Exams & Festival Classes

FANTASTIC EXAM RESULTS!!

2010: In TRINITY GUILDHALL Classical Singing Exams a ALL candidates achieved either DISTINCTION marks between 87 - 92 or MERIT marks between 75 - 84

VOCAL PERFORMANCE ACADEMY JUNIOR CHOIR gained HIGH MERIT - 2 marks away from DISTINCTION for their BRONZE MEDAL CHORAL

VOCAL PERFORMANCE ACADEMY ADULT CHOIR PASS only 2 marks away from MERIT for their BRONZE MEDAL CHORAL

2009: In TRINITY GUILDHALL Classical Singing Exams and LCM MUSIC THEATRE & POP VOCALS EXAMS - ALL candidates achieved either DISTINCTION marks between 87 - 96 or MERIT marks between 75 - 84. These results include 10 Grade 8 students who ALL achieved Distinction!! CONGRATULATIONS!

LAMDA ACTING EXAMS - 100% Pass rate with more than 50% achieving Distinction Grade and the rest High Merit Marks

2008: In TRINITY GUILDHALL Classical Singing Exams 10 candidates achieved DISTINCTION marks between 87 - 92, with another 14 candidates awarded MERIT marks between75 - 84, & 13 candidates awarded Pass marks - many just 1 or 2 marks away from merit!

VOCAL PERFORMANCE ACADEMY CHOIR gained DISTINCTION in the BRONZE MEDAL CHORAL

2007: In TRINITY GUILDHALL Classical Singing Exams & LONDON UNIVERSITY (London College of Music & Media) MUSIC THEATRE EXAMS, 16 candidates achieved DISTINCTION marks between 85 - 93, with another 44 candidates awarded MERIT between75 - 84.

CHILTERN VOICES gained MERIT in the SILVER MEDAL CHORAL

CONGRATULATIONS to ALL!!

Autumn 2008:

Forthcoming LONDON UNIVERSITY (London College of Music & Media) MUSIC THEATRE SINGING EXAMS

Exams are not essential and many people (especially adults!) simply don’t want to do them and so simply don’t!  However, exam syllabus these days are very wide-ranging with a huge range of fabulous music to choose from and if properly prepared there should be very little to worry about! 

The positive aspects of exams are that

• They give a real focus and purpose to practice
• An exam is also a Performance Opportunity!
• Working on pieces for exams also means you have prepared pieces ready for audition, festival classes or concerts

Catherine Françoise has entered hundreds of students into hundreds of exams over the past 14 years with a 100% pass rate and with a many students gaining merit and distinction markings, and some even actually enjoying their exams!

Graded Singing Exams & Diplomas ~

There are a fantastic range of exams & diplomas available these days with some great syllabus song choices – see after Festival Classes for full details

Singing Exams with Trinity Guildhall & Associated Board

Music Theatre with London College of Music

Pop Vocals with London College Of Music & Rock School

Festival classes & Performance Opportunities:

Students will also be prepared & given opportunities to enter vocal classes at local festivals including (but not restricted to):

Maidenhead Music Festival:  November2nd - 9 ^th 2008

Marlow Music festival: 6^th – 19^th November 2009. Details Here!

Chesham Music Festival: February 2009

Watford Music Festival: April 2009

Chalfont St Peter Song Festival: July 2009

Trinity Guildhall Singing Graded Exams & Diplomas (formally two separate exams boards of Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Trinity College of Music).  The new singing syllabus covers an extremely wide range of music with singers able to choose 2 songs from one group enabling them to sing repertoire they particularly enjoy or that suits them.  This means that singers who wish to concentrate on classical song can sing a mixture of opera or oratorio with art song or traditional folk song.  Singers who feel more comfortable with music theatre and jazz repertoire can major on this. 

These exams anticipate senses of vocal technique, musical awareness and musicianship alongside performance skills.  They do award most marks for chosen songs, but also require supporting skills in vocal exercise, sight-singing, aural exercises including rhythm, memorisation, aural listening & recollection, harmony and basic musicianship. 

Performance Certificates: Alongside Grades, Trinity Guildhall also offer Performance Certificates at Grade 5-6 level and again after Grade 8.  These exams do not require additional skills but are marked solely on the performance of 4 chosen performance pieces.  Students are also required to present a programme and announce their programme.  These are fantastic performance opportunities!

Group Singing: Trinity Guildhall also offers Group Singing exams and award medals to successful candidates

Drama: Trinity Guildhall also offers solo Drama exams, and also Group Singing and Group Drama exams

For full Trinity Guildhall syllabus details Click Here

Graded Singing exams can also be taken with the Associated Board  Click Here

Music Theatre Performance Grade & Diploma exams can be taken with the London College of Music & Media (Thames Valley University).  There are no specific song requirements for any Grade enabling students to choose their own songs to form a contrasting performance programme.   Sight-Reading & Aural tests are not required but students are required to perform each song in character, wearing clothes that will aid characterisation (for example – girls not wearing jeans whilst singing a Rogers & Hammerstein song, or boys not wearing a tee-shirt if singing something form Guys & Dolls).  Students must also discuss with the examiner their chosen programme, including the context and style of each song; their character and their relationship to other characters in the musical; other works by the composer & lyrists.  This exam emphasis is very much on Performance skills enhanced by strong vocal technique and musicianship.

These exams are also suitable for very young performers as there are 2 exams before Grade 1.

Pop Vocals Grade exams can also be taken with the London College of Music & Media (Thames Valley University).  This is a relatively new syllabus with no specific song requirements for any Grade enabling students to choose their own songs to form a contrasting performance programme.  Set Vocal Exercises & Basic Aural tests ARE required for these exams.

LCM Pop Vocals Syllabus Information: Click Here

Pop Vocals Grade exams can also be taken with Rockschool which is affiliated to Trinity Guildhall Vocal Exercises & Aural tests are required for these exams.

Grade 5 Theory MUST be passed before students can be entered for Grade 8 (Students must pass Grade 5 theory before taking Grade 6 with the Associated Board).  Although this can sometimes seem daunting, Grade 5 theory is in fact the standard of GCSE music and is a very real enhancement to any performer.  There are a number of very good workbooks available and Vocal Performance Academy will be offering opportunities to work through the requirements, enabling anyone to pass Grade 5 theory.

UCCA points towards university entry can also be gained by passing Grade 6, 7 and 8.  Marks at Pass, Merit & Distinction in all grades gain different points in all grades (link)

Diplomas – If you pass Grade 5 theory and reach the required technical & performance standard you can take a diploma.  These days there are several to choose from and the great thing is that they are Performance based.  Whether you wish to perform, Classical, Music Theatre or Pop there’s a Diploma available for you.