But...what about piano exams? 

Exams have become a major focus of private music lessons in Australia. But we do things a little differently at Amber’s Piano Studio. Although music exams can be a great performance opportunity and chance to receive feedback from a different piano teacher, focusing solely on exams narrows the focus of lessons and often results in students missing out on skills that are necessary for becoming life-long musicians.

Many students are rushed through exams year after year in a race to get a particular level at a particular time, to the detriment of their musicality, technical development, sight-reading skills and all-round enjoyment. It is particularly sad when students rush to get to their “final grade” and then stop playing piano altogether. A story I hear far too often.

At our studio we focus on giving students the skills to continue playing and appreciating music for life by encouraging a repertoire rich approach, sourcing music that supports student’s individual interests as well as their technical development and enjoyment.

Regardless of whether a student does exams or not, the following guide lays out the approximate number of pieces per grade that students will learn with us to develop their skill base before moving onto more difficult repertoire from the next grade.

- Beginner - pre-preliminary level* - students will work through at least 2-3 method books or repertoire collections plus supplemental repertoire. Will likely learn around 100+ short pieces!

- Preliminary - approx 30-40 pieces.

- Grade 1 -  at least 20 pieces

- Grades 2 - at least 15 pieces

- Grade 3- at least 12 pieces. Plus easier sight reading pieces

- Grade 4 - at least 10 pieces. Plus easier sight reading pieces

- Grades 5 and above -  at least 8 pieces per grade. Plus easier sight reading pieces.

*The exact number of pieces at this level is not tracked but it is expected that a student will learn a very large number of short pieces covering a variety of skills before moving onto preliminary level pieces. Once students reach preliminary level and beyond we keep a list of pieces learned to ensure students reach their repertoire goals.

Once students are well established at the preliminary level, they may choose to undertake their first piano exam (also called preliminary). They can complete their exam when they are ready, while continuing to work to reach their repertoire goal of around 30-40 pieces. Whether or not they do an exam, once they reach their repertoire goal and their piano teacher feels they are ready, they can then move onto grade 1 repertoire and so on.

The key difference at our studio is that it is a student’s skill base that determines when they are ready to move onto the next “grade”, not the exam itself.

A music exam syllabus is not a teaching curriculum and a certificate does not in itself guarantee readiness to progress to the next grade. I cannot stress this enough, if your child is playing grade 3 repertoire at our studio then they are a grade 3 player, whether or not they do an exam! If people ask, you can tell them what grade your child has reached, regardless of whether they have done the exam.

Our goal at Amber’s Piano Studio is to help students develop into joyful and healthy musicians who want to continue playing music for life.

Exam Enrolment

All administration and enrolments for exams are to be completed by me or your child’s piano teacher. We will not be responsible for preparing your child for any other exams that we didn’t personally enrol them in.  

Exam Board Options

There are several options that we offer for students who would like to do exams.

Online exams

Online exams are now my preference for most students because of the flexibility they offer. Online exams can be completed at anytime, when the student it ready. Students can enrol in an exam at anytime and need only do so once they are 100% ready to record their exam.

Children are often have very busy weeks filled with extra curricular activities, before and after school care, while under increasing pressure to do well at school, particularly in the high school years. Because of these factors, I find it has become increasingly difficult to ensure students are properly prepared to sit an exam at a specific time of the year.

I mostly use and recommend Universal Music Exams (available up to grade 6). These online exams are available all year, anytime the student is ready. UME exam requirements are 3 pieces, a short list of scales and technical work, some general knowledge and an essential skill (selected by the student from several options and prepared 10 days before the exam). UME exams must be recorded in one continuous take.

A second option I offer is the Con Brio Exam system. This is another flexible online option. The requirement is 3 pieces but each piece can be recorded separately which works well for students who feel particularly anxious about performing.

In-person exams  
However, some students still prefer in-person exam formats and so I do continue to offer the this option for some students. The caveat is that students must be able to perform all their pieces confidently, and no more than 20% slower than final performance speed in order to qualify for enrolment in the exam. The final date to enrol a student is usually around 8-10 weeks prior to the exam.

The requirements vary based on the exam type but range from 3-6 pieces. Some AMEB exams also require technical work and other additional requirements.

For in person exams, the date and time of the exam is set by the exam board. For in person exams I usually use AMEB. These exams are held in Canberra. Two session are available,  June and October.

Written by Amber Harnisch (c) January 2023