Music in Focus guidebook to Alternative Music for Grades 1-3

are used, adapted and transformed for the stage using the musical language and
conventions of 19th century Western art music.
In the context of the RAD syllabus, however
6
ʹ…it is not until the Higher Grades that we begin to see the true theatrical
style emerging. In Primary, Grade 1 and Grade 2, we are developing the
essential element of rhythm and at the same time, trying to teach the
children something of musicʹ.
SUNDERLAND, 1995, p. 22
The alternative music for Rhythm and Character in Grades 1‐5 has been chosen
very carefully to reflect these aims. Folk melodies from the relevant regions are
presented in simple arrangements for piano. To avoid adding yet another layer of
confusion or misinformation to an already bewildering subject, detailed references
to the song collections from which they came are given in each case. Throughout
this book and the music scores, these collections are referred to by abbreviations
such as ‘GRS’ for The Gateway Russian SongBook, which are explained in full in
Appendix 3 ‘Song Collections Referred to in this Book’. Numbers immediately
after the abbreviation refer to number of the song in the original collection, or to
the page on which it appeared.