At Patana, as in the UK, we encourage our students to enter for external music exams. By far the biggest and most wide spread of the examining boards is the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Our main body of students will enter for grades with this examining board although we have recently started preparing drummers and electric guitarists for the new 'rockschool' exams with Trinity College of Music.
For more information on Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music, please click on the logo below.
Taking an exam involves a lot of preparation from the students and careful planning by their teachers in order to prepare all requirements in time for the exam. Practice in the run-up to the exam should be regular and structured, carefully following the instructions given by the teacher.
In an 'AB' grade exam there are 4 sections to prepare for. The first section contains pieces of music chosen from lists in the syllabus, the second section is scales and arpeggios, the third is aural tests and finally the sight-reading section. All sections will be prepared for in lessons but private practice is of the utmost importance when it comes to scales, arpeggios and pieces.
An examiner will visit Patana from the UK to examine our students and we will usually receive the results within a few weeks of the exam. The examiner issues comments and a mark out of 150 is given (below 100 is a fail, 100-119 a pass, 120-129 a pass with merit and 130-150 a pass with distinction). Successful candidates will eventually receive a certificate.
The first exam is the preparatory grade, which is slightly different in that there is no pass or fail - the examiner will give an immediate response in a comment sheet to the student as they leave the exam. Grades then start at grade 1 and finish at grade 8. To progress past grade 5 students must first pass the grade 5 theory of music exam. To prepare for this music theory activities run in the elementary and secondary school, please sign up for this when the activity booklets are issued.
As with all external exams, photocopies may not be used, it is essential to buy your children the appropriate music for the exam. It is not always easy to buy music for instruments other than the piano or violin in Thailand so the internet is a good option. Alternatively if you are visiting the UK or USA, go prepared with your list of music and buy it whilst you are there! Please ask us for details of the names of books if you are unsure.
To find out about preparing for an exam please talk to your music teacher who will tell you which grade level you are currently at and to discuss the requirements. Your teacher will then ask us to enter you at the appropriate time and you will receive a letter asking for the exam fees!
As exam time approaches, regular practice should be happening at home in preparation and lesson attendance is vital.