Should my child take music exams? How to decide

Music exams are optional. They suit a child who likes clear goals, and a family that wants an outside measure of progress. They are a poor fit for a child who is already anxious about playing, or for a year when time is short. A child can become a fine musician with or without them. The question is whether an exam would help this child this year.

What an exam gives

A goal with a date. Pieces get finished, not half-learned.

A full set of skills. Exam systems ask for scales, ear tests, and sight reading as well as pieces. These are the skills that lessons can skip when no one is checking.

An outside ear. An examiner who has never met the child gives a mark and written comments.

A record. Certificates add up over the years. In Canada, higher RCM levels can count toward high school credit. See RCM high school credits by province.

A sense of the next step. A graded ladder shows a child and a parent where they are.

What an exam costs

Time. A student may spend months on the same three or four pieces. There is less time to play many kinds of music, to play with others, or to play for fun.

Money. There is an entry fee for each exam, plus books. Fees rise with the level. The exam boards post them.

Nerves. Some children find playing for a stranger hard. One bad day can dent a child’s confidence.

Pressure on lessons. When every lesson is exam work, music can start to feel like a test.

Children who tend to like exams

A child who likes ticking boxes and collecting certificates. A child who works harder with a deadline. A child who is curious about how they are doing. A child who is aiming at music in high school or beyond.

Children who may be better off waiting

A child who freezes when watched. A child who is close to quitting. A child in the first year of lessons, who is still finding out if they like the instrument. A child with a full plate of other activities this year.

Waiting a year changes nothing. Neither RCM nor ABRSM requires a student to pass one level before taking the next.

A middle path

Take some, skip others. A student can take an exam every second or third level and learn plenty of other music between.

Try a gentle first exam. RCM has Preparatory levels and ABRSM has a Prep Test with no mark. See RCM Preparatory A and B and ABRSM grades explained.

Record it. ABRSM Performance Grades are sent in on video, with no scales or listening tests.

Use the syllabus without the exam. A teacher can follow the levels as a plan and never enter the student.

Other goals that work

Exams are one kind of goal. Others do the same job.

• A studio recital
• A local music festival, where a judge gives comments
• A concert for grandparents
• A recording to send to family
• A duet or a band
• A set number of pieces learned in a year

Questions to ask the teacher

• Do you recommend an exam for my child this year, and why?
• Which system and which level?
• How much of the year would go to exam work?
• What would my child play outside the exam pieces?
• What happens if my child is not ready by the deadline?

Questions to ask your child

Would you like to try? What sounds fun about it? What sounds hard? A child who chooses the exam has a reason to prepare.

If you say yes

Plan the weeks with how to prepare for an RCM practical exam. Keep the mark in its place. One exam is one performance on one day.

If you say no

Keep a goal on the calendar, keep the scales and the reading in the weekly plan, and look again next year.

To see how the two main systems differ, read RCM vs ABRSM. For an overview, read music exams for kids.