Which exam board should I do for Grade 5 clarinet? So far, I've done Grades 2 and 3 on Guildhall (both quite high Honours) and was working towards AB Grade 4 this Easter... but then my teacher forgot ( ) to enter me for the exam this term! I really don't want to take it in the summer session, because I've got all of my GCSEs around that time and I'd have little time for practice. So I've decided to skip Grade 4, and try and do Grade 5 in the November/Easter session next year.

Which exam board would be best, do you think? Also, when do their syllabuses get renewed? Do they change after 2006 (in which case, I would have to firmly decide on the November or the Easter session)?

Do the syllabus which has the pieces you like best, and the tests you are most comfortable with

I'd agree with Nicki here do the one with the pieces that you like the best and the supporting tests that most suit you: unless of course you have a particular preference for a certain board because of the name.

Are you talking about the Easter/November session 2007? If so I would think it's a bit early to start learning the pieces now: you'll be bored to tears with them. Play some other repertoire and enjoy yourself, if you stretch yourself you might find come the time to begin preparing for next Easter's exams you're ready for grade 6!

Thanks for the replies! I would have a look at the pieces, but I only have a few clarinet books and all of the select pieces are from different books (it's not collected together as 'selected exam pieces' like in piano...).

AP, what I meant was that if I get ready for the G5 exam now, I'll probably be able to take it in Nov 2006, but if I'm not ready by then, what I would normally have done was take it at Easter... but if the syllabus stopped after 2006, I wouldn't be able to do that. Um, yeah. Hope that made sense.

Current AB clarinet syllabus runs until the end of 2007, Trinity Guildhall are just introducing a new syllabus now.

I thought the entry date for this term's exams was this coming Friday Not entering anyone this time round so it's slipped off my radar.

Oh, yes that makes more sense, I thought you were starting now for November 2007 .

Deborah is right though, the AB's closing date for this session hasn't gone yet: it's this Friday, and then you can have another week if you enter online. So if you're ready now and want to do it there's still time .

You're fine with all syllabuses for at least the next year. Trinity Guidhall's new syllubus comes out in August and the first exams that it is used in is March 2007.

The pieces at grade 5 are very similar across the boards. Remeber if you do Guildhall or Trinity you can mix and match pieces from both syllabuses! If you're used to Guildhall Scale Aural/Initiative requirements then I'd stick with them. Summer by Paul Reade is gorgeous so definitely have a look at that!

Summer's great! I love that set of pieces

Thanks for the information & replies!

I'll have a look at the Summer piece, thanks. The thing is, (unlike piano) all of the set grade pieces are in different books.... and currently I only have:

- James Rae 40 modern studies
- Amazing solos for clarinet
- Summer sketches
- Music through time Book 3

Which book (s) would be the most beneficial for me to get, both for this G5 exam and for future use? Any recommendations?