Why I Support the ABRSM Practical Examination

Since I started learning the piano and violin at a young age, music examinations have always been held in person with an examiner in a room. I took the ABRSM Practical Grades examinations for all my piano and violins examinations in Singapore, which had 4 components: scales, sightreading, 3 pieces and aural. 

However, when COVID hit, everything changed. Music examinations could not be held in person but instead, online, or Performance Grades as ABRSM calls it. Teachers, students and parents had no choice but to only prepare 4 pieces and record all of them in one take. This process with my students sometimes took several months, recording both in and out of the lessons, trying to produce the best take. With this, scales, sightreading and aural were excluded. You can imagine all the frustration involved in this.

After coming out from COVID, I continually support my students to take the Practical Grades examinations and educate parents why this (and not the Performance Grades) better delineates a student’s musical achievement and aptitude. 

First, I always believe that playing music in front of a live audience, even if it's just one person, which in this case is the examiner, is more effective. Dynamics, phrasing and nuances that the student includes in his or her playing will be heard more clearly. 

Second, the Practical Grades examination is holistic; it assesses the well-roundedness of a student’s musical achievement and aptitude. Not only is the student being assessed on how well they can play a piece which involves technique, phrasing, understanding of the piece, etc., but it also assesses other important aspects required to be a successful musician. A musician is not only required to play a piece well; they should be able to discern the differences and play Major and Minor keys (scales) which indirectly helps us to identify what key a piece is written and read a music on sight at a reasonable tempo with limited, if not, no mistakes within a given time frame (we do this a lot when we learn a new piece of music). Last but not least, depending on the grade the student is taking the exam in, the aural test combines a certain level of understanding in theory and music history and the ability to sightread/sing. 

As you can see from the above, the ABRSM Practical Grades assesses the student from several aspects. As the student is preparing for the Practical Grades, the skills they acquire will also help in his or her instrumental playing and the overall understanding and appreciation in music that teachers may not usually spend time on during the lessons.