.”

😏 If you’re serious about:
✔️ Passing AMusTCL
✔️ Getting HIGH marks (not just pass)
✔️ Saving time instead of guessing

Then don’t stop halfway.

👉 Watch the preview first
👉 Then join the membership to unlock everything

📌 Cancel anytime
📌 Learn at your own pace
📌 Much cheaper than 1-to-1 lessons

AMusTCL Diploma Music Theory 2023C Bach Chorale | Watch Free Preview, Join Membership - Full Lesson AMusTCL Diploma Music Theory 2023C Bach Chorale | Public Lesson Preview + Full Member AccessWelcome back to this public AMusTCL Diploma Music Theory lesson o...

🎹✨ GRADE 8 STUDENTS… PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU LOSE MARKS AGAIN 😭

You studied so hard…
You memorised all your scales…
You practised your harmony…

…and then BOOM 💥
👉 Melody Writing comes out… and suddenly everything disappears from your brain 🫠

Sound familiar? 😅

Let me be very honest with you (and slightly dramatic also 🤭):

🎯 Most students don’t lose marks because they are not talented…
❌ They lose marks because nobody taught them a SYSTEM that actually works.

🎬 In this NEW video, I’m showing you:
✨ The EASIEST entry point to scoring FULL MARKS
✨ Step-by-step method using Simple Time, Regular Phrases (Major Key)
✨ A proven template based on how REAL classical composers write

Yes… not guessing… not “try your luck”…
👉 A SYSTEM.

😏 And here’s the truth nobody tells you:

If you only know ONE type…
and exam gives you something else…

👉 Good luck 😅

That’s why inside my full course, I break everything down into:

🔥 9 TYPES of Melody Writing

Because the exam can test:

Minor key 😵
Irregular phrases 😵‍💫
Compound time 😭

👉 And suddenly your “confidence” becomes… panic mode 🆘

💡 But here’s where things change:

Inside my Members-Only Videos, I teach you:

✔️ The EXACT template that students use to score FULL MARKS
✔️ How to use imitation (so your melody sounds correct instantly)
✔️ How to build a climax using sequences (like real composers 🎼)
✔️ How to structure everything using ternary form (A–B–A)
✔️ Hidden mistakes that students ALWAYS make (and don’t even realise 😱)

😂 Honestly… after learning this, many students tell me:
“WHY nobody teach this earlier???”

💰 Membership Details:
🎓 Full access to Parts 2–9 (ALL advanced types)
💡 Deep, structured teaching
💵 Only $75/month
🔓 Cancel anytime (no stress, no drama 😌)

🚨 If you are serious about:
✔️ Passing confidently
✔️ Getting distinction
✔️ NOT gambling in exam

👉 Then this is NOT optional… this is strategy.

🎬 Watch Part 1 here (FREE):
👉 https://youtu.be/Lgde2WWnVls

💬 Comment “FULL MARKS” if you’re aiming for distinction 😎
❤️ Like & Share to save your friends from suffering also 😂

Grade 8 Melody Writing FULL MARKS Secret (Pt. 1 Simple Time Major Regular Phrase) | ABRSM Exam Hacks Welcome to Part 1 of my Grade 8 melody writing series, where I introduce the simplest and most basic type of melody writing that can appear in ABRSM Grade 8 ...