005: Francesca Christmas Introduces the New Trinity College London Exam Series

Welcome to another podcast takeover with your host, Tim Topham! In this episode, we are joined by the brilliant Francesca Christmas, Director of Music and Director of Publishing at Trinity College London. With a background as both an opera singer and pop session singer, Francesca brings a wealth of experience to her role, overseeing the development of Trinity's international music assessment and publications portfolio. Francesca shared some insights into the improvements in Trinity's new syllabus, including the decision to extend the shelf life of syllabi to ensure continuity for teachers and learners. We delve into the different exam types offered by Trinity, ranging from face-to-face exams to digital grades and diplomas, and repertoire-only exams. Francesca also discusses Trinity's approach to diversifying the repertoire to reflect a broader range of styles, genres, and communities. Additionally, we touch on the importance of including minority and female composers to disrupt traditional beliefs about music education and encourage diversity in teaching. Join us as we dive into the world of music assessment and the exciting developments at Trinity College London!

• Francesca shares her background as a singer and instrumentalist, highlighting her experience with Trinity College of Music.
• Tim discusses the improvements in Trinity's new syllabus.
• Trinity's decision to extend the shelf life of syllabi, ensuring continuity for teachers and learners.
• The different exam types offered by Trinity, including face-to-face exams, digital grades and diplomas, and repertoire-only exams.
• Trinity's approach to diversifying the repertoire to reflect a broader range of styles, genres, and communities.
• Incorporation of pop songs into piano exams, ensuring they maintain pianistic beauty and require the same level of technique as classical pieces.
• The involvement of experts and specialists in curating the syllabus, aiming to feature underrepresented composers and diverse musical styles.
• Tim praises the inclusion of unfamiliar composers and the absence of Bach in early grade pieces, highlighting the diversity and freshness of the repertoire.
• Importance of including minority and female composers to disrupt traditional beliefs about music education and encourage diversity in teaching.
• Francesca mentions changes in the syllabus structure, including extended editions, digital options, and single sheet downloads for increased accessibility.
• The quality and usability of the printed books, including flat pages and QR codes for easy access to recordings.
• Availability of sample materials on the website, including audio clips and interactive booklets, to help teachers explore the syllabus.

Guest Links

• Trinity College London Website
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Today’s Guest

Francesca Christmas is Director of Music and Director of Publishing at Trinity College London, overseeing the development of Trinity’s international music assessment and publications portfolio. Her Doctoral research outputs explore the influences of assessment on music teaching and learning, with a particular focus on the social justice implications of examining in instrumental music education. Francesca has published both book chapters and papers in leading music education journals on the subjects of teacher development, critical pedagogy in music education, and assessment in instrumental teaching. She has worked with many international organisations on the development of teacher education programmes including Glyndebourne Opera House, Juillard School (Music), Shanghai International Schools Association, The UK Department for Education and more. She has worked professionally as both Opera Singer (Glyndebourne Opera, Royal Opera House etc) and as a pop session singer (Phonogenic, BMG etc).

About Rachel Ehring

Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.

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