ABRSM has released a new certification called the Associate of the Royal Schools of Music. This ARSM award creates an opportunity for students to demonstrate their performance skills after grade 8. The exams, that are available from January 2017, are designed so that candidates instead prepare a 30-minute programme where you are assessed on your performance solely. This can appeal to candidates that don’t want to perform a study and complete a Viva Voce as found in DipABRSM, but feel they have a solid grounding with regards to repertoire. The ARSM exam aims to bridge the gap between those that have achieved Grade 8 in their instrument/voice but are not yet ready to start a DipABRSM, offering a more specialised marking criteria in order to analyse a musicians capabilities based on a single performance. The repertoire candidates must prepare for their ARSM includes 20 minutes of music that must be chosen from the same list offered in the DipABRSM, with 10 minutes allocated for own-choice repertoire (of grade 8 standard or above). The ARSM is marked out of 50, 30 marks for the pieces, and a further 20 for the performance as a whole.
Jenny, an experienced piano teacher who also offers DipABRSM courses, suggests the ARSM exam gives students the confidence to then go on and tackle the DipABRSM, where candidates must perform not only a balanced recital programme, but also play a study and complete a Viva Voce.
