If I am to do my teaching diploma I need grade 6 in either theory or Practical Musicianship. The theory exam is cheaper, and AFAIK I have everything I need to know, but since my theory book doesn't come with any answers who knows if I am right or wrong! Practical Musicianship it's rather hard to test yourself because the only way I can record the things for the spot the difference and the play and repeat is to play them myself then wait a few days and listen back, but I have still seen the scores. PM is also so much dearer than theory. The other thing is that if I am to take the LRSM in a few years I will need grade 8, so is grade 6 an economical way to go or do I go straight in at 7/8? I can probably do 8 PM straight off and 8 theory with some work to do on modes, and that gets the kaboodle of the way.

So then I see these things and I think hmmm, wouldn't it be nice to put certificates with all those things I know I can do, a grade 8 recorder would be nice (or more likely Trinity Advanced Cert), so would a piano exam to be finally down on paper, perhaps I should take my grade 8 violin while I am on the bandwagon, and I wonder how useful any of that would ever be to either my own sense of satisfaction that yes I really can do these things or to an external person who wants proof of my standard for any reason. But they are sooooo dear to take. Perhaps for a laugh I could take a new instrument and see if I can get a grade 1!

What to take, what to take. Theory or PM? Grade 6, 7 or 8? Not sure if I want to do extra work (while getting ready for a diploma) or just get certification for the stuff I can already do.

Start with the theory exam, because you need that to take any Grade 8, and you need Grade 8 to take a diploma.

In each case it is either/or, for exams above grade 6 it's grade 5 theory OR practical musicianship, for the diploma it's grad 6 theory OR practical musicianship. In that sense it doesn't make any difference. Except for the cost! If you are more of a doing person than a writing person then grade 5 PM gives you a useful alternative possibility.

It's hard because you have to enter so far in advance, I wouldn't want to put in for grade 6 and then 3 months later when I get the exam date I could have got grade 8 instead. For a compromise I could put in for 7, but in many ways 7 is no use as I need 6 for the ARSM and 8 for the LRSM, 7 isn't worth any "extra" than 6.

PM and keyboard harmony finally gives me an advantage to being rather poor at the piano, I have been playing from Fake Books, electronic keyboard books and guitar tab for years, putting a harmony line under a melody based on chord figures is absolutely second nature! I am pretty useless at that repeating a melody back thing, though. I always forget half of it. Practice, in this
instance, does not appear to make perfect, practice makes frustration.

I have been checking through the regulations but I can't find anything relevant anywhere, is it possible to change the entry after the closing date if you pay the upgrade fee? I.e if I put in to do grade 6 and by March I reckon I could do the grade 8 instead is it possible to change it? A lot of things are theoretically not possible to do but you can do them really, I'm not sure if this is one of them, or if I will be totally stuck with the grade I put down on the form in January.

Though I doubt that the regulations say that it is possible I can tell you from experience that I have changed a practical musicianship entry at the last minute. Logically there seems be be little reason why you can't take the exam at a lower level than you entered (which is what I did) - since both the fee and the time needed for examining will definitely cover the lower grade. Without checking I couldn't be sure but you might find that if you attempt the reverse the fee you have paid is insufficient and/or the time scheduled for the exam is insufficient.

In my case I realised about a week or ten before that I had bitten off more than I could chew. I rang the Board as was told that a substitution would be OK but to make sure that I told the marshall so that I was examined on the correct syllabus.