Ground-breaking rock and pop music
Ishara JAYAWARDANE
Trinity College London, in a groundbreaking move, has introduced a
new syllabus to its existing repertoire, that of rock and pop which has
been designed to reflect the diverse and often creative ways that rock
and pop musicians learn.
"Whether they are self taught or taking lessons, learning for fun or
heading for a career in the music industry, these new exams for guitar,
bass, drums, vocals and keyboards will help musicians develop valuable
playing skills and achieve their musical ambitions. Extensive graded
song lists range from the classics to recent releases including the
Rolling Stones, David Bowie, the Kinks, Kings of Leon, Radiohead, Muse,
Rihanna, Jessie J and many more," said Country Representative Ramola
Sivasundaram.
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| Dimitri
Gunatileke |
Dilini
Perera |
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| Greg Pallegama of Sintonia on drums |
Ashanthi. Pictures by Saman Sri
Wedage |
The local launch saw some first class entertainment. It was an
evening when we were treated to some powerful performances by incredible
talent. Ashanthi De Alwis, Dimitri Gunatileke, Sintonia, Dilini Perera
and Ricky Bahar set hearts on fire with their superb performances. The
WOW factor was there.
I was seated in my seat thinking to myself that if these musicians
performed on American Idol they could have a serious chance of winning.
Greg Pallegama was rapturous pounding his drums. Powerful stuff. Dilini
Perera was absolutely angelic with her beautiful voice in her recital of
Whitney Houston.
Trinity College London has been operating in Sri Lanka for well over
a hundred years. The administration and conducting of examinations is
carried out by the local office under the name of Horizons
International. Qualified and accredited examiners from the United
Kingdom assess thousands of Sri Lanka students each year in Music,
Speech and Drama, communication skills and the English Language.
"The new Rock and Pop syllabus from Trinity College London is a major
breakthrough for music education. It introduces an innovative approach
to preparing for an exam which gives candidates a wide choice of styles,
enables them to play to their strengths and even includes the potential
to play songs they have written themselves.
This means that candidates can prepare their own set lists to reflect
their individual talents and ambitions. These new exams are designed to
support students in developing important technical skills through their
performances and also through the sessions skills- Improvising and
Playback," said Academic Director Nick Beach.
Sivasundaram said she was excited about the challenge of launching
the new syllabus in Sri Lanka. She was certain that there would be a lot
of interest in this innovative syllabus and hoped that the showcase
event which was held on March 16 for the Media, interested teachers and
musicians from the industry gave an insight into the requirements of the
examinations.
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