Professional Piano Pathways Program (PPPP)
As we come to the end of 2020 and begin the new year of 2021, SMPAA is launching a new
advanced piano program to complement the already large piano program already in place.
The mission of this new program is to open the pathways for piano students who are focused and passionate about their study and are hoping to pursue a career as a concert pianist. The program will simultaneously prepare those who complete all levels of the program to be fully trained piano teachers able to open their own studios and work in music schools.
This new program consists of three levels (SMPAA Young Talents for students ages 8-11, SMPAA Young Artists for students ages 12-15, and SMPAA Future Concert Artists for students age 16 and above). Students entering as SMPAA Young Talents can complete the entire program in twenty 6 month long terms. Students must audition to enter any level of the program and must pass an exam at the end of each term to be able to continue their studies.
The curriculum for the program is based on the requirements of international conservatories and music school in order that students be prepared to audition for entry into such schools at the end of the program. In addition to piano lessons, the students will take music theory and be part of a regular group masterclass taught by the Head of the Piano Department. A particularly important part of the program is the integration of general knowledge about standard piano repertoire and history as an ongoing part of the curriculum. Students will gain an understanding of how history, culture and the other arts influenced the music they are learning, which will allow them to fully express the meaning of each piece as well as find ways to bring their own personality into their playing. This is a crucial part of the program as it will make each student a distinctive artist able to perform with the kind of artistic depth that will set them apart from other young pianists.
Another important part of this program will be both the opportunities and the requirement to perform in public on a regular basis. Students in each level will be required to give a public recital in order to develop their performance skills. This new program provides an outstanding opportunity for young aspiring pianist who are truly dedicated to developing their skills to prepare for auditions to major conservatories and music schools around the world. This is their pathways to a concert career if they so desire.
SMPAA is proud to offer the PPPP as the first such program in Vietnam and to forge this pathways which will allow talented and dedicated young pianists from Vietnam to make their mark on the international concert stage.
Specific advantages of PPPP
- There will be a combination of examinations and public performances.
- There will be assignments for students each term, and the required pieces will be carefully selected quality repertoire.
- Knowledge and culture about piano performance will be reinforced through participation in special group classes.
- Students will get close and useful help from theory catch-up classes where they will be placed according to their level.
- The curriculum will help improve students’ abilities to perform a work through detailed practice of scales, arpeggios and sight-readings skills.
SMPAA Young Talents (8 to 11 years old)
Term 1 – Term 8 (4 years)
Program:
- 1 hour piano lesson weekly.
- 1 hour music theory and aural skill training weekly (level based on student skills).
- Performance(s) for SMPAA community.
*** Recommended: 2 hour group class every two weeks: Historical context of piano repertoire.
Outcomes:
- Increased ability to perform professionally in concert.
- Understand varieties of piano works: 2 Part polyphonic works, sonatines, technical studies.
- Increased development of audition skills.
SMPAA Young Artists (12 to 15 years old)
Term 9 – Term 16 (4 years)
Program:
- 1 hour piano lesson weekly.
- 1 hour music theory and aural skills training weekly (level based on students’ skills).
- Performance(s) for SMPAA community.
*** Recommended (Terms 9 – 14), mandatory (Terms 15 and 16):
- 2 hour group class every two weeks: Historical context of piano repertoire.
- 2 hour group class every two weeks: Internal Piano Masterclass.
Outcomes:
- Prepared to perform on the professional concert stage.
- Understand the important forms of piano works: 3 Part polyphonic works, classical sonatas, virtuoso etudes,….
- Be familiar with the professional pathways which lead to becoming a concert pianist.
- Refined audition skills.
SMPAA Future Concert Artists (16 years old and above)
Term 17 – Term 20 (2 years)
Program:
- 2 hour piano lesson weekly.
- 1 hour music theory and aural skills training weekly (level based on students’ skills).
- 1 hour piano pedagogy lesson weekly (Terms 17) and up to 2 hour (Terms 18-20).
- 2 hour group class every two weeks: Historical context of piano repertoire.
- 2 hour group class every two weeks: Internal Piano Masterclass.
- Play frequently in public recital(s).
Outcomes:
- Prepared to perform on the professional concert stage.
- Prepared to audition for international music universities/conservatories.
- Prepared to take part in international piano competitions.
- Gained sufficient knowledge about major piano works throughout classical music history, to be able to study a piece of music on their own.
- Prepared to teach piano lessons.
Mr. Duc-Anh Nguyen – Head of Piano Department at SMPAA – Head of Professional Piano Pathways Program |
Biography
Duc-Anh Nguyen was born in a musical family in Hanoi, Vietnam. He started learning piano from the age of seven in Vietnam National Academy of music. Since 2013, he continued his study in Freiburg Music University Germany. Between 2015 – 2017 he completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree with distinction for piano performance under the instruction of Professor Tibor Szász and Professor Éric Le Sage. In recent years, Duc Anh won the prize of the “Hanoi Chopin Association” in the 2nd International Piano Competition in Hanoi in 2012. From then to 2014 he won the second prize (1st prize not awarded) in the “Alkan-Zimmerman International Piano Competition” in Athens, Greece. A year later, Duc Anh received a certificate of merit from the minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam for the above impressive achievements. During this time, he had the opportunity to work in Masterclasses with some renowned musicians such as Robert Hill, Denis Pascal, Bernhard Wulff. Duc Anh was also a guest artist in the Autumn International Festival in Ho Chi Minh City in 2015; the Gina Bachauer Music Festival in Corfu, Greece; and the Long Lake Festival in Lugano, Switzerland. He was invited to perform with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Hanoi Chamber Orchestra, Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra. At the end of 2017, he was one of the four founders of the first Vietnamese Classical Music Startup named “Maestoso”. Duc-Anh Nguyen is known as one of the leading pianists in his country. As an enthusiastic and passionate musician, Duc-Anh has always desired to perform uncommon but high-quality works by forgotten composers. He was the first person who introduced Charles-Valentin Alkan’s piano works to Vietnamese audiences. He is also honored to be the first Vietnamese Blüthner Artist. From 2020, he is working in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as the Head of the Piano Department at Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy. |
Audition Requirements
1. SMPAA Young Talents: Recommended Age: 8 – 11 years old
GROUP 1A (8 – 9 years old): Approximately 5-minute performance including at least 2 pieces (one must be a fast piece).
GROUP 1B (10 – 11 years old): Approximately 6- to 8-minute performance including:
- One 2-part polyphonic work (Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, Bach Little Preludes, 2 Part Inventions BWV 772-786,…
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a sonatine.
- One technical piece (etudes, studies,…).
- Remaining time: free choice (Classical piece).
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 1).
2. SMPAA Young Artists: Recommended Age: 12 – 15 years old
GROUP 2A (12 – 13 years old): Approximately 8- to 10-minute performance including:
- One 2- or 3-part polyphonic work (from Bach 2-part Inventions BWV 772-786, Sinfonia BWV 787-801, a piece from Bach French/English Suites BWV 806-817, Scarlatti Sonatas, …)
- 1 etude by Czerny Op. 299 or etude at the same level of difficulty or higher.
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a sonatine or sonata.
- Remaining time: free choice (Classical or Romantic piece).
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 3).
GROUP 2B (14 – 15 years old): Approximately 12- to 15-minute performance including:
- One 3-part polyphonic work (from Bach Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846-893 in 3-parts, Sinfonia BWV 787-801, a piece from Bach French/English Suites BWV 806-817, Scarlatti Sonatas, …).
- One etude by Czerny Op. 740, Moskowski Op. 72, Burgmüller Op. 109 or etude at the same level of difficulty or higher.
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a classical sonata.
- Remaining time: free choice (Classical or Romantic piece).
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 4).
3. SMPAA Future Concert Artists
GROUP 3 (16 years old and above): Approximately 15- to 20-minute performance including:
- One 3- or 4-part polyphonic work (from Bach Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846-893 in 3- or 4-parts, Toccatas BWV 910-916, a piece from a Bach Partita BWV 825-830, Scarlatti Sonatas, …).
- One virtuoso work (etudes by Chopin, Liszt, Alkan, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, etc …; Toccatas by Schumann, Prokofiev, …).
- Either the 1st movement or the 2nd & the 3rd movements of a Classical piano sonata.
- Remaining time: free choice.
- Passed the Music Theory Test (same level as ABRSM or Trinity Grade 5).
Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy (SMPAA)
Address: 214 Pasteur, ward 6, dist. 3, HCMC
Tel: (028) 7 101 7778
Email: info@smpaa.edu.vn
11/11/2020
