Exams are not for every student. There are many alternatives if you want to motivate your piano students to move forward and practice more.

But if you do want to go for an exam, which one should you choose? I want to encourage you not to just pick the one you know best, or the one you used growing up. There are so many fantastic options out there – and they all achieve different things.

Today I’m going through the differences to look out for in a piano exam syllabus. I’m also giving you some tips on how exactly to match your student to the best possible exam for them.

Transcript

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Today’s Free Download

This free checklist will help you to narrow down the choices for your student’s next piano exam.

In this episode, you’ll learn

• Alternatives to piano exams for motivating students
• How to assess the best route to your student’s goals
• How to decide what you want to achieve with this exam
• The main differences between the exam boards
• The types of piano exams available
• How the marking system should affect your decision
• What types of students suit which exam boards
• Tips for trying out a new piano exam syllabus for the first time

Links Mentioned

• Making Practice Stick (guest article on Graham Fitch’s blog)
• 6 Steps to Beating Overwhelm
• ABRSM
• AMEB
• ANZCA
• Trinity College Exams
• Rock School Exams

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Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run.

Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons!

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Which piano exam syllabus do you use?

Do you use lots of different syllabi? Have you explored all the different options that are available?