Specimen Aural Tests, Grades 4 & 5 with 2 CDs : new edition from 2011

About the book

Specimen Aural Tests provide teachers and students with many practice examples of the tests to use as part of a music lesson or when preparing for an exam. This volume covers Grades 4 & 5 and includes all new practice examples for each test in a range of musical styles including answers where appropriate, the examiner rubrics (the exact words that will be used by the examiner to deliver the tests), so that candidates can be fully prepared for what will happen on the day, and CD recordings of all the tests in the book. The Specimen Aural Tests volumes are each available in versions with or without CDs.

Reviews

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Quotes

What is good here is the clear and precise presentational style, an approach that is in keeping with the rubric and methodology adopted by examiners in ABRSM exams themselves...the new ABRSM syllabus and accompanying support material remains as the gold standard among exam syllabuses. * International Piano * particularly useful is the fact that at the beginning of each test the possible parameters are now listed...also new is the fact that the examiner's exact rubric is included at the top of every page, so there should be no reason a pupil will not know exactly what to expect! Model answers are given at the back of each book which I'm finding particularly useful in showing candidates the level of detail they are expected to go into for the descriptive answers. * Arco (ESTA) * From a teacher's point of view, I thought the books were excellent in terms of content, layout and presentation...I feel they are an incredibly useful tool for ABRSM exam preparation. * Music Teacher *

ABRSM Biography

The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualifications in music within the UK's National Qualifications Framework (along with the London College of Music, RSL Awards (Rockschool Ltd), Trinity College London, and the Music Teachers' Board). 'The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music' was established in 1889 and rebranded as ABRSM in 2009. The clarifying strapline "the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music" was introduced in 2012.The Royal Schools referred to in ABRSM's title are: The Royal Academy of Music The Royal College of Music The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland The Royal Northern College of MusicMore than 600,000 candidates take ABRSM exams each year in over 93 countries. ABRSM also provides a publishing house for music which produces syllabus booklets, sheet music and exam papers and runs professional development courses and seminars for teachers. ABRSM is one of the UK's 200 largest charitable organisations ranked by annual expenditure.

Music Medals

Music Medals are QCA–accredited music assessments and teaching resources aimed at younger, group-taught learners. Music Medals are distinct from graded music exams in that no external examiners are involved and the initial assessment is made by the teacher.

Teacher training

Since 1995, the CT ABRSM (Certificate of Teaching) designed specifically for music teachers has been offered in addition to the diplomas, albeit as a separate qualification. In 2010, the new CT ABRSM Plus, which combined the DipABRSM and old CT ABRSM, was launched to give teachers access to the DipABRSM. From September 2013, the CT ABRSM Plus stopped being offered in the UK or Singapore for financial reasons. There are also numerous short courses and seminars on music teaching, accompaniment and syllabus instruction available to teachers.

ABRSM publications

ABRSM published its first books in 1918 and its publishing department was first set up in 1921 and was designed to provide suitable music for examinations, performance editions of popular works and new instructional compositions. One of the original editors was Sir Donald Tovey, who wrote informative notes on the music which are still highly regarded today. ABRSM (Publishing) Ltd. was established as a separate company in 1985.

ABRSM digital resources

Since 2009 ABRSM has produced several practice applications to support teachers and students: Melody Writer - a tool designed to help improve melody writing and music theory knowledge and understanding Aural Trainer - an iPhone app that helps students practice their aural skills Speedshifter - a practice tool that allows students to vary the speed of audio without altering the pitch Piano Practice Partner - an app for iOS and Android devices that helps students practice exam pieces ... Read full biography