These Music Exams - ABRSM

36 Pages·2015·4.02 MB·English

Your guide to
ABRSM music exams
Instruments and Singing: Grades 1 to 8
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Contents
Introduction 2
About our exams 3
The exam elements 4
– Pieces or songs
– Scales and arpeggios
– Unaccompanied traditional song
– Sight-reading
– Aural tests
How we mark exams 7
Marking criteria 10
– Instruments
– Singing
Before the exam 14
– At the exam centre
During the exam 18
– Setting up, tuning and
accompaniment
– The exam itself
After the exam 26
– Results and next steps
About our examiners 28
Other assessments 30
Information and resources 32
Contact us Inside back cover
This guide gives an overview of our graded exams for instruments and
singing. You can find detailed information about exam requirements at
www.abrsm.org/exams and in our syllabus booklets.
The guide also refers to our Music Theory, Practical Musicianship and
Jazz exams. You can find information about these exams on page 30 and
at www.abrsm.org/exams.
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Introduction
This guide is for anyone involved with ABRSM’s graded music
exams – especially teachers, candidates and parents. It introduces
the various elements of our exams for instruments and singing,
guides you through the exam experience and explains what makes
ABRSM exams special.
As ABRSM’s Chief Examiner, I lead ABRSM exams motivate achievement
the team of examiners who deliver and support progression. They lay
our exams around the world. Our good foundations for music making
message to candidates is ‘I’ll do my while encouraging students to reach
best to help you do your best’, and their full potential, though we advise
I can say with confidence that this teachers and candidates to use our
message lies at the heart of our work. exams as a means to this end, rather
than as an end in themselves. They
Every examiner understands how
can form only part of a musical
it feels to be nervous before a
curriculum, for which they provide
musical performance. We have all
goals and recognition along the way.
experienced this ourselves and we
remember being an exam candidate Finally, we should remember the
too. We know that a friendly face reason so many of us learn to play
and a sympathetic approach make an instrument or to sing. It’s about a
all the difference. From our manner love of music and the enjoyment and
in the exam room, our method as fulfilment that brings, all of which
we work through the exam to our ABRSM supports wholeheartedly.
comments on the mark form, our
aim is to be helpful and supportive. John Holmes
The ABRSM examiner is always on Chief Examiner
the candidate’s side.
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About our exams
We have designed our graded music exams to motivate instrumental
and singing students of all ages and a wide range of abilities.
Our exams are available at eight • notation skills through a
levels – Grades 1 to 8 – and provide: sight-reading test;
• progressive goals to aim for; • listening skills and musical
• recognition for achievement; perception through aural tests.
• carefully structured syllabus
How music works
requirements;
We also encourage students to
• one-to-one assessment by an
learn about the way music works.
expert professional;
They can explore musical knowledge
• an objective guide to a
and understanding as well as creative
candidate’s skills and progress.
skills through our Music Theory,
There are no age restrictions and
Practical Musicianship and Jazz exams.
students can start with any grade
or skip grades if they want to. Understanding how music works
helps students to make music with
All-round musicianship greater awareness, confidence and
We believe in the importance of sensitivity. This becomes increasingly
all-round musicianship and this important as they progress with their
forms the basis of our exams. To learning. So candidates who want to
become an all-round musician, take an instrumental or Singing exam
students need a range of interlocking at Grade 6 or above must first pass
skills – in performance, technique, Grade 5 (or above) in Music Theory,
notation, and listening and musical Practical Musicianship or a solo Jazz
perception – as well as knowledge, instrument. This ensures they have
understanding and creativity. These the knowledge and understanding
are the things we assess in our exams. they need to successfully interpret
and perform the music set on our
To succeed in our exams candidates
higher grade syllabuses.
need to have a combination of
skills and understanding. Broadly,
A holistic approach
we assess:
This holistic approach helps students
• performance skills through pieces to understand, perform and enjoy
or songs; music. It provides strong foundations
• technical skills through scales and for musical growth and a set of skills
arpeggios (or unaccompanied which students can use for the rest
traditional song for singers); of their lives.
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The exam elements
You can find detailed information about exam requirements in our
syllabuses, available at www.abrsm.org/exams and in a range of
printed booklets. Our graded music exams for instrumentalists and
singers include the following elements.
Pieces or songs How do we choose the pieces
For this section of the exam, and songs?
candidates prepare and present We have a panel of expert
a selection of pieces or songs consultants – examiners, teachers
chosen from the relevant syllabus. and performers – who help us to
• Instrumentalists play three set refresh and renew our syllabuses.
pieces. Using guidelines for each subject
and grade, they put together
• Singers perform three set songs
an initial list of pieces or songs.
at Grades 1 to 5 and four set
They also refer to suggestions
songs at Grades 6 to 8.
and feedback from teachers and
It’s important for students to candidates, and look at statistics
experience different styles of music, showing the popularity of recently
so our syllabuses include a wide set pieces. This means that the
range of repertoire for them to lists include music that we are sure
choose from. We want candidates candidates will enjoy playing and
to find music that inspires them that suits a range of tastes and
and that they enjoy learning approaches. After final checks on
and performing. levels of difficulty and availability of
the music, we approve the final lists
which appear on our syllabuses.
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Scales and arpeggios Sight-reading/sight-singing
Instrumentalists prepare and play All candidates have to play or sing
scales and arpeggios (and other a short piece which they have not
exercises) in a selection of keys, seen before. In Singing exams this
as listed in the syllabus. is accompanied by the examiner.
Scales and arpeggios are important Sight-reading is a valuable skill with
for building strong technical skills many benefits. It helps students to
and musical understanding. By perform new music with confidence
practising them students become and learn pieces or songs more
familiar with their instrument and quickly. Good sight-reading skills
develop many aspects of technique, also help when making music with
including articulation, tone others, so singing in a choir or
and intonation. playing in an ensemble becomes
more rewarding and enjoyable.
Playing scales and arpeggios also
helps students to understand keys. Horn, Trumpet and Organ candidates
This gives them confidence and at Grades 6 to 8 also take a transposition
security when sight-reading, learning test, and Harpsichord candidates take a
new pieces and performing – from figured bass realisation test.
a score or from memory, as a solo
musician or with others. Aural tests
In the aural tests examiners are
Unaccompanied traditional song assessing a candidate’s listening
In Singing exams candidates skills and musical perception.
perform an unaccompanied The tests cover awareness of pitch,
traditional (folk) song of their pulse, rhythm, melody, harmony
choice from memory. This is instead and other musical features.
of scales and arpeggios.
Developing good aural skills is
Learning to sing unaccompanied an important part of any music
helps students to develop their sense education and the ability to hear
of key and pulse without reference to how music works helps students
an accompanying instrument. It also with all aspects of their music
encourages control of tonality and making and learning.
pitch, sense of rhythm, use of tonal
colour, musical communication and
memory skills.
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How we mark exams
Assessment in our graded instrumental and singing exams is based
on our marking criteria, which you can find in full on pages 10 to 13.
The marking criteria show what Understanding how our examiners
we expect for the three levels of award marks is not only helpful
pass – Pass, Merit and Distinction for exam preparation but also for
– in each element of the exam. learning and progression generally.
They are designed to maximise If you know what the ingredients of
consistency in our marking and to a good performance are then you
make our approach to assessment also know what to work on to reach
clear for everyone. this goal.
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Pieces and songs The marking criteria also show
The marking criteria cover the what examiners listen for in the
different aspects of playing or other elements of our exams.
singing within five areas: pitch; time;
tone; shape and performance. These Scales and arpeggios
can be applied to all instruments, (instrumentalists)
including voice, and to all types of – accuracy of notes/pitch, rhythmic
piece or song. continuity and fluency, tone and
shaping, security and confidence
The marking criteria show what our
of the response.
examiners listen for under each of
these headings:
Unaccompanied traditional song
Pitch – accuracy, clarity, reliability (singers)
of notes and/or intonation. – control of pitch and intonation,
Time – suitability of tempo, stability sense of rhythmic character, use
of pulse, sense of rhythm. of vocal qualities, effectiveness of
musical shaping, quality of musical
Tone – control and projection of
involvement, communication and
sound, sensitivity and awareness in
storytelling.
use of tonal qualities.
Shape – effectiveness and clarity of Sight-reading/sight-singing
musical shaping and detailing. – rhythmic accuracy, continuity,
accuracy of notes, pitch and key,
Performance – overall command
realisation of musical detail, level
of the instrument or voice,
of confidence in presentation.
involvement with the music, musical
communication.
Aural tests
– accuracy, musical perception and
awareness, security of responses.
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