More children than ever, that I teach, are practicing and earning their ‘piano certificates’ by working through the beginner exams. It’s fits so nicely with the primary curriculum, and gives such a sense of achievement in a similar way to dancing rosettes or swimming badges.

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From my own experience:

Grade 1 piano is a long, long way from beginning, and may take students a varying number of years (at least 2-3 from starting out) to get there. The exam boards offer different methods and pre-grade 1 tests to mark and celebrate steps on that journey. I have sorted them into ‘levels’ below so you can see how the progression is made across the  different exam boards and which level you / your child are currently working at. 

 

ABRSM Music Medals

For students who would like a less formal assessment than exams, but would like to achieve medals and certificates to recognise their learning, I am a teacher-assessor for ABRSM music medals. These are ‘graded’ from Copper through Bronze, Silver, Gold and finally Platinum. The medal levels are equivalent to Prep, Initial, 1,2 and 3 in the grade system. They consist of a solo piece, a duet with me and an option test (sight reading, composing etc…). It doesn’t require any new ‘material’ to be learnt as the pieces will be ones taught from a student’s standard tutor book series. We video the ‘exam’, I assess it and it’s sent to ABRSM for moderation. A certificate and medal quickly follows. Do talk to me if you think this is something your child would like to do! These medals are especially accessible for students with additional needs as well as younger students who would struggle with an exam environment.