Is It The Only One? Options

[forest]

Who can tell me if ABRSM is the only one musical exam for amateur in this country? Anyone else? cheers!

[twiddle]

Who can tell me if ABRSM is the only one musical exam for amateur in this country? Anyone else? cheers!

If this country is the UK, then there is also Trinity-Guildhall, which currently runs both Trinity and Guildhall sylabuses still.

[margaret]

There are quite a few other exam boards and also different kinds of exams - for example rock school. I know I raised this once and got quite a few replies. Perhaps try a search 'other exam boards' something like that. London College of Music have a very interesting syllabus with a huge variety of music as an example.

[miochy]

I prefer the syllabus that London College of Music offers ..and so do many students.

[CMORRIS]

Hi miochy,

Can you tell me a little bit more about why you prefer the LCM syllabus?

Thanks

Christine

[crazy cow]

there's also Victoria College of Music!!! i'm doing my AVCM with them :s
if you want to know why, it's because i only need a grade 5 theory from their exam board and my teacher's an examiner for them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) then it's back to ABRSM (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
hoxie
x

[miochy]

Hi miochy,

Can you tell me a little bit more about why you prefer the LCM syllabus?

Thanks

Christine

Sure..the children seem to find the pieces a bit more enjoyable to play. My kids enjoy the exams (e.g. pieces like Pluto for Grade 1 and Jelly Baby Jazz and Persistent Rhythm in Grade 4). The pieces seem a bit more in tune (excuse the pun) with what kids want to play. They still have to access Classical repertoire also so it seems to provide a good all round syllabus.
That's just my experience though, and I'm sure some people will disagree.Hope that helps

[dcmbarton]

London College of Music
Trinity Guildhall / Trinity College London
Victoria College of Music
Rock School
National College of Music
Central Academy of Music
Curwen College of Music
ICMA (Independent Contemporary Music Awards)
North and Midlands School of Music

David

[jm-hamilton]

Hi miochy,

Can you tell me a little bit more about why you prefer the LCM syllabus?

Thanks

Christine

Christine
I've just started using the LCM Grade 1 with one of my pupils. Not because I prefer it to ABRSM but I exhausted all the Grade 1 ABRSM pieces in my attempts to get him to practise so he could do an exam, which he keeps insisting he wants to do. Thought a change of syllabus might enthuse him!!!!

There are, however, a couple of things that I do like about the syllabus, but please bear in mind that my experience is only of Grade 1. I like the fact that all the exam requirements come in one book - the scales, pieces, some sight reading exercises, a few aural test examples, sample viva voce questions and some hints on performing the pieces, so they know from the start exactly what they have to do, and it's all there for them, easy to access.

I particularly like the viva voce as an integral part of the LCM exam. It's so easy in a half hour lesson to concentrate only on the playing of the notes and to ignore any analysis of the pieces being played. It also provides a basis for theory, introducing the link between theory and practical, a link which children often can't see. I also feel it can be a way of involving the parents more in their child's musical education. Even if they are not musical and not able to tell whether the pupils is giving the right answers, they can at least ask questions and show an interest.

The types of question asked at Grade 1 are below - I've cut and pasted them from the online syllabus on the LCM site

"Simple questions asking candidates to identify basic terms and signs including: the treble and bass clef and the stave; bars and bar lines; note values; pitch names; location and purpose of the key signature and time signature. All as occurring in the music performed"

I will be sticking with ABRSM, but would welcome a viva voce section to the exam.

[Kflute]

As a general rule I use ABRSM. I was bought up on them and my service uses them mostly. However, I sometimes use Trinity for grade 6. This is usually when I have a student trying to get through theri grade 5 theory (which you don't need for Trinity), so they do grade 6 Trinity if they're ready to take an exam, and then go back to ABRSM for grade 7. I do try and keep up with the theory as they do their grades, but a year ago, I took over 25 hours worth of teaching from someone who's retired, none of which had done any theory whatsoever!! It's been a tough job trying to keep up their playing and get the theory done too, but I'm getting there!!!

[jm-hamilton]

As a general rule I use ABRSM. I was bought up on them and my service uses them mostly. However, I sometimes use Trinity for grade 6. This is usually when I have a student trying to get through theri grade 5 theory (which you don't need for Trinity), so they do grade 6 Trinity if they're ready to take an exam, and then go back to ABRSM for grade 7. I do try and keep up with the theory as they do their grades, but a year ago, I took over 25 hours worth of teaching from someone who's retired, none of which had done any theory whatsoever!! It's been a tough job trying to keep up their playing and get the theory done too, but I'm getting there!!!

I often get asked to do theory with students who have been put on to Trinity or LCM once they've done their ABRSM Grade 5 practical, who then go on to do Grade 6 with the other exam boards while they do the Grade 5 theory with me. They then often go back to ABRSM once they've passed the theory.

I too try to keep up with the theory in my lessons (I teach piano), but sometimes find that I'm working on grade 5 practical with a pupil and Grade 4 theory (I'm usually on a slightly lower grade with theory than on practical), but the student is working on Grade 6 on another instrument and is being urged by their other instrument teacher to get the Grade 5 theory done quickly. Unfortunately for them I don't "fast track" pupils through the exam - I try and find out what their existing knowledge is and I start them at a point I feel is right for them. This sometimes means that they have to wait quite a long time before they can do their Grade 6 exam while they catch up on the theory. My view is that either their other instrument teacher should be doing theory with them and not leaving it till the last minute or that I should be brought in to do the theory at an earlier stage.

[jacky]

The nearest centre from my house other than Associated Board in 150 miles - so we dont have the optionof doing Trinity. For pupils I have just fo theory - as the other teaches havent POSSIBLY got time to fit theory into a lesson (usually 3-4 pupil group school lessons for 20 minutes with different abilities in same group) I take my time usually, and suggest that if it is going to take ages, the pupil skips grade 6.
Fo my own pupils i tend to do practical musicianship during lessons - the majority of my pupils find this easier and more fun than theory (or perhaps its just the way I teach it). I do it jsut like extended aural tests - and then when the pupils take their grade 5 they just tag their pactical musicianship on the end . The seems to cut down the stress as well - rather than taking a written exam.

[Kflute]

I have 3-4 students in a group for 30 minutes and I manage to fit theory in. I make sure every student knows at the beginning of the lessons exactly what they should be doing in the next section, and they can all get on with it whilst each other is playing. I have become very good at listening to a child play whilst marking someone else's theory!!!

I start all students at grade 1 theory if they have done none before, regardless of standard on their instrument. I have had people who have taken their grade 5 before coming to me and not done any theory. I still start them at grade 1 as many will never have encountered bass clef, melodic minor scales, don't understand semitones and tones etc. I know some teachers will start these sort of pupils at grade 3, but there's so many little things that they don't know. It's much easier to start at grade1 and wiz through grade 1 and 2 books.

For all my sudents that start with me, they all get Theory is FUn grade 1 by Maureen Cox when they go out and buy their first tutor book. The primary school pupils love this book so much that I have problems sometimes getting them away from it to actually play their instruments to me!!!!!!!! Needless to say, this love of theory disapears once they get to high school!!!!

[jm-hamilton]

I have had people who have taken their grade 5 before coming to me and not done any theory. I still start them at grade 1 as many will never have encountered bass clef, melodic minor scales, don't understand semitones and tones etc.

I started teaching theory to such a pupil at the beginning of this term. I was dreading it as he has just taken the Trinity/Guildhall Grade 5 practical in Drum and I was envisaging him having not a clue about clefs, pitched notes or the five line stave and having to struggle with it. However, I needn't have worried. He had played the keyboard in the past, sings in the youth choir and is a good all-rounder. After checking the knowledge he required for grade1 theory I started him on Grade 2, which he's flying through. His main problem is the jargon. He has the knowledge but is unfamiliar with the terms e.g he knows what a harmonic minor scale is but he didn't know that what he knew was called a harmonic minor scale , if you see what I mean. As he is doing Trinity/Guildhall there is no rush as he doesn't require a theory exam until he's ready to do Grade 8 (think I'm right on this).