The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music: A Social and Cultural History

Candid and critical but never harsh, Wright's book was written with the full cooperation of the Board and goes well beyond a standard institutional history, taking us behind committee doors and offering insights into musical life beyond the conservatoire . This book is rich in interpretation and analysis and . is a splendid example of just how interesting and insightful an institutional history can be. NORTH AMERICAN BRITISH MUSIC STUDIES ASSOCIATION, Autumn 2013

An endlessly fascinating book. MUSIC TEACHER

[A] most perceptive, well-organised and concentrated work, revealing the wide scope of the British and Imperial cultural worlds from which the Associated Board emerged in 1889 in response to the admirable Victorian ethos of self-improvement and its thirst for formal qualification. MUSICAL TIMES

The book is rich in detail - anecdotes, statistics, source references, quotations and a detailed bibliography and index - and offers a comprehensive history of the Board together with an examination of its continued significant place in British culture and musical life. THE CROSS-EYED PIANIST BLOG