Rhinegold, Music Teacher magazine (February 2009)

(Rhinegold - the UK's leading publisher for music and the performing arts. Click here to read more).

"A welcome addition to theory education"..."really excellent material"... "Imaginative"... "good psychology to encourage and inspire pupils."

"presented quite differently from most other theory books"

"crosswords, anagrams and stories using Italian and French words...the book is worth every penny just for this section alone"...

 ..."The book is always clear, with concise language so that pupils of any age should be able to work through it with minimum dependence on the teacher."

The following is a quotation from a book review published in Rhinegold’s Music Teacher magazine. It was written by Frances Taylor who teaches mandolin and violin in Essex, London and has been quoted here in its entirety:

There seems to be an appetite for theory books that take students from having no knowledge to being able to pass the grade 5 exam. Only last year I reviewed another such book for this magazine. Within living memory it was acceptable and appropriate to study and take theory exams sequentially and in tandem with their practical counterparts. It is indicative of the fast world we live in that now there are many scenarios in which it is possible to study music practically without a wide or even sufficient knowledge of its theory. With this in mind, All-In-One to Grade 5 by Rachel Billings is a welcome addition to theory education.

The All-In-One scheme of work is presented quite differently from most other theory books in that it is divided into three main chapters rather than a dozen different topics. The three chapters, entitled Notation, Time and Tonality, are further divided into Part One and Part Two. In Part One of the first chapter, treble and bass clefs are tackled along with transposition of an octave, which takes the pupil as far as Grade 3. In the second part the alto and tenor clefs are introduced and there are exercises for transposing an octave.

In the second chapter about time, which is helpfully colour-coded, note and rests values are explored along with simple and compound time. The second part of this section deals with the more complex rhythms such as demisemiquavers, breves, double dots together with quintuplets etc, and irregular time signatures, reflecting the knowledge of the higher two grades.

Scales provide the backbone for the tonality chapter, which opens with a reference section on major and minor scales, the chromatic scale and technical note names. This reference section applies to every grade and therefore both sections of the chapter. After the reference section, part one follows the previous pattern of dealing with the first three grades as it looks at accidentals, intervals in major keys, and primary chords in major and minor keys with their inversions. The second part deals with more complex accidentals, intervals and chords.

Finally, these three sections are flanked with what could be a fourth chapter entitled General Musicianship, which covers performance directions, ornaments, composition and information on orchestral instruments.

This approach of dealing with notation, time and tonality across the whole body of theoretical knowledge, as opposed to small chunks of information that will hopefully click together like Lego bricks, leads to an integrated scheme of work. Intervals, for example, are introduced on the first page. The idea is for pattern recognition of notes on a stave which, it is explained, will help faster note reading. The author asserts that by recognizing an interval from its pattern on the stave it should be easy to read a note in any clef. How eminently sensible! A 2^nd is a step, which will be line and a space or vice versa; the 3^rd is a skip, which is line and a line or a space and a space, and so on. The intervals are shown written as music and illustrated with an athlete running over a keyboard just to make the point clearer. The 4^th is an uneven jump; the fifth an even jump; the sixth an uneven leap, while the 7^th is an even leap, to continue the analogy.

At this point I had a moment of confusion wondering where the names of the notes were going to come in and then I realized that the accompanying All-In-One Reference Booklet (£2.99) is supposed to be completed first and used alongside as reference. This additional book is meant for complete beginners and supports the main workbook. Continuing with the main book I could see that counting the interval number and then identifying the second of two notes, the first being named, was another way of connecting into the whole process of reading notation. Mnemonics, such as Every Good Boy Deserves Football for the notes on the lines of the stave in the treble clef, are only part of the process. I also like the way in which, throughout the book, simple explanations, such as why it is necessary to know intervals, use good psychology to encourage and inspire pupils.

A talented artist, Rachel Billings has illustrated her theory book profusely. I am drawn to the animals, mice and hedgehogs in particular, which lend a Beatrix Potter feel to the book. Some of the other pictures have a slightly retro feel about them, but fans of the children’s author and illustrator Shirley Hughes will find them utterly charming. My only niggle is that it would have been fun to see a bit of 21^st –century life reflected in the illustration- a mobile phone, an mp3 player or perhaps a computer.

There are also lots of puzzles and games. Note recognition is mostly done through a story in which words are depicted in notation and have to be deciphered for the sense of the story to be revealed – an imaginative touch. Crosswords, anagrams and stories using Italian and French words are really excellent material for making the learning of musical terms enjoyable and successful. The book is worth every penny just for this section alone.

It is also refreshing to have different activities such as in the time section. Rest values are presented as sums, with rests taking the place of numbers. Like the early introduction of intervals this provides another way of connecting into the subject. Instead of only thinking about abstract notation it makes a strong link with number work, which is especially important for younger learners.

The book is always clear, with concise language so that pupils of any age should be able to work through it with minimum dependence on the teacher. Further practice can be achieved with supplementary Revision Booklets (individually priced at £2.99 or Grades 1-5 at £12.99). This is a book that is well worth investigating, not only for the fast-track approach but because different pupils require different material.

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Anne Rees - Pianist/teacher (Stockport)

"I've been teaching piano and theory for twelve years. Motivating children and young people to master music theory can be challenging. But this book may well be the answer! It's simply outstanding - thorough, attractive and imaginative. And it's also very reasonably priced for what it is. I'd recommend every music teacher to give it a try - I don't believe you'll regret it."

Kabbalah Maven - Indiana (United States)

"Rachel Billings deserves much praise for this book. I live in the United States, and used her method with a 9 year old boy. Perhaps we've forgotten how intimidating a piano score is if you've never seen one before. There is so much to learn. One thing that sets this method above all the others are the illustrations and exercises. Seeing the humorous drawings makes the subject less intimidating. For example, she uses illustrated stories, in which blank letters in words have to be added from musical notation to complete the story. Very clever and engaging. There are dozens of other very clever illustrations in her book.

The emphasis on intervals is most welcome, as I believe this is the key to performing music.

The book seems to be preparing students for some form of examination that we don't encounter in the US. There are also differences in terms. We use fractional names like quarter or eighth notes, rather than minims or crotchets. So those areas were a bit confusing for the student. There are other "Britishisms" in the book, but not so many to discourage American students.

The exercises in the book are very well done. Each concept is explained, and then the student is given enough exercises to reinforce the concept. The last chapters include composing for various instruments. So in one book the student is taken from learning the notes to orchestration.

Perhaps the best endorsement comes from the fact that my test subject is thriving, and progressing rapidly. He is absorbing the material quickly, and is enjoying the journey. Thank you Rachel!"

Amy Chidley (Violin teacher, Warwickshire)

"It's a great resource...thanks for making theory interesting!"..

"I have just completed your book from start to finish with a 19 yr old dyslexic pupil.  He came to me a year ago not knowing the difference between a crotchet and a quaver... He is now doing the exam in a few weeks, and practice papers are giving him an average of 85, so I have every confidence he will pass!  So, THANKS!"