Transcript Making the Grade

Making the Grade
A Music’All Guide to ABRSM Exams
Why do grade exams?
• Enjoyment through achievement
• motivation: working through a structure
syllabus to a goal and a deadline
• measure progress against benchmark
• assessment by independent, professional
examiner/musician
• performance opportunity
• certain grades represent valuable educational
(and professional) qualification
...Why not?
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doesn’t suit every child
children already face tests, exams etc in
everyday school, music should be different...
audition nature of exam can be an artificial and
stressful experience.
a negative experience of exam or ‘bad’ results
can put child off music...
rigid structure of repertoire can be inhibiting
A need
balanced
approach
• Don’t
to do every consecutive
grade
exam!
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Focus on grades which represent significant
milestones, or might help with entry to a
school or music group. Teachers will also
have view on important grades for specific
instruments.
Time out from grades is ESSENTIAL: other
repertoire, performance and ensemble
experience
Aim for G2 distinction than G3 pass...
Use syllabus as guideline for development and
assessment of essential skills - scales,
Levels
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Grades 1-3 = Foundation level
Grades 4-5 = Intermediate level
Grades 6-8 = Advanced level (contribute to
UCAS tariff for university entrance 75 points
for G8d cf 140 for A Level A*)
NB to progress to G6-8, ABRSM requires
candidate to have passed Grade 5 Theory,
Practical Musicianship or Jazz instrumental.
Parental Support
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Communicate with teachers about your child’s
suitability for grades, understand the time
horizons, how will grade exam fit in with your
child’s commitments.
Play pieces on syllabus at home - or other
pieces by composers - will really help them
engage with the music.
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Practice support - read practice notebook,
check right balance of different elements of
exam. Nothing should be left to the last minute.
Talk to teacher - give practice feedback,
concerns, etc.
Give your child performance opportunities at
home - little recitals for relatives or friends, so
they get used to performance. Make sure they
always tell listeners what they are playing and
who it’s by.
Plenty of praise and encouragement!
Overview
• Scales and arpeggios
• Set Piece A (Baroque)
• Set Piece B (Classical/Romantic)
• Set Piece C (Modern)
• Sight-reading
• Aural Tests
• Total
21
30
30
30
2
1
18
150
Making the Grade
• 100 = Pass
• 120 = Pass with Merit
• 130 = Pass with Distinction
Scales & Arpeggios (21)
• must be played from memory
• must be according to syllabus specifications:
up/down, range, legato/staccato, tempo (piano
hands together/separate, similar/contrary
motion)
• use metronome to help work up to required
speed
• (make sure you read syllabus!)
Set Pieces (90)
• List A: Baroque/early classical; polyphonic
• List B: Late classical/Romantic: expressive
• List C: Modern: 20th century, contemporary
composers, jazz arrangements
Creating a Programme
• Listen to as many of the pieces as possible
(Spotify/YouTube/ABRSM CD). The aim for
teacher and student is to create programme
that really inspires the student and makes
them want to go to the piano!
• Good balance of tempi, keys, moods.
Programme with variety and contrasts - think of
it as a concert programme.
• Each list has 6 pieces (G8 more), but only 3
from each list are featured in ‘Selected Exam
Pieces’. These are inevitably the ones that are
most-played in exams...
Sight-reading (21)
• unseen piece. 30 secs to prepare. Minimum
required to pass: awareness of time and key
signatures (specified for each grade),
momentum (keep going!), outline of music.
Good mark requires fluency, accuracy,
attention to dynamics and musicality.
• Daily practice - 5 mins, discuss good sources
of appropriate material with teacher.
• Specimen tests published by ABRSM
Aural Tests (18)
• Designed to establish link between listening
and playing music. Develop aural awareness
and a musical ear.
• Four parts: eg G1-3
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clap pulse of piece of music played by examiner. 2 or
3-time?
sing back phrases in echo
identify change of pitch or rhythm in piece (spot the
difference!)
answer questions about two features of a piece
played by examiner
• later grades (g5-8) evolve from these skills
and get progressively more challenging sing back melodies, sing notes from score sight-singing G7-8, identify cadences,
modulations, chord progressions, and
understand structure and terminology.
• Apart from working with teacher in lessons,
one can prepare by listening to lots of music,
clapping along, or singing back parts of
tunes you’ve just heard, rhythm reading
(clapping a piece before you play it). Find
and use apps / websites with aural
exercises.
The Exam
• £35 G1 - £85 G8
• 3 exam sessions per year - Feb/Mar June/July - Nov/Dec. Last date for applications
usually two months before.
• Music’All does admin, provides exam venue for
summer term, organises accompanist where
needed.
• Be well-prepared! Remember that performance
nerves will affect your child’s performance so
they have to really know the music inside-out!
• Music’All will organise Mock Exam for summer
term entrants.
• we also encourage all students to book a
Performance Platform slot.
• Performances at home (as talked about
earlier).
The Big Day
• Warm-up time on the day - at home, and at
venue. Arrive in good time. No last min
panics...
• Check your child has all the music, piano
accompaniment score - and their instrument! before leaving home.
• Eat a banana and a biscuit! (Vessie)
• Nerves - breathing exercises, stretching.
• Make sure they check tuning with
teacher/accompanist before beginning exam.
• Decide on performance order and tell examiner
titles and composers before playing.
• Exam duration G1 = 12 mins, G8 = 30 mins.
• Experience can be anti-climactic after all the
prep - short, and examiner, although friendly,
has to be v efficient and get through exam, and
write comments down.
Conclusion
• As a school we believe our students should be
entered for grade exams (at least once or
twice) during their time with us, for all the
reasons outlined - motivation, benchmarking,
skillset.
• But exams are NOT for everyone. Consult with
teacher (and staff) if in any doubt.
• If you and your child decide to enter for exam,
be involved and engaged and make sure your
child is fully prepared. No point entering exam
and not giving it very best shot.
Resources
• General info
http://www.abrsm.org/resources/theseMusicEx
ams0607.pdf
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AB syllabus:
http://www.abrsm.org/en/exams/gradedMusicE
xams/latestSyllabuses.html
App Store: ABRSM aural apps for Grade 1, 2
and 3
App Store: Music Theory app by Music Room
(good aural exercises built in)
Spotify, YouTube (free) iTunes: find,
stream/buy ABRSM repertoire