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For my presentation, I have attached links to two videos; one is the Stream screen recording of my padlet and one is a video of me giving the presentation. I recorded a separate video to accompany the screen recording as the audio of me talking in the Stream recording has not come through.

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I am a classical pianist studying HND Music at Edinburgh College; I have created this Padlet to document my work for Graded Unit. I have been playing piano for over a decade and also played clarinet for seven years within my schooling. I have a keen interest in performance, teaching and composition and am working towards exploring these aspirations further in my future studies.

I have chosen the roles of a performer and instrumental music tutor as I feel that these align best with my creative ambitions beyond further education. I aim to explore these two roles in my graded unit portfolio to gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to work within these in my musical career.

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Attached is a comprehensive list of the different topics that were covered across the two years of the music theory module in HND.

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I performed solo piano at the Chopin tribute concert set up by the college in November 2024, playing Chopin's 'Prelude in E minor'. Aside from my HN1 recital, this concert was the first solo performance I had done since high school. Out of the instances that I had performed solo beforehand, this was definitely the most successful. This sets me up strongly within the role of a performer, as I have played piano in multiple settings and genres, whether that be solo piano or keyboard in a band.

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Prelude in E Minor (Chopin) - Arista Ghai

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The set list I have included is comprised of all of the music I worked on in ensembles, namely the choir, the traditional band and the orchestra. I believe that every performer should take part in ensemble work; it adds an element of teamwork and builds listening and communication skills, all of which serve a solo performer just as well.

Additionally, as a performer that has had the experience of creating a set list, I could potentially create future set lists for any bands I am performing with.

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My first composition that I put out on Soundcloud, titled ‘pensieve’, is a product of my HN1 composition class assignment. I developed it further and decided to release it on a platform as I had already been thinking about making music, and I saw this as the perfect place to start. While I have not yet performed any of my compositions, I hope to in the future as this will be a different challenge than performing other music. This also aids me in my role of a tutor as I can teach composition to any students looking to learn, while referencing my works that are online.

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Attached is an essay I submitted for Music History, a module I took in my first year of HND. It includes evidence of research I undertook while writing it to help me better understand the topic I was looking at, which was the evolution of the symphony throughout the Romantic period.

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When I was working on the planning stage for this module's padlet, one of my tasks was to search potential jobs that relate to my career goals and examine how qualified I was to hypothetically apply for them. The two jobs listed here are advertisements that I found through research, along with my analysis of their relation to my aspirations. The first job, a piano teacher, relates back to my chosen role of an instrumental music tutor, which I have gained experience for by taking the Instrumental Instruction module in my second year of HND. The second job, a keyboard player in a band, relates back to my chosen role as a performer, which I have a lot of experience for, having done multiple performances in my career thus far.

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My first year recital was an accumulation of music that I had worked on throughout my first year in college. I felt that this was a good stepping stone in my journey of performing for a long amount of time on stage. I played three pieces during my recital; J.S. Bach’s ‘Aria’ from his ‘Goldberg Variations’, Paula Szalit’s ‘Rêverie’ and Franz Joseph Haydn’s ‘Finale’ from his ‘Sonata in D major’. All three pieces were contrasting in era, respectively being Baroque, Impressionist and Classical. This diverse range of genres increases my musical flexibility as a performer, as I can adapt to working with many different types of music.

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Arista Ghai - Edinburgh College HND 1 Piano Recital

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In my first year of the HND course, I took the Music Business module, in which I studied copyright law and its implications. The module’s final assessment was to write up a copyright contract from the point of view of an advisor talking to a client, informing them about the different aspects of copyright law and the type of control they have over their music. From the perspective of a performing musician, copyright is vital in terms of knowing what kind of rights you have over your own music, whether it be due to recordings or live performance. According to the Musicians' Union, copyright ensures that the owner of a musical work is within their right to keep their work for themselves and not let anyone else use it (Musicians Union, 2023).

References

Musicians' Union (2023) Copyright for Songwriters and Composers. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/working-performing/composing-and-songwriting/copyright-for-songwriters-and-composers#:~:text=In%20general%20terms%2C%20copyright%20is,work'%20consists%20entirely%20of%20music. (Accessed: 20 May 2025).

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In my second year of the HND course, I took the Online Promotion module. Throughout the course, I studied different promotional strategies and musical platforms, along with their varied benefits to a musician. The four main topics that were covered in class were recent trends in online music distribution, online strategies for music promotion, evaluating four platforms for music promotion, and financial models of online platforms. While looking at recent trends in online music distribution, I analysed and compared the consumption of music via different streaming services and the impact of short form videos on artists gaining new listeners. While studying different online strategies for music promotion, I looked at the impact of having an online presence as a musician. While evaluating different platforms for promotion, I looked at Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube and their differences in aiding the promotion of music. While studying financial models of different online platforms, I looked at the streaming platforms Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp and their differences in supporting artists that are trying to make a living from their music.

Evidence of my research can be seen on my website, in which I have included references to the articles I looked at while writing each of the four essays.

My written pieces on these topics are included in the creation of my own website, in which I advertise myself as a performing classical musician. This can also be useful for advertising myself as a piano tutor in future, making it easier for clients to peruse my portfolio and contact me in the same breath. Studying online promotion has given me knowledge on how to promote myself online as a performer and I could potentially be noticed by bands looking for a player to join them.

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In my second year of the HND course, I took the Instrumental Instruction module. This class consisted of learning about what makes a good teacher, along with looking at strategies and theories hypothesised in previous studies. Further along in this module, I was required to create three lesson plans, which were each structured according to the ability of the student I chose to teach. This directly relates to my chosen role as an instrumental tutor, because I now know how to write up and plan lessons. This method of organisation made it easy to direct the lessons as I had a plan of action to follow.

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Leading on from the lesson plans, I gave three one-to-one piano lessons to a fellow student. This was my first experience in teaching, introducing me to the possibility of pursuing teaching in the future. I feel that this project went well, and I was able to coherently teach my student the basics of scales on the piano. Relating to my chosen role as an instrumental tutor, I now have teaching experience that I can reflect on when thinking about and planning future piano lessons.

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I took Music for the Visual Arts in my second year of HND, which was a module consisting of learning to compose music in response to visual media, whether it be film or still image. My initial plan was to compose music based on an Impressionist painting, and I ended up choosing to write for solo piano in response to Claude Monet’s ‘The Water Lily Pond’ (1899). Detailed here is my initial plan for this project.

Taking this module gave me the ability to think critically about and analyse the media I was looking at and the music I was creating in response. Both a performing musician and an instrumental tutor must be able to have strong critical thinking and analysis skills in order to reflect on their projects and see where they can improve.

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The second consecutive task for Music for the Visual Arts was to compose three short musical excerpts in response to a piece of media; I chose to look at Camille Pissarro’s 1878 painting titled ‘Vase of Flowers’. The document I have included here is the rationale that I wrote and submitted alongside my three responses. I chose to focus on three different elements of this painting that I could create a musical response to; the mood of isolation, the bright colours of the subject matter, and the theme of contrast. Writing in response to visual media pushed me out of my composition comfort zone, which I can appreciate as successful musical growth. It is important for a musician to be well-rounded and well-experienced in different fields; as an instrumental tutor, if my student wanted to learn how to approach composition on the piano, I have the knowledge and understanding to help them get started.

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In April 2023, I participated in the North Lanarkshire Young Solo Performer of the Year competition, playing Heinrich Hofmann’s ‘Minnilied’. The piece, being grade 5 standard and from the Romantic period, is sweet and contemplative, with notes of anguish throughout. This was one of my first solo performances outside of school, and I felt that I had prepared well and that the performance was a success. This is particularly significant in my performance development journey, as I was dealing with poorly managed performance anxiety at the time. While preparing for this performance, I focussed on maintaining a strong grasp on the feel of the piece, which really stands out amidst its technicalities. I also worked hard on maintaining a good muscle memory of the piece, so that I could keep going even if things went awry in my performance. As a performer, it is important to keep a cool head under pressure and persevere despite any unwanted circumstances; I feel that I have tackled this challenge.

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North Lanarkshire Young Solo Performer of the Year Competition - Arista Ghai

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The second composition that I released on Soundcloud was titled ‘the orange tree’. Being shorter in length than my first song, it was the result of improvisation on the piano. As a musician, I believe it is important to have a strong foundation in many fields, and developing my compositional skills ties well into this. This relates to my role as a performer because having my compositions online could potentially attract clients who would want to see my work performed live for an event.

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My third composition is titled ‘silver stars’. I like this composition the best and feel that it was the most thought-out. It is also the result of me beginning to approach and think about composition in a more independent way outside of class. Independent thinking and project undertaking is important for a performing musician as it encourages confidence and introducing your ideas to other people, especially if you will be working with them.

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I created a musical duo group together with my friend and fellow student, using the name ‘exposure therapy’. We recorded a cover of Faye Webster’s ‘I Know You’ and posted it on TikTok. We are hoping to write, record and perform music together as a duo in the near future, which is a strong step in the way of becoming a performing musician. Being established in a musical group gives me more opportunities to showcase my work as a performer than I would if I was just a solo performer.

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The second cover we recorded was Gigi Perez’s ‘Sailor Song’, in a similar format to our previous cover. This project has gone successfully so far and we are looking to record and post more covers and original music in future. Both covers have a similar vibe and musical structure, which aids me in my role as a tutor as I could help a student record a cover of their chosen song in a specific style that may be different to the original song.

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Traditional Band Performance - College Winter Concert

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Traditional Band Performance - College Winter Concert

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In my second year of college, I joined the choir and the traditional band, in which I respectively sang and played piano. I believe that any type of ensemble work is crucial to my development as a performer; my understanding of performance as a whole was greatly developed further during my time in these ensembles because of the need to work together and listen to one another while performing together on stage.

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Traditional Band Performance - College Summer Concert

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Traditional Band Performance - College Summer Concert

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Choir Performance - College Summer Concert

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Choir Performance - College Summer Concert

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Orchestra Performance - College Summer Concert

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Orchestra Performance - College Summer Concert

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Alongside being in the choir and the traditional band, I joined the student orchestra in the second semester of my second year. As it is entirely student-led, my playing experience and working methods have been more independent. This has taught me to develop initiative in introducing my own ideas to my part in the orchestra, in turn increasing my confidence and communication skills as a performer.

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Topics Covered in Music Theory Assessments

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Topics Covered in Music Theory Assessments

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Major/Minor keys: identifying major key signatures and scales up to 7 sharps and flats

Modes and the Blues Scale: identifying and building all seven Modes and the Blues scale starting on any note.

Rhythm: identifying note values and rests, including dotted notes and rests, for semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver, semiquaver and demisemiquaver. Including tuplets, ties and syncopation.

Time signatures: identifying all time signatures including simple, compound and irregular. Including irregular groupings and polyrhythm.

Chords: identifying and notating all types of chords, including triads, 7ths, 6th, sus, 9th, 11th, 13ths with its different types.

Transposition: Identify the most common transposing instruments. Transpose a melody or chord progression by interval or for a transposing instrument.

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1. Piano Teacher - Milly Holroyd Music, Glasgow

This job has some requirements, but they are not set in stone and seem negotiable. They are asking for someone with a grade 8 or above level of playing - I am currently studying piano at grade 8 level. At least some teaching experience is required; I have gained some teaching experience this year from Instrumental Instruction assignments. Overall, I am reasonably qualified for this position.

2. Keyboard Player Wanted in a Band - Uddingston, Glasgow

The requirements for this position are more relaxed; you need only play keys and be able to attend weekly rehearsals in Glasgow. I live a short while from Glasgow, so the position is an accessible one for me. I have experience playing keyboard in funk band, jazz orchestra and traditional band. Having been in the rhythm section for different musical styles, I can easily adapt to accompany any kind of group.

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Attached is my CV, which addresses my experience in retail and food handling, and information about the musical groups I have been part of. I deeply valued my time partaking in ensemble work and feel that it has built me up to be a confident and able performer.

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The following is a list of questions that I would potentially be asked in interviews for these jobs, and what I could talk about in response.

Piano Teaching Job

1) Can you travel flexibly during afterschool hours?

I am able to travel wherever is needed as long as I am given enough notice of the location.

2) Have you ever prepared lesson plans before?

I had to prepare lesson plans for a college class and I delivered those lessons successfully, giving me positive experience in this field.

3) What sort of teaching experience do you have?

I have experience teaching three piano lessons to a fellow student as part of a college module. I also tutored clarinet to younger students when I was in high school, so I have worked with two different age groups.

4) Have you ever worked with vulnerable groups?

I spent a year being part of Motherwell Youth Voice, a youth club dedicated to amplifying the voices of disadvantaged young people in the context of social issues such as racism, ableism and sexism.

Keyboard Player Job

1) Do you play any other instruments?

I played clarinet for seven years and I have dabbled in guitar. I am a fast learner who can quickly pick up new things if needed.

2) Are you able to work with late nights and busy schedules?

As a full-time college student, I am well experienced in working late nights and always being busy. I can clearly navigate busy schedules and am well-organised.

3) Do you cope well under pressure?

I am a calm and focussed worker under pressure, with my only focus being to get the job done to the best of my ability.

4) What kind of music do you enjoy playing?

I enjoy playing all sorts of music; in the past, I have played keyboard in funk, jazz, pop, traditional and orchestral ensembles. I consider myself a well-rounded player who can adapt to any style of music and blend in well with a band.

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After completing the four music theory tests in class, I received online feedback through Moodle;

Hello Arista

You have passed both music theory assessments so far, on key signatures and the Blues. you are working well and advancing quickly, as well as pushing yourself with external exams.
Well done,

Rocio

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Hello Arista,

You got full marks on both your Modes and Rhythm assessment.
You are doing really well in music theory and I am sure with regular work you are capable of achieving high mark on your external exam.
Keep on working at home.
Rocio

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In May 2025, I sat the Trinity Grade 6 Theory Exam and am currently awaiting the results. Throughout my second year of HND, I attended weekly external theory classes to prepare for this exam and studied the Trinity Grade 6 Theory workbook. This is useful in my role as an instrumental tutor, as I have a solid foundation in music theory and can teach up to at least grade 5 level if my student ever wants to sit theory alongside studying piano with me. I am also knowledgeable enough to be able to use music theory to explain musical techniques to my student in the context of learning piano.

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Funk Band Performance - School Summer Concert

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Funk Band Performance - School Summer Concert

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Throughout my high school career, I played keyboard in the funk band. In this video, we are performing David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' at the 2022 Summer Concert. At this moment in time, I thought of a school funk ensemble as being somewhat unconventional, because I had only really played in classical ensembles up to this point. Experiencing performance in a new genre opened my mind to the various possibilities I could undertake as a performer, leading me to take part in different ensembles after this one.

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In June 2024, I sat the Trinity Grade 7 Piano exam and achieved a Merit; this was my first formal performance qualification. This aids me in my chosen role as a tutor as I have studied and can therefore teach up to grade 7 standard.

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In June 2025, I will sit my Trinity Grade 8 Piano exam. As a performer, it will greatly aid me to have another formal qualification in case there are any classical ensembles looking for a pianist of grade 8 standard. As a tutor, it will expand the pool of students I can teach; as I have studied at grade 8 level, I can teach up to grade 8 standard.

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Attached is the written work I have done for first study instrument over assessment points 1, 2 and 3. This details the different programme notes and evaluations I wrote about my performances, as well as links to videos of me playing the pieces and studies I have been working on this year. As a performer, being able to reflect and evaluate on my performances gives me the ability to be self aware and critical of my progress is an important trait to have.

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While working on music this year for first study instrument, I perused different videos by pianists performing the music I was looking at to gain a better understanding of the use of technique, mood, and feel while performing them.

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I was very influenced by this interpretation of Brahms's Intermezzo in B minor, specifically the lulling tempo and feel that the player gives to the music and the emphasis given to the main melody amidst all of the accompanying notes throughout the piece.

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Brahms - Intermezzo Op.119, No.1 P. Barton, FEURICH piano

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I used this recording as reference to the contemplative and unhurried mood and atmosphere that I try to convey during my playing of this piece.

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Scherzo (3rd movt from Sonata in A, D 959)

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Scherzo (3rd movt from Sonata in A, D 959)

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I used this performance as reference for the tempo at which this piece should be played alongside maintaining its playful and lively atmosphere.

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Scherzo (3rd movt from Sonata in A, D 959) by Fr. Schubert, Grade 8, Trinity College London’23