Question on Skill Level System

[ace of spades]

Well I tried to put this in the Classical piano thread, but i dont think it really got noticed there...

Um, I was just wondering, how exactly does this grade scale ( I have heard many people reffereing to a grade such as 8 or whatnot) work? I don't really know anything about it, or really many skill level systems. I belive I am a Late Intermediate; pieces I'm working on / recently finished up include: Fur Elise, L'Orange (Op. 109, No.13) by Burgmuller, Solfeggietto by Carl Bach, and a few others of this sort. Most of the pieces I am currently working on are from a book called Piano Literatrue Book 4 (produced from FJH) which says Late Intermediate. Anyways, in a grade level, is there a test one must take or something? {And are these pieces late intermediate?by the way}. Sorry if this sounds dumb but i have never really heard of this grading scale much. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance. :thumb:

[PianoDan]

Well I tried to put this in the Classical piano thread, but i dont think it really got noticed there...

Um, I was just wondering, how exactly does this grade scale ( I have heard many people reffereing to a grade such as 8 or whatnot) work? I don't really know anything about it, or really many skill level systems. I belive I am a Late Intermediate; pieces I'm working on / recently finished up include: Fur Elise, L'Orange (Op. 109, No.13) by Burgmuller, Solfeggietto by Carl Bach, and a few others of this sort. Most of the pieces I am currently working on are from a book called Piano Literatrue Book 4 (produced from FJH) which says Late Intermediate. Anyways, in a grade level, is there a test one must take or something? {And are these pieces late intermediate?by the way}. Sorry if this sounds dumb but i have never really heard of this grading scale much. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance. :thumb:
I'm not sure how it works outside of Australia, but in Australia the AMEB is the Australian Music Examinations Board. There are 8 grades, followed by AMusA and LMusA (Associate something and Licentiate something). Grade 8 is a high level and AMusA is obviously even higher. LMusA is basically a concert-standard performance lasting about 30 or 45 minutes or something like that.

I don't know what level Fur Elise would be at and I've not heard of the other two pieces. What your book says probably doesn't equate to AMEB levels, Book 4 might not necessarily be grade 4 level and "Late Intermediate" might not necessarily be on the higher end of the AMEB scale. Then again, maybe it would - but I don't think you could tell from just what's on the front of the book. I only did grades 1 and 8 so I'm not really sure what's in between - Fur Elise is probably around grade 4 level or so.

For each grade level there is an exam. There are 8 each of practical and theory exams. With AMEB you have to have done grade 5 theory (or musicianship, which is similar to theory) in order to be able to do grade 8 practical or AMusA. So it is like a grading system I guess, something you make your way up.

This is only the AMEB system which is only used in Australia... but I have a feeling it's at least similar elsewhere in the world. Hope that helps a bit.

[Cecillianne]

Fur Elise is at Grade 4, I think.

The system here is from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music or something like that from the UK. We have the basic system of Grade 1 to Grade 8, and each of the grades require you to take the exam, though you can skip from Grade 1-5, but you need the Grade 5 certificate to be able to move on to Grade 6.

After Grade 8, there's no option for continuing it under ABRSM. At least I think anyway. In the UK; with a Grade 8 cert I'm fairly sure you can get into a music college with no problem.

[dominator5000]

I'm not sure how it works outside of Australia, but in Australia the AMEB is the Australian Music Examinations Board. There are 8 grades, followed by AMusA and LMusA (Associate something and Licentiate something). Grade 8 is a high level and AMusA is obviously even higher. LMusA is basically a concert-standard performance lasting about 30 or 45 minutes or something like that.

I don't know what level Fur Elise would be at and I've not heard of the other two pieces. What your book says probably doesn't equate to AMEB levels, Book 4 might not necessarily be grade 4 level and "Late Intermediate" might not necessarily be on the higher end of the AMEB scale. Then again, maybe it would - but I don't think you could tell from just what's on the front of the book. I only did grades 1 and 8 so I'm not really sure what's in between - Fur Elise is probably around grade 4 level or so.

For each grade level there is an exam. There are 8 each of practical and theory exams. With AMEB you have to have done grade 5 theory (or musicianship, which is similar to theory) in order to be able to do grade 8 practical or AMusA. So it is like a grading system I guess, something you make your way up.

This is only the AMEB system which is only used in Australia... but I have a feeling it's at least similar elsewhere in the world. Hope that helps a bit.

Yeah, where I liev (Canada) it's basically the same, except we have 10 grades instead of 8.

[PianoDan]

Yeah, where I liev (Canada) it's basically the same, except we have 10 grades instead of 8.
Well maybe your grades 9 and 10 are like our AMusA and LMusA. Maybe though it's drawn out over 10 grades rather than 8. What classical pieces do you play? What would you be able to play for your grade 8 exam?

[pinkyeti]

I have a similar question. Problem is, I don't know the names of the pieces I've recently played. Both were easier Bach preludes, but they were only named prelude. One's fairly well known, it starts on the right hand with a reversed C-Dur chord, and on the left hand you play that chord lose (I mean tone by tone). Sorry if I used the wrong terminology, but I'm german, and my music-related vocabulary is rather small.

Can anybody help me out? If you know the piece I'm talking about, could you tell me my grade?

[The Four Key]

grades, what the crap this feels like school. Take tests to be judged on your musicianship!

[PianoDan]

I have a similar question. Problem is, I don't know the names of the pieces I've recently played. Both were easier Bach preludes, but they were only named prelude. One's fairly well known, it starts on the right hand with a reversed C-Dur chord, and on the left hand you play that chord lose (I mean tone by tone). Sorry if I used the wrong terminology, but I'm german, and my music-related vocabulary is rather small.

Can anybody help me out? If you know the piece I'm talking about, could you tell me my grade?
I'm sorry I'm not sure which pieces you're talking about. Maybe I'd know them if I heard them but I couldn't get them from how you desribed them.

Oh and your terminology was okay, only it might be advisable to say C major rather than C-Dur. Some people will know what C-Dur means but some may not.

grades, what the crap this feels like school. Take tests to be judged on your musicianship

That's exactly what these grades are. :thumb:

[ace of spades]

Hey guys, thanks alot for your comments but no one has really answered my question yet um just take Fur Elise for example.. what skill level might this be? (in America, but most of the systems sound close to the same as in other countries.)

[mope]

the new ameb books suck (series 15)

i am so dissapointed with them..especially the current 7th grade book.

what did you guys play for 8th grade? and how hard is clair de lune by debussy? i want to play that for 8th grade >_>

[mope]

Fur Elise is a relatively easy piece, you should be able to play it at around grade 4, regardless of how many and how difficult your grades are.

in australia, most candidates finish grade 4 after 2 years of study (i did, anyway).
so think 2 years of tutored study.

[MerAtore]

Fur Elise is a relatively easy piece, you should be able to play it at around grade 4, regardless of how many and how difficult your grades are.

in australia, most candidates finish grade 4 after 2 years of study (i did, anyway).
so think 2 years of tutored study.
Does anyone know if this system goes along with the levels on most books?

[clearvision]

^Yes it does...

The idea is you are mean't to start grades around 11, do one a yr making you do grade 5 when you are 16. Then push onto grade 8 by the time you are at university. Or that is my understanding on the whole thing anyway, many people start earlier/later. But i think that's the way it fits into the british curriculum.

[Roses_and_Ribbons]

Personally I don't see the point of AMEB exams. They cause undue stress about something that should be fun. If you like what you're doing, you'll be good at it because you'll want to practice. It's as simple as that.

I never did the exams myself and I still got into the Bachelor of Music Education course at university. And to tell ya the truth, we've been looking at the syllabus behind it and it's kinda dodgy. I mean, it's good people are learning, but the tests don't really do what they say they do: that is, give a fully rounded music education.

Anyway, they basically test you on what you can play technically, what you know about pieces and how well your theory and aural skills are. They set a number of pieces each year and you can choose some yourself. Like others said, Fur Elise is somewhere around 4th grade.

[Ned]

Yeah, where I liev (Canada) it's basically the same, except we have 10 grades instead of 8.

Where I live, we don't have grades at all. Where I live, we're SANE--okay, except for the actual persons (in contradistinction to the preprogrammed electronic machines) who voted for Bush.

Now back to income tax returns.

[Shadow_Angels_Sing]

seems we are playing similar pieces...
my system... annually we must memorize 10 pieces perfectly.
If I pass... I get up to the next level of piano. It goes up by classes and
alphabets. Its somewhat like a grading scale. I incorporate it into keyborad
and learning different types of music. (chords, skanking, etc.) for my band.
I also compose my own of course.

[sexy_mexican_man]

grades, what the crap this feels like school. Take tests to be judged on your musicianship!


dont bitcch about it. the AMEB is the cheapest and quickest musical qualification availiable, at leased in Australia.

I only ever did grade four, but it helped, and its something to put on my resume. Without it, i would have to put piano playing under 'hobbies' which means nothing