Now in its fifth year, the RNCM Keyboard Focus Day (KFD) – sponsored by Yamaha – goes from strength to strength. Some 175 primary school children participated at this year’s event. The build up to began last December when 13 primary pupils from Manchester schools were chosen by their teachers to learn to play the piano. They were to be taught by RNCM keyboard students who were in their third year of study at the college and were tutored by Helen Krizos, assistant head of keyboard studies.

The benefits of KFD are two-fold: the pupils are introduced to instrumental music- making while RNCM students gain hands-on teaching experience. During their lessons the pupils were taught a piece of music for solo piano as well as a duet featuring their student teachers. The schools set up special assemblies where pupils performed their pieces to the whole school and their parents or guardians.

Classmates and pupils from two other schools (including one from Leicestershire) were invited to KFD to benefit from its programme of activity. The aim of the day was to encourage the children and their teachers to use music more in their classrooms and see how accessible and relevant different types of activity are.

Claremont Primary School – known for the day as the Horowitz group – was one of the schools participating. After the introduction in the RNCM Concert Hall, surrounded by pianos and harpsichords, Horowitz headed to a Kodály workshop led by Cyrilla Rowsell. Cyrilla played singing games, introducing the group to the concepts of pulse, rhythm and pitch. Then it was off to the RNCM Theatre and a stage full of the Hallé’s Gamelan Orchestra. Rachel Swindells, the Hallé’s community projects manager, explained what gamelan orchestra was and how it worked. The children learnt traditional playing techniques and some repertoire and were also given background information about the role of gamelan in Indonesian society. The next activity was a tour around the RNCM by RNCM students. The children were given a workbook to fill in so they had to have their wits about them!

After a lunch with background music played by RNCM students on Yamaha keyboards, supplied by Dawsons, the group experienced Dalcroze Eurhythmics with Bethan James. This unique method of learning music makes connections between the brain, the ear, the eye and the other body parts so we can be more alert, coordinated and balanced. Horowitz learnt about musical elements such as pulse and rhythm through  games and exercises in an energetic and fun workshop.

Their final activities were completely piano-based including jazz piano with Eileen  Guppy and contemporary piano with Kate Dixon. The jazz piano was a favourite as the children were introduced to rhythmic feels used in jazz (swing, latin and rock) in an interactive way, using clapping and singing. Each child was able to improvise on a keyboard each and the results were really exciting. The contemporary piano workshop saw many new mini-compositions composed in really imaginative and unique ways. Through using a prepared piano the children learnt that the piano could make music in all sorts of different ways – not just by using the keys.

But the highlight of KFD was – as always – the closing concert. The children who had been learning piano performed together and alongside their student teachers in a world premiere for 52 hands. Each year KFD commissions an RNCM composer to write a piece especially for the unusual ensemble. This year Matthew Sergeant took up the gauntlet and wrote the gargantuan Keyboard Pathways for seven harpsichords and six grand pianos allowing for four hands on each!  The concept behind the piece was a musical journey through a maze, with the harpsichords competing with the pianos as they made different journeys.  Not only was the sound fabulous, the visual aspect was incredible. Two of the student teachers even dressed up as Postman Pat and his cat Jess to play Ed Marsh’s Toccata on the theme tune of the much-loved children’s TV programme. It certainly  impressed the young audience, which showed its appreciation through rapturous clapping and cheering.

To mark the achievement of the pupils who had begun to learn the piano, Alistair Jones from Yamaha Music presented them with a certificate of achievement and each of their schools were given a Yamaha Keyboard to encourage the children and others to continue with their new-found talent.