First, sorry if this is in the wrong forum section! This may come as a surprise to some of y'all (or maybe not), but I had never heard of the concept of graded piano repertoire before seeing it mentioned here. I did some quick research and came up with a few questions.

http://www.gradedpianorepertoire.com/ab ... rading.php
Are those good statements about what the typical pianist at each grade should be able to do? I love qualitative statements

I looked through several examination booklets offered by universities/programs. They seemed to vary in which pieces they allowed. Some offered a list of 15-20 pieces and asked students to pick 3. Yamaha required 1 piece to be chosen and allowed 3 free selections. How much student freedom is typical? The idea of being confined to a mere 20 pieces to choose from would be a nightmare for me...

If this isn't a trade secret, how are the examinations graded? Are the students given quantitative or qualitative feedback, or both?

Last, if one hasn't taken any exams before, would they need to start at the very beginning, or would they be able to jump right into where they believe they are?

Thanks,
David

Hi David:

I would like to discuss this subject with you. I am an adult who is dedicating himself to learning piano like I wish that I had when mom and dad paid for my lessons 45 years ago. What level are you at? What pieces have you learned? What is your goal? Lets chat!

Michael

Hi David,

To answer your question about the Graded Piano Repertoire Grading Table: It is based on research into stages of development obtained from piano teaching methods, examination requirements and years of piano teaching experience. Having said that, grading of pieces is very subjective and differences of opinion will often occur. Unfortunately, compositions frequently do not fit neatly within a category and a subjective decision must be made on the closest fit and the degree of learning difficulty based on teaching experience. Even though the decision regarding level of difficulty is always a subjective one, any one system has at least the value of consistency. Level of difficulty is an essential factor in choosing pedagogical repertoire and the ability to search by this criterion is a
significant benefit of the relational database design of the Graded Piano Repertoire Database.

Graded Piano Repertoire is hosted in Australia where there is a very strong emphasis on piano examinations, with Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB), St. Cecilia School of Music, Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), and Australian and New Zealand Cultural Arts Limited (ANZCA) examinations all being readily available. All examination boards give a quantitative grading and a qualitative written report on the examination performance, the latter varying significantly from examiner to examiner and between examination bodies. Exams can be attempted at any grade if desired with the exception of the diplomas (Associate, Licentiate) which have certain prerequisites. Some grade examinations have a music theory requirement.

Graded Piano Repertoire was developed as a resource for teachers, students and other piano music lovers who wish to have more freedom in the selection of pedagogical and performance repertoire, without being confined by examination repertoire or other graded publications. It is continually growing in both volume of repertoire and additional features. A twelve month subscription costs less than one piano lesson or an AMEB Examination Syllabus, so hopefully it will find a market as a useful and affordable resource for pianists everywhere.

Hope this answers your questions satisfactorily

Lynette