Graded exams: ABRSM, Trinity, AMEB, Yamaha, Suzuki
Andrew Chiou
I am very interested to find out the comparison of graded exams
for Classical Guitar from the following examiningg bodies:
1) Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB)
2) Associated Board for Royal School of Music (ABRSM)
3) Trinity School of Music
4) Yamaha Music Foundation
5) Suzuki Guitar Method (if they do exams in the first place)
6) A music degree
I want to find what difference each syllabus offers and the experience
of candidates who have acutally sat through some of them. My only
experience is with Yamah Music Foundation about 12 years ago.
Basically my questions are:
1) Which is the tougher one to pass or really do well.
2) Which one is more prestigous. This perhaps is open for debate.
3) Say, if three students took his grade 8 or licentiate respectively
from AMEB, ABRSM, Trinity, which would perhaps be the more
accomplished overall player? I heard (just rumours, but please don't
flame me) that an AMEB grade 8 player is only about equivalent to
grade '6.5' or 7 compared to the ABRSM.
4) If you have only one chance in a lifetime to get a paper
qualification, which one would you go for?
5) Is is true that an Diploma holder from the ABRSM is actually
equivalent to a BMusic (Hons) at a UK or Australian Uni?
Any other comment helps. I am on a fact-finding project so this
e-mail is not meant to be a taunt. If its offensive, then my sincere
apologies.
Regards
Andrew.
Greg M. Silverman
>Hi
>
> I am very interested to find out the comparison of graded exams
>for Classical Guitar from the following examiningg bodies:
>
I would be glad to discuss strengths and weaknesses of ABRSM and
Trinity, but being as I'm in the middle of exam preparation week (ABRSM
grade 5 and 6 solo guitar on Sunday, and Trinity intermediate ensemble
on Monday), I'll wait till after then to discuss these two systems. In a
nutshell, I think these two programs are great! Less pressure than if
one were in music school, but you really need to motivate yourself to do
everything, from ear training to extreme scale and arepeggio work so
that you can whip em right off when the examiner says "E major please,
i.m.a. any combination thereof."
>Any other comment helps. I am on a fact-finding project so this
>e-mail is not meant to be a taunt. If its offensive, then my sincere
>apologies.
>
Stay tuned, and I will post my own post mortem.
Greg--
hyz
I think you'll be likely to get different answers depending
on who you ask. Here's my take :
1) Which is the tougher one to pass or really do well.
- ABRSM I believe. I was told Trinity is easier to
pass at the higher grades, but then again the pieces for
Trinity at the higher grades seem to be about 1 to 1.5
grades less difficult (in general) than ABRSM.
2) Which one is more prestigous. This perhaps is open for debate.
- I get the impression that it's ABRSM.
3) Say, if three students took his grade 8 or licentiate respectively
from AMEB, ABRSM, Trinity, which would perhaps be the more
accomplished overall player? I heard (just rumours, but please don't
flame me) that an AMEB grade 8 player is only about equivalent to
grade '6.5' or 7 compared to the ABRSM.
- Not sure about AMEB, but Trinity grade 8 seems to be
about ABRSM grade '6.5' to 7.
Yamaha Grade 5 (teacher's grade) imo approximates to
about ABRSM grade 7+
Yamaha Grade 4 imo approximates to
about DipABRSM to LRSM
Yamaha Grade 3 imo approximates to
about FRSM. I was told this particular grade is
VERY difficult to pass.
The Yamaha exams (Grades 5 upwards) don't test on scales
and arpeggios, but has an improvisation section.
4) If you have only one chance in a lifetime to get a paper
qualification, which one would you go for?
- I'll get the FRSM.
5) Is is true that an Diploma holder from the ABRSM is actually
equivalent to a BMusic (Hons) at a UK or Australian Uni?
- DipABRSM approximates to 1st year of a music
performance degree (UK)
- LRSM approximates to 3rd year of a Higher
Education in music performance (UK)
- FRSM approximates to 4th year of Higher
Education in music performance (UK)
(This is from their syllabus)
Regards,
hyz
Greg M. Silverman
>2) Which one is more prestigous. This perhaps is open for debate.
>
>- I get the impression that it's ABRSM.
>
Between ABRSM and Trinity, ABRSM expects that for everything above Grade
5 exams, you have taken and passed the Grade 5 theory exam. Trinity does
NOT have this requirement.
>Yamaha Grade 5 (teacher's grade) imo approximates to
>about ABRSM grade 7+
>
>Yamaha Grade 4 imo approximates to
>about DipABRSM to LRSM
>
>Yamaha Grade 3 imo approximates to
>about FRSM. I was told this particular grade is
>VERY difficult to pass.
>
This is odd: FRSM, is the highest level one can get through ABRSM,
followed by LRSM and then DipABRSM. So what you are saying is that at
Yamaha grade 3, you are expected to play at the FRSM level, whereas as
you progress in grades through the Yamaha system, the expected level
drops? I don't completely follow the Yamaha system of grading too well...
BTW: I just found out that the Trinity diplomas, ATCL, LTCL and FTCL are
in the process of being made directly equivalent to American higher
institutional diplomas in music.
Regards,
Greg--
hyz
The Yamaha grades are numbered the other way around :
Grade 5 is difficult, Grade 4 is more difficult,
Grade 3 is even more difficult.
Regards,
hyz
Andrew Chiou
>
>This is odd: FRSM, is the highest level one can get through ABRSM,
>followed by LRSM and then DipABRSM. So what you are saying is that at
>Yamaha grade 3, you are expected to play at the FRSM level, whereas as
>you progress in grades through the Yamaha system, the expected level
>drops? I don't completely follow the Yamaha system of grading too well...
>
The Yamah grading system goes backwards from 9 to 3. Somehow this has
to do with their culture. This is also found in their Karate belt
system where you start from 'highest' grade and work yourself towards
the 'lowest' grade. Where a black belt 1st Dan = grade 0. This
system also works the same for their GO (ie. Japanese chess) where
players are ranked backwards.
BTW, noticed that in the Yamaha system it ends at grade 3. As in their
tradition all the highest grade (in almost all ranked activities et.
sports, games, shcool system) are never earned but conferred honorary.
I was informed that a Grade 2 or 1 is conferred to you by a
recognising body (no idea what this is) and its a BIG deal. You
probably get shipped to Japan and meet the emperor or somtehing like
that. At this level, you are supposedly to be a master. I think this
means your playing standard is at Yamashitas' or a John Williams etc.
Seems like for every 1.5 Yamaha grade is equivalent to 1 grade of
their Western/European counter part. That means if you sit for grade
9, 8, 7 and 6 (after sitting a total of 4 grades sequentially) and
you are expected to be at the level of a grade 7 or 8. (a total of 7
or 8 grade exams).
Andrew
Childbloom
syllabus or the repertoire? If anyone has the answer, please email me directly.
Thanks in advance,
Kevin Taylor
robinsongm...@gmail.com
When I was teaching, I was using the program for some of my students (preparatory-level 2). It is the only graded program that is available in my area. I have a BA in music but never experienced graded music exams prior to teaching so have nothing to compare the program to. The program is separated into the performance exams from preparatory to level 10 (which includes scales, arpeggios, ear training along with the memorized etudes and repertoire pieces) and theory and history exams. There is a licentiate available after completing level 10. It requires additional work to qualify.
Best,
Robin
Kingston
19 August 2014
Trinity College London and the Yamaha Music Foundation have signed an agreement which enables students on the Yamaha Piano Course (YPC) to gain an internationally recognised Trinity College London qualification to demonstrate their achievement and progress.
Trinity has included a selection of pieces from the YPC textbooks in its exam syllabus exclusively for Yamaha music students in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Students can therefore select an approved alternative solo piece from the YPC textbooks as one of three pieces to present in the Trinity exam. The other two pieces, as well as the other exam requirements, are to be as set out in the Trinity syllabus.
YPC students passing the Trinity exam will be awarded a Trinity College London qualification and issued with an official certificate that is recognised and valued by students, teachers, parents and educational bodies around the world.
This arrangement applies from Initial to Grade 7 exams and to the current 2012-2014 Trinity syllabus as well as the 2015-2017 syllabus.
The signing of the agreement was held at One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya. Present at the ceremony were Mr Masahiro Fujiyama - General Manager of Yamaha Music Foundation, Mr Tyler Smith - Senior Vice President (Asia) of Trinity College London, and it was witnessed by Mr Mamoru Okazaki - Managing Director of Yamaha Music.
rhoog...@gmail.com
joht...@gmail.com
> TCL-Trinity College London
> YMF- Yamaha Music Foundation
>
> YMF-TCL
> 13- 1
> 12- 2
> 11- 3
> 10- 4
> 9- 5
> 8- 6
> 7- 7
> 6- 8
> 5- Dip ATCL
> 4- LTCL
> 3- FTCL
> . .
> . .
> . .
I have sat on Grade 5 Yamaha for Piano, and worked all the way up through Grade 8 ABRSM, and now doing my Bachelor's in one of the UK's royal conservatoire. I have never sat on Trinity exams, but after doing researches I will have to disagree with your comparison. Grade 5 Yamaha is much less challenging than DipATCL, some of the pieces are even on the Grade 7 standard. Duration is also a factor, with G5 Yamaha it is only needed to play around 15mins worth of music. It seemed to me also that Yamaha are much less concerned with interpretation and sound production, they seemed to give credit even though one played less convincingly sound-wise. I assume it should be different for DipATCL for if it is to equivalent with first year of a conservatoire level education then interpretation and sound should play quite a big part. Thus being said, G5 Yamaha also requires to do improvisation and sight reading whilst DipATCL does not. That it what seems to happen in the place I used to study on Yamaha method with.