In another article about piano exams in Singapore, we described that there are two main exam authorities in Singapore. They are The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and Trinity College London (Trinity).

Just like many music examination boards, the 2 offer various performance diplomas after their respective graded structure of level 1 to 8.

Although ABRSM and Trinity offer diplomas that vary quite a lot in terms of assessment components, they generally follow the same standards. There are 3 types of Diplomas – Associate, Licentiate and Fellowship. ABRSM offers DipABRSM, LRSM and FRSM respectively while Trinity offers ATCL, LTCL and FTCL respectively.

On top of these, ABRSM will be offering a new performance-only diploma from January 2017 to help bridge the gap between their grade 8 and DipABRSM. It is named the Associate of the Royal Schools of Music (ARSM).

The equivalent level of each diploma:

ARSM – Bridging to 1st year of undergraduate degree

DipABRSM and ATCL – 1st year of undergraduate degree

LRSM and LTCL – Final year of undergraduate degree

FRSM and FTCL – Postgraduate study at university

Prerequisites:

ABRSM

ARSM – ABRSM grade 8 practical or listed alternatives

DipABRSM – ABRSM grade 8 practical or listed alternatives

LRSM – DipABRSM (Music performance) or listed alternatives

FRSM – LRSM (Music performance) or listed alternatives

Trinity

ATCL – No prerequisites

LTCL – No prerequisites

FTCL – LTCL diploma

Assessment:

ARSM

Requirements: 20 minutes of ARSM repertoire + 10 minutes of own-choice music.

Marking scheme: 60% pieces presented, 40% performance as a whole.

DipABRSM

Requirements: 35 minutes of Recital + 12 minutes of Viva Voce (music discussion with examiner) + 1100 words of Programme Notes + 10 minutes of Quick study similar to grade 6 standard (play a new unseen piece on the spot)

Marking scheme: 60% Recital, 25% Viva Voce & Programme Notes, 15% Quick study

LRSM

Requirements: 40 minutes of Recital + 15 minutes of Viva Voce (music discussion with examiner) + 1800 words of Programme Notes + 10 minutes of Quick study similar to grade 7 standard (play a new unseen piece on the spot)

Marking scheme: 60% Recital, 25% Viva Voce & Programme Notes, 15% Quick study

FRSM

Requirements: 50 minutes of Recital + 20 minutes of Viva Voce (music discussion with examiner) + 4500 words of Written Submission + 10 minutes of Quick study similar to grade 8 standard (play a new unseen piece on the spot)

Marking scheme: 60% Recital, 25% Viva Voce & Written Submission, 15% Quick study

ATCL

Requirements: 32-38 minutes of Recital + 400-700 words of Programme Notes

Marking scheme: 90% Recital, 10% Programme Notes

LTCL

Requirements: 37-43 minutes of Recital + 800-1100 words of Programme Notes

Marking scheme: 90% Recital, 10% Programme Notes

FTCL

Requirements: 42-48 minutes of Recital + 1200-1600 words of Programme Notes

Marking scheme: Approved or Not Approved

After having an overview of Piano Performance Diploma Exams, are you also wondering how you can work towards it? Find qualified teachers to help you here!