Music Exams
Music Exams
This article explains
all about different musical exams conducted across
the globe,
the importance &
value of the exams,
the strategy & protocol followed
at Talent Hub,
in terms of preparation for
Music Exams & appearing for one, whether in-person
or online,
for different
music boards.
Talent Hub is an Authorized
Examination Center for many of the
Music Examination Boards including
Trinity College London & Rock School!
InDEX
What is a Music Exam?
Music Exam is an exam conducted by Universities from across the globe, to evaluate the quality of the musical knowledge and skill of the candidate who has learnt music and likes to receive feedback about themselves & get certified for the respective grade levels that they qualify for.
Who conducts the exam?
The exams pertaining to Western Music are conducted by world renowned universities such as Trinity College London, ABRSM, RSL Awards (Rock School), London College of Music,
Music Teachers’ Board and many more. These universities have been providing full-fledged UG & PG Programs for Musicians from all over the world, for several decades or centuries, and conduct exams worldwide, for all levels.
who is the regulator?
All of these Universities are regulated by a government body called OFQUAL (The Office of Qualifications & Examinations Regulation), which streamlines & regulates the grade levels set by these different universities and normalize the scores, for equality in considerations for admissions to different colleges across Europe and the World for higher education.
What ARE the benefits?
The benefits of taking up a Musical Exam are many.
1
Keeps the student accountable
2
3
Progress is tracked easily
Useful for Future endeavors
4
Systematic approach to music
What are grade levels?
Any student starting to learn a musical instrument or Vocals, will first be introduced to the basics, which will cover exercises, finger/vocal flexibility, dexterity, understanding of rhythm and pitch sense and basics to sheet music notations.
The grade levels are those set by the Universities starting from Grade Initial, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, up till Grade 8. These levels are comparable across all the boards mentioned earlier, and carry the same weightage, when compared & put to use for Grade Points Scores (for higher education purpose).
The difficulty level of the skill needed to clear each of these levels gradually increases from Grade Initial up to Grade 8.
Grade Exams are offered separately for
- Music Theory (common for all instruments & Vocals)
- Practical (specific to any instrument/vocals)
STyles offered
Based on the changing trends in culture, traditions and modern societal needs, the exams are offered for
- Classical Style
- Contemporary Style (Rock & Pop genre)
At Talent Hub, Music Theory is taught
free of cost for all the students
who are pursuing Grade levels.
What are UCAS grade points?
Depending on the scores obtained in different Grade levels in the music exams, the UCAS Grade Points are allotted. These grade points are very much helpful in securing higher education opportunities in many countries by adding value through points scored for extra-curriculars, as well as adding a significant impact in the “Statement of Purpose” document submitted as part of the admission process
A distinction scored in
Grade 8 music exam can add up a
whooping UCAS score of 30 points!
How to appear for exams?
Once you are ready for the exams by preparing yourself as per the syllabus outlined by these universities, you can appear for the exams both online and in-person through qualified Examination Centers like Talent Hub.
Steps followed for In-person exam
- Step 1: Exam month is notified to the students.
- Step 2: Eligible students can enroll for the Exam, by
paying the exam fee, 2 or 3 months in advance.
- Step 3: Confirmation of the exam dates & allotment of
date & time for the exam
- Step 4: Taking up the exam
- Step 5: Results declared in a month’s time post exam
- Step 6: Certificates issued in about 3 months post exam
Steps followed for online exam
- Step 1: Exam window to be chosen by students.
- Step 2: Eligible students can enroll for the Exam, by
paying the exam fee and reserving a slot.
- Step 3: Record the exam pieces at home or at Talent Hub
- Step 4: Upload the exam pieces online.
- Step 5: Expect results and Certificate anytime between
1 to 3 months.
Note:
Talent Hub facilitates exams both in-person & online exams of Trinity Exams for its students, at its venues, for a nominal charge. Kindly check with Talent Hub office for more details.
Talent Hub hosts Trinity College London Examination at its Alkapur Center, which has the recognition & qualification to conduct such professional examinations.
felicitation for students
A lot of Talent Hub students pursue music exams every term, & get Certified from International Universities!
A snippet of students who were felicitated recently.
Sample Certificate - TRINITY
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
1. HOw do I know which level I AM at?
Anyone joining Talent Hub for the first time, will be assessed by the Trainer(s) to understand the student’s current level of knowledge and skill set, the ability to grasp & process information, understand musical notations, rhythm & pitch sense, and will be put in the respective levels (starting from Basics, if they are absolute beginners or at Grade levels, if they posses earlier experience with music that is good enough to continue further to higher levels).
2. HOw LONG would it take to finish basics?
The time taken for getting through Basics as well as any of the higher grade levels is subject to the student’s age, fine motor skills, ability to grasp, and the time spent for regular practice. On an average, for young kids (less than 6 years), it takes about a year to finish basics, post which they start with Grade levels. For kids above the age of 7 years, it might take about 6-10 months to cover basics, whereas for adults, a nominal duration of 3-6 months is a good enough time,
3. HOw do i know if i’m ready for exams?
The trainers periodically do assessments and share the report with the Academics coordinator, who decides if the student is ready for appearing for the exams at any particular level. If the student is ready, they would be intimated by Talent Hub team, and the student can proceed with the formalities of appearing for the exam.
4. Is it mandatory to attend the exams?
At Talent Hub, we have the protocol that every student learning music at whatever level, must appear for either the Internal Exam conducted by Talent Hub, or the external exam conducted by the International Universities, before they could move on to the next higher level. This is to assess & ensure that all the needful lessons are learnt by the students before they could move on to higher levels, and that there are no gaps in their musical understanding.
5. WHAT IS An INTERNAL EXAM at talent Hub?
Talent Hub conducts periodic internal exam during the last week of every month, where any student qualifying for any specific level, can enroll & appear for the exam, and get a detailed feedback report on their performance from qualified examiners.
6. WHAT IS AN EXTERNAL EXAM?
Talent Hub hosts International exams once or twice in its centers every year, where examiners from International Universities visit India and conduct exams, share feedback about each & every student’s performance and also issue Certificates, if the student has performed satisfactorily, as per expectation.
7. Which is better - Internal or External Exam?
External exams (International Exams) provide Certificates which are valid throughout the world and is useful for UCAS points, whereas internal exams are for assessing & qualifying the candidates for specific levels, before they could move on to the next level.
8. DO WE have to pay for the exams?
Talent Hub conducts internal exam for Basics till Grade 7. The exam fee is charged as per the Grade level appearing for. The examiners who are qualified, conduct these exams similar to Trinity exam format.
The external exams (International Exams) are chargeable for all levels and the fee is paid directly to the University whose examinations the candidate is appearing for. The exam fee is updated periodically.
9. CAN I SKIP LEVELS?
Though the highest grade level appeared is the only thing accounted for, we do not encourage skipping the lower levels and directly jumping to higher level, as every Grade level right from basics, has its own importance & techniques, which might be foregone, if we skip levels. Hence, at Talent Hub, we do not allow skipping grade levels, unless the student is a prodigy and has exceptional musical capabilities.
10. WHICH exam should i take?
Talent Hub encourages students to take up the external (international) exams regularly, so that they could compare themselves to international standards, and keep improving based on the feedback received from renowned performers from all over the world who come as examiners for these examinations.
However, Talent Hub allows students to alternate between an Internal exam for one level followed by an External exam for the next level, and vice-versa.
What does alternating between “Talent Hub’s internal Exam” & “Trinity’s Exam” mean?
Example:
A student who takes up Talent Hub’s internal exam for Piano Grade 1 in June 2024, and successfully scores well above the eligibility scores, he/she shall be eligible to pursue his/her classes for Grade 2 & appear for the Trinity’s exam for Grade 2 directly in Jan 2025, without having to re-appear for Trinity’s Grade 1 again.
Music Exam Fee
Music Exam Fee
Grade Levels | Talent Hub Internal Exam (Theory / Practicals) | Trinity College London Exam (Qualifies for UCAS Points & Certificate) | ||
Music Theory | Practicals (online) | Practicals (in-person) | ||
Basics | 1,200/- | NA | NA | NA |
Initial | 1,800/- | NA | 5,000/- | |
Grade 1 | 2,000/- | 5,100/- | 5,500/- | |
Grade 2 | 2,400/- | 5,600/- | 6,100/- | |
Grade 3 | 2,800/- | 6,900/- | 7,000/- | |
Grade 4 | 3,400/- | 7,400/- | 7,800/- | |
Grade 5 | 3,800/- | 7,700/- | 8,800/- | |
Grade 6 | 4,400/- | 8,900/- | 10,300/- | |
Grade 7 | 5,000/- | 10,000/- | 11,100/- | |
Grade 8 | - | 10,700/- | 12,300/- | |
Music Diploma Programs (click to know more) | ||||
ATCL | - | 12,300/- | - | - |
LTCL | - | 13,200/- | - | - |
FTCL | - | NA | - | - |
1. do we have books for music?
According to the levels, there are specific grade books available for use, and they can be purchased from Talent Hub Office.
Usually, for the beginners, the basics are covered by Talent Hub’s own proprietary material prepared meticulously by Industry experts and used for teaching the students.
For Grade levels, we usually use the books specified by the Universities for exams, alongside popular method books and exercise books which help the students develop in a holistic manner.
2. WHY buy books from Talent Hub?
Usually, Talent Hub gets bulk purchase discounts and it is passed on to the students at a minimum of 10% off on the study materials. More over, since the books are imported directly from the publishers, the authenticity of the books can be ensured, as there are lots of fake copies made and sold in the online market.
For exam use, only the authentic books are allowed.
3. CAN i take a photocopy (xerox) & use?
At Talent Hub, we encourage students not to get involved in piracy (be it digital or hard-copies), as each and every material used in the education of the students is copyrighted and is subject to jurisdiction.
4. DO these books keep changing?
The exam pieces are changed once in every 3 to 4 years, to stay relevant to the music industry needs, and also to ensure that the students are kept motivated by incorporating some of the recent works by popular artists. Hence, the books come with a validity period and depending on the time of the examination, the latest books are to be used for exam.
Pursuing Music as a career
Joanna’s Journey
Hello! My name is Kaduthala Joanna and I’ve been learning music (Piano & Western Vocals) at Talent Hub for the past 2.5 years. I would say that it has been an amazing journey through it all. I was blessed to have the best trainers who have been instrumental in my success to pursuing music as a career choice.
I applied for my Undergraduate program at one of the best universities of New Zealand for music studies, and I was able to get through the process with the music certifications done through Talent Hub.
Bachelors of Music in “Creative Music Technology” from the prestigious “University of Canterbury” would be my course of study. I would always fondly cherish the wonderful memories at Talent Hub & be forever thankful for the amazing people who has moulded and shaped me into the musician that I am today!
Wishing you all the very best for your future as well!
Regards,
Kaduthala Joanna
