Piano Grade 1 Trinity
Marcelo Chaplin
As ever, I hope my review will explain the most important changes, give readers a first impression of the new publications, and offer some general thoughts on the repertoire selections and direction of travel.
I am going to start by stating that this is a radical update, a riot of invention, but of course that also makes it rather controversial. Questions about whether it offers a comparable and valid educational route are inevitable.
I have confirmed with the board that this means the entire contents of the 2021 Piano Standard and Extended Edition books (pieces and exercises) will remain valid for use in exams and available indefinitely alongside the new 2023 books, including the pieces carried over from the 2018 syllabus.
Trinity plan to continue extending the syllabus repertoire lists by publishing additional digital downloads, graded books, anthologies, and including recommended pieces from external publications. They suggest this will offer a more accessible approach for teachers and students who do not want to be forced to buy new books every couple of years.
For those that purchase the new 2023 syllabus publications however, they are immediately valid for use in assessment. And in common with other boards, Trinity allow candidates to take their exams in a variety of ways, in-person or digitally.
For the purposes of this review I am looking at the Extended Edition books, although in addition to physical copies of these, Trinity kindly provided digital copies of the Standard Editions for review purposes.
The presentation of the books can honestly be described as gorgeous. Not only so, but straight out the box, these are substantial books that will provide a lasting and superb resource for teachers and players. With brilliant cover artwork by Rod Steele, soft card covers, and with subtle colour coding that matches the 2021 syllabus publications, the books make an immediate and strikingly positive impression.
Within, they are printed on luxury cream paper, have a clean presentation, well-spaced and beautifully engraved notation. An appropriate level of fingering is included throughout all the books, and in the pieces I played during the initial review phase this all proved effective.
A significant concern is quickly apparent however. Across all eight grades, copious editorial dynamics and articulations have been added to the baroque and classical works. This is a very disappointing step backwards from the excellent 2021 syllabus books where, in the higher grades, Trinity rightly sought to reproduce the original scores as faithfully as possible.
These professional recordings, remember, are only available with the Extended Edition. They are generally excellent, well recorded, and add considerably to the value. Bearing in mind that a large proportion of the music in this syllabus will be unknown to teachers, I must recommend them as an essential resource.
Looking at the Extended Editions from Initial to Grade 8, we are confronted with 189 pieces, suitable for all levels, and with an unprecedented stylistic range. When the publications arrived I felt like a giddy child in a sweet shop; teachers may feel similarly overwhelmed.
A word about benchmarking. Given that so much of this material has never appeared in any exam board offering before, this must have been an even greater challenge than usual. My overall feeling is that, while benchmarking is a notoriously inexact science, Trinity have broadly got it right here, albeit with some variance and minor inconsistencies within most grades.
A substantial quantity of the included repertoire in these publications was not originally composed for the piano. We could certainly pause right here, and have a lengthy debate. Surely there is no shortage of stunning original music composed for the piano?
Questions about whether or not it is imperative to serve up a selection of such arrangements in order to enthuse our students will always be accompanied by concerns about whether those arrangements convey the essence of the original music, while still fulfilling their remit as benchmarked, assessable solo piano transcriptions.
One of my students was amused to see Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh from Bollywood classic Dil Anna Our Preet Para in the Grade 5 book, and explained how much it would mean for her parents if she were to learn it. When I sight-read it for her, she was enthusiastically impressed with the arrangement. High praise, and I equally enjoyed playing it.
Piano enthusiasts may well find this sidelining of core composers perplexing, and I suspect very few music lovers would sympathise with any suggestion that, having featured on the syllabus in 2021, such great names of the piano repertoire need not appear at all in the core 2023 publications that so many teachers and students will focus and rely on.
In recent years I have reviewed and considered hundreds of piano publications, and yet there are many, many composers in these selections whose names I have literally never come across before. Trinity have seemingly opted to commission and source as much fresh repertoire as possible, and from composers whose reputation has yet to be established.
In the final analysis, I must admit that as a musical adventurer and repertoire collector, I am excited by the multiplicity of new treasures in these publications. But as a teacher, I have concerns about a lack of balance here. I wonder how many (or perhaps how few) of these pieces will ultimately land well with teachers and learners, and earn a lasting place in our affections.
There is certainly much to commend in their 2023 piano syllabus, and their idea of a cumulative ongoing resource is a genuinely interesting one that holds much promise, particularly if the board can find a way to require a more balanced mix of music at the assessment stage.
However, it seems to me that in their next syllabus update, whenever that comes, Trinity will need to prioritise reintroducing the timeless masterpieces and essential pedagogic repertoire of the piano. Only then, in my view, will their ambitious learning resource develop into one which truly meets the needs of aspiring pianists. And I believe that their syllabus publications and assessment requirements simply must reflect that balance, too.
I hope that you have found this review helpful and informative. Please subscribe to Pianodao below, and consider joining the Music Club, where you can access significant discounts on these and other publications, and join others in exploring the wonders of the piano repertoire.
This is a question that we all come across as teachers when wondering about piano exams in the UK and, I think it is not a matter of better or not but they are different according to your goals and targets in your musical education.
If you want to pursue a career in music or you want to build a solid music foundation is better to go with the ABRSM. The ABRSM piano exam diploma syllabus seems to be more complete since the early stages. The sight-reading is compulsory from Grade 1 whilst in Trinity music exam it becomes compulsory from Grade 6. I will try going in order through the different parts of the test.
Trinity offers graduate diplomas in different performing arts and also for the learning and teaching of English, in more than 70 countries. Trinity is part of the Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance and began offering exams and diplomas in 1877.
Trinity or Abrsm? Which one is the best piano grade exam in the UK? In the ABRSM diploma and its syllabus for piano, there are more keys to play in similar motion plus contrary motion and various chromatic scales. From Grade 6-8, thirds and sixth part are introduced alongside contrary motion scales in all keys and chromatic scales in contrary motion too. As for the Arpeggios, more keys are required plus first and second inversions in Grade 7 and 8.
In Trinity piano exams, the numbers of scales and Arpeggios to perform are more limited but they require to perform them in different dynamics and articulation which encourage the musicality development. Also the number of contrary motion and chromatic scales are more limited than ABRSM. In the technical requirement there are three short exercises to be performed which focus on voicing, fingers strength, coordination, balance, wrist flexibility.
As for the technical part of the test, it seems that ABRSM focuses on the technique, knowledge of the key signatures, fingers dexterity whilst Trinity seems to develop some aspects of technique alongside developing musicality.
it is quite evident that the ABRSM choice of repertoire is very classical and based on the tradition of classical composers except for the C list where it focuses on more jazzy, bluesy, dissonant, contemporary pieces.
Trinity syllabus offers a wide range of pieces in the style of the Baroque, Classical or Romantic pieces composed by contemporary composers. However, there is also a few range of pieces by classical and romantic composers. It seems that the Trinity offers more appealing pieces for the modern taste. In both syllabuses, the requirement for the test is to perform three pieces in a varied range of mood and style.
Continuing with the Abrsm or Trinity choice, In ABRSM music exams, sight reading and Aural test are compulsory whilst in Trinity music exams, there is a wide range of choice amongst Aural Test, Musical knowledge, own composition and improvisation up to Grade 5. Also, Trinity offers Singing exams.
These come with Pros and Cons; I must admit that training a Trinity student for a Grade 5 sight reading from scratch is not easy task as I think it is a very good habit to start from the beginning as it is a skill that needs time to be developed and improved. At the same time, I enjoy teaching the Musical knowledge where the candidates are asked questions about dynamics, musical signs, key signature and modulations in the pieces they have performed. I think this is a very good way to improve a sense of analyzing the music one is performing.
c80f0f1006