St Edmund's

Spencer Payne, the Director of Music at St. Edmund’s, conducted an interview with James Hodgkinson about his recent achievement of earning the LTCL (Licentiate of Trinity College London).

Briefly outline what you had to do for your diploma Recital?
For the recital itself, I had to sing my 44-minute recital from memory. This involved a wide range of pieces in various styles and from various musical periods, including Opera, German Lieder and 20th Century British Art Song.

How long did it take you to prepare for the diploma Recital?
I prepared for my exam over an 18-month period, with my GCSE exams occurring in between. Most of the preparation in earnest has occurred over the last 6 months, as being in a non-exam year has given me increased free time and flexibility.

What did your preparations involve and tell us about your daily routine?
My preparations involved firstly picking a programme that contained all the required elements for the exam: a balanced programme incorporating a range of styles, tempi and timbre, containing a minimum of three modern languages – a requirement for the exam. I
then researched each composer, and each piece, to ensure that I captured the idiomatic style of each work effectively. After I had learned the notes, it was a case of carefully memorising each score, and ensuring that every dynamic and phrase marking was reflected in my singing. Initially, I was doing 1-2 hours of practice and research per day, although over the last 6 months, I gradually increased this to 3-4 hours, and up to 5-6 hours per day in the months leading up to the exam.

How long did it take you to commit the text to memory?
I absorbed most of the text via simply practicing with the scores in front of me over many months. However, during the last 3 months, I spent many hours making sure that I was confident with every word and phrase – particularly in the foreign language pieces.

Outline the ways that working towards a qualification such as this has helped you develop your own skills as a singer and musician more generally?
The biggest thing that I have had to improve during my time studying for this qualification is self-discipline; the act of committing 4 or 5 hours of the day to practice, on top of schoolwork and so forth is hard, but is essential for the future, should I succeed in my ambition to sing professionally. As well as this, I have absolutely relished the opportunity to get to know some very complex repertoire in detail, exploring the conventions of different styles and periods, and developing stagecraft and delivery in a way that I had not previously done before.

What are your plans next?
Now that I have received the results of this diploma, I have decided to begin preparations for my next diploma – the FTCL. This is equivalent in standard to a master’s degree in performance, and so will be a significant step up. However, I believe that with the support of my singing teacher and the school, I should be able to navigate this successfully.
On top of this, I am beginning to enter more competitions and awards, and have been shortlisted for both the Kath Topping Award for Vocal Studies, and the Canterbury Festival Young Musicians’ Bursary Competition 20