Huntingdonshire Music School Association - Exam

Introduction

Huntingdonshire Music Colege Students with Associated Board (ABRSM) passes at Grades 6, 7 and 8 will now benefit from official recognition for their qualifications from UCAS - the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

This means that it will be possible to count the results from practical and theory examinations at higher grades towards the points total needed for admission to colleges and universities. The UCAS siite has information on application to universities and colleges of further education.

Music Examination Points Equivalence

Following government accreditation of graded music exams last year, we asked UCAS to consider including our higher grades in the tariff for university and college entrance - allocating points as already happens for AS and A levels and other qualifications.

UCAS has agreed, and students applying for university and college entrance for courses starting in the academic year 2004-2005 and beyond will benefit from the following points recommendations:

Points awarded for AS levels are in the range 20 - 60 and for A levels in the range 40 - 120.

Associated Board (ABRSM) exams will attract points under the UCAS system.  As with all awards under this system, admission tutors may accept, or not, the recommended points for the courses for which students apply.

Recommended points are based on the highest grade taken; for example, a candidate with practical passes at Grades 6 and 7 and a distinction at Grade 6 theory would claim for the theory and for the Grade 7 practical - a total of 55 points.  This is in addition to points awarded for AS or A level Music.

Recognition

The inclusion of Associated Board qualifications in the UCAS Tariff provides further recognition of the considerable dedication and commitment required in order to be successful at these grades and confirms the educational worth of graded music exams.

Saturday Mornings

Here we try to illustrate what goes on on a typical Saturday morning at the Huntingdonshire Music School.

The activities are split into the following categories:-

• lessons. These happen throughout the morning with pupils dipping into and out of theory and/or group playing to take their lesson. Not everyone takes lessons.
• theory tuition. Where you learn the theory (that makes sense of the black sqiggles on the page) and, if appropriate, prepare for exams. Not everyone takes exams.
• group playing. Getting together in groups to practice, usually for a concert at the school or externally. Sometimes we do daft things, like turning the music upside down and seeing what it sounds like ...
• socialising / eating / drinking. Catching up with the gossip, in the cafe when we have quieter moments. Some even practice their pieces for the benefit ( ) of everyone else.

Theory Tuition

Theory is important when learning an instrument. It is so much easier to read and understand music if you understand the basic building blocks.

Theory classes are organised by Grade. This aligns with the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) examination grades. In terms of difficulty we start at Grade 1 and finish at Grade 8 (the hardest). You do not have to take exams and anyone can take theory lessons.

There are two types of theory tuition:-

• written. This is covered by a range of set books, by teacher-derived quizzes, tests, games and learning aids. Often a piano or other instrument may be used to help illustrate theory principles, or practice such as key signatures, scales, chords or timing. Practice theory exam papers are available for those taking theory and practical exams or those who want to see how far they’ve reached.
• aural. This aims to make the student better at listening to and analysing music. Since music exams include aural tests, as well as playing, students taking exams are encouraged to also take aural lessons where they get practice at the different types of listening skills looked for in an exam. For early grades these are covered in the last 15 minutes of a theory lesson. For Grades 4 and beyond these can take anything up to an hour (on top of the normal written theory lesson).

Group Playing (Bands, Ensembles & Orchestras)

One of the strengths of the Huntingdonshire Music school is the number and variety of groups provided for folks to play in. You don’t have to learn an instrument to play. You might take lessons privately elsewhere and want to learn the skills of playing as a member of a larger team (albeit in loose formation at times!). This sort of experience is very hard to get and almost impossible to get as an adult (most things are geared up towards the little dots, youngsters and teenagers (a decidely different species ). Not only that, but it’s convenient, sociable and you can join as many as you want.

We are also looking at forming new ensembles, particularly choral/singing and perhaps blending music technology with classical instruments.

A typical Saturday morning timetable for the various ensembles, bands and orchestras is shown in the following diagram. It is hectic!