thrives on exams and gets a buzz from seeing your name on a certifi-cate and moving up the grades.
For others the mere thought of taking an exam may be off-putting. It is, of course, still possible to progress at a suitable rate and maintain a sense of achievement without exams and formal certificates. One option is to simply prepare the exam material without taking the actual exam. If you’re going to do this, you and your teacher need to choose pieces and studies carefully to maintain your interest.
Learning a musical instrument can often fall into cycles of feeling good and moving forward, feeling bored and on a plateau, or feeling like the mountain is just too hard to climb!
This is where it becomes very important to select the right material to study. If you are doing well, then something which is an achievable challenge will suit you. If you are on the plateau and feeling bored, then something with a difference may be required to rekindle your motiva-tion. But if you’re at the bottom of the mountain, then something well within your grasp, and possibly a little easier than your previous piece or study, would be appropriate. If you have a good teacher, then making these selections all falls on their shoulders. If, however, you are learning without a teacher, take care to choose pieces that are the right level for you – not too easy, not too hard.
One of the advantages of taking an exam is that the material will need to be performed to a predetermined standard for that particular grade.
Music Examinations
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Achieving that standard of correctness and fluency needs a degree of dedication, and having a clear goal in mind to pass or do one’s very best is very important and will bring a strong sense of satisfaction and achievement.
WHERE AND WHEN?
There are various examination boards and it will depend on the teacher as to which one they prefer. However the most widely used is the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).
The Board holds its exams three times a year, generally in February – March, June – July and November – December. You can take the exams at an examination centre near to where you live or near to where you teacher lives.
It is usually up to the teacher to enter pupil for exams, though it is possible to do so yourself. The exams are graded 1 to 8 and one exam spans one year as a general rule. You may be entered for an exam according to your ability and so not everyone starts off at Grade 1, and where good fast progress is being made it is not uncommon to skip a grade if you are doing particularly well.
THE CLIMB TO GRADE 1 MAY BE STEEP
You don’t have to get yourself to Grade 1 level all in one go. If you are worried about it or not ready for Grade 1, the Preparatory Test might be better for you. This is an introductory level to Grade 1 set by the ABRSM.
This test is designed to give pupils an opportunity to experience a formal exam situation, without the pressure of it being a pass/fail scenario as is the case with Grades 1 to 8. It will also give you an
achievable target to work towards, before tackling the full examination programme required for the grades.
At the end of the Preparatory Test you will be given a certificate showing the examiner’s comments. I personally find these Preparatory Tests very useful, as it gives beginners something to aim for and look forward to after only a relatively short period of time.
EXAMINATION PREPARATION FOR GRADES
Examination candidates are given a selection of set pieces from which three must be chosen and prepared for examination performance. The pieces are widely available in all good music shops.
Some teachers prefer to make the selection for their pupils, and others involve the pupil in the final choice. Many pieces have a piano accom-paniment (unless your instrument is piano, of course, in which case you perform alone).
A selection of scales and various similar exercises have to be played from memory. It is unlikely that all the exercises will be asked for in the exam, but you should be very familiar with them and be able to perform them when asked. After all, you won’t know which ones the examiner will choose to hear and you aren’t given any clues!
There’s just one sight-reading test in which you will be required to perform a short piece you’ve never seen before. You will be given up to 30 seconds to prepare it, before playing it to the examiner.
There are also four short aural tests that cover basic listening skills.
These vary depending on the grade being taken, but they are designed to test your rhythmic skills and ability to pitch notes within your vocal range.
HOW IS THE EXAM MARKED?
The graded exams are marked out of 150 points. Here’s how the points are broken down:
Maximum Points Minimum Points
Piece 1 max 30 min 20
Piece 2 max 30 min 20
Piece 3 max 30 min 20
Scales and arpeggios max 21 min 14
Sight-reading max 21 min 14
Aural (listening tests) max 18 min 12 Marks are graded:
Pass 100–119
Merit 120–129
Distinction 130–150
Your results are posted out to the person who entered you shortly after the exam. You will receive a mark sheet recording your mark for each exam element along with your certificate. This feedback is very useful, as it’s always helpful to know which pieces you played best and where else your strengths and weaknesses helped or hindered your exam per-formance.
If you have special needs, including Asperger’s, autism or dyslexia for example, you may be given extra time for the sight-reading test.
You can also request the sight-reading test in enlarged print if required. Speak to your teacher about this.