It might be better to focus on gaps in a student's skills rather than powering on to the next grade before they are truly ready, writes Darragh Gilleece, a John and Pat Hume Scholar at Maynooth University.

    Now that the new school term is underway, many students have begun to prepare for music grades with a variety of examination boards. According to the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), 42,000 students are catered for, while the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examines approximately 650,000 annually internationally, including in Ireland.

    The predilection for the grade system is evident in the Irish documentary titled 'Making the Grade' (2017), which looks at incremental grade approach.

    Taking grades is the ‘done thing’ in Ireland, but why is this? The grade examination system is a result of the British influence. While the United Kingdom and Ireland strongly incorporate grade exams into music tuition, some countries do not – notably the USA, as well as many European neighbours.

    Grade exams can be extremely advantageous for students; they provide the student with something to work towards, help shape the lesson structure and bolster a sense of motivation and achievement. It is also a helpful resource for the teacher in that repertoire lists in incremental difficulty are at hand. Taking a grade provides the student with the opportunity to perform and overcome nerves; often it is the only time the student may perform these pieces.

    It is crucial to discuss the role of the teacher here, as the teacher guides the lessons and supports students. According to the Royal Irish Academy of Music, there are 7,000 private music teachers that use RIAM exams, though the overall number of instrumental teachers is presumably higher. An individual does not need any qualifications to become a private music teacher, and it is an unregulated field.

    I have also come across misconceptions among students, such as equating grade 8 with the pinnacle of playing, or even a teaching qualification, which it is not. It does not help that the private teaching profession is very isolated. Often, teachers are working on their own with limited contact with other teachers. Consequently, even with all the goodwill the teachers have, students can be disadvantaged due to the lack of knowledge and experience on up-to-date pedagogy and repertoire.

    This is where the exam system proves useful; teachers can refer to the syllabus for guidance on how to structure their music lessons. Nevertheless, it is important to recognise that a syllabus and a curriculum are not synonymous, as noted in the 2019-2022 piano syllabus for the Royal Irish Academy of Music. A syllabus refers to lists of repertoire, technical exercises and so on, while a curriculum encompasses the totality of music education provision and hence is wider in scope than a syllabus.

    Due to most marks being designated for three pieces, other crucial musical components may be sidelined or put on the back burner in lessons. RIAM notes that the majority of lesson and practice time is normally allocated to the pieces and scales/arpeggios, though it is recommended that the overall ‘musical picture’ is always taken into account. The overlooked components include sight-reading, which is reading and playing new music without prior preparation.

    According to Music Literacy Ireland, 79% of 29 instrumental examiners for private examination boards noted that sight-reading was one of the most challenging aspects for students. As an examiner myself, I regularly encounter a distinct discrepancy in standard between students’ repertoire and their sight-reading, despite the level of difficulty of the sight-reading being at a considerably lower level than the repertoire for the same grade.

    It is with this in mind that a recommendation can be made for teachers to integrate sight-reading into lessons more; it is a powerful skill as the ability to sight-read is a gateway to an unlimited amount of music. Sight-reading gives the student independence to learn music themselves, which is a terrific motivator. A lack of focus on this may be a contributing factor in students giving up their instrument, as they are restricted to learning their three exam pieces a year (this occurs frequently around grade 3). This is to say that despite the fact that sight-reading forms a small percentage of the grade exam, it is still of vital importance in the student’s skillset.

    The same goes for aural development. How can we expect someone to play musically if the foundations of music aren’t taught? The debate of nature versus nurture arises here. A misconception is that those who are musically inclined are so naturally, but musical skills are something everyone can develop. I am reminded on this topic of the singing aspect of instrumental exams – this includes melodic memory and/or sight-singing tests – often candidates struggle immensely with these parts, and it is surprising that many cannot match pitch even at higher grades. This most certainly is not attributed to tone deafness – as this is something that affects an extremely small level of the population – but rather from a lack of focus on this in lessons.

    Additionally, the fact that examination boards mark components separately may give a teacher the false impression that these components are unconnected entities, while these really are interwoven with one another. For example, what use is it in the theory component if a student can identify piano (soft) and forte (loud) markings, but fails to incorporate these in their playing? Is it helpful for a student to know from memory that a piece is in a certain key, while not understanding what that means?

    It is crucial to acknowledge that exams should complement musical tuition and not dictate the entire curriculum of students’ lessons. In the RIAM 2023-2026 syllabus, it is acknowledged that exams are not for everyone. Alongside or instead of music exams, a wide breadth of activities in the student’s musical tuition can be incorporated, taking into account the student in question and available resources. This could include performing at recitals, masterclasses, competitions, as well as composing, playing with others (e.g., piano duets) and much more.

    If a student does take grades, like any exams, the focus should not necessarily be on the exam day itself, but on the acquired skills and expertise gained in preparation for the exam.

    Often in our qualification-oriented society, there is teacher and/or parental pressure on the student – or pressure from the student themselves - to ‘fast track’ from one grade to the next, even when the student’s skills are lacking. For example, if a student passes grade 3, how secure are they at playing grade 3 level pieces outside of their exam pieces? Would it be wise for this hypothetical student then to work immediately on grade 4?

    If a student is always playing something at the utmost level of their technical ability, it may be counterproductive – we want students to play with ease. Perhaps the focus in lessons would be better placed on the gaps in the student’s skills rather than powering on with more difficult repertoire before they are truly ready. In some cases, it is preferential for a student to take a ‘one step back, two steps forward’ approach. Music grades are advantageous if used correctly, while at the same time, it might be best to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach for each student.

    This piece originally appeared on RTÉ Brainstorm