The title says it: How long have these qualifications been offered? What preceded them - if anything? In short, what is the history of the ABRSM examination structure? Anyone who knows, do tell!

I can answer the first bit: since 2000. I took my DipABRSM in the first session they were offered, in December of that year.

I took my Advanced Certificate (similar level to dipABRSM) and LRSM prior to the new style diplomas. The syllabus I passed with was from the early 1990s. The Advanced Certificate stopped being offered at the end of 2001, with the older LRSM stopping at the end of 2002.

That's interesting - maybe it wasn't unforgivably ignorant of me to assume there was nothing after grade 8 when I started singing in 2002 - the exams must have been relatively new then!

The various colleges used to offer their own external diplomas before ABRSM started doing diplomas (although LRSM was available overseas for many years previously.) The RCM used to offer ARCM & the RAM offered LRAM, but they didn't have different levels of external diplomas as ABRSM have now. FRCM & FRAM are awarded to distinguished past students, not by examination. Trinity & Guildhall also each had their own external diplomas, now merged into the Trinity Guildhall exams & the LCM have always had their own.

What does GRSM stand for? All my music teachers have one, and I've always wondered what it was.

Generally Rather Scary Musician?

I know LRAM and ARCM were around in the 1960s because I was being prepared for ARCM when I was in college (didn't take it though at that time). And I know Guildhall had their own in the early 1970s, because I took LGSM then - there was also a GGSM (Graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama)

Just had a quick Google and it looks like LRAM is still offered - as a teaching diploma at the Royal Academy of Music. I've got an old piano exam book and on the back it gives the diplomas offered by each music college. LRAM was still offered externally in 1972, as was ARCM.

Actually, the first time I heard of them was on these very forums, and the way everyone talked of them, I'd always assumed they had been around for ages and I just hadn't come across them before! Up until today, anyway! So the people that took it in 2000 were the first batch? I wonder how the very first entrant found it!

~Wobby~