Lever Harp ABRSM exams?

[Star555]

Anyone have experience with taking graded exams for lever (non-pedal) harp through grade 8? For someone with Grade 5 violin experience, beginning harp lessons now, is it reasonable to expect progress through 2 grades per year with half hour practice per day, if one expects to pass the exams reasonably but not aiming for top marks with distinction?

Yes in theory.

Can the person already read the bass clef? My daughter took up the (pedal) harp at the age of 13, as a 3rd instrument. She didn't take grade 1, but took grade 2 after 2 terms, and then did a grade a term until grade 5. She then slowed down a bit because of the need to fit in other things like GCSEs and other music exams (3 other instruments).

She didn't do as much as half an hour practice a day but always had high distinctions on the harp because she was a few grades ahead on the piano. She had grade 6 piano before she started the harp, which meant that her musical sophistication (and sight-reading) were always well above the standard expected.

Obviously the piano is more similar to the harp than the violin is, because you are reading from both clefs and using both hands in similar ways. Nevertheless, I think anyone taking up a second instrument will find it easier than someone starting from scratch, because they will have so much musical experience and knowledge in hand.

Not really if you want to learn technique properly. Why the need to have an expectation of how many grades per year before even starting the instrument?