Hi, I am from the US.

A few questions about Grade 8.

What is the aural part of the test like? What type of listneing is there? Melodic dictation by someone playing 8 measures and then you copying it? Singing it back? I had two years of music theory in music school in US (New England Conservatory) so I am not sure what a UK based exam would ask you. I would really like to know what to study for this part.

Sight-reading - No problem. I am one of the best sight readers in the world. No kidding.

Scales - Do they prefer quick tempo. Or are you given a set tempo. Do they like the scales played melodically with some phrasing or no phrasing at all. Just make sure all notes are even.

Pieces:

Let me know if this repertoire is a mistake.


I would like to play either:

Prelude and Fugue in A-flat, WTC by Bach (I learned the prelude in two days, and mine is very close to the Glenn Gould version, is that bad for the examiner to hear an interpreation with extra ornamentation and rolled chords in the beginning, although I think certainly appropriate to that period)

or Scarlatti, or Shostakovitch (would the examiner like Shostakovitch, or too offbeat?) I am afraid playing Shostakovitch (a less well-known prelude and fugue) could be over someone's head, especially if I get a nonpianist as an examiner. Do nonpianists examine pianists?

For group II:
Beethoven, Op. 31 No. 1 (Beethoven is my specialty, as I won the concerto competition at NEC with that and was student of Russell Sherman). However I have been told the examiner is more fussy with Beethoven than if you played Haydn, Clementi, or Mozart. I know the big E-flat haydn sonata is on there, and I have played the whole thing, but was NEVER happy with the way I played it. I also played the Mozart F major sonata on that list, but I do not like the piece as much as the Beethoven, and it is also overplayed.

For group III:

Nocturne Op. 55 No. 1 f minor

Yes, the really overplayed piece. But I have something special to say, and actually have the correct style and everything. At the level of Chopin competition. Seriously. (But too overplayed perhaps, maybe I should be Grieg or Poulenc?) Does a more technically difficult piece get more points in this exam? Which would point me to the Poulenc instead?

Well, I have to pass Grade 5 Theory first!


Any advice about what to play and ESPECIALLY how to study for the aural, or at least what is usually asked, would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Good to know that there is another music student from the US interested in the AB exams.

You said that you had studied with Russell Sherman at the NEC. I was wondering if that was in the prep division or the college division. If you were in the college division, my guess is that your playing would be way beyond AB Grade 8 standard. In that case, you might want to consider the diploma exams instead. It is possible to substitute the Grade 8 prerequisite with a similar qualification. A detailed list can be found in the diploma syllabus, which is available online.

Going back to the main subject here... The aural tests are described in the graded exam syllabus, which is also available online. What you might want to do is to get hold of either the Specimen Aural Tests or the Aural Training in Practice for Grades 6-8. For someone unfamiliar with the AB exams, it would be best to see the format of the aural tests and how the examiners tend to word the questions.

I would say that the current AB aural tests stress contextural listening and quick response. This is quite different from the usual aural skills curriculum in US universities and conservatories. In most US music schools, aural skills classes stress the recognition of intervals and chord qualities out of context, as well as the dictation of rhythm, melodies, and harmonic progressions after several hearings. Students are usually given some time to think and write before a passage is played again. The AB aural tests expect students to be able to pick up general musical features after one to two hearings, and students must response as quickly as possible. There is no time to think and analyze in retrospect.

For scales and arpeggios, the minimum tempi are shown in the publication called "These Music Exams" and also in the scales and arpeggios book for the grade. Personally, I find that the minimum tempi are very reasonable, in comparision to the technical demand of repertoire at the same level. It would be ideal to play the scales and arpeggios as musically as possible. Eveness is a must, of course. To shape each scale and arpeggio with a little bit of dynamics would be good--just don't exaggerate! I always tell my students to approach scales and arpeggios like real music, not just technical exercises.

It is possible for a piano candidate to be examined by a non-pianist examiner. However, all examiners are able to play the piano as they have to administer the aural tests on the piano.

As for pieces, don't worry about choosing pieces that are not very popular or well known. In fact, examiners appreciate hearing pieces that are not so overplayed. The pieces set for the same grade can vary greatly in level of difficulty; however, you will not receive extra marks for choosing a difficult programme. The examiner is concerned with how well you play. If you have the ability and like to be challenged, go ahead and try something difficult. Otherwise, choose something that suits your personality and technical skills.

As for interpretation, this being an exam, I would go for an interpretation that is not too bold. Playing a Bach or Mozart piece like the way Glenn Gould does may be too risky.

I studied with Russell Sherman for two years in the college division. I do not think that I qualify for the exemptions because I did not finish the bachelors degree in music. I did take all of the required music history / music theory classes required for the degree. I am gettinng a doctorate in mathematical statistics to work in the pharm industry and started with my dissertation in that. I am even battling whether I should go to the Concours des Grands Amateurs in Paris in April. I sent in my application, but I get really nervous with these competitions. But I have all of my repertoire prepared. I have prepared three French pieces: Ballade by Faure, Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue by Franck (which I learned under Mr. Sherman), La Valse by Ravel (I learned this myself, but he taught this piece to many students, Hae Sun Paik, Roberto Poli, Hea-Jung Cho, etc.). I also have prepared three non-French pieces, Islamey by Balakirev, Ballade #2 by Liszt, and Prelude and Fugue in A major, WTC I, by Bach. Too much repertoire for the competition but I can cut it back to 30 minutes.

I am more nervous in doing these exams that I learned music theory and aural skills at New England Conservatory, and in my high school. The system is very different, and I know I am mostly likely (if I do not get distinction) because of the aural section, even though I was very good with it at NEC.

To take the diploma, do you just need to pass Grade 8, or also get the distinction or merit?

If I need distinction, then I will put a lot of effort into the aural tests! So they grade you on how quickly you respond, rather than how well? And you need to basically mimic what the examiner does? And they play chord progressions, or tunes, and then you sit down immediately and play the same thing back?

The pieces in Grade 8 are not "easy". They are very mature pieces, especially the Chopin Nocturne in F minor. I have not heard one decent performance of it on youtube, when everyone was preparing for this exam. The tempo is marked andante, and everyone was playing like it was adagio, without any balance between the left and right hands. The Haydn great C major and E-flat major sonatas are some of the most difficult pieces in the repertoire. In fact, I can play Islamey or La Valse technically better than the E-flat sonata of Haydn. That is how tricky some of the classical period music can really be.

Information on aural tests can be found here and this has lots of useful information about how the exam is conducted including the marking criteria ans minimum speeds for scales.
You are not expected to consider presenting a balanced programme at this level, you just choose one piece from each list.
You need either grade 5 theory or practical Musicianship or a Jazz subject before taking practical exams above grade 5.

If you don't mind me asking, at which school are you doing your doctorate?

As a student of Russell Sherman at the NEC, I'd say the Grade 8 exam will be a breeze for you. To take the diploma, you need to have a pass in Grade 8. If you had taken all of the required music history and theory classes at NEC, the aural tests shouldn't be too big a challenge for you. Do get hold of the aural tests books to see what the test questions are like. You are graded on both accuracy and quickness in response.

I agree that none of the Grade 8 pieces are easy, if one wishes to play them at performance standard.

In this exam, it seems that the highest scorers are always in Hong Kong. My friend was a US citizen, but he was of Hong Kong descent, and he was kind of inconsistent. Sometimes he would be great, and other times he would just go off on his own (for example doing what he thought and not adhering strictly to the score). I still wonder how it is possible to be objective in judging music, when it is so intensely personal.

Also, if a 12-year hold does the highest diploma LCRM, of course it looks more impressive than a 28-year old, even with the exact same performance.

And finally, is the standard higher once someone goes up grade levels, for example much harder to get a distinction at LRSM than at Grade 8?

One more question: how do they select people for the scholarships at the four music schools? I know that the only guitarist from mainland China (not Hong Kong) to get an ABRSM scholarship was Yang Xuefei, and before she even did the associated board tests, she had played for John Williams, and he liked her. So perhaps John Williams had put in good word.

Is it just marks from these exams, or is it a separate performance / competition held in the UK?

Also, for some reason the Guildhall School is not included. They are not part of the associated board?

Also, for some reason the Guildhall School is not included. They are not part of the associated board?

No, the Associated Board = The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, = Royal College (London), Royal Academy (London), Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (Glasgow) and the Royal Northern College in Manchester.

Trinity College (London) and Guildhall have been separate until recently, when their examination departments merged to form Trinity Guildhall.

I have taken Grade 8 and if you can play "Islamey", you're probably wasting your time with Grade 8, unless you seriously need it as a stepping stone to higher things. For what it's worth, for me the hardest section was the Aural. There is an AB Guide to the test, complete with CD, which I am sure will help you get a high mark.

Edward

Yes, I want to get the highest diploma for the following reasons:

1. I did not finish my bachelor of music because I did not want to pursue a career professionally. You cannot earn enough money, unless you get a real lucky break like Lang Lang or Yi Lundi, and I am looking to find someone to get married to in the near future. In fact, they had good publicity from the country of China, even though Lang Lang is actually one of my favorite pianists and I met him in 1995 at the Tchaikovsky for Young Musicians in Sendai, Japan. In fact he still remembered me 12 years later at a summer concert in Philadelphia. He remembered that I was preparing Islamey at the time (he heard it in the practice room), but did not reach the semifinals and had no chance to play it. Lang Lang actually is entertaining to listen to, and regardless of what people say, he is a great musician. Many people are jealous of his success.

2. I would like to teach privately on weekends, after I get a solid, well-paying job. Since I did not finish my bachelors in music and earned it in statistics instead, I feel that getting the diplomas from the Associated Board can be shown as an equivalency to a music degree for the parents in the US. However, I cannot take the diplomas unless I pass Grade 5 theory, and pass Grade 8 practical. It says that you only need to pass Grade 8, and don't need merit or distinction. But still, I don't want to get 23-24 out of 25 on my three pieces, and then get a 0 or a 6 (I was told the next lowest grade on the aural) and miss distinction because of that, or lose points on the scales because I did not play them at the right speed, or they were expecting them to be played in a different way (more expression / less expression).

3. I also feel that my piano level is probably as good as the students in Christopher Elton's studio at the Royal Academy of Music. Even though I would hate to do it as a career, I just would like to get some chance to perform somewhere. I have even improved since I was at the conservatory in 1999-2001.

So in order to take the diploma exams, I need both a pass at Grade 5 theory and Grade 8 practical.

As I said, it takes a lot of maturity and skill to play the pieces at Grade 8 properly. And the Haydn is especially difficult to pull off. I don't feel confident to play the last great Haydn sonata, and will choose Beethoven Op. 31 #1 instead.

It also seems quite easy to pass Grade 8, moderately difficult to get a merit, but very hard to get a distinction from these posts? If that is true, then I would like to go for the distinction.

On average, what percentage of people get pass / merit / distinction on Grade 8 and in the diploma exams?

Finally, where can you order those CD's regarding the sample aural exams in the US that the previous poster talked about? I think that would be very helpful as well.

Here:
http://www.abrsmpublishing.com/publications/4669

or at musicroom.com