First, I was in our local music shop today, intending to pick up a couple of the new books, so I could start to look them over during the holidays. Usually I'll take a books first, and then later, when pupils are doing the actual exams, I'll buy the CD for each grade as needed, so that they can listen to the alternate pieces. Not any more. Now if you want the CD you need to buy it along with the book for that grade, pushing the price of, say the Grade 7 CD up to £21... Since it's the 'fewer-pupils-less-money' time of year, I bought two of the non-CD books, but this means I'm going to have to go in later in the year and buy a book that I don't need to get the CDs I want. This is going to be just inconvenient enough to irritate me whenever I need the new CDs... I'm sure there must be some kind of trade off - cheaper overall to produce? Hopefully? - but it throws out my general routine. [Don't know how I missed that it was changing, with all the stuff I've read about the new syllabus of late....]

Second, there seem to be a lot of arrangements in the lower grades, something I usually steer away from in teaching. Again, it's largely a matter of personal preference - I always prefered to wait until I could play the 'real thing' rather than a pale imitation a year earlier. But I really didn't think there was such a dearth of easy piano pieces that we needed "Autumn from the Four Seasons" in a simplified form.

Anyway. Rant over. Just wondered if either point had bothered anyone else...

is this true about the CD ? if so it's very odd.

I was in the RAM shop yesterday and they did have separate CDs for the new grade 8 syllabus (90% sure) and also they had the books with a CD in the back. Might be worth a call to the board on monday to clarify.

My issues with the syllabus is that i feel everything has been made easier, which I'm against.

I downloaded the CDs from the site. Can't remember where the site was though. Will have to have a look.

A little miffed that the downloads cost as much as the CD if I remember rightly.

Here ya go
http://www.abrsmpublishing.dloadshop.com/

It's a great idea making them downloadable....I wasn't aware of this. Whenever i buy the CDs i often wonder if I will be able to rip them onto my computer. I couldn't with the Grade 3 CD but for Grade 5 and 6 i could

Actually, this year,

You can buy books without CD.
CD without book.
CD and book together.
Or download music alone.

ABRSM Publishing is learning...

Hmmm....it was the owner of the shop I spoke to and she was distinctly miffed that she could only get the CD with the book. Weird.

I'll maybe have to get the books in the shop, and the separate CDs online, or download.

Umm. I always rip them to my computer, then put them safely away. Never had a problem. Reckon you had a duff one there.

I prefer this years option to download. At least I only need to download the ones I want. Having said that, ended up downloading them all because I didn't know which ones I wanted.

£25 for grade 8 book and CD

Yes - I am bothered by this and very disappointed. I had pre-ordered both Grade One and Two with a lot of other stuff from a London music shop but I happened to see a Grade One locally the other day so I bought one on the spot to take home. Next day I rang the London shop to cancel my other Grade One and Two on order. There is no way I can put up with those arrangements for weeks on end and I'm sure the younger pupils are not going to find them very inspiring. The A list is not very up-lifting either. I am just so relieved the TG Grade One is available as the pieces in there are absolutely brilliant.

I have to admit I prefer the AB syllabus at the higher grades and the TG less so - swings and roundabouts I guess. I just wish that the AB would take a closer look at material for the younger age group, how they learn and what inspires them. Look at Prep test untouched for over ten years! When you think of all the resources out there that could be used for the early exams. I actually feel very cross about this
If I get struck off for this post at least I've been honest. Bye everyone - it's been nice knowing you all

Eek. I have to admit that I rather liked a lot of the new syllabus.

Hey...it has Top Cat!!!! Nice arrangement too.

Didn't particularly like the arrangement of the Eric Clapton piece. I certainly don't mind easy arrangements of pieces that weren't originally written for piano. Simplified orchestral pieces are fine by me. Simplified piano classics are a nono.

BTW, they have the exam CD only on musicroom
http://www.musicroom.com/Browse/Arrangemen...2_arrangement61

It is really important to like the pieces so I will try and persevere and look at the alternative lists for my adult pupils. I don't think they will like the arrangements either. The music has to have a wow factor for me if I am gong to live with these pieces and be able to inspire my pupils with a love for music while they are working for exams. TG have got it right in my experience of their lower grades so far. LCM too if they suit a pupil's needs.

I'm still here then

Edit: I remember Top Cat on the TV and it's one of those tunes which I can't get out of my head. I will steer clear I think.

But if you need the CD because someone is doing the exam won't they need a book?
They can buy the spare book from you (if they don't usually).

I think I probably will do that with the two I've bought. If I can get the CDs separately online it's going to be fiddly, but not such a nuisance as I thought this morning!

I have to say that I think the piano exam music / cd's are much better than for other instruments as for clarinet the CDs don't come separately (I don't think you can download the music either, but please correct me if I'm wrong). I have one pupil that spent £14 on the Grade 4 book and Cd, because they wanted the CD, despite playing all pieces off the alternative list!

Hi there

You can buy the CDs online from musicroom here:

Grade 1 £6.95
Grade 2 £7.95
Grade 3 £8.95
Grade 4 £10.50
Grade 5 £12.50
Grade 6 £13.95
Grade 7 £15.50

If you signup for a music educator's account here, then you can get 10% discount off orders over £25. Plus musicroom do not charge delivery for orders over £20.

Buying the CDs is still far cheaper than paying to download the tracks if you want all 18 tracks (lower grades). But I think it's a great idea for those who just want to download a few, esp at the higher grades.

Hope this has helped.

Bexr
x

This second point definitely bothers me too (never buy CDs so not bothered about the first point)
I can see the point of using arrangements for instruments with less repertoire, but surely there is so much music for piano that is is simply not necessary


and also, now that grade 1 and 2 piano sight-reading have been simplified - the jump to grade 3 is worse than ever - did no-one consider this?

I must admit that I have only very briefly looked at the new sightreading syllabus, so wont comment on the grade 2-3 jump

I am pleased they have simplified it though. Dumbing down? I hope not too much.

I would say my lot are pretty average sight readers. They enjoy the sight reading they do throughout the year....variety of books from my library, but they all really hated the ones we do to prepare for the exams.

It wasn't just because the pieces were hard...they could get through them, but they all seemed dissatisfied with their performances of them. The more dedicated were bothered that they couldn't pick up the style, that they hardly noticed the dynamics, that the phrasing wasn't too good. Yet, their exam marks were never bad in this section.

So I am rather hoping that making it easier will mean we can try to aim for a really good performance, and I also hope the marking will reflect this. Not just passing them for getting through it in a blind panic, but really performing the pieces.

Easier pieces.....tougher marking....so hopefully no dumbing down there.

As for simplified pieces such as the Autumn piece. I suppose that sort of thing used to get to me once upon a time. Reckon I'm getting less stressed about such things as I get older.

Does it matter that much? I guess that Vivaldi never wrote the piece for piano anyway, so you could hardly get a pianist to play the unsimplified version

So assuming they are playing umpteen pieces throughout the year, does it really matter if one piece out of a choice of 18 for an exam (in the early stages...whilst they are still relative beginners) happens to be a simplified version of an orchestral piece?

I like the new syllabus too ! There has to be something for everyone here, and I would rather have an easy arrangement of an orchestral 'tune' than some of the worthy-but-dull piano pieces by minor composers that we have had in the past. I do like the Eric Clapton arrangement and also the inclusion of composers such as Fats Waller and Tan Dun. With eighteen pieces per grade there are plenty of standard exam pieces on the lists for those who prefer them. I think Auntie ABRSM has finally entered the 21st Century !

I didn't realise grade 1 sight reading had been simplified... is that even possible?

I feel the same. Simple arrangements of well-known classical pieces (not originally for piano) that children recognise can be quite motivating. Although I generally tend to steer my pupils towards repertoire originally written for the piano, in its original form, if they're particularly keen to learn a certain piece then I'll usually let them as long as it's the right sort of standard. There doesn't seem much point stamping on their enthusiasm, particularly if they're at a stage where they need a bit of encouragement.

Well it's now only 4 bars instead of 8