Hi, I'm a fairly new guitar teacher and I have a couple of students now who I would consider to be able to do grade one. However, I've no idea where to start! I mean, I don't know what books to get, where to look, who to contact etc. Is there a website with this info or could someone here enlighten me?

Also, how long does the average pupil take to get to grade on, or what sort of length of time do you aim for?

Thanks in advance.

Is this any help ?

http://www.abrsm.org/resources/guitarSyllabusComplete09.pdf

Also recommend the "These music exams" that is downloadable from the main website

Online registration is easy - you first need to register for an account, so I would start with that - and then the actual process of putting in an exam application is easy.

The pieces/scales etc you'll need will be on the link posted above - I don't know about guitar, but usually a selection of pieces will be in one book to make it cheaper than sourcing each song separately.

But click on "exams" on this website and you'll find all the info you need

I entered my first pupil in the summer, and it was simple (though nervewracking!). I also found the area representative very helpful (details of your local one can be found under the "exams" link)

There are a number of exam boards. ABRSM is one. Trinity, Rockschool and London College of Music are others.

If I were you, I'd have a quick skim-read of the syllabus for each exam board at Grade 1, and see which you most fancy. Different exam boards have slightly different requirements which can range from scales, improvisation, sight reading, listening tests, spotting musical features within a piece. Also of course, different exam boards chose different pieces. So, see what you like. If you search on youtube, you might be able to find videos of people playing their exam pieces for various exam boards, so you can check out the pieces if you don't know them, without having to spend lots of money buying all the books before you even make a decision.

Teachers generally stick to one exam board because it's easier. However, occasionally a teacher might put a student through a different exam board's exams if it suits them better. Have a look and try not to be daunted by all the choice!

There are lots of choices for guitar grade exams. Classical guitarist can sit ABRSM, Trinity and LCM exams. Electric/plectrum guitarists can sit Trinity, LCM and Rockschool exams. There is also a preliminary or initial grade many of these boards offer.
There is a separate syllabus and rules & regulations book for each. Some you can pick up for free in local music stores, others you can order from the exam boards website.
ABRSM also do group exams called 'music medals' for classical guitar.

There is usually a local representative for each board who you can call up and have a nice wee chat with, explain your new to this, and they will help you You'll find their number on the boards website.

Books-wise: Trintiy and LCM (and rockschool) publish exam repertoire in grade-specific books, often with supporting test information. ABRSM don't publish music like this so you will have to buy all the music separatly (can be a pain if you don't know the music!) There are CDs for each board you can buy with all the repertoire on it. This helps.

There is no such thing as an 'average student' and no average time to attain a grade. Each student will learn at their own pace and it will take them however long it takes them! I usually only put them in for exams when they are ready or very near-ready, they especially need to be secure if it's their first exam. There are supporting tests for each grade (aural skills, sight reading etc).

If your not sure how the grade system works, the best way to get to know it is to take an exam! Even if its grade one (the cheapest one ) or of course the closest grade to your level (probably quite expensive but worthwhile), it is a great way to understand not just the playing requirements, but how the process works and how a student will feel during the exam.

Good luck!!!

I don't teach piano at the moment and had only 5 total beginners as students in the (distant!) past.

However this is enough to give you some idea of the range of speed of early learning ...

The quickest on the uptake was a young girl of 11, who was playing at Grade one standard after between one and two months. The slowest learner was a young man in his late twenties who reached a similar level of proficiency in 18 months.

On the piano, I've had very young children who have taken nearly 3 years to get to Grade 1. On average, it's probably 18 months. On wind instruments, it's usually 6-12 months in my experience, although one teenager got there in a month, and a very dyslexic girl took 3 years.

Although it probably seems a lifetime away when you are just preparing grade 1 pupils, bear in mind that to do grades 6-8 pupils will need to pass grade 5 in either theory or Practical Musicianship. If you're going to get people started on grades definitely keep those things ticking over alongside, otherwise you end up with a brick wall at grade 6. Other boards have slightly different requirements but I think that all eventually require theory passes.

Although I agree that a lot of students will reach grade 1 in 18 months, there are many who take longer, and not only young students. I don't think anybody should feel under pressure to get to grade 1 within a particular time. There are many basics to get in place.

I find guitar grades take slightly more time to prepare than piano, so I wouldn't compare them. I have taught students who also play piano/violin/flute etc. and always take a little longer preparing guitar repertoire than it seems to take them on their other instrument.

Two months is definatley not average for a grade 1 guitar student....if I HAD to say, it would be 6 months -1 years, only more or less.....so please don't quote me on this...you must understand how difficult (and dangerous) it is to give an average. Perhaps teachers who 'teach to the exam' can get faster results, but I know I will get better results for my students by taking the time.

This isn't just based on repertoire, but technique, posture, supporting tests and music theory taught throughout. As someone mentioned above, these need to go along with the repertoire study otherwise you will get to grade 5/6 and hit a wall.

Just to be clear, I'm not down on the piano!! Obviously it has it's own technical issues which I guess must crop up later, but on guitar there is a huge amount to learn for grade one, especially for small hands

I agree it's difficult to give an average.

My piano students take anywhere between one and four years to get to grade one level.

I'd say the average is probably two years

Thanks for all the advice so far. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I had done A-level music and my teacher said to me that I didn't need to do grade 5 theory and he made a special call to the board and they agreed that I didn't need to do the theory exam, is this still the case? Also, the syllabus says that students will be marked on posture and hand positions, really!? I mean, the nature of the classical guitar is that there is no common technique, some people prefer free stroke to rest stroke, some people use nails over fingers, some people choose not to rest the body of the guitar on the left leg but instead on the right. Is there a set standard for posture? Also, can someone point me in the direction of a set of books with all the set pieces for the different grades?

Thanks .

I don't know anything about the guitar syllabus but this seems little strange as in the 'Through the Keyhole' session run by the board we were told that examiners cannot comment on technique at all.
They may comment on the results of technique problems but only where this has a detrimental effect on the music they hear. We were told that they can't suggest that a poor tone or anything else is the result of poor technique, only that the musical result was not what it could be.

I'm pretty sure that guitar is one of the instruments where you need to find the pieces (usually it gives a suggestion in the syllabus for an editon where you can find each piece).

Hiya
Yes if you use ABRSM there isn't one set book. However, Time Pieces Vol 1 and 2 contain at least a couple from lists A B and C up to and including grade 5. The rest of the syllabus is here

http://www.abrsm.org/resources/guitarSyllabusComplete09.pdf

Trinity Guildhall have one set book for classical guitar for each grade from Initial (like prep test) to 8. The new syllabus is now in the shops to start from 2010.

Though it's unlikely that these books will contain all the pieces for each grade.
The piano ones don't which is the same as the ABRSM and LCM piano ones.

No sorry I wasn't clear on that, there are alternative pieces also which are listed in the syllabus

Excellent! I knew there was something like this as there was something similar back in my day when I was learning. Can someone confirm that this is the book I'm looking for? http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0704496/details.html

Yup that's the one! was worried cos I found some sites were stilll advertising the old one.

Excellent, will be on my way to buy some of them today!

I can't believe it!

"To promote good posture candidates are expected to provide and use a footstool or similar support for all grades."

Since when has a footstool been standard? The classical guitar is such a new instrument that there are no official guidelines as to what is expected. How can they do this?! One of my students doesn't use a footstool, they find it really difficult, will they get marked down for this?

I always used a footstool but my teacher was concerned about the long term effects of bad posture and recommended a gitano support. I imagine there might be a case against a teacher who taught in a way that lead to long term damage. That's probably why it's a requirement. If an adult pupil refuses then what can the teacher do?

It seems odd. So odd that I called up Trinity and they said that they strongly recommend the use of a footstool, but if the lack of one does not affect the playing of the student then they won't be marked down.

Phew!

Wow, no list A, B or C! Makes things a bit simpler.

Examiners are always expected to allow students an amount of free reign regarding posture and positioning where that does not affect the outcome. Piano fingerings are optional, and it specifically says comments on posture and fingerings will only be made if it interferes with what is required, so if a smooth legato is asked for and the fingerings chosen by the candidate make a big fumble in the middle that breaks up the legato then the fingering will be mentioned. If the fingering is deeply unconventional but the scale shows a beautiful legato then the examiner should not comment on the choice of fingerings. Similarly with violin, if a flattened wrist position causes the candidate to play out of tune or be unable to shift/vibrato it can go on the form, if the candidate plays fine in spite of the unusual position it should not be mentioned.

You therefore just need to be sure that no mistake a candidate makes can be attributed to bad positioning. If resting the guitar on the other leg were to make it awkward for the student to wrap his left hand fingers around because the guitar is too far away then it might come up, ditto if it stifles the sound by resting the instrument against the body and damping all the vibration. If the sound is fine then the examiner should not mention position at all.

I do wonder if perhaps the footstool bit is out of context, i.e. that if the candidate needs to support the foot he should not do so on a guitar case, by crossing legs or by a shoulder strap and any of the other ingenious means people have of making a guitar stay under control, and nor should they allow the instrument to slip and slide all over the place for want of a simple footstool? Often such rules are about what is allowed in the exam room and what is/isn't provided, i.e. that if you want a footstool bring your own because there will not be one, and yes you can bring one if you want to, rather than that you have to bring any particular item. The ABs contact form help for exams has always been extremely swift and helpful, why not ask for clarification? Proof-reading and clarity on syllabus documents are not always their strongest points, shall we say.