Hi. I have heard that once you pass Grade 8 Piano, you have a 'professional' qualification, is this true?? I have checked on the internet and I cant find anything so I was just wondering if anyone had completed the exam??

Grade 8 represents a high standard of attainment but is not a professional qualification. Check out the Diplomas section on this site, those are the professional qualifications offered by the AB.

(I still remember doing my grade 8, oh, about twenty three years ago )

Grade 8 is only grade 8 - personally I think it means someone has attained a respectable level of ability but it's by no means anywhere near the top of difficulty of playing. Sorry but you can't compare it to playing a Rachmaninov concerto for example. Everyone gets so hung up about it- I don't understand it.
AND YES I have a grade 8 certificate!

To become a professional pianist.... passing grade 8 is like standing at the entrance. That's the beginning point.

Rgds,
Tannie

QUOTE (tannie @ May 11 2004, 02:49 PM)

To become a professional pianist.... passing grade 8 is like standing at the entrance. That's the beginning point. Rgds, Tannie

i would strongly agree with this. even at grade 8 there are a lot of things i cant play because i dont yet have the skill. the grade 8 list is still somewhat restricted in terms of repertoire because of the higher level of technique and musicianship needed to play for example, Chopin etudes and a lot of the Beethoven sonatas. Grade 8 really is only the beginning.

Perhaps there is some confusion about what you mean by "professional". If you glance at the AB's page on UCAS points, you'll see how many university entrance point you have got from your gd 8 result. But as the other replies say, you're still on the journey and who knows where it will lead....................

Please note that UCAS is for admission to general universities, and most music colleges will require grade 8 piano as a minimum requirement for admission (or grade 7 for non-piano majors).

As an analogy: If a student, having passed A-level pure/applied mathematics, calls himself "professional mathematician" before any college/university education in Mathematics. What do you think?

Regards,
Tannie