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Music grades
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Cakeguts
Posts: 7,627 Forumite
I am not quite sure where to put this so could someone please move it if it is in the wrong place.
When someone starts to learn a musical instrument they have to option of taking music exams called grades. There are 8 grade exams. When you take into account the cost of the lessons on learning the music for the grade exam, buying the music and cost of taking the exams it runs into £100s. What many people don't realise is that you can learn a musical instrument without taking any grades. The grades don't make any difference at all. Entry to music college or university music courses are by audition not by which grade you have passed. Some grades give UCAS points which most universities don't accept. All you get after passing a grade is a certificate. They don't lead onto anything except another grade costing several £100s by the time you have taken all the costs into account.
The standard of playing required to pass all the grades is elementary but they are very cleverly labelled in a way that appears to mislead many adults into thinking that you need to be a better player than elementary to pass the higher grades. Many of those adults are parents paying for their children to take the grades. By not paying for any grades you can save a lot of money and it won't make any difference to learning to play.
Adults learning to play an instrument don't appear to understand that the labels only apply to the grades and not to playing standards. Playing standards required to pass any grade are elementary.
What is graded is how someone plays in the exam not the standard of the music that they play so this grading cannot be transferred to any other playing making it only a standard in playing for grades and not for any other music playing activity. So what you paying £100s for is a grading of playing in a grade exam and nothing else. For this grading you get a certificate and nothing else. A very expensive piece of paper?
When someone starts to learn a musical instrument they have to option of taking music exams called grades. There are 8 grade exams. When you take into account the cost of the lessons on learning the music for the grade exam, buying the music and cost of taking the exams it runs into £100s. What many people don't realise is that you can learn a musical instrument without taking any grades. The grades don't make any difference at all. Entry to music college or university music courses are by audition not by which grade you have passed. Some grades give UCAS points which most universities don't accept. All you get after passing a grade is a certificate. They don't lead onto anything except another grade costing several £100s by the time you have taken all the costs into account.
The standard of playing required to pass all the grades is elementary but they are very cleverly labelled in a way that appears to mislead many adults into thinking that you need to be a better player than elementary to pass the higher grades. Many of those adults are parents paying for their children to take the grades. By not paying for any grades you can save a lot of money and it won't make any difference to learning to play.
Adults learning to play an instrument don't appear to understand that the labels only apply to the grades and not to playing standards. Playing standards required to pass any grade are elementary.
What is graded is how someone plays in the exam not the standard of the music that they play so this grading cannot be transferred to any other playing making it only a standard in playing for grades and not for any other music playing activity. So what you paying £100s for is a grading of playing in a grade exam and nothing else. For this grading you get a certificate and nothing else. A very expensive piece of paper?
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Comments
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It's a standardised system of measuring musical playing ability, the same as any type of exam.
Of course, no-one has to do them. No-one has to sit most academic exams either, but they are a helpful way of measuring ability.
You could write your last paragraph as: "What is graded in a Physics exam is how someone performs in the exam not the standard of the Physics that they know so this grading cannot be transferred to any other Physics making it only a standard in studying for exams and not for any other Physics activity. So what you paying £100s for is a grading of answering questions in a Physics exam and nothing else. For this grading you get a certificate and nothing else. A very expensive piece of paper"0 -
ThumbRemote wrote: »It's a standardised system of measuring musical playing ability, the same as any type of exam.
Of course, no-one has to do them. No-one has to sit most academic exams either, but they are a helpful way of measuring ability.
You could write your last paragraph as: "What is graded in a Physics exam is how someone performs in the exam not the standard of the Physics that they know so this grading cannot be transferred to any other Physics making it only a standard in studying for exams and not for any other Physics activity. So what you paying £100s for is a grading of answering questions in a Physics exam and nothing else. For this grading you get a certificate and nothing else. A very expensive piece of paper"
How many people do you know who pay £100s for grading in a physics exam because I don't think I know anyone who has done this? However I know lots and lots of people who have paid for grade exams in music.
The standardised music playing is only a standard of music playing in grades. You can't use this standard for entry into music community groups or anything else apart from another grade although lots of people don't realise this. I often see something like "to join this orchestra you need to be grade 8 standard." Grade 8 isn't a standard in orchestras it is only a standard compared to another grade.
I just wanted people to be clear about what they are paying for when they pay for a child to take a grade or they take a grade as an adult themselves because it is clear that many people don't know what they are getting for their £100s.0 -
Surely this:You can't use this standard for entry into music community groups
Contradicts this:I often see something like "to join this orchestra you need to be grade 8 standard." Grade 8 isn't a standard in orchestras it is only a standard compared to another grade.
If your child wanted to become a member (enter a music community group) of the many orchestras you've seen where a music grade is a requirement they then need to have the grade.0 -
How many people do you know who pay £100s for grading in a physics exam because I don't think I know anyone who has done this? However I know lots and lots of people who have paid for grade exams in music.
It costs £80 for a Physics A-Level exam. Other A-levels are cheaper or more expensive.
http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/admin/library/AQA-ENTRY-FEES-2016-17-BOOKLET.PDF
Anyone studying an A-Level in evening class will pay this examination fee. Many people do because they want proof of their ability.
I don't really understand what you're saying. What would be a better way to measure someone's ability at playing a musical instrument?0 -
I learnt the violin as a child and went right through to Grade 8. The types of pieces that needed to be learn for each grade became increasingly more technically difficult - the pieces I played at Grade 8 I could not have attempted at Grade 5 with any sort of competence. Hence why orchestras are able to indicate levels of grades to assess competence at a glance.
In addition, I had to do musical theory which also got increasingly difficult and also sight-reading. Sight-reading is essential for orchestral playing in particular.
I am also not sure why the OP is trying to put a price on these grades. A little like passing a driving test, it does depend on how competent the learner is as to whether they need 10 lessons or 100 to pass. Also, any young musician who doesn't practise in between each lesson with their teacher will find it very difficult to progress. I used to practise for half an hour each day until I was 11, then an hour and longer as I got older. Those hours cost nothing!0 -
Mu Niece does piano Violin lessons in school and is doing grades. This is free as she does it through schoolBaby Ice arrived 17th April 2011. Tired.com! :j0
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Surely this:
Contradicts this:
If your child wanted to become a member (enter a music community group) of the many orchestras you've seen where a music grade is a requirement they then need to have the grade.
They don't actually. There is a very good reason for this. It is quite possible to pass grade 8 and be unable to play an orchestral part. What you need to play in a community group is experience of ensemble playing not grade exams. The orchestras who ask for grade exams don't understand about grade exams and so are causing people to think that someone needs to spend money on a grade in order to get a place. This is not the case.0 -
Caroline_a wrote: »I learnt the violin as a child and went right through to Grade 8. The types of pieces that needed to be learn for each grade became increasingly more technically difficult - the pieces I played at Grade 8 I could not have attempted at Grade 5 with any sort of competence. Hence why orchestras are able to indicate levels of grades to assess competence at a glance.
In addition, I had to do musical theory which also got increasingly difficult and also sight-reading. Sight-reading is essential for orchestral playing in particular.
I am also not sure why the OP is trying to put a price on these grades. A little like passing a driving test, it does depend on how competent the learner is as to whether they need 10 lessons or 100 to pass. Also, any young musician who doesn't practise in between each lesson with their teacher will find it very difficult to progress. I used to practise for half an hour each day until I was 11, then an hour and longer as I got older. Those hours cost nothing!
I have put a price on them because many people don't realise the full cost of taking these grades and they don't realise that there is no need for anyone to take them. They don't lead onto anything. You don't have to have passed any grade to play in a community group. They increase in difficulty but grade 8 still only needs an elementary standard of playing to pass it. Elementary in terms of what it is possible to do on any instrument which is why music college entrance is by audition not which grades you have passed.0 -
They don't actually. There is a very good reason for this. It is quite possible to pass grade 8 and be unable to play an orchestral part. What you need to play in a community group is experience of ensemble playing not grade exams. The orchestras who ask for grade exams don't understand about grade exams and so are causing people to think that someone needs to spend money on a grade in order to get a place. This is not the case.
The orchestras who ask for grade exams are run by experienced musicians, often examiners also, they understand the grade exams quite well!
There is nothing wrong with setting a minimum examined standard. This applies to orchestras, universities, employment. It is your prerogative not to take the exams, but you should be aware that your choice may well inhibit progression.0 -
I have put a price on them because many people don't realise the full cost of taking these grades and they don't realise that there is no need for anyone to take them. They don't lead onto anything. You don't have to have passed any grade to play in a community group. They increase in difficulty but grade 8 still only needs an elementary standard of playing to pass it. Elementary in terms of what it is possible to do on any instrument which is why music college entrance is by audition not which grades you have passed.
No idea what instrument you are talking about, or whether things have changed since I took mine (I doubt it very much) but this is utter tosh. I played (led) my county orchestra, played on the BBC as part of a small string orchestra and also went to Berlin for an exchange with the Berlin Youth Orchestra. Most of us in the county orchestra were Grade 8, many were in the National Youth Orchestra. I wouldn't consider any of their playing 'elementary'.
I've just looked at the syllabus for the current violin grade 8 - elementary it's not!!
Do you actually have any instrumental experience OP, and if so, which instrument?0
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