Music examination

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Music examinations are a method of formally assessing the accomplishments of pupils learning musical instruments.

Although there are music examinations available to school and university students alongside other regular qualifications and assessments, there are also a number of independent bodies who solely provide assessment in musical ability which are open to all.

Most students who enter these exams have taken a course of music lessons with a private tutor. Often this is a way for children to receive music training over and above what is provided at their usual place of learning, although private lessons are also popular with adults who turn to music later in life.

Music exams are set in both theory and practical aspects. The theory examinations are taken by pupils of all instruments and typically cover areas such as musical notation, construction of scales and composition.

The practical exams concentrate on the particular instrument favoured by the pupil, for example piano, guitar or flute. They cover elements such as playing set pieces, scales, sight reading, aural, and oral.

In the United Kingdom the music exams are graded from 1 to 8, with grade 1 being the entry level, and grade 8 being the standard required for entry to higher study in a music college. The biggest examination board there is the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. The other examination boards are Trinity Guildhall (formerly Guildhall and Trinity, which merged in 2007); London College of Music Examinations; and the National College of Music London.