Category: Practice Tips

ABRSM Music Exam facts and figures!

Grade 8 Distinction - student of Lorraine Liyanage
Grade 8 Distinction – student of Lorraine Liyanage
Click here to view more ABRSM Exam results
Click here to view more ABRSM Exam results

Later today I will be publishing our ABRSM and Rockschool exam results from the July Summer session. In the meantime, here’s some interesting information taken from the ABRSM web site about the number of candidates entering for graded exams by instrument. You can see just how popular the piano is in the UK and also what grades candidates achieved at examinations. As a keen harpsichordist, it’s a shame that only 15 students entered exams in 2009. I’m hoping to boost those numbers by getting more pianists learning the harpsichord too! I organise harpsichord competitions for musicians of all ages and abilities as well as workshops at Handel House Museum and Peregrine’s Pianos.

1) Entries by instrument/subject.
Source: ABRSM page 

InstrumentEntries
Piano124,090
Theory of Music45,275
Violin35,587
Flute28,832
Singing27,657
Clarinet23,022
Alto Saxophone10,812
Cello8,166
Trumpet7,821
Guitar5,035
B Flat Cornet3,401
Descant Recorder2,897
Oboe2,768
Trombone2,459
Viola2,072
Jazz Piano1,803
Horn1,393
Harp1,392
Jazz Alto Sax1,209
Bassoon1,077
Double Bass1,033
E Flat Horn960
Euphonium651
Treble Recorder574
Tenor Saxophone509
Organ490
Percussion479
Baritone402
Tuba379
Practical Musicianship290
Jazz Clarinet268
Soprano Saxophone257
Jazz Trumpet212
Jazz Flute172
Jazz Tenor Saxophone119
Jazz Trombone53
Bass Trombone22
Jazz Cornet22
Jazz Soprano Sax16
Baritone Saxophone15
Harpsichord15
E Flat Soprano Cornet7
Jazz Baritone Sax3
Jazz Flugelhorn2

2) Practical exam statistics
Source: ABRSM Page 

GradePassMeritDistinctionFailTotal
129,83329,82214,9821,25375,890
225,89319,2697,3701,64654,178
322,50616,2626,0161,71446,498
416,33710,8194,1191,61032,885
515,1169,3183,7721,95330,159
66,0444,2581,94885513,105
74,0533,0331,7827019,569
83,3072,8512,5428589,558
     271,842

3) Theory Exam statistics
Source: ABRSM Page 

GradePassMeritDistinctionFailTotal
11,0041,8864,3123857,587
26151,4142,8811835,093
31,2121,6621,4095334,816
47739156363392,663
57,7097,5283,6953,09422,026
643313627246842
7121741621232
8143881296339
     43,598

I believe that the average age for a candidate taking Grade 1 piano is 10. I cannot find the exact reference for this, although there is mention of this in an old copy of ‘Libretto‘, a magazine published by the ABRSM. This also states that the ‘typical Grade 5 practical candidate is 14 years old’.

ABRSM’s graded music exams for individual instruments, singing and Theory as well as diplomas and Music Medals are accredited by the regulatory authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are part of the National Qualifications Framework. In Australia, Canada and South Africa, ABRSM exams can be used for credit towards the relevant qualifications taken by students completing compulsory secondary education. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) includes Grades 6–8 in the tariff for UK university and college entrance.

We offer 1-to-1 Music Aptitude Test lessons for students applying to schools such as Ashmole, Kingsdale, Marylebone, Twyford, Moulsham and many more.

Register on Eventbrite

Tips for Autumn ABRSM Exam Candidates (Session C)

Distinction, Grade 1
Distinction, Grade 1

Here are a few tips to help you on your way to exam success this term.

1) Wear gloves to keep your hands warm. If there is no warm-up room, ask your parent/guardian to test you on your key signatures for scales. Then look at your pieces and imagine you are playing them and hearing the tune in your head. Mimic playing on a desk in the room, or even your lap and press the notes as you would on a piano. Concert pianists rarely have the luxury of a warm-up piano as they will be spending most of their time travelling around to venues and stuck in a hotel room. They have to use the same methods to warm-up when there is no piano available.

2) Greet the examiner and look them in the eyes when you say hello to them. You will be amazed how many candidates shuffle into the room and stare at their feet. Making eye contact and saying hello makes all the difference and helps you feel confident.

3) The biggest tip for sight-reading is that you must always keep going. Never stop and never go back to correct a wrong note. Make sure you use your 30 seconds to check the key and time signature, and practise playing the first and last bar. If you do anything correctly, make sure you begin and end precisely.

4) Sing loudly – even if you hate singing! Don’t mumble or turn away from the examiner. A clear sound like “la” is better than humming. Also clap loudly and confidently when/if required.

5) Say thank you and goodbye on your way out.

6) Dress smartly – school uniform is fine. Don’t keep your coat on for the exam, ditto hoods and hats! Tie long hair back so your face is not obscured during the exam.

7) Take a big, deep breath before you go into the exam room. Enter the room with a big smile on your face.

Above all, remember the examiner wants you to pass. 

Wishing you the very best of luck for your exam!

Daily practice guide to prepare for your ABRSM exam

In the final few days before your exam, here is some information for parents and students to make sure you are properly prepared for the exam. This is partly written as a guide for parents but it has information of relevance to adult students too.

1. Preparing for performance
You should perform all three pieces in a row to your family and friends. Make an occasion of it so that you feel under pressure as this will mimic the exam scenario. You can also record the performance of your three pieces and try to get them as good as you can in one take as you only get one chance to play them in the exam. Whatever happens – just keep going! Try not to restart – keep moving forward.

Also ask your school if you can play in assembly or in your music class. This is excellent preparation. We also provide termly performance opportunities including Scale Competitions, Masterclasses and the Dulwich Piano Festival. See our Events page to sign up for upcoming performance opportunities.

2. Listen to your pieces on Youtube
All your pieces are available to listen to on Youtube – just type in the name and composer and you will see lots of videos for your songs. Do you know where the louds and softs are, how fast or slow to play, whether you need to speed up or slow down anywhere? Do you know the character of your piece? Is it lively, melancholy? Listening to various recordings online can help assist learning of a piece. Your teacher will also play your piece to you regularly. Do your homework and make sure you have read the footnotes, looked up the composer (are they dead or alive, where are they from, what else did they write) and know the meaning behind the title of the piece.

Yohondo has a great YouTube channel with step-by-step help on some of the graded pieces: https://www.youtube.com/user/YohondoYT

3. Aural practice
This must be part of your daily practice for exams as this will help greatly with the aural section. There are several online resources or apps you can use to practice this every day.
Hofnote
Free Aural Tests
ABRSM App for iPhone/iPod/iPad

4. Sight-Reading
Sight-Reading is worth 14% of the marks – as much as the entire scale book! Keep working through the Specimen Sight Reading tests for your grade. If you have an iPad, then the excellent ABRSM sight-reading app is available for your grade.
ABRSM SightRead4Piano by Wessar

5. Scales
Ask your parents or friends to test you on the scales in a random order. Or you can make a ‘scale pot’ where you write out the name of every scale, broken chord, arpeggio etc and put these into a pot. Take one out of the pot and practice it until the pot is empty! As always, this must be done every day. We give all our students practice charts for their scales. These should be filled in daily – aim for ticks in all the boxes! Print a fresh chart each week. Students that work hard at their scales usually see a great improvement within just a few days. Practice your scales in random order so that you’re not always starting at the beginning of the book.

 

Grade 3 ABRSM Piano Scale Practice chart
Grade 3 ABRSM Piano Scale Practice chart

6. Daily Practice
In the run-up to the exam, daily practice is vitally important. To cover all the requirements for Grade 1, at least 30 minutes is needed and the time for practice increases by about 15 minutes daily for each grade. However, quality practice is of importance, so there is no point spending half an hour just practising your pieces but neglecting the other requirements. Make sure you practice your weaker areas first.

7. Parental supervision
It is important that parents supervise practice to ensure all the requirements above are covered thoroughly. Check the scale practice charts to see whether there are enough ticks in all boxes. Print these sheets out to fill in every day and bring to the lesson to show your teacher.

8. Mock Exams.
I have been doing mock exams each lesson. Please have a read through the mock exam to see what level your child is currently playing at and what grade they can expect on the day. The mock exam form will also highlight any weak areas that need particular attention. Please print some Mock ABRSM Exam Forms and bring to your next lesson.

9. Criteria used by the examiner in awarding a pass, merit or distinction.
Details of the exam marking scheme and what the examiner is looking for can be found here.

Safiya, Grade 3 ABRSM Piano, Distinction
Safiya, age 7 – Grade 3 ABRSM Piano, Distinction. Click here to view more exam results.