Graded music exams are a common goal among students and they give students something to work toward. After all, it is normal for us to want affirmation and recognition of our playing standards, as well as to see how far we’ve progressed on our musical journeys. Besides, certificates from music exam boards such as ABRSM or Trinity are internationally recognised. In Singapore, kids who have attained higher grades can add these certificates to their portfolio to make them more competitive for direct school admissions.
The benefits of graded music exams
To be fair, these exams serve as good checkpoints along the way as students have to meet certain requirements for repertoire, scales, sight reading, and aural work (but due to covid, only repertoire work is needed now). These get more demanding as students work their way up the grades. They are really good motivators to get us to practise too! However, the exams can be a double-edged sword, if they are used as a means to an end… I’d like to emphasise that learning music is a lifelong journey and always be clear of your purpose in taking the exams, and how these exams play a part along the journey.
A word of caution if you are too focused on graded music exams – it can limit your musical exposure
Ideally, we should always be working on a mix of scales, etudes, exercises, and repertoire so that techniques are constantly built and maintained – for us to ultimately serve the music. However, I’ve seen cases where students were so focused on the exams that they only learn and practise three exam pieces in a year, plus whatever scales they were going to be tested on for the exam. Although it is one thing to be prepared for the exams, I believe that we still need to work on different things to add more variety to our musical palette – there is so much material out there to be explored than just confining yourself to the exam syllabus. I’ll go even further to say that Grades 1-8 serve as an introduction to classical music if you decide to engage in more in-depth studies.
The importance of basics in playing a musical instrument – how they measure up in relation to graded music exams
Perhaps, the misconception of equating higher grades to better playing standards is the most dangerous of all. Someone who has attained a higher grade should be better than someone else who hasn’t passed that grade, right? Doesn’t that make sense? Well, yes and no. Of course, all things being equal, that is correct – the person who has passed the higher grade will be of a higher standard. However, that’s not always the case especially when people start to just compare based on grades attained. It depends on how well grounded one’s playing fundamentals are. Thus, it is possible for someone at a lower grade to sound better than someone at a higher grade who plays more advanced pieces. Think of the paper chase and rat race in a wider context.
Does progressing up the grades mean that you are a better musician?
It is also getting more common from my side to hear so and so passing grade X in Y number of years (some sort like setting a new record), or people asking whether it is possible for them to pass grade X in Y number of years. There’s no right or wrong here. It’s perfectly normal as everyone has different expectations and goals. But no matter what musical goals people have, I’d still be telling them not to lose sight of the ultimate goal of making good music. It is always more important not to rush to a destination, but to develop proper playing habits and a strong foundation along the way. That saves students a lot of effort in future when they do not have to redo the more basic stuff, and it gives them more room to focus on playing musically! Furthermore, it is more of a joy to hear “simpler” pieces played well than to hear students whack through repertoire that is way too advanced for them. There is just no way to make good music if one is struggling to play the right notes…
Conclusion
To conclude, graded music exams are good checkpoints along our musical journey. Always try to maintain a balance between exam preparation and practising a mix of technical work and repertoire. Remember that learning music is a lifelong journey and enjoy the process!
As always, do leave a comment to let me know your thoughts, and if you have any topics that you’ll like me to write about. Do subscribe to the blog and stay tuned to future posts!
~Vanessa