THE WAY OF PIANO • MIND • BODY • SOUL
Written by ANDREW EALES
Here in the UK, learning the piano has for many become almost synonymous with ‘taking the grades’, an entrenched rite of passage, and the yardstick by which teachers, learners, and parents plan and set targets, prescribe lesson content, select repertoire, and evaluate progress.
Whether exam boards care to admit it or not, these amateur qualifications have an outsized impact on the quality of piano education. And with significant changes, new boards, syllabus and exam offerings arriving thick and fast in recent years, it is naturally right that teachers take a lively interest.
Parents and adults, meanwhile, often seem perplexed that the grades have changed so much, and that current expectations seem so much lower than they were ‘back in the day’. They want to celebrate progress, but wonder whether the grade exams still offer reliable and meaningful benchmarks.
Musicians from countries where exams have less importance look on, rather bemused by this curiously British obsession. Many questions arise:
- What are the benefits, and potential pitfalls, of this approach?
- Does grade exam preparation really motivate learners?
- Does the grade syllabus offer a thorough, structured approach?
- Are standards declining due to easier content?
- Do our respected professional qualifications still hold value?
Pianodao has, alongside the rest of the piano education profession, grappled with these important, if sometimes rather thorny questions. Articles which remain topical and relevant are included below, together with more general reflections, and reviews of current syllabus publications.
START HERE
To begin, take a detailed look at the musical expectations for each grade, and consider whether the exams motivate learners to succeed, and reflect on the benefits of using graded resources even without taking exams:
Grade Expectations
“What grade is this piece?” Having reviewed many syllabus offerings in depth, I think that we can draw a number of common conclusions about the Grade Expectations underpinning repertoire selections…
Do Grade Exams Motivate?
What part do the Grade exams play in fostering positive motivation? Do they provide the impetus and framework needed for musical achievement, or do they distract from more important goals?
Why use Graded Anthologies?
Whether or not you are interested in taking graded exams, anthologies of piano music selected for specific levels of playing can offer many advantages…
SYLLABUS ISSUES
These articles consider specific exam board updates, with commentary on whether they match the latest research and developments in music education.
ABRSM’s Performance Grades
ABRSM’s Performance Grades place all aspects of musical development and piano under the spotlight in their appropriate context: MUSIC. Are they now the best option for those wanting to take the grades?
ABRSM Performance Diplomas
ABRSM recently published the full details of their new digital-only LRSM and FRSM Performance Diplomas.
Here’s an outline of these qualifications, addressing some of the concerns being raised within the profession…
Singing in Aural Tests: the Bottom Line
Evidence shows that compulsory singing in aural tests is neither reliable as a means to assessing musical listening skills and perception, nor appropriate in the context of statutory requirements for access and inclusion.
Trinity’s Digital Theory Grades
Trinity College London recently announced new Digital Theory exams which, in their words, “retain the integrity of the musical approach”.
I was delighted to have the opportunity for an in-depth interview with Trinity’s Director of Music Francesca Christmas to find out more…
DIGGING DEEPER
These articles consider broader trends in music education, and consider how we can promote excellence in piano education.
The curriculum comes first
Instead of blaming the exam boards for a decline in standards or lesson content, let’s take responsibility and shape a better musical future. The curriculum comes first, and only then the prize…
The Piano Jukebox
The prevalence of pop, game and film tunes in simplified arrangements in the latest piano syllabus offerings has provoked a healthy debate. There are issues here that need to be considered carefully, with appropriate attention to context…
‘Hanging on a Cliff of Sorrow’
Global Leaders in education suggest that our present obsession with graded exams and standardised testing amounts to “childhood hanging on a cliff of sorrow”. Let’s carefully consider their impassioned plea…
Should Piano Teaching Be Regulated?
Were the music teaching profession regulated, with minimum qualifications and monitored standards, what might that really look like in practice, and how might it impact educational opportunity and community music making? Here are some thoughts…
A Common Approach 2022
FREE to download, and based on input from multiple leading teachers, A Common Approach is the ultimate piano teaching manual: A complete piano curriculum, with extensive lesson activities to use with learners from beginner to Grade 8.
Should we still teach students to hand-write music?
It is important both to embrace new technologies for music creation and score writing while still retaining the theoretical understanding and traditional skills which underpin and enrich their use. This is why…
OFFICIAL SYLLABUS PUBLICATIONS
Pianodao includes reviews of current piano syllabus and diploma publications, which you can explore below:
ABRSM Prep Test 2025
In addition to launching their 2025-26 Piano Exam Syllabus reviewed here, ABRSM have surprised us with an update to their Prep Test. Let’s consider the subtle changes they are making to this popular legacy offer…
ABRSM Piano Syllabus 2025-26
We live in challenging and changing times. In some respects, it can be argued that with their 2025-26 syllabus, ABRSM have channelled that zeitgeist. Certainly, I have yet to come across a syllabus that is, at one and the same time so assured, and yet so uncertain of its own identity…
ABRSM Piano Syllabus 2023-24
The arrival of a new piano syllabus from ABRSM has become etched in the calendar as a big, biennial moment of significant importance for piano teacher. Sorting through the many changes, here as always is the in-depth Pianodao review of the new syllabus.
ABRSM Piano Scales 2021
With the publication of their 2021-22 Piano Syllabus (reviewed in full here), ABRSM have given their scales requirements a significant overhaul, also publishing new scales books and resources.
Trinity Piano Syllabus 2023
Following their superb, and well received syllabus in 2021, Trinity may have misread the market with this radical follow up, losing sight of core piano education principles and sidelining the great repertoire of the instrument…
Trinity College: A Recital Anthology
If you are in the market for an expansive, representative collection of music from the core classical piano repertoire at first diploma level, this is then without question the best I have seen.
Trinity Piano Syllabus 2021
When it comes to syllabus design that supports educational and musical excellence, it now seems to me that TCL have delivered a new gold standard here, a winning choice that pretty much ticks every box.
LCM Piano Syllabus 2021-24
LCME have done a fine job with this new piano syllabus, and I suspect it will see their popularity and influence further increase.
Here’s the in-depth Pianodao review…
LCM: In Concert 2
While LCM’s “In Concert” anthology included selections from the DipLCM syllabus, this further collection is drawn from the ALCM and LLCM syllabi, with five works chosen from each.
LCM ‘In Concert’ anthology
In Concert provides nine piano works, selected from the Diploma of the London College of Music (DipLCM) Piano Syllabus. These works have been chosen to give pianists a broad range of repertoire to perform from, spanning 300 years of music in a wide variety of styles.
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