In many of the countries in which the Associated Board offers graded music exams, the taking of them by young musicians is a deep-rooted part of the music education culture. In some cases that culture goes back over a century and so has had plenty of time to 'bed down' and for the exams to become a widely accepted part of the learning process. In other countries, instrumental music exams are not so well known about and music teaching seems to flourish perfectly well without them, so what is it that makes over half a million young musicians take Associated Board exams each year?

Motivation
Benchmarking
Using exams wisely

Motivation

Having any kind of a goal is a great motivator. Music exams serve as a goal at a fixed point in time and candidates have a clear indication from the syllabus of the skills and understanding they need to be able to demonstrate in their exam in order to succeed. Experience shows that having an exam on the horizon stimulates extra practice and gives pupils an extra impetus in their learning. The way in which the graded exams are structured provides carefully spaced stepping stones in a pupil's musical development and enables pupil, teacher and parent to see how the pupil's progress is mapped out, how far they have come and where they can aspire to get to.

Success in the exam provides a real sense of achievement. The candidate will receive a mark form with positive, encouraging comments about their performance as well as helpful, constructive criticism where appropriate to show where there is still room for improvement. They also receive a certificate which can be framed and displayed at home or at school.

Benchmarking

The exams are benchmarked which means that wherever you are taking the exam in Bangkok or London, a pass at Grade 5 means exactly the same thing. All the Associated Board's examiners are trained to mark to the same set of assessment criteria and their work is regularly moderated to ensure consistency from one examiner to another. This careful quality control coupled with the painstaking work that goes into selecting repertoire and musicianship tests at the right level for each Grade mean that the Grades have become a common currency among musicians who use them. In the countries where the exam system is well known, two children in the school playground can have a conversation about their instrumental tuition that might go something like this:

Child A : Oh so you're learning the clarinet are you, I'm learning the flute and I've just taken my Grade 3, what Grade are you on?
Child B: I've got my Grade 4 coming up in the Autumn.

And immediately each will have a really good idea of how advanced the other is on their instrument. This really means something to the children and acts as a great motivator for them to keep on working hard.

In another very practical way, knowing what Grade the children in their class have reached on their instruments will help the school music teacher know whether to place them in the beginner or advanced orchestra and may alert them as to whether they have a child genius in their class!

Looking ahead to the more advanced pupils, a pass at Grade 8 on your instrument tells Universities or Colleges that you have reached a certain standard of competency as an instrumentalist and a musician. Because the Associated Board make passing Grade 5 Theory of Music a prerequisite for taking Grades 6, 7 or 8 Practical on their instrument, Universities/Colleges know that someone with a Grade 8 on their instrument also has a good grounding in the theoretical side of things and will be able to cope with harmony classes at a more advanced level as they progress.

Even better is the fact that as of pupils' achievements in their graded exams count towards UCAS points for UK University entrance. A distinction at Grade 8 is now worth half an A level when your child comes to making their applications for university.

Using exams wisely

The Associated Board's graded exams are a useful tool in the teaching of a musical instrument, but they are not the only tool, neither is the repertoire set for the exams syllabuses the only repertoire out there. As a parent you should guard against your children finding themselves on a constant treadmill of graded exams. In order for your child to have a broad appreciation of music and to maintain their enthusiasm, they should be exploring lots of other repertoire between learning the repertoire set for the exams. Encourage them to listen to lots of music and to be always expanding their musical horizons, take them to concerts , there is nothing like witnessing a live performance to bring their musical experience to life.

Exams can be stressful experiences despite the fact that AB examiners are trained to make the candidate feel at ease and to create an environment where they can give of their best. For the very young child, the Associated Board's Prep Test is an ideal first foray into the business of taking a music exam. The Prep Test is set at a pre-Grade 1 level and is intended to be for pupils who have been learning their instrument for perhaps two or three terms, 8 , 12 months perhaps. There is no pass or fail so candidates don't have that worry! Instead of giving marks, the examiner writes helpful, encouraging comments onto a special Prep Test certificate. The whole experience should boost the confidence of the young pupil and get them into the mind-set of thinking that music exams are not scary!

As a parent you should be aware that children normally learn in plateaus. They may progress at a steady pace for a while up to a certain point then reach a stage where they don't really seem to be making progress, then they will quite often have a sudden breakthrough, something will 'click' and they will suddenly make some very rapid progress. This means that very often the gaps between exams may vary in length, it may work out at roughly one Grade per year, or the child's progress may be quicker or slower than that. The important thing to remember is that the progress won't necessarily always happen at the same pace. Normally your child's teacher will be best placed to advise on when is the right time to take an exam so it is best not to push too hard for the next exam , wait and see what the teacher thinks is right. He or she may even feel that the child would be best to skip one Grade and go straight for the next one up, perhaps after allowing sufficient time for the child's musical ability to develop through exploring non-exam repertoire.