Cecilia de Maria is an ABRSM Harp Consultant, and teaches at the Royal College of Music Junior Department. In this film, Cecilia shares her approach to sight reading.

There are a few things we can do before even starting our sight-reading practice. One of these is to ensure we are confident with our performance directions and their meanings. Especially as when we get to higher grades we will need to know these in several languages.

Before starting the sight-reading test, go through this check list:

  • What key is it in?
  • What do I need to do with my pedals/levers?
  • What is the time signature and does this remain the same throughout the piece?
  • How am I going to count this?
  • Are there any patterns that may help me during the piece?
  • Are there any notes that I don’t recognise immediately?
  • Are there any chords/sections of the piece that may interrupt the flow?

Remember, you can play during your 30 seconds before the rest. Try not to start at the beginning of the piece, look for the tricky bits and work on them. When practicing sight reading, ask a teacher to count out loud or set a metronome to remind you to keep moving throughout the exercise. You could also ask them to cover the bar you about to play to ensure you are always looking ahead!

Just before you start:

  • Double check your levers/pedals quickly in case you practiced any moves and they aren’t in the starting position!
  • Count a bar in your head before you begin
  • Keep breathing!
  • Don’t stop to correct anything, just keep going! Enjoy!

This film will soon be available on ABRSM's YouTube Channel so you can share this film with your pupils. We'll add a link here when it's ready.

Last modified: Thursday, 23 October 2025, 8:43 AM
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