If you've got a hankering for learning a musical instrument then you might have come across the phrase "music grades". These are exams that form part of an official music syllabus which seeks to encourage and promote musical standards. Many students like taking these grades because it gives them something to aim form and assesses how they are progressing with their instrument.
There are three separate examination bodies that are responsible for awarding music grades and qualifications. The two lesser used ones are Trinity College London and London College of music. Most people like to use ABRSM - the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. This is because ABRSM publishes a huge amount of sheet music in conjunction with its exam syllabuses. This provides a highly structured and detailed way of learning and reinforces high standards of musicianship.
ABRSM offers exams in: practical musicianship, theory and jazz. But their most popular exams are the practical exams in any of a range of specific instrument. They currently offer 35 different instrument courses. Each student begins at grade one. The top exam is awarded at grade eight.
So here is what to expect from the actual practical exam. There are four separate elements in every music grade. The first is the set pieces element. This involves the student playing three set pieces. Each piece is worth 30 marks with the pass mark set at twenty. The set pieces must be chosen from the course syllabus in advance. This allows the student to demonstrate how well they can deliver a piece of music that they have thoroughly rehearsed.
After set pieces comes the scales and arpeggios component. This requires the student to play a variety of scales and arpeggios that the examiner will request on the day. They must play these from memory. The maximum number of marks offered on this component is 21. A minimum score of 14 is required to pass.
Next comes the aural section. Here, the examiner takes over the playing of the instrument. He will play something and then ask the candidate a number of questions about it. This is because the aural section is all about testing the candidate's musical listening ability. The pass mark for the aural is 12 out of 18 marks.
The last part of any music exam is sight reading. This involves playing a piece of music that you are not familiar with. What happens is this: the examiner will give a short piece of sheet music to the candidate. They will tell them they have 30 seconds to look through and practice it. After this time the candidate must play from the sheet music for real. A minimum score of 14 out of 21 is needed to pass this section.
If you're good at maths you will already know that the maximum number of marks for the exam is 150. The pass mark is therefore set at 100. However, a special "Pass with merit" is awarded to those who manage to get 120 marks. And for those who manage to score 130, a "Pass with distinction" will be awarded.
There are three separate examination bodies that are responsible for awarding music grades and qualifications. The two lesser used ones are Trinity College London and London College of music. Most people like to use ABRSM - the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. This is because ABRSM publishes a huge amount of sheet music in conjunction with its exam syllabuses. This provides a highly structured and detailed way of learning and reinforces high standards of musicianship.
ABRSM offers exams in: practical musicianship, theory and jazz. But their most popular exams are the practical exams in any of a range of specific instrument. They currently offer 35 different instrument courses. Each student begins at grade one. The top exam is awarded at grade eight.
So here is what to expect from the actual practical exam. There are four separate elements in every music grade. The first is the set pieces element. This involves the student playing three set pieces. Each piece is worth 30 marks with the pass mark set at twenty. The set pieces must be chosen from the course syllabus in advance. This allows the student to demonstrate how well they can deliver a piece of music that they have thoroughly rehearsed.
After set pieces comes the scales and arpeggios component. This requires the student to play a variety of scales and arpeggios that the examiner will request on the day. They must play these from memory. The maximum number of marks offered on this component is 21. A minimum score of 14 is required to pass.
Next comes the aural section. Here, the examiner takes over the playing of the instrument. He will play something and then ask the candidate a number of questions about it. This is because the aural section is all about testing the candidate's musical listening ability. The pass mark for the aural is 12 out of 18 marks.
The last part of any music exam is sight reading. This involves playing a piece of music that you are not familiar with. What happens is this: the examiner will give a short piece of sheet music to the candidate. They will tell them they have 30 seconds to look through and practice it. After this time the candidate must play from the sheet music for real. A minimum score of 14 out of 21 is needed to pass this section.
If you're good at maths you will already know that the maximum number of marks for the exam is 150. The pass mark is therefore set at 100. However, a special "Pass with merit" is awarded to those who manage to get 120 marks. And for those who manage to score 130, a "Pass with distinction" will be awarded.
0 comments:
Post a Comment