London-based Chinese composer Zhenyan Li talks to Francesca Christmas about finding her voice as a composer, and how her work is inspired by elements of theatre and film. She discusses the ways in which her teachers encouraged her to be brave as a musician, and how she hopes her pieces can inspire students in the same way.   Zhenyan Li  has written two pieces for Trinity’s new piano syllabus: "A Peculiar Party" (Grade 1) and "Investigations" (Grade 8). Find out which opera performance and television series inspired the two pieces.

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Zhenyan Li

Cellist, music educator and composer Gill Walshaw talks about her career journey and how a chance opportunity at school ignited a life-long love for music. Gill, who has has written the Initial Grade piece "Train Ride" for Trinity's 2023 Piano Syllabus, shares her thoughts on the piece and how it can inspire young learners. Gill's arrangements for the syllabus also include "I Heard it through the Grapevine" for Grade 1 and "Writing's on the Wall" for Grade 2. 

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Jazz pianist Sam Leak talks to Francesca Christmas about his musical journey and the teachers and fellow musicians who have inspired him. Sam, who has arranged Duke Ellington’s "Don’t Mean a Thing" for Grade 2 in the 2023 Piano Syllabus, discusses how he worked to retain the sound and integrity of the original piece whilst meeting the parameters of the grade.    

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Finnish composer Mari Sainio talks about how an early love for improvisation and making her own arrangements led her to a career as a composer. Mari shares her tips for motivating students and encouraging them to compose their own pieces and bring into exams.  Mari describes herself as a storytelling composer who draws inspiration from Nordic nature and landscapes, something which is reflected in her two pieces for the Trinity 2023 Syllabus: "Snowfall" for Grade 6 and "Mountain Spirit" for Grade 3.  Mari has also arranged a number of pop pieces across the grades.  

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Julian Joseph, jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster, educator and author, talks to Francesca Christmas about the process of composition and his deep commitment to music education through the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy. Julian has contributed his arrangement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s ‘Deep River’ to the Grade 8 repertoire in Trinity’s 2023 Piano Syllabus. 

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Indian-born, Scotland-based composer Amit Anand discusses the importance of encouraging leaners to embrace different cultural influences, genres and sound worlds as they develop. Amit, whose own influences range from Hindustani and Carnatic music to Western Classical and global pop, has arranged songs by artists Katie Melua (Grade 1), Adele (Grade 3) and Alicia Keys (Grade 7) for the 2023 Piano Syllabus. Hear him share his thoughts on the challenges they each presented.  

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Music educator and musician Ravina from Mumbai talks about her joy of bringing music from India into the 2023 Piano Syllabus. Hear about her process of selecting songs and the challenges of arranging and notating pieces that spring primarily from an oral tradition.  Ravina also talks about her excitement of arranging the Pokémon Theme for Initial Grade. Ravina's arrangements are "Pokémon Theme" (Initial), "Lag Jaa Gale" (Grade 4) and "Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh" (Grade 5).

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Video games, visual media and theatre composer Mark Choi talks about how a love for music and video games combined with an education in computer engineering led him to a successful career as a composer. He shares interesting insights into the process of composing for video games and the unique challenges this genre poses.  

Mark has composed two pieces for Trinity’s 2023 Syllabus: "Learning to Ride" for Grade 2 and "A New Adventure" for Grade 8. Hear about the visual inspiration behind the pieces and how it is reflected in the music.  

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Jazz pianist, composer and educator Andrea Vicari shares stories from her varied career and discusses ways of igniting students’ interest in playing jazz and a broader range of musical styles. Andrea has played an integral part in shaping the jazz offering in Trinity’s 2023 Piano Syllabus. Hear about her work in selecting, crafting, composing and arranging the pieces.  

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Emmy Award-winning film and television composer Michael Price gives an illuminating insight into his experiences of composing for the screen, and shares his thoughts for aspiring musicians.  

Michael has written the film-inspired Grade 4 piece "They’re Getting Away" especially for the Trinity 2023 Piano Syllabus. Hear him discuss the processes he went through in composing his piece, to take the pianist beyond the teaching room and into the setting of a studio recording.

You can purchase "They're Getting Away" directly from the Trinity College eBook store. Get 10% off the piece by entering the discount code MPRICE23 at checkout.*

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*discount code applies to the product They're Getting Away by Michael Price only