i love singing and i've recently passed my grade 8 with merit...i think that's pretty good....but does anyone knows when's the best time to do a singing diploma....i'm now 17...as well as that...planning to do my grade 8 theory soon..

Can't help with the diploma question, but can I ask what you did for your traditional song for Grades 7 and 8?

I'm struggling (as ever) with trying to find something suitable...

Thanks.

i didn't do grade 7 singing...couldn't be bothered...but my grade 8 traditional song was: a fisherman night song...something reeli weird...my teacher chose it for me...

How much time did you take between gr6 and 8?

Which book was your song in? I might find something else in there....

to be honest... i took a 3-month break after my grade 6 singing....i wanted to sing something else and my singing teacher was going to retire...there's no point of starting another grade...but she actually wanted me to do a grade 7 before grade 8.... then i went back to hong kong for the summer holiday... in september, my new singing teacher arrived.....i begged her to let me do a grade 8 ...since i didn't do a grade 7 piano.... she let me...preparing for the exam was frustrating....it took a 6-month practice before i actually got to my grade 8 exam....it was a pain during my preparation.... my teacher was kind of pushy...since she's an ABRSM examiner, a soloist and a singing teacher....

anyway...i think the book is called "come and sing" or something similar.......it's published by Oxford...the cover is dark purple and the book title is white... can't really remember

Well I am grade 7/8 standard but haven't done my Grade V theory so I'm doing grade V singing and theory in Nov/Dec. What can I expect from a singing exam?

I did my grade 5 singing exam a couple of days ago and it was my 10th practical exam in total!
Singing exams are just the same layout as other practical subjects, if you have taken others before.
Walk in, say 'hello', hand examiner list of pieces.
Wait for the ok to begin, then nod at your accompanist to start playing.
Sing song beautifully - lots of emotion - try and make examiner cry if its sad song and laugh if it's happy.
Finish, wait for ok to start next song.... etc. etc.

After you have sung your 3 songs, accompanist leaves and you r on your own!!! (Btw you can sing your 3 songs in any order), you sing your unaccompanied tradtional song. I did 'Drink to me only with thine eyes'. You play your own starting note on the piano and then sing it a cappella. Then you have your sight reading and aural tests for the grade.

It's not that scary really!!!
Luv Charlotte xxx

My grade 6 was....

from grade 6 onwards...u have to sing 4 pieces and 1 unaccompanied folk song... this all have to be done with memory...except for o.. (sorry...can't reeli spell that word)...u can consult the singing exam regulation in the ABRSM net..

oratorio?

yeah....that's it... thanks.. Emma C

Hi all,

I'm just new to this forum but it all looks really good.

I have just passed my grade 8 singing with distinction. Having taken about 4 years out since I left school I decided it was time I did the exam!!

If anyone does have an answer to the original question about where to go after grade 8 I would be most appreciative, I too am thinking about a diploma.

Matt

P.S. For my folk song I did 'The Carol of the Bad Women' which is a Manx folk song and fitting as I am from the Isle of Man!!

that's excellent that u had got a distinction for ur grade 8 singing...mind u...i only got a merit (123/150)... i did it when i was 16...with an average of 6 months preparation....