Any music teachers around? Grade exam panic!

[AgonyAgatha]

Ds is taking his grade 3 piano very soon. He has come out of his last piano lesson saying he needs to know his scales... he can play his scales (obviously he will continue practicing them).

But now he is getting in a panic about his theory - will he be asked questions or do a written exam? Does he need to be able to say what notes are in each scale?

I can't play any instrument and I'm looking at the ABRSM exam notes on their website but I can't see anywhere that he will be asked questions about the scales.

Can anyone help with this?

He needs to know which sharps and flats are in each scale's key signature I think.

Don't recall any questions on scales - just play them

The absrm have an app that works through the sort of questions they do ask - aural trainer

I’m not a music teacher but have children who have done a fair few ABRSM practical exams. I’m assuming you’re talking about the practical exam (not the performance grade where you submit a video). For the practical exam, he’ll need to know the pieces (he can look at the sheet music in the exam). He will need to know the scales off by heart though - you’re not allowed to look at the book in the exam and they must be played from memory. The theory exams are a separate exam, but there is an aural section which he will be asked questions on, and sight reading. There’s no written exam element with the piano practical grades.

There is no written exam. There are separate written theory exams that they can do. In the future, your DS will have to pass the grade 5 theory exam before he can progress above grade 5 piano.

There are aural tests in the music exams though. Things like singing back from memory a short melody played by the examiner, clapping out the rhythm of melody played by the examiner etc. Here are some examples from ABRSM:

gb.abrsm.org/en/mock-aural-tests/

Ok... so he may have misunderstood what his teacher has told him. This is all really helpful - he came out of his last lesson (before the exam) thinking he had a written exam to do that had never been mentioned before!

I’d check with his teacher. Some teachers like to do the theory exams alongside the practical exams (although it’s not hugely common in my experience). It’s a separate exam though.

There is no written exam. He will need to be able to play his scales from memory & will be tested on a random selection. He won’t be asked questions about the notes or anything.

He will be expected to do sight reading. This is playing a short piece of music which he’s never seen before, normally a couple of grades easier in standard.

Then the aural tests. You can down load an app to practice the aural tests but make sure you get the correct exam board. I know ABRSM &
Trinity have aural test apps