When it comes to violin or most other musical instruments, students will take exams and perform to prove their level.
While not obligatory, for many, this is a good way to gauge their level, ensure that their lessons or tutoring are working, and, for those looking to study music or play professionally, provide them with recognised certificates or qualifications.
The most common of these tend to come in the form of numbered grades. When explaining how well they can play their instrument, it's common for musicians or teachers to speak in terms of their grade and in Australia, as well as other places around the world, these are usually numbered between 1 and 8.
There's a little more to it than that, though, and here we'll explain what it all means and answer a few of the most common questions students ask about violin grades.
Where Can You Get Violin Grades?
To get a grade, you need to take an exam that tests both your level on a given instrument be it a violin, cello, bass, or pretty much any musical instrument that you'd find in a classical orchestra.
Generally, students will be tested on how they can play certain pieces, usually from a classical repertoire, their technical ability, their understanding of music theory, and sight-reading. Don't panic yet, though, you can always find details for each grade in the awarding body's syllabus for each level.
For violin in Australia, AMEB and ABRSM are the two main awarding bodies for these. There are others, but in this series of articles, we'll focus on just those two.
There are differences between them so it's important to know that a given grade from one isn't actually the same as a grade from the other.
AMEB Grades
AMEB is the Australian Music Examinations Board. As the name suggests, this is the corporation that provides exams and grades for not just violin, but also music teaching and music theory as well as pretty much every traditional musical instrument you can think of.
They have their graded examinations that are numbered from 1 to 8 but there are also a few more qualifications available both before and beyond the graded system.
They classify their grades and qualifications into levels and there are three levels.
- Level 1 includes Grades 1 to 4 as well as the preliminary grade available before starting on the graded system.
- Level 2 covers Grades 5 to 8 and the Certificate of Performance. The Certificate of Performance is the step after grade 8 and is designed to take students from the numbered grades to the next level of qualifications.
- Level 3 includes AMEB's diplomas such as the Associate in Music, Australia (AMusA) and the Licentiate in Music, Australia (LMusA). These are very high-level qualifications and only around 10% of students pass the LMusA.
How AMEB Grades Are Marked
Much like school subjects, AMEB gives students a letter grade as well as pluses for some of the grades.
The lowest grade issued is Unable to Assess (UA) and this basically means that the student has failed the assessment and the examiner cannot issue them with their certificate or grade. Not a grade any student would want to receive.
For this, it tends to mean that the student has not met the very minimum requirements for some of the tasks or skills.
Beyond that, students are given grades from D through to A. Here are the AMEB grades:
- D – Not Satisfactory
- C – Pass
- C+ – Pass with Merit
- B – Credit
- B+ – High Credit
- A – Pass with Honours
- A+ – High Distinction
Basically, from a grade C onwards, the student has met the requirements of the exam. An A means that they've met all the requirements and shown a superior level in terms of technique, stylistic awareness, and musicianship. To achieve the coveted “High Distinction” grade, they need to do all this plus perform with consistent performance flair, technical fluency, and stylistic insight.
This kind of grading is used throughout the 8 different grades and the Certificate of Performance.
ABRSM Grades
ABRSM is the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and is an examination board from the UK. However, the qualifications and awards are recognised in Australia.
Much like AMEB, ABRSM also has a graded system that is numbered from 1 to 8. Before the numbered grade, there is also the initial grade.
How ABRSM Grades Are Marked
ABRSM marks their exams a little differently from AMEB. Rather than the lettered grades, there are 3 main grades: Pass, Merit, and Distinction.
In practical graded music exams, there are a total of 150 marks available and the grade boundaries are as follows:
- 100 or more: Pass
- 120 or more: Merit
- 130 or more: Distinction
Much like AMEB's exams, the distinction indicates that the student is technically accurate, can keep time, and has given an assured and fully-committed performance featuring a vivid communication of character and style.
How Do AMEB and ABRSM Compare?
Since both awarding bodies number their grades from 1 to 8, you'd think that they'd be the same level and qualification, but the two don't actually align.
AMEB suggests that their grading is actually equivalent to two levels higher, which would make the AMEB Grade 1 violin as difficult as the ABRSM Grade 3.
This doesn't really matter if you're planning on working your way through the grades for a single awarding body, but it's important to know if you're explaining your level to a tutor or other musicians or looking for pieces to play at your level.
This would matter, however, if you decided to change awarding bodies as you wouldn't be able to just move on to the next number in the grading. If you've been doing AMEB and are changing to ABRSM, just add two. Conversely, if you're going from ABRSM to AMEB, subtract two from your grade.
Can You Skip Grades?
As the grades are numbered, it would seem logical to just follow the numbered grades. However, you don't necessarily need all the preceding grades to pass an exam. Basically, whatever your highest achieved grade is, that's what level your playing is at.
The grades are naturally designed to follow one another and knowing the skills, techniques, and pieces from a previous grade will certainly help, but if you already have the level for a higher grade, you can choose to do that instead.
Again, it's not really recommended that you skip grades as you want to learn to walk before you run, but if you really need to, then you can.
In the earlier example of changing awarding bodies, skipping grades might be worthwhile, but if you've never done a violin exam in your life, starting at the beginning might be useful just to familiarise yourself with the format, even if you find the pieces, techniques, and exercises quite easy.
How to Prepare for Violin Grades
Nobody wants to fail their violin exam, but it can even happen to very talented musicians. With exams, especially those for musical performances, you can sometimes just have a bad day.
The best way to make sure this doesn't happen is through preparation. The more prepared you are, the easier things will be. You're far less likely to get nervous doing something that you're familiar with than something completely new so do everything in your power to make sure you're ready.
Rehearse
Practise and rehearse the pieces that you'll have to play. Rehearse them so much that you can hear them in your sleep!
Practice does make perfect and a violinist who's played a piece a hundred times will be far better than somebody playing it for the first time.
Don't forget to analyse your performance when you're rehearsing, though. You can always ask your teacher or tutor for feedback on your performance so that you know which areas you need to work on.
Scales, Arpeggios, and Practise Exercises
You can also practise by playing scales, arpeggios, and practice exercises. These mightn't be the pieces that you'll have to play, but they can greatly improve your technique. The more familiar you are with your instrument, the more naturally you'll play it.
Again, ask your teacher for some good exercises to be doing outside of class to keep your skills sharp and prepare yourself for your exam.
On The Day and the Night Before
As you're being tested on your performance, it's also important that you're well-rested and ready for it. With any performance, it's a good idea not to eat or drink anything that would upset your stomach or eat foods you're not familiar with. The night before the exam is probably not the best time to try a new restaurant.
It's also an excellent idea to get a good night's sleep. Naturally, you might be nervous, but if you've adequately prepared and you know you have, it'll be much easier to sleep because you'll have less to worry about.
On the day itself, it's a good idea to plan as much as you can ahead of time. Know how you're getting to the exam and arrive with plenty of time so that you're not stressed or rushing to get there.
Timeliness helps because you'll also have time to warm up and get yourself into a good frame of mind. If you've done an adequate amount of preparation, you'll be fine!
If you need some extra help with the violin, cello, bass, piano, or any other musical instrument, don't forget that there are plenty of excellent private tutors who can help you with both the syllabus for Australian and international music exams!
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