Flute grades and exams

asoalin · Post by **asoalin** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 5:59 pm

I keep hearing people talk on here about "grade 8" music or "sitting for the next exam". I'm totally lost. What is all this about?

pied_piper · Post by **pied_piper** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 9:31 pm

There's a couple of different organizations for music exams, but usually, it seems most folks are referring to Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Exams. As their name would imply, these exams are popular in the UK and Canada. Their website can do far better justice to explaining it:

http://www.abrsm.org/?page=exams

asoalin · Post by **asoalin** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:42 am

Looks like they don't offer the exams in the USA. Is this true?

pied_piper · Post by **pied_piper** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:59 am

ABRSM does offer exams in the USA, but the coverage is spotty. You might have to drive or fly to a city where the exams are offered.

http://www.abrsm.org/regions/en/usa/uni ... /contacts/

lianeandflute · Post by **lianeandflute** » Sun Sep 19, 2010 4:19 am

There are other exam boards too. In Australia most people do exams with the AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board). Another good one is Trinity College London, they offer exams in Australia (not sure about USA). I do mine with them.

It came to my attention recently that apparently people don't do music exams in the USA!! Which is a strange idea to me. They can be limiting in some ways but the majority of people do them because it's a good way (or supposed to be a good way) of measuring your progress and it gives you something to work towards.

They are also supposed to be a good way to guess the level of others. Some youth orchestras don't allow you in unless you have completed up to a certain grade so they can keep a high level of players, or at least give grade levels as a guideline.

If you finish all the grades, then you can do diplomas (usually Associate, then Licentiate, then Fellowship) which are really good qualifications to have. The Associate level is supposed to be equivalent to 1st year uni level, Licentiate finishing a bachelor degree level, and Fellowship is supposed to be the same level as doing your masters. (sorry if you already read this on the ABRSM website).

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