Music exams ‘dumbed down’ with multiple choice test
Lloyd Webber warns students may lose college places to foreign rivals
A MUSIC exam board has been accused of “dumbing down” test papers by introducing multiple choice questions, as Julian Lloyd Webber warns British students could lose college places to foreign applicants.
Students must pass a Grade 5 theory exam to be allowed to take Grades 6, 7 and 8 – the standard required for higher study – in their chosen instrument.
The Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Grade 5 theory test currently includes composing rhythms and melodies, simplifying scores and setting words to time patterns.
But from next year these traditional elements will be shelved and instead of writing definitions of musical terms, students will simply choose from a list of suggested answers.
The board insists that the decision will bring musical education into the modern era, and that tick-box questioning is an “accessible, effective and reliable way to test” the skills and knowledge of budding musicians.
However, it is unpopular with music teachers, who fear it could devalue the grading system and force British conservatoires to recruit foreign students due to a dwindling pool of domestic talent.
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Julian Lloyd Webber, principal of Birmingham Conservatoire and brother to the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, warned that a drop in standards at entry to intermediate level could derail the process.
“What concerns me is that any drop in the standards may hinder the progression of British students to be considered good enough for their own music colleges, their own conservatoires,” he said.
“Anything that lowers the standard of progression through these exams cannot be seen as a good thing because it’s exceptionally important.
“We can’t just be relying, or we shouldn’t be, on educating overseas students. We obviously welcome overseas students, but we want to see the British students coming through.
“If the grades are not stringent enough, then we will have a problem when it gets to the final exam. The final Grade 8 exam used to be the pinnacle – the knowledge that you’ve got a Grade 8 distinction.
“As principal of Birmingham Conservatoire, I do not want us to get to the point where, when you pass Grade 8, you may not be at the level to enter a British music conservatoire. That is really worrying.”
Pauline Carter, a piano teacher with 30 years experience, said the changes amounted to a “dumbing down” exercise, adding that she was now considering changing exam boards.
“Schools no longer have to address music as a core subject in the International Baccalaureate. And the national curriculum has sidelined music completely,” she said.
“The Associated Board is supposed to be at the forefront of musical education.”
A spokeswoman for the ABRSM said exams would continue to adhere to the same “rigorous standards”, adding that its commitment to teaching “core musical skills, knowledge and understanding is unwavering”.
She said: “As part of our responsibility to teachers and students, we review and refresh all our assessments on an ongoing basis.
“Multiple choice questions are an accessible, reliable and proven way of assessing certain aspects of knowledge. They are an existing and accepted element of school exams and the vast majority of candidates will be familiar with them.”