Does anyone out there know if there are plans to bring out grades 6, 7 and 8 in the Jazz exams? not that I'm there yet (I've just taken grade 4 jazz tenor sax and tentatively await the results) but it would be nice to know...

When I attended a short jazz course the tutor(who writes for and examines for the Jazz piano exams) was asked this questions. He said there were no imminent plans. I asked why and he thought it was a financial thing....

It's a shame as there is a lot of confusion about the exams only going up to grade five.

First some teachers think that cos someone has passed jazz grade 5 that they are the equivilent to grade 8 as they've 'finished' the jazz exams. Secondly, and I think this is more important, it makes some people feel like the AB treats jazz students like second class citizens as they're not willing to extend the syllabus.

They are extending outwards rather than upwards at the moment - jazz flute is to be launched this year. Have some sympathy for the string players, who may never get jazz exams at all.

Personaly I think that the later grades could be designed in a slightly different way - more like a recital certificate or something where basically there'd be some set standards &/or pieces published in C, Bb, Eb, F, Bass etc etc and then some own choice pieces. This would allow the exams to be open to all instruments rather than just the 'jazz' instruments. As for problems with the ranges of different instruments all the AB would have to do is say can be played up to one octave higher or lower than written.

It can't be that expensive compared to the amount of revenue their loosing from people who only want to do jazz exams who are forced to stop at grade 5 can it? Not in the long run I would have thought.

As I sometimes drop the odd bombshell, I think I am expect to say something like this:

The current Jazz grades are all over the place already, so before making G6 7 8, they should make a decent 12345.

And before people become defensive and say go on prove it, you do it, how can they, they're fine blabla... Have a look at the 5 books, all lined up, and compare what is required of each student in each piece. There are G1 pieces that are harder than G4. I don't have the books at hand, but I'm saying it as I've notced it, and having worked for a year in a music shop which specialised in sheet-music, I am quite sure i am not making it up!

I would probably agree that there is not a huge amount of difference in the difficulty of the pieces themselves, but the difference between grades surely lies with what you do witht he given material in the imptovisation section and in the embelishment of the "head". Someone at grade 1 would not be expected to improvise to the same degree of difficulty as someone at grade 4 or 5. Also the scales are much more invoved and the quick study / aural test are more difficult in the later grades.

This thread has what I believe was the latest information from Christine on the Jazz exams.

Thanks for the information, it looks like I'll have to wait and watch the website.

Oh i think this is nonsense, having taught the jazz syllabus (trumpet, trombone, saxophone and clarinet) from the outset the grades are very progressive in levels of dificulty yes you might find the odd piece thats seems a little out of place but this could be said about any of the other syllabus's, for example their is a Bach grade 8 piece presently on the classical syllabus that would be much more suited to grade 5 or 6 but as a whole the jazz grades work very well. I like the jazz the jazz syllabus, i'm getting a bit bored of teaching the same limited repertoire however and would like the Board to add some new material to the present syllabus, the only saving grace is that i never hear two solos that sound the same. Some of my students have become fantastic improvisers, and some are ok but thats very much the nature of it.

Even on the classical exams where the exams themselves have been around for years and there is a lot of repertoire already, many instruments go for four years without a single change, even the most popular with masses of rep. go for two, and some I think have to wait even longer for changes. So while I can sympathise that you have a limited repertoire to teach for exams, it's not a jazz thing, it happens in the more established disciplines too. At least you HAVE jazz exams already!