John Holmes
I am the Chief Examiner and an Executive Director at ABRSM. Previously a teacher myself, I’m passionate about nurturing and encouraging the next generation of teachers and musicians.
Activity
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John Holmes made a comment
It’s all too easy to think of musical progression as simply linear – like climbing up the rungs of a ladder; even higher, harder, faster, better! The truth, however, is not that simple. As teachers, our underlying purpose is to encourage independent learning and musicianship, so that eventually our students can continue progressing without us – by themselves....
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John Holmes made a comment
While we all clearly believe in the unique value of learning an instrument, it’s good to remind ourselves just how many amazing benefits are involved. There’s also the debate as to whether we should be shouting about the benefits of music “for its own sake” more than the “fringe benefits”, which are explored in my article. I think we need to be equally aware...
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John Holmes made a comment
Why did any of our students start learning an instrument in the first place? At heart, I think the answer lies with personal reasons; personal interest, personal enjoyment, personal involvement and commitment. Sometimes though, further along the musical learning journey, the support and solidity of these “motivation foundations” can fade or falter – for a...
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John Holmes made a comment
It’s all too easy to think of musical progression as simply linear – like climbing up the rungs of a ladder; even higher, harder, faster, better! The truth, however, is not that simple. As teachers, our underlying purpose is to encourage independent learning and musicianship, so that eventually our students can continue progressing without us – by themselves....
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John Holmes made a comment
While we all clearly believe in the unique value of learning an instrument, it’s good to remind ourselves just how many amazing benefits are involved. There’s also the debate as to whether we should be shouting about the benefits of music “for its own sake” more than the “fringe benefits”, which are explored in my article. I think we need to be equally aware...
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John Holmes made a comment
A warm hello and welcome to all of you who have joined us, and already begun engaging with the ABRSM ‘Becoming a better Music Teacher’ course. We’re delighted to be running this very popular course again, and hope that it proves to be as beneficial and enjoyable for you as it has been to the many other teachers who participated in the previous runs of the...
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John Holmes made a comment
It’s all too easy to think of musical progression as simply linear – like climbing up the rungs of a ladder; even higher, harder, faster, better! The truth, however, is not that simple. As teachers, our underlying purpose is to encourage independent learning and musicianship, so that eventually our students can continue progressing without us – by themselves....
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John Holmes made a comment
Why did any of our students start learning an instrument in the first place? At heart, I think the answer lies with personal reasons; personal interest, personal enjoyment, personal involvement and commitment. Sometimes though, further along the musical learning journey, the support and solidity of these “motivation foundations” can fade or falter – for a...
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John Holmes made a comment
While we all clearly believe in the unique value of learning an instrument, it’s good to remind ourselves just how many amazing benefits are involved. There’s also the debate as to whether we should be shouting about the benefits of music “for its own sake” more than the “fringe benefits”, which are explored in my article. I think we need to be equally aware...
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Nice to welcome you to the course again, Vilma - we hope you enjoy.
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John Holmes made a comment
A warm hello and welcome to all of you who have joined us, and already begun engaging with the ABRSM ‘Becoming a better Music Teacher’ course. We’re delighted to be running this very popular course again, and hope that it proves to be as beneficial and enjoyable for you as it has been to the many other teachers who participated in the previous runs of the...
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John Holmes made a comment
It’s all too easy to think of musical progression as simply linear – like climbing up the rungs of a ladder; even higher, harder, faster, better! The truth, however, is not that simple. As teachers, our underlying purpose is to encourage independent learning and musicianship, so that eventually our students can continue progressing without us – by themselves....
-
John Holmes made a comment
Why did any of our students start learning an instrument in the first place? At heart, I think the answer lies with personal reasons; personal interest, personal enjoyment, personal involvement and commitment. Sometimes though, further along the musical learning journey, the support and solidity of these “motivation foundations” can fade or falter – for a...
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Many thanks for your comments Simon - I'm pleased that you found the course so inspiring, and wish you the best for any new musical endeavours that might spring from this.
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John Holmes replied to Lisa Cooper
A great motto! Thanks for joining us.
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John Holmes replied to Elif Ezik
Nice to welcome you to the course again, Elif - we hope you enjoy.
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John Holmes made a comment
It’s all too easy to think of musical progression as simply linear – like climbing up the rungs of a ladder; even higher, harder, faster, better! The truth, however, is not that simple. As teachers, our underlying purpose is to encourage independent learning and musicianship, so that eventually our students can continue progressing without us – by themselves....
-
John Holmes made a comment
While we all clearly believe in the unique value of learning an instrument, it’s good to remind ourselves just how many amazing benefits are involved. There’s also the debate as to whether we should be shouting about the benefits of music “for its own sake” more than the “fringe benefits” which are explored in my article. I think we need to be equally aware of...
-
John Holmes made a comment
A warm hello and welcome to all of you who have joined us, and already begun engaging with the ABRSM ‘Becoming a better Music Teacher’ course. We’re delighted to be running this very popular course again, and hope that it proves to be as beneficial and enjoyable for you as it has been to the many other teachers who participated in the previous runs of the...
-
John Holmes made a comment
It’s all too easy to think of musical progression as simply linear – like climbing up the rungs of a ladder; even higher, harder, faster, better! The truth, however, is not that simple. As teachers, our underlying purpose is to encourage independent learning and musicianship, so that eventually our students can continue progressing without us – by themselves....
-
John Holmes made a comment
While we all clearly believe in the unique value of learning an instrument, it’s good to remind ourselves just how many amazing benefits are involved. There’s also the debate as to whether we should be shouting about the benefits of music “for its own sake” more than the “fringe benefits” which are explored in my article. I think we need to be equally aware of...
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John Holmes made a comment
A warm hello and welcome to all of you who have joined us, and already begun engaging with the ABRSM ‘Becoming a better Music Teacher’ course at this early stage. We’re delighted to be running this very popular course again, and hope that it proves to be as beneficial and enjoyable for you as it has been to the many other teachers who participated in the...
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John Holmes replied to Winnie C.
Hello Winnie. We're so pleased that you've been able to give this a second try. Welcome back!
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John Holmes made a comment
Why did any of our students start learning an instrument in the first place? At heart, I think the answer lies with personal reasons; personal interest, personal enjoyment, personal involvement and commitment. Sometimes though, further along the musical learning journey, the support and solidity of these “motivation foundations” can fade or falter – for a...
-
John Holmes made a comment
It’s all too easy to think of musical progression as simply linear – like climbing up the rungs of a ladder; even higher, harder, faster, better! The truth, however, is not that simple. As teachers, our underlying purpose is to encourage independent learning and musicianship, so that eventually our students can continue progressing without us – by themselves....
-
John Holmes made a comment
While we all clearly believe in the unique value of learning an instrument, it’s good to remind ourselves just how many amazing benefits are involved. There’s also the debate as to whether we should be shouting about the benefits of music “for its own sake” more than the “fringe benefits” which are explored in my article. I think we need to be equally aware of...
