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.
So who is responsible for awarding these music grades? The three main examination boards are London College of Music, Trinity College London and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). The ABRSM is by far the largest and most utilised of all these examination boards. The board was set up in 1889 and is accredited by Ofqual. This means it can award grades and diploma qualifications through the UK's National Qualifications framework.
Practical exams offered by ABRSM are by far the most taken of all music exams. These are the ones that range from grade one to eight. You can sit these exams in any of a range of 35 different musical instruments. However, ABRSM also offer jazz exams, practical musicianship exams and music theory exams.
During the actual practical exam every student will have to pass four different sections. This is irrespective of what grade or instrument you are taking. The first section is called set pieces. It involves playing three set piece from the course syllabus. Each student is allowed to bring the sheet music for this pieces into the exam room. They are expected to have practised these pieces thoroughly before the exam. Each piece is marked out of 30. A minimum score of 20 is required to pass on each piece.
The second section of the exam is known as scales and arpeggios. This is simply where the student plays whatever scales are requested by the examiner. It is a fairly brief section in the exam and requires pass mark of fourteen out of twenty-one.
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 we add up all the marks from all the different sections, we can see that the exam carries a total of 150 marks. In order to be awarded your grade you must score at least 100. However, you can gain a pass with merit if you score over 120. Additionally, a pass with distinction is awarded for scoring 130 or over.
So who is responsible for awarding these music grades? The three main examination boards are London College of Music, Trinity College London and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). The ABRSM is by far the largest and most utilised of all these examination boards. The board was set up in 1889 and is accredited by Ofqual. This means it can award grades and diploma qualifications through the UK's National Qualifications framework.
Practical exams offered by ABRSM are by far the most taken of all music exams. These are the ones that range from grade one to eight. You can sit these exams in any of a range of 35 different musical instruments. However, ABRSM also offer jazz exams, practical musicianship exams and music theory exams.
During the actual practical exam every student will have to pass four different sections. This is irrespective of what grade or instrument you are taking. The first section is called set pieces. It involves playing three set piece from the course syllabus. Each student is allowed to bring the sheet music for this pieces into the exam room. They are expected to have practised these pieces thoroughly before the exam. Each piece is marked out of 30. A minimum score of 20 is required to pass on each piece.
The second section of the exam is known as scales and arpeggios. This is simply where the student plays whatever scales are requested by the examiner. It is a fairly brief section in the exam and requires pass mark of fourteen out of twenty-one.
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 we add up all the marks from all the different sections, we can see that the exam carries a total of 150 marks. In order to be awarded your grade you must score at least 100. However, you can gain a pass with merit if you score over 120. Additionally, a pass with distinction is awarded for scoring 130 or over.