The Maestro Online

The Maestro Online offers an extensive range of music masterclasses in all styles, online courses and Ofqual-accredited pop piano exams for musicians.

Music courses

These courses utilise well-known songs, across a range of genres, to impart essential musical skills. The emphasis is on playing with greater musicality and improvisational freedom. Being a slave to the dots is no longer the only path to musical fulfillment, but rather dots provide the inspiration for bringing music to life. Courses include piano, organ, singing, and guitar.

Vocal, choral and ear training

These are sight-singing courses aligned with nationally-recognised exams. Targeted exercises encompass aural comprehension, solfege, chord progressions, counterpoint, improvisation, guided reading, and sight-reading. Suitable for beginners, advanced singers, pianists, organists, and students taking GCSE, BTEC, IBAC, A-Levels, or diploma/degree courses. Course customisation requests are encouraged, and the continuously expanding library aims to meet the needs of schools, universities, and colleges.

Celebrity masterclasses 

The masterclasses are continually expanding and currently cover classical, pop, gospel, jazz, folk, Indian music, conducting, vocal technique and choral training. Instruments include piano, organ, sitar, ukulele and the voice. There’s something for everyone here, from beginners to more advanced topics like improvising fugues. We have some incredible names on board: Suzi Digby OBE (choral), Ralph Allwood MBE (choral and sight-singing), Bazil Meade MBE (gospel piano), Richard Michael BEM (jazz keys, ABRSM jazz workshop leader), as well as musicians who’ve spent their lives touring with A-listers.

Pop piano exams 

The Maestro Online became an official exam board in 2024. Its refreshing new exam syllabus 'Popular Piano Grades' is much easier on the pocket than other piano grades and the results are received in a few working days. The syllabus contrasts with other boards in that you not only get to play popular songs, but you are encouraged to elaborate and improvise on them with the freedom that a session musician would utilise. Traditional and modern pop, gospel, jazz and rock music are included in the syllabus (Debut to Grade 8), which is Ofqual-regulated and includes the usual UCAS points. To support the development of improvisation, keys and chord progressions, there are many useful resources included in the Exam Toolkits for each grade that include snippets from the masterclasses, rhythm tracks, scale tracks and song tracks in a similar style to many songs on the extensive exam lists. Those who like dots can purchase notation, whereas those who don’t, who are neurodivergent or have visual needs, can play by ear.

Find out more about The Maestro Online on their website and follow them on X (Twitter) / Facebook.

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