RSS have now commissioned two “level pieces” along with Blokfluitdagen Mechelen. In each case the brief was was to write a piece that increases in difficulty as it progresses, to match the courses’ playing level descriptors. Both organisations are extremely grateful to Rosemary Robinson and Glen Shannon for composing their wonderful pieces.
When playing and practising these pieces you will probably run into problems at a certain point, or even get completely stuck. Don’t worry, you are not expected to be able to play the whole piece; it is there to help you find which level will suit you best at RSS. However, it is very important to play each section at the indicated tempo.
When using the descriptors to assess your playing level, you need to be able to fulfil all the requirements in a level in order to reach that level. The same applies to the “level pieces” . You must be able to play a whole section, with a bit of practice, at the correct speed, before you can say you are at that level. For example, if you can easily play the whole of the level 3 section and most of the level 4, then you are level 3 (and not level 4). This means a tutor taking a level 3 session will assume everyone meets all the requirements of level 3 and will pick music accordingly. Tutors will give advice for working on techniques which are in the level 4 descriptors. Do remember that ensembles and tutorials work better if the standard of all players is well matched, so the tutors can confidently choose repertoire by level.
Fantasia is a single-movement piece, composed in 2024 by Rosemary Robinson. The piece is divided into five numbered sections, which correspond to the playing level descriptors for RSS.
Click here to download Rosemary Robinson’s Fantasia (2024)
Summer Mosaic was composed by Glen Shannon in 2025. Each of the movements in this piece correspond to the playing levels.
Click here to download Glen Shannon’s Summer Mosaic (2025)
If you have any questions about the level pieces, please visit our Frequenty Asked Questions page.