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Many students are not aware of the changes to ABRSM theory exam syllabus. I will be covering the changes here and advise students what to look out for
Grade 1 to 5
The following topics have been removed:
– open and short score 4-part writing
– melody writing
– rhythm writing
These topics were replaced with identifying time signatures so that the students have better understanding on rhythm counting. Multiple multiple choice questions about foreign musical terms are added.
Grade 6 to 8
No changes were made to the topics but the format of the questions are revised. I have noticed that the 2016 questions from grade 8 test paper consisted of some questions testing the chromatic chords and authored chords that cannot be found in classical harmony books. These questions are related to some basic jazz harmony.
In 2017 there are some changes in grade 6 to 8 theory paper, the keys for naming the chord symbols in question 4 has been given and candidates are expected to name the chord, position and type of chords only. For questions 4 and 5, the questions have indicated the search area clearly and instructions given are more detailed, this requires the exam candidates to read the instructions carefully.
For example in one of the transposition question 4 in 2017 grade 8 paper, it is first time that candidates are expected to find written pitch instead of sounding pitch of the horn instrument whereas in the past this has never happened before.
Music Composition
The removal of music composition in grade 5 theory exams results in difficulty for the candidates when they have to face the question in grade 6 exams. Hence I have provided some useful tips and a template for melody writing in my theory guide book, this is to help the students bridge from grade 5 to higher grades smoothly.
