Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 December 2008
The perceived benefits of graded examinations are compared with the actual benefits that they bring and are then weighed against the more general and widely accepted desirable outcomes of musical education in Great Britain. The syllabus of a typical graded examination is analysed in some detail and the conclusions drawn suggest that the time-honoured format of graded examinations serves only some of the musical needs of pupils. Some radical suggestions for up-dating examinations are discussed.
This article is based on some of the materials prepared for the certificate course: Music Teaching in Private Practice to be mounted by the University of Reading Department of Arts and Humanities in Education in collaboration with the Incorporated Society of Musicians.