The Need To Start With Grade 1 Options

[debragrant]

as an adult learner is there a ned to start at Grade 1 or can you start a little futher up the grades?

[sarah-flute]

You can start wherever is appropriate for you :) - it's entirely possible to start on grade 8 if you happened to get to that level before you started taking exams.

Start wherever you're at - you can also skip grades at a later date if that's what is right for your progress. You will need to bear in mind that if you wish to do grades 6-8 you will have to pass grade 5 in jazz, theory or practical musicianship.

[Deborah]

When I started playing clarinet (as a small child), Grades 1 and 2 didn't exist for woodwind instrument <feels old>.

There's absolutely no need to do any exams whatsoever, but if you want something to work towards, exams are one such target, as are music festivals and concerts. Whether you do exams or not, ensure you continue to enjoy making music.

[Jen W]

as an adult learner is there a ned to start at Grade 1 or can you start a little futher up the grades?

I started with grade 4 (but had been playing 4 years, so this seemed about right for me at the time)!

[bassmadmatt]

Look through the syllabus, and try a few of the pieces for each grade. When you have to start challenging yourself, and learning new things, that's the best grade to start on. Any lower and it's not really going to be fulfilling for you, any higher and it might be too much for you.
Matt B)

[dacapo]

You will need to bear in mind that if you wish to do grades 6-8 you will have to pass grade 5 in jazz, theory or practical musicianship.

Not true for all exam boards.

Quotation from Trinity College Web site: http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/index.cfm?...sic_graded.home

"No limitations on higher grade entry

Grade 5 theory is not required for entry into any Trinity exam. We believe that a knowledge of music theory is very important and we have a comprehensive structure of theory exams. However we also believe that performance exams are about the assessment of performance and that candidates with a less academic grasp of music should not be prevented from taking them."

When I started playing clarinet (as a small child), Grades 1 and 2 didn't exist for woodwind instrument <feels old>.

When I started playing flute (as a young adult) Grade 8 didn't exist for woodwind instruments either. You can start feeling quite young again. :)

There's absolutely no need to do any exams whatsoever, but if you want something to work towards, exams are one such target, as are music festivals and concerts. Whether you do exams or not, ensure you continue to enjoy making music.

Amen to that. And look for ways to make music with other people too, to add a social dimension to your enjoyment.