Minchin Music
Taking an exam
Entry procedures and information
Tips on how to prepare
Printable preparation sheets
Can Do, Can't Do practice page
Entry procedures and information
First of all Congratulations for achieving the level where you can consider taking an exam!
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Exam fees for 2022
Prep Test Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8
Practical £43.00 £48.00 £55.00 £67.00 £69.00 £76.00 £88.00 £94.00 £111.00
Theory --- £36.00 £38.00 £42.00 £46.00 £49.00 £50.00 £53.00 £56.00
Performance Assessment £50.00
ARSM £187
For a Prep Test exam you will need to buy the prep test book. You will learn some pieces, some tunes from memory and you will do some singing and clapping games with the examiner. We will practise these in your lessons. After you have played and done the singing and clapping games the Examiner will talk to you about your playing. The Examiner will give you a Certificate with comments about your playing when you leave the exam. There is no Pass/Fail for Prep Test.
For all Grade Exams you will need to learn some scales and arpeggios and three pieces. In the exam you will do a Sight Reading test and Aural tests (we will practise these during your lessons). The exam is marked out of 150. You need 100 to Pass, 120 for a Merit, 130 for a Distinction. The Examiner will not tell you on the day whether you have passed; we will usually receive the result within two or three weeks.
For any exam you will need to arrive 15 minutes before your time, inform the Steward you are there and warm up in the room provided.
For all Piano exams and all Prep Tests
I use the Cambridge Centre (Usually The Music Gallery 10 -12 Kings Hedges Road CB4 2PA )
The Closing Date for the entry application is usually the end of the first or second week of Term. The Exam could be any day (except sundays) during the second half of that Term. We are usually given at least two weeks notice of the exam date and time.
I make one covering payment for all my pupils so I will ask for your payment before I make the entry application.
Where possible I try to be at the exam centre when my pupils are taking their exams.
Pupils taking Piano exams do not need an accompanist
Pupils taking a Prep Test on any instrument (except piano which needs no accompaniment) will be accompanied by the examiner in the exam.
If you are at a fee paying school
In most instances I will enter you through the school exam system and the ABRSM entry fee will appear on your school bill. The entry will need to be made at the start of the term in which you are taking the exam. There is usually one exam session during the second half of each term which takes place on school premises. In most cases an accompanist will be provided.
For Grade exams on all instruments except piano (non fee paying schools)
I use a Private Centre run by Maurice and Thanea Hodges (68 Histon rd, Cottenham, Cambs, CB24 8UD). This gives us the advantage of knowing exactly which days the exam will be on (there are usually three consecutive days which can include weekends). We also have the benefit of a professional accompanist with whom you will rehearse (prior to the exam) in the exam room. (See below for details of how to arrange a rehearsal time with the accompanist)
The Closing Date is one month prior to the Exam dates which are usually at the end of Term.
I make one covering payment for all my pupils so I will ask for your payment before I make the entry application.
Check on www.hodgesmusic.co.uk 2 weeks before your exam date to see your time
Where possible I try to be at the exam centre when my pupils are taking their exams.
Arranging your accompanist and rehearsal time
Below are the details and information from Maurice and Thanea's website ( www.hodgesmusic.co.uk ) which you will need in order to arrange rehearsal time with your accompanist (Maurice).
If you are taking a lower Grade, one rehearsal will be enough as you will have played the pieces with piano accompaniment with me during your lessons.
If you are taking a higher Grade I recommend arranging your rehearsal early enough that you could fit in another one if you feel you need it.
Tips on how to prepare
1. Look in Get Practising at the Tips for a successful practise session. You need to be practising every day; building stamina is as important as learning your scales and pieces. Be careful with accuracy and don't be in a hurry to play up to Tempo and all the way through too soon; anything that is not learned well at this stage will show through as "lumps and bumps" in your playing later on and be much harder to fix.
2. Go to www.abrsm.org Look in exam support There is information about all aspects of taking an exam, apps to help you practise and prepare and you can watch short videos of people doing parts of their exams!
3. Don't neglect your scales Scales are an important part of becoming proficient at your instrument and the exam marks reflect this; your scales are worth 21 marks - the difference between a Merit and a Fail! Make your "Can do" and "Can't Do" pots and do some practise with them every day. This is the best way you can give yourself the experience of not knowing what the examiner will ask you next. A scale only makes it into the "Can Do" pot if you have played it perfectly first go.
4. Don't leave your preparation until the last minute. It is obvious to the Examiner if someone is "getting through it" rather than confident, fluent and well prepared. There is a big difference between a) being able to play something, b) being able to play something well and musically, and c) being able to play well and musically under pressure with some nerves. Your scales and pieces should be confident and fluent by two weeks before the exam so you can then work on style and Performance skills.
5. Pefect first time This is the key to a good mark. In some circumstances the Examiner will give you a second chance to play something, but in that case, even if you play it perfectly second time the best mark you can get is a Pass mark. Bear this in mind when you are practising and, once you have learned something, try to play it perfectly first time. Remember it is much harder to play something perfectly first time than it is after you have had a few tries at it, especially if you haven't played it for a day or two, but this is the best preparation you can give yourself for any performance experience.
6. Practise performing! Once you can play your scales and pieces well you need to learn to perform them. Imagine you are in a Concert Hall (get other people to come and listen to you if you can and do this several times during the last two weeks before your exam. It can also be helpful to parctise playing your pieces in the order you will play them in the exam). Imagine a big audience. Imagine yourself playing really well- better than you have ever played! Feel the feeling of really enjoying the music, really enjoying playing and knowing that you're sounding great! Remember you can take that feeling into the exam room- the exam room is your Concert Hall and the examiner is your big audience!
7. Give the examiner a nice time! Your examiner will be spending all day, probably for several days, listening to people playing. They have become an examiner because they are musicians themselves- they will have done Grade exams too so they know how you feel! They really do want you to do well. Also they want to have a nice time- they want to be able to enjoy listening to you play! Give your examiner a really good concert!
Printable preparation sheets
"Can do" and "Can't do" pots for scales
How to use;
Entry procedures and information
Tips on how to prepare
Printable preparation sheets
Can Do, Can't Do practice page
Entry procedures and information
First of all Congratulations for achieving the level where you can consider taking an exam!
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Exam fees for 2022
Prep Test Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8
Practical £43.00 £48.00 £55.00 £67.00 £69.00 £76.00 £88.00 £94.00 £111.00
Theory --- £36.00 £38.00 £42.00 £46.00 £49.00 £50.00 £53.00 £56.00
Performance Assessment £50.00
ARSM £187
For a Prep Test exam you will need to buy the prep test book. You will learn some pieces, some tunes from memory and you will do some singing and clapping games with the examiner. We will practise these in your lessons. After you have played and done the singing and clapping games the Examiner will talk to you about your playing. The Examiner will give you a Certificate with comments about your playing when you leave the exam. There is no Pass/Fail for Prep Test.
For all Grade Exams you will need to learn some scales and arpeggios and three pieces. In the exam you will do a Sight Reading test and Aural tests (we will practise these during your lessons). The exam is marked out of 150. You need 100 to Pass, 120 for a Merit, 130 for a Distinction. The Examiner will not tell you on the day whether you have passed; we will usually receive the result within two or three weeks.
For any exam you will need to arrive 15 minutes before your time, inform the Steward you are there and warm up in the room provided.
For all Piano exams and all Prep Tests
I use the Cambridge Centre (Usually The Music Gallery 10 -12 Kings Hedges Road CB4 2PA )
The Closing Date for the entry application is usually the end of the first or second week of Term. The Exam could be any day (except sundays) during the second half of that Term. We are usually given at least two weeks notice of the exam date and time.
I make one covering payment for all my pupils so I will ask for your payment before I make the entry application.
Where possible I try to be at the exam centre when my pupils are taking their exams.
Pupils taking Piano exams do not need an accompanist
Pupils taking a Prep Test on any instrument (except piano which needs no accompaniment) will be accompanied by the examiner in the exam.
If you are at a fee paying school
In most instances I will enter you through the school exam system and the ABRSM entry fee will appear on your school bill. The entry will need to be made at the start of the term in which you are taking the exam. There is usually one exam session during the second half of each term which takes place on school premises. In most cases an accompanist will be provided.
For Grade exams on all instruments except piano (non fee paying schools)
I use a Private Centre run by Maurice and Thanea Hodges (68 Histon rd, Cottenham, Cambs, CB24 8UD). This gives us the advantage of knowing exactly which days the exam will be on (there are usually three consecutive days which can include weekends). We also have the benefit of a professional accompanist with whom you will rehearse (prior to the exam) in the exam room. (See below for details of how to arrange a rehearsal time with the accompanist)
The Closing Date is one month prior to the Exam dates which are usually at the end of Term.
I make one covering payment for all my pupils so I will ask for your payment before I make the entry application.
Check on www.hodgesmusic.co.uk 2 weeks before your exam date to see your time
Where possible I try to be at the exam centre when my pupils are taking their exams.
Arranging your accompanist and rehearsal time
Below are the details and information from Maurice and Thanea's website ( www.hodgesmusic.co.uk ) which you will need in order to arrange rehearsal time with your accompanist (Maurice).
If you are taking a lower Grade, one rehearsal will be enough as you will have played the pieces with piano accompaniment with me during your lessons.
If you are taking a higher Grade I recommend arranging your rehearsal early enough that you could fit in another one if you feel you need it.
Maurice
and Thanea Hodges Special ABRSM exam entry
details
We
are
not paid by the AB for these visits - they were established to enable
our own
piano pupils to take their exams on a familiar instrument and in a
familiar
environment: also so that we can pursue our accompaniment work without
spending
so much time travelling. Therefore we do not accept other
teachers'
candidates who do not require accompaniment (e.g.
pianos, harps,
guitars).
FEES
for accompanying an exam are
now £36 per hour (pro rata
for 15, 20 minutes etc.) for
rehearsal in the exam room before the exam day - the minimum chargeable
period
is 15 minutes (£9). For the exam day we operate a sliding scale as
follows for
the exam day itself, including as much of a run-through just beforehand
as
there is time for.
- Grade
1: £11
- Grade
2: £12
- Grade
3: £13
- Grade
4: £14
- Grade
5: £15
- Grade
6: £16
- Grade
7: £17
- Grade
8: £18
In
practice this means that an early grade wind exam (with two accompanied
pieces)
may only require a rehearsal of about 15 minutes (£9) plus the relevant
fee
shown above, whereas a Grade 8 string candidate playing (say) a Brahms
Sonata
movement and two other pieces may require two hours of rehearsal plus
the fee
above, totalling £95.
PLEASE
NOTE THAT IT IS EXPECTED THAT ALL CANDIDATES (EVEN
EARLY GRADES) DO
ATTEND A REHEARSAL BEFORE THE EXAM. They should not just turn up on the
day and
expect me to produce a professional result with a two-minute
run-through. This
is not the message any of us would wish to give to our pupils,
hopefully!
A
minimum of 15 minutes rehearsal
time, in addition to the accompaniment fee for the day, will be charged
even if
no previous rehearsal has taken place, so you might as well...!
Address
of exam and rehearsals;
To
get in
touch, please use one of the following options.
e-mail:
landline:
Home:
01954204911
mobile:
Maurice:
07719506354
Thanea:
07745851230
address:
68
Histon
Road, Cottenham, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 8UD
Our house is on the west side of the road and is a detached white cottage with black woodwork and lavender by the steps to the front door.
Tips on how to prepare
1. Look in Get Practising at the Tips for a successful practise session. You need to be practising every day; building stamina is as important as learning your scales and pieces. Be careful with accuracy and don't be in a hurry to play up to Tempo and all the way through too soon; anything that is not learned well at this stage will show through as "lumps and bumps" in your playing later on and be much harder to fix.
2. Go to www.abrsm.org Look in exam support There is information about all aspects of taking an exam, apps to help you practise and prepare and you can watch short videos of people doing parts of their exams!
3. Don't neglect your scales Scales are an important part of becoming proficient at your instrument and the exam marks reflect this; your scales are worth 21 marks - the difference between a Merit and a Fail! Make your "Can do" and "Can't Do" pots and do some practise with them every day. This is the best way you can give yourself the experience of not knowing what the examiner will ask you next. A scale only makes it into the "Can Do" pot if you have played it perfectly first go.
4. Don't leave your preparation until the last minute. It is obvious to the Examiner if someone is "getting through it" rather than confident, fluent and well prepared. There is a big difference between a) being able to play something, b) being able to play something well and musically, and c) being able to play well and musically under pressure with some nerves. Your scales and pieces should be confident and fluent by two weeks before the exam so you can then work on style and Performance skills.
5. Pefect first time This is the key to a good mark. In some circumstances the Examiner will give you a second chance to play something, but in that case, even if you play it perfectly second time the best mark you can get is a Pass mark. Bear this in mind when you are practising and, once you have learned something, try to play it perfectly first time. Remember it is much harder to play something perfectly first time than it is after you have had a few tries at it, especially if you haven't played it for a day or two, but this is the best preparation you can give yourself for any performance experience.
6. Practise performing! Once you can play your scales and pieces well you need to learn to perform them. Imagine you are in a Concert Hall (get other people to come and listen to you if you can and do this several times during the last two weeks before your exam. It can also be helpful to parctise playing your pieces in the order you will play them in the exam). Imagine a big audience. Imagine yourself playing really well- better than you have ever played! Feel the feeling of really enjoying the music, really enjoying playing and knowing that you're sounding great! Remember you can take that feeling into the exam room- the exam room is your Concert Hall and the examiner is your big audience!
7. Give the examiner a nice time! Your examiner will be spending all day, probably for several days, listening to people playing. They have become an examiner because they are musicians themselves- they will have done Grade exams too so they know how you feel! They really do want you to do well. Also they want to have a nice time- they want to be able to enjoy listening to you play! Give your examiner a really good concert!
Printable preparation sheets
"Can do" and "Can't do" pots for scales
How to use;
Print
off the sheet for your Instrument and Grade.
Cut along the lines so each scale and arpeggio is on a separate slip
Remember you need to practise both slurred and detached (tongued)
Find two pots or envelopes
Once you have learned a scale or arpeggio put the slip in the "Can't do" pot.
Every day, practise your new scales and arpeggios and dip into your "Can't do" pot for one you have already learned. See if you can play it perfectly first go. If you can Well done!- it goes in the "Can Do" pot! If you can't, practise the bits which went wrong and put it back in the "Can't Do" pot for another day.
or
Click here for the online version.
Your
aim is to get everything into the "Can Do" pot. Once you have, put
everything back into "Can't Do" and start again! Cut along the lines so each scale and arpeggio is on a separate slip
Remember you need to practise both slurred and detached (tongued)
Find two pots or envelopes
Once you have learned a scale or arpeggio put the slip in the "Can't do" pot.
Every day, practise your new scales and arpeggios and dip into your "Can't do" pot for one you have already learned. See if you can play it perfectly first go. If you can Well done!- it goes in the "Can Do" pot! If you can't, practise the bits which went wrong and put it back in the "Can't Do" pot for another day.
or
Click here for the online version.
| Piano | Trumpet,
Cornet, Flugel, Eb Horn and Treble Clef Baritone, Euphomium, Eb and Bb Bass |
Bass Clef Trombone | Treble Clef Trombone | Violin |
| Grade 1 | Grade 1 | Grade 1 | Grade 1 | Grade 1 |
| Grade 2 | Grade 2 | Grade 2 | Grade 2 | Grade 2 |
| Grade 3 | Grade 3 | Grade 3 | Grade 3 | Grade 3 |
| Grade 4 | Grade 4 | Grade 4 | ||
| Grade 5 | Grade 5 | Grade 5 | ||
| Grade 6 | Grade 6 | Grade 6 | ||
| Grade 7 | Grade 7 | Grade 7 | ||
| Grade 8 | Grade 8 | Grade 8 | ||
| Eb Tuba | Bass Clef Euphonium and Baritone | French Horn | Soprano Cornet | |
| Grade 1 | Grade 1 | Grade 1 | ||
| Grade 2 | Grade 2 | Grade 2 | ||
| Grade 3 | Grade 3 | Grade 3 | ||
| Grade 4 | Grade 4 | Grade 4 | ||
| Grade 5 | Grade 5 | Grade 5 | ||
| Grade 6 | Grade 6 | Grade 6 | ||
| Grade 7 | Grade 7 | Grade 7 | ||
| Grade 8 | Grade 8 | Grade 8 |