Level 1 (Beginner)
Prerequisite: ABRSM Grade 1 with Merit or equivalent
Requirements
- Play basic scales and simple pieces.
- Fundamental understanding of musical notation, including rhythm and pitch.
Level 2 (Intermediate)
Prerequisite: ABRSM Grade 3 with Merit or equivalent
Requirements
- Perform 2-octave scales and arpeggios, along with more complex musical pieces.
- Solid grasp of rhythm, pitch, and basic articulations (slurred, detaché, legato, staccato).
- Reasonable control over dynamics.
- Basic understanding of music theory, including key signatures, time signatures, and accidentals.
- Developing aural skills.
Level 3 (Advanced)
Prerequisite: ABRSM Grade 6 with Merit or equivalent (Note: Passing Grade 5 Theory is required for Grade 6 Exam)
Requirements
- Strong control and facility with both the violin and bow.
- Well-developed articulation and dynamic control.
- Ability to shift between 1st and 4th positions comfortably.
- Use of vibrato and ability to play basic double stops.
- Proficiency in challenging scales, arpeggios, diminished 7ths, and dominant 7ths in various keys.
- Confident performance of complex music from memory.
- Good sight-reading skills for more difficult pieces.
- Solid understanding and application of music theory.
- Strong aural skills.
Level 4 (Higher)
Prerequisite: ABRSM Grade 8 with Merit or equivalent
Requirements
- Exceptional control and skill with the violin and bow.
- Fluency in challenging scales, arpeggios, and dominant/diminished 7ths.
- Refined ability to perform double stops.
- Performance of difficult pieces from memory with musicality, expression, and flair.
- Keen awareness of other parts during performance.
- Sight-reading of complex pieces to a high standard.
- Deep understanding and application of music theory.
- Excellent aural skills.
Carnatic Violin - Basics
Overview
- No prior experience is required.
- Begin your exciting musical journey.
Level 1 (Beginner)
Requirements
- Understand the sapta swaras.
- Sing and play arohanam and avarohanam in tune, using plain notes, for simple ragas such as Mohanam, Mayamalavagowla, Malahari, and Shankarabharanam.
- Sing and play sarali varisai, jhanta varisai, dhatu varisai, and alankaram in plain notes and at first speed, while maintaining talam.
Level 2 (Intermediate)
Requirements
- Understand and apply gamaka to a basic level.
- Have a broader knowledge of ragas, including the ability to aurally recognize, sing, and play arohanam and avarohanam, and identify a few popular ragas.
- Sing and play varisais and alankarams in three speeds, incorporating gamaka and maintaining a firm grasp on talam.
- Exhibit fluency and accuracy in singing and playing multiple compositions.
Level 3 (Advanced)
Requirements
- Use gamaka and dynamics to express raga bhava in various varnams, krithis, and other compositions.
- Demonstrate security in performing more complex tala patterns, including mishra chapu, khanda chapu, and others.
- Show an advancing command over the violin, bow, and voice, with the ability to perform techniques such as spuritam, brugas, and other ornamentations with increasing conviction.
- Perform Kalpana swaram and Neraval spontaneously for simple songs, displaying good awareness of raga and tala.
- Perform raga alapanai in simple ragas, presenting essential phrases and capturing the essence of the raga.
Classical Theory - Basics
Overview
- No prior experience is required.
- Begin your exciting musical journey.
Level 1 (Beginner)
Prerequisite: ABRSM Grade 1 with Merit or equivalent
Requirements
- Note Values: Semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, and their corresponding rests. Tied notes and single-dotted notes.
- Simple Time Signatures: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, including the grouping of notes and rests within these time signatures.
- The Stave: Treble (G) and bass (F) clefs, the names of notes on the stave, including middle C in both clefs. Understanding sharp, flat, and natural signs, along with their cancellations.
- Major Scale Construction: The positioning of tones and semitones, as well as scales and key signatures in C, G, D, and F major in both clefs, including tonic triads (root position), degrees (number only), and intervals above the tonic (by number only).
- Musical Terms and Signs: An understanding of frequently used tempo, dynamics, performance directions, and articulation marks. Simple questions on a melody written in either treble or bass clef.
Level 2 (Intermediate)
Prerequisite: ABRSM Grade 3 with Merit or equivalent
Requirements
- Compound Time Signatures: 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, and the grouping of notes and rests within these time signatures. The demisemiquaver (32nd note) and its corresponding rest.
- Extension of the Stave: Beyond two ledger lines, and transposition at the octave from the treble clef to the bass clef, and vice versa.
- Scales and Key Signatures: All major and minor keys up to and including four sharps and flats, including both harmonic and melodic minor scales, with tonic triads (root position), degrees (number only), and intervals above the tonic (number and type).
- Relative Major and Minor Keys: Further exploration of scales and key signatures.
- Additional Terms and Signs: Understanding and application of more musical terms and signs.
Level 3 (Advanced)
Prerequisite: ABRSM Grade 5 with Merit or equivalent
Requirements
- Irregular Time Signatures: 5/4, 7/4, 5/8, 7/8, and the grouping of notes and rests within these time signatures. Irregular divisions of simple time values.
- Tenor Clef: The C clef centered on the 4th line. Students should also be able to identify notes in all four clefs and transpose a simple melody between clefs. Additionally, they should be able to transpose a short melody for an instrument in Bb, A, or F to concert pitch (the interval of transposition will be provided).
- Scales and Key Signatures: All major and minor keys up to and including six sharps and flats, and the ability to recognize all simple and compound intervals from any note.
- Chord Inversions: The root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion forms of the tonic, supertonic, subdominant, and dominant chords in any of the keys set for this grade. Students should also be able to choose suitable chords at cadential points in a simple melody in the major keys of C, G, D, or F, and identify perfect, plagal, and imperfect cadences in these keys.
- Additional Terms and Signs: The recognition of ornaments, including the replacement of written-out ornamentation with the appropriate symbols. Questions may also address the types of voices and instruments, the clefs they use, their instrument family groupings, and the basic ways these instruments produce sound. Furthermore, general musical observation questions will test the ability to apply theoretical knowledge to real music.
Carnatic Vocal - Basics
Overview
- No prior experience is required.
- Begin your exciting musical journey.
Level 1 (Beginner)
Requirements
- Understand the sapta swaras.
- Sing arohanam and avarohanam in tune, using plain notes, for simple ragas such as Mohanam, Mayamalavagowla, Malahari, and Shankarabharanam.
- Sing sarali varisai, jhanta varisai, dhatu varisai, and alankaram in plain notes and at first speed, while maintaining talam.
Level 2 (Intermediate)
Requirements
- Understand and apply gamaka to a basic level.
- Have a broader knowledge of ragas, including the ability to aurally recognize, sing arohanam and avarohanam, and identify a few popular ragas.
- Sing varisais and alankarams in three speeds, incorporating gamaka and maintaining a firm grasp on talam.
- Exhibit fluency and accuracy in singing multiple compositions.
Level 3 (Advanced)
Requirements
- Use gamaka and dynamics to express raga bhava in various varnams, krithis, and other compositions.
- Demonstrate security in more tala patterns, including mishra chapu, khanda chapu, and others.
- Show an advancing command over the voice, with the ability to sing techniques such as spuritam, brugas, and other ornamentations with increasing conviction.
- Sing Kalpana swaram and Neraval spontaneously for simple songs, displaying good awareness of raga and tala.
- Perform raga alapanai in simple ragas, presenting essential phrases and capturing the essence of the raga.