the IPM News
- Myke Lewis
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
What’s new this Month?
The Title of this Newsletter has Changed!
The newsletter will from today be published once every month instead of weekly. It will give everyone time to read it and hopefully, not miss anything important.
Bourne Hall’s Summer Festival! 🎶
In less than two weeks, IPM will be hosting the live music event at the Bourne Hall. The closing date for auditions was last Friday! The itinerary is now almost complete and may be sent out in a bulletin later this week. We are quite excited at the progress made within the last two weeks and looking forward to hosting our first music event in conjunction with the Bourne Hall Team. (See top right).
I-Play Music Collective (IPMC)
IPMC are to feature at this event and will open and close the stage with two thirty-minute sets. There will be other featured bands including students from the Academy of Contemporary Musicians (ACM).
I-Play Music Concert & Presentation Awards
Sunday 13th July is only six (6) weeks away! The show is open to all and not just parents and students so do not wait to long to purchase. Tickets are £15. https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/cryerarts-ltd/t-rpmzeyv
The event will not end at 6pm as before, now it will instead end at 3pm! This is good because it leaves the rest of the day for family time.
Learning Diaries will be returned week 23
End of term reports will be posted along with exam results via the Chat-Bubble during, the course of week 23. Remember that this will be the only place to locate them.
First lot of changes have arrived
The remainder of the summer term now includes “Finishing and Polishing Performances,” this is where all bands are to listen collectively to their recent recordings and to discuss amongst themselves, the band’s stylistic awareness, and how to command the audience’s attention from the stage. The idea is for everyone to build a choreographed outline or sequence of steps to help with overall stage performances. Watch this space.
Exams are to be moved to the summer term in 2026!
Timing of Exams
Historically, exams at IPM have been held on the last Monday and Tuesday of March each year. The next set of exams will be held the week before the May half-term, meaning the exams are shifting from March (spring term) to a different time in the summer term.
Implication for students.
Students will continue developing their performance skills independently at the start of the summer term and during the first four or five weeks of band rehearsals. This means a change in how and when exam preparation will occur in 2026.
Performance and Results
Recent exam results show that over 75% of students lost at least 6 marks, implying many students missed achieving a distinction. The reason given is that students may be hesitant to showcase "showman type skills," which could mean a lack of performance confidence or expressive skills.
In summary
The key message is that exams are moving from March to just before the May half-term. This move is intended to address this problem as currently, many students are underperforming possibly due to lacking confidence or willingness to showcase expressive performance skills
This Week’s Learning Platform!
Understanding the examiner’s report can be difficult at times and may need further clarification. IPM tutors are expected to provide feedback based on exam results and past lesson outcomes, which will contribute to the End of Year Reports.
To help, in this month’s learning platform, I have included two valuable topics for anyone wanting to build knowledge base, and improve skills and techniques…
Articulation
One Scale, Thirteen Ways to Play it: Articulation Types Road Map
If you can imagine speaking to someone whilst keeping your lips close together, and you are able to see the facial reaction of the person you are speaking to, you bot will notice the words coming out of your mouth, is unclear; this is poor diction. Opening your lips whist saying the same phrase as before, will produce coherent speech – clear diction; all this is under the subject title of articulation. Dennis Zhdanov’s 12minute video clearly shows how he explains and demonstrates this extremely important skill; https://youtu.be/CfsyFKGXELw?feature=shared
Dynamics
Everything You Need To Know in 7 Minutes (as well as how the piano got its name)
This is a very good 7minute long video that explains dynamics and related subjects including theory. Ideal for all instruments. https://youtu.be/bY-GXTxNa4o?feature=shared
Also, here’s Lang Lang demonstrating dynamics on piano. If the above is not enough, follow this link to MusiciansAddition: https://youtube.com/shorts/2AqqDTZz0ho?feature=shared
And now for your viewing pleasure for this week - YouTube Video Highlights
Many students for a number of different reasons, are lacking knowledge base information relating to their musical instrument. I continually build on my knowledge base by introducing great musical artists into my lifestyle, by going to concerts and gigs and, by watching concerts on YouTube. I will introduce one of my performances recorded live at the Hideaway in 2012, followed by Sarky Puppy’s full length concert…
Myke Masters – Bass Solo – Pacemaker
Snarky Puppy & Friends with Lalah Hathaway – Full Concert
In Summary
We would like to extend our congratulations to all students who have completed their music exams this year. Your dedication and focus are evident, and it’s been encouraging to see this continue with such a strong and enthusiastic start to band rehearsals this summer term. With just five weeks to go until the Concert and Presentation Awards, we would like to encourage everyone to continue working hard and supporting one another in preparation for a fantastic event.
Full Dress Rehearsal
A reminder that our full dress rehearsal will take place on Sunday 6th July at the Victoria Club in Coulsdon. Attendance is compulsory for all students participating in the Concert and Presentation Awards. If for any reason things change, we will send out an urgent bulletin via WhatsApp.
Concert & Presentation AwardsTickets for the Concert and Presentation Awards on Sunday, 13th July will not be there long, they are selling quickly. This is a wonderful opportunity to invite your friends, family and loved ones to celebrate the progress and achievements of all our students this year. Tickets can be purchased via: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/cryerarts-ltd/t-rpmzeyv
Join Us at Bourne HallWe are delighted to announce that several of our student bands will be performing at the Bourne Hall Summer Festival on Saturday 14th June. We warmly invite families, friends, and members of the community to join us in supporting our talented performers.
Band Rehearsals
We would like to remind students and parents of the importance of regular attendance at band rehearsals this term. If a student is unable to attend, it is their responsibility not only to notify the I-Play Music team, but also to inform their fellow band members via the student portal. Clear communication ensures that everyone can continue rehearsing effectively.
Let’s continue to build on this strong start to the summer term. Each rehearsal, each note, and each moment of effort brings us closer to a performance to be proud of.
Keep going – you all are doing brilliantly!
Well I hope you enjoyed this month's publication, until the next monthly publication on Tuesday, 1st July, enjoy!