Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
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The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music or ABRSM is an educational body that provides examinations in music. Often referred to simply as the "Associated Board", or "the Royal Schools of Music", the organisation is based in London, but runs examination centres all over the world. In addition, the ABRSM is a publishing house for music that produces syllabuses, music pieces and exam papers that assist students in preparing for their exams. The Royal Schools of the title are:
- Royal Northern College of Music
- Royal Academy of Music
- Royal College of Music
- Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Over 620,000 candidates take ABRSM examinations each year in over ninety countries. They offer graded exams as well as more advanced diploma qualifications.
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[edit] Graded Exams
Graded exams are amateur qualifications in music. They are (in most cases) offered from Grades 1-8 and have three standards of pass: a straight pass, a pass with merit and a pass with distinction. There is no requirement to have any previous grades before taking a new one. However, to encourage broad musical knowledge, the ABRSM require Grade 5 Theory, Practical Musicianship or Jazz to be passed before one can take Grades 6-8 Practical exams. There are 3 exam 'sessions' in a year, in and around March, June and November. Passes in grades 6 to 8 in either theory or practical exams may be used as part of the UCAS tariff in obtaining a university place. The four types of graded exams are as follows:
[edit] Practical Exams
These are by far the most commonly taken exams. Available for over 35 instruments, these exams consist of 4 different sections:
- Set Pieces. The student is required to play three pieces (four, known by heart, for singers doing Grades 6-8) prepared beforehand. These pieces are selected from the current syllabus for the instrument and grade, usually one piece from each of given groups. For most instruments, two of these pieces are played accompanied, with the third played solo. Each piece is marked out of 30. The passing mark is 20. (For Grades 6-8 singing, the pieces are out of 24/24/21/21 for each piece, the pass mark being 16/16/14/14 respectively.)
- Scales. Various scales, arpeggios and broken chords, according to the grade of difficulty, are examined. Scales are marked out of 21. The passing mark is 14.
- Sight Reading. The student is presented with an unseen piece, has up to 30 seconds to prepare, and then must play to the best of his or her ability. Sight reading is marked out of 21. The passing mark is 14.
- Aural Awareness. Various exercises are played by the examiner and the student is required to demonstrate skills in listening to music, for example clapping the rhythm or singing the melody. Aural is marked out of 18. The passing mark is 12.
The exams are marked out of 150: 100 or more is a pass; 120 or more is a pass with merit; 130 or more is a pass with distinction.
[edit] Theory Exams
These are written papers on the topic of musical theory. They are marked out of 100: 66 or more is a pass; 80 or more is a merit; 90 or more is a distinction. A Grade 5 theory pass is one option that allows candidates to continue further than grade 5 on any Associated Board musical instrument graded examinations.
[edit] Practical Musicianship
These exams are designed to test an understanding of rhythm, melody, key and notation together with the ability to sing and play from memory, and improvise and to recognise changes to and answer questions about a score.
A Grade 5 Practical Musicianship pass is one option that allows candidates to continue further than grade 5 on any Associated Board musical instrument graded examinations.
[edit] Jazz Exams
These are the newest types of exams, with jazz piano first being offered in 1999. At present, they are only available for flute, piano, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet and trombone. They are also only available from Grades 1-5. They are marked in the same way as practical exams. However many of the pieces include large improvisational sections, where the instrumentalist is required to fill in the empty bars with their own melody to fit the standard chord progression listed above.
A Grade 5 Jazz Exam pass is one option that allows candidates to continue further than grade 5 on any Associated Board musical instrument graded examinations.
[edit] Music Medals
Music Medals [1] are QCA accredited music assessments and teaching resources aimed at younger, group-taught learners. Music Medals are distinct from Graded Music Exams in that there are no external examiners involved and the initial assessment is made by the teacher.
[edit] ABRSM Diploma, Licentiate Degree and Fellowship
The ABRSM offer diplomas in three disciplines:
- Music Performance
- Music Direction
- Instrumental/Vocal Teaching
For each discipline there are three levels of award:
- DipABRSM (Diploma of The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music)
- LRSM (Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music)
- FRSM (Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music)
These are professional qualifications, and entitle the recipient to append the letters after his or her name.
The content of the DipABRSM, LRSM and FRSM (Instrumental performance ONLY) are divided as follows: Section 1, Recital; and Section 2, Viva Voce and Quick Study. Candidates perform various pieces from a selected list and may select works other than those listed but should not exceed one third of the entire recital programme. Recital time for DipABRSM is 35 minutes, for LRSM is 40 minutes while for FRSM the time range is around 50 minutes.
Before the Viva Voce, the candidate must submit a written programme notes on the day of the exam (for FRSM, the written submission should be submitted with the application form, in the form of an essay with in-depth analysis and requires sophisticated knowledge of the history, context of the composer as well as the era in which the works were composed) which should include background information as well as sufficient information and analysis of the works that are performed. The examiner(s) would engage in a conversation with the candidate concerning the notes submitted as well as other related questions that would allow the candidate to demonstrate his or her knowledge as a professional musician.
The Quick Study would be a short piece with an equivalent difficulty of an ABRSM Grade 6 piece (for DipABRSM), an ABRSM Grade 7 piece (for LRSM) and an ABRSM Grade 8 piece (for FRSM).
[edit] Criticism
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The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.(January 2008) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. |
The Graded Examination System has (perhaps inevitably) been criticised by many music teachers and professional musicians, since (as in other fields) there are many who believe that music examinations are inherently a bad idea, just as there are many for whom they are a valuable tool in motivating and encouraging pupils, and measuring progress.
Although the Graded Examinations are amateur qualifications, the marking criteria - emphasising sightreading skills and strict adherence to the musical text - may have a direct bearing on the standards of tuition for school-age pupils, and therefore on the standards of professionalism in those musicians who go on to pursue a career.
On the other hand, the fact that the examinations require the student to attend to skills such as sight-reading and scales, rather than simply learning graded pieces, must surely be of value. Sight-reading in particular is of huge importance if an amateur player is to participate in orchestras and other ensembles.
Each section of an examination is awarded marks, but convincing musical performance is qualitative rather than quantitative in nature. This is of course the nature of almost any examination.
Some consider that there are too many scales to learn too soon, and to be played too quickly, and that as a result, some pupils learn them only superficially, as a memory test, rather than as a means of promoting confidence with the instrument.
Success in Graded Examinations is rewarded in some instances as points for admission into a pupil's chosen secondary school, as well as for university entrance. They are therefore arguably a professional qualification, as these factors ultimately influence the professional success of the pupil, albeit in fields unrelated to music. This may lead to a shift in focus away from learning music for its own sake.
[edit] ABRSM Publishing
The ABRSM's publishing department was first set up in 1921 and was designed to provide suitable music for examinations, performance editions of popular works and new instructional compositions. One of the original editors was Sir Donald Tovey who wrote informative notes on the music which are still highly regarded today. The department grew, until 1985, when ABRSM (Publishing) Ltd. was established as a separate company.
It continues to produce copies of popular works, along with commentaries from distinguished editors. It publishes contemporary music in its "Spectrum" series of books, and also issues a variety of publications for beginners and younger instrumentalists.
[edit] External links
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