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Listen "E27: ABRSM Piano Syllabus 2023 & 2024- Review"
Episode Synopsis
Can ABRSM bounce back from their last syllabus I was highly critical of?
Listen to this episode for a comprehensive review of the new set of books, including audio clips of many of the new pieces.
I also discuss some of the recent controversial issues regarding their operational and business challenges
A brief bulletpoint summary of my review:
Blown away, superb selection of pieces this time around
Good balance between pedagogical rigour, and being fun to play
Interesting creative & diverse choice of pieces
However, there is the wider issue of current levels of trust in ABRSM's operations & standards
Listen to the episode for a breakdown of each grade with audio clips (starts at 42:52)
Improvements from last syllabus:
A return to form- less feeling of pieces being made easier & dumbing down this time round. Rigorous standard on the whole (but benchmarking a little wide for my taste with a few much easier options as well as challenging & ambitious pieces in each grade)
Excellent representation of BIPOC & women. Many non-white and women composers featured in the books themselves this time as well as in the alternative lists. Not virtue-signalling- but normalising
Very welcome to see more authentic jazz at the higher grades rather than just the usual Christopher Norton et al
Much improved engraving with no issues for me this time around
Teaching notes book much better this time- more authoritative & trustworthy with their opinions
Audio digital downloads excellent on the whole
Even bigger choice of alternative pieces
Criticisms of the syllabus:
Grade 8 book still has only 9 pieces like the last syllabus
I've never been a fan of ABRSM fingerings
I've never liked ABRSM ornamentation suggestions at the higher grades
All the alternative pieces from the last syllabus are still exactly the same here in the new syllabus-
but this may be positive for teachers who don't need to go out & buy a whole load of new books!
List A/B/C changed in last syllabus for the worse- no change this year.
Differences between categories now so blurred I don't understand the point
Notes:
My previous review of the ABRSM Piano Syllabus 2021-2022:
https://heartofthepiano.com/e17-why-im-moving-my-students-from-abrsm-to-trinity-reviews-of-their-new-2021-piano-syllabuses/
I've made performance videos of some of the pieces here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0sZ0MK31wvICriKIqjYfMEGtTpQgK2bw
with tutorial videos here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0sZ0MK31wvL51bH1Wvk_UbYNnu5zg4Sy
Just one of the many social media posts to do with the online booking problems at the beginning of May 2022:
https://www.facebook.com/abrsmmusic/posts/10159802952370210
The leaked internal email from ABRSM examiners to the chief executive:
https://slippedisc.com/2022/05/examiners-declare-no-confidence-in-abrsm-systems
An update on the situation at ABRSM after the leaked email:
https://slippedisc.com/2022/05/chaos-keeps-on-spreading-at-abrsm/
Financial details for ABRSM 2020-2021:
https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/292182
About the on-demand Performance Grade exams:
https://gb.abrsm.org/en/about-us/news/articles/?abrsm[newsId]=93074
The YouTube video with a performance of J. P. Johnson playing Over the Bars:
https://youtu.be/I1kw2JjkxzM
See my YouTube tutorial on the Tempo di minuetto by Martínez in Grade 7 to see examples of ABRSM ornamentation suggestions that I disagree with:
https://youtu.be/sQHrnb3sHds
In the piece Billie's Song by Valerie Capers (grade 4):
bar 7c in the right hand needs the flat to apply to the D, not the E, so the first chord of the right hand should be Db, E and A, spelling out a C13b9 chord
I listened to several existing versions to confirm this
Absolutely not a fan of this way of writing swing rhythms in David Blackwell- Railroad Blues (grade 2):
Listen to this episode for a comprehensive review of the new set of books, including audio clips of many of the new pieces.
I also discuss some of the recent controversial issues regarding their operational and business challenges
A brief bulletpoint summary of my review:
Blown away, superb selection of pieces this time around
Good balance between pedagogical rigour, and being fun to play
Interesting creative & diverse choice of pieces
However, there is the wider issue of current levels of trust in ABRSM's operations & standards
Listen to the episode for a breakdown of each grade with audio clips (starts at 42:52)
Improvements from last syllabus:
A return to form- less feeling of pieces being made easier & dumbing down this time round. Rigorous standard on the whole (but benchmarking a little wide for my taste with a few much easier options as well as challenging & ambitious pieces in each grade)
Excellent representation of BIPOC & women. Many non-white and women composers featured in the books themselves this time as well as in the alternative lists. Not virtue-signalling- but normalising
Very welcome to see more authentic jazz at the higher grades rather than just the usual Christopher Norton et al
Much improved engraving with no issues for me this time around
Teaching notes book much better this time- more authoritative & trustworthy with their opinions
Audio digital downloads excellent on the whole
Even bigger choice of alternative pieces
Criticisms of the syllabus:
Grade 8 book still has only 9 pieces like the last syllabus
I've never been a fan of ABRSM fingerings
I've never liked ABRSM ornamentation suggestions at the higher grades
All the alternative pieces from the last syllabus are still exactly the same here in the new syllabus-
but this may be positive for teachers who don't need to go out & buy a whole load of new books!
List A/B/C changed in last syllabus for the worse- no change this year.
Differences between categories now so blurred I don't understand the point
Notes:
My previous review of the ABRSM Piano Syllabus 2021-2022:
https://heartofthepiano.com/e17-why-im-moving-my-students-from-abrsm-to-trinity-reviews-of-their-new-2021-piano-syllabuses/
I've made performance videos of some of the pieces here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0sZ0MK31wvICriKIqjYfMEGtTpQgK2bw
with tutorial videos here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0sZ0MK31wvL51bH1Wvk_UbYNnu5zg4Sy
Just one of the many social media posts to do with the online booking problems at the beginning of May 2022:
https://www.facebook.com/abrsmmusic/posts/10159802952370210
The leaked internal email from ABRSM examiners to the chief executive:
https://slippedisc.com/2022/05/examiners-declare-no-confidence-in-abrsm-systems
An update on the situation at ABRSM after the leaked email:
https://slippedisc.com/2022/05/chaos-keeps-on-spreading-at-abrsm/
Financial details for ABRSM 2020-2021:
https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/292182
About the on-demand Performance Grade exams:
https://gb.abrsm.org/en/about-us/news/articles/?abrsm[newsId]=93074
The YouTube video with a performance of J. P. Johnson playing Over the Bars:
https://youtu.be/I1kw2JjkxzM
See my YouTube tutorial on the Tempo di minuetto by Martínez in Grade 7 to see examples of ABRSM ornamentation suggestions that I disagree with:
https://youtu.be/sQHrnb3sHds
In the piece Billie's Song by Valerie Capers (grade 4):
bar 7c in the right hand needs the flat to apply to the D, not the E, so the first chord of the right hand should be Db, E and A, spelling out a C13b9 chord
I listened to several existing versions to confirm this
Absolutely not a fan of this way of writing swing rhythms in David Blackwell- Railroad Blues (grade 2):
In God we trust