Grade 5 Music Theory help!

There's so many ways to learn music theory, and the right materials for a musical 8 or 9 yr old or a bright teenager could be quite different. Hope you find something that clicks because I agree with your son's teacher that he probably shouldn't need loads of time to prepare for it. (He might indeed enjoy trying grade 6 theory after that, especially if he is interested in composition or music arranging, but that would definitely need some teaching support and his instrument teacher may well not be able to do it).

I had a similar problem last year - My daughter is a violin player and was using the app but we found she just needed it all to be explained properly, using the proper methods. She was studying for her Grade 5 theory exam, but we couldn’t find the right tutor for her. Eventually, I found a crash course for Grade 5 theory which was amazing. She loved it and ended up getting a Distinction. Here is the link for the course. I hope this helps and good luck to him!Green Room Music Theory

Back in the mists of time, I was just told by my piano teacher to buy the tiny red ABRSM book and start at the beginning. I do remember some of it not making a lot of sense tbh. The worst bit was learning all the key signatures.

I agree, start with book 1 rather than jumping straight in at 5 if it's not something he's done before.

As others say, he would probably need to start from grade 1 book, the 'new content without context' is probably not actually new. Does that series have answers in so he can check his work? If so, he could work through and take any queries back to the teacher who set him going on it. If not it's harder, I did find mine had a tendency to fall into misunderstandings when they just worked through the book and I had to re-direct a few things.

As pp have said, start with the G1 book - there's an example test at the end of each book. There's also a good youtube channel covering all this - SharonBill

Can I ask much theory your daughter had before doing the course? My 11 year old DC wants to have it done before September and we have been trying to grind through grades 3 and 4 workbooks with online video courses with mixed success. So this is appealing but if you have to be able to pass grade 4 before starting maybe not.

Definitely get a tutor - when I did mine my instrument teacher did theory lessons with me.

DD is doing hers this year, but luckily her school run a lunchtime theory club/ lessons so she has done it through that, and I know enough to help her when she's doing work at home.

I used to teach Grade 5 theory and used to get all my students to buy this book - written by a dad for his DC. It is the old syllabus and pre online days but is a pretty good summary of all the theory needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Take-Five-Pass-First-Time/dp/0953500705

I'd also recommend buying all 5 of the ABRSM work books and starting at the beginning and working through them all as the earlier grade stuff should be straightforward and (rather like maths) the later grades build on the early foundations. An online course like the one @minisnowballs recommended would be useful too an in person one even better if you can find one - the head of music at school might be able to help (or recommend a 6th former doing A level music who might support your DC).

If you get the Abrsm app, you can work through each grade from one upwards, will get through the lower ones easily, then will need to look at the book to learn the grade 4/5 stuff probably. The Blitz your theory books are good too and have an online answer book which helps. They explain how to do things like intervals etc. As to the why, it's just a language to convey music, once you know the rules, you can break them! DD did it herself as very motivated but that's probably rare, even if you don't understand the theory you can probably help with studying.

There was no way either of my kids would have managed music theory Grade 5 without lessons - one had them at Saturday school for a term and that was enough. With the other, because she was older and I just wanted it out of the way, we paid for this

https://www.celebratewithmusic.co.uk/grade-5-theory-course/

She did four sessions at two hours a day, took the exam at the end of the week and passed. Which was pleasingly efficient. But I appreciate that may be more than you want to spend.

I love music theory! Is your child also baffled by the book, or just the parents?

A music uni student would most likely be able to guide them through music theory. They should be reasonably across 5th grade theory because they would have done the exams themselves if they play an instrument at a high level.

Have you started with Book 1? Look at the AB guide to music theory as well. Whereabouts are you?

Definitely get a tutor. He won’t even need a huge amount of sessions, once he’s picked up the theory it’s just a matter of practice.

Youtube does have some good videos in the meantime to have a watch of.

I second getting a tutor. I breezed through Grade 5 but I’d been having lessons specifically in music theory. Lots of instrument teachers will teach theory or there are people who specialise in it (though fewer of them!)

There is an app by the Abrsm my dd uses but only at grade 2 theory and only using it for general knowledge not exams, I assume it goes to grade 5. I had my piano teacher tutor me through it although that was 25 years ago so it may be best to get an actual tutor for a few months.