One of the standout features of Trinity's Rock & Pop exams is the option to perform an 'own choice' song. But where do you start and how do you ensure the song selected meets the required standard for the grade being taken? Trinity's National Manager for Rock & Pop, JJ Wheeler, shares his tips for selecting an own choice song.
Who are you and what makes you shine brightest? That's what we want to see in a Trinity Rock & Pop exam.
We understand that every person, every musician, is unique. The song choices for Trinity's industry-leading Rock & Pop syllabus are exciting; they mix important historical repertoire with innovative modern hits to inspire today's students. But we also enjoy seeing your musical personality too.
In our Rock & Pop exams, you have the option to include an 'own choice' song within your setlist. This is one of the ways in which our exams reflect the individual. Your own choice song could be:
- a song you enjoy performing, such as a cover version of a song from a band or artist you love
- one of the own choice songs available to download from the Trinity shop, or
- an original song written by you.
It is also possible to choose a piece from another graded exam syllabus, such as the Classical & Jazz equivalent, or one of our Musical Theatre repertoire books. However, it is important not to assume this will meet the requirements, so it is essential to check the parameters in the relevant Rock & Pop syllabus.
But how do I know if my song is the right standard for this grade?
This is one of the most common questions we get asked, and also the reason many choose not to enter an own choice song. Let's break down this barrier by taking two simple steps:
The first is to grab your digital copy of the relevant Rock & Pop syllabus. Scroll to pages 21-25 (pages 22-25 for Keyboards and Vocals) to find the parameters for each grade. Think of this as a shopping list: the list of ingredients available to make your 'musical dish'. It is unlikely that your chosen song will use every ingredient, but the aim is to incorporate enough elements to make it interesting and challenging enough for the grade. Bear in mind that the list of parameters is cumulative; that is, as you work up the grades, every element from previous grades is also available.
The second step is to take the sheet music for your own choice song and compare it to the corresponding Trinity Rock & Pop repertoire book or downloads. Does it look and feel like a similar standard? You might wish to compare:
- rhythmic complexity
- range of pitches
- intervals between pitches
- chord structures and voicing
- amount of phrasing, ornamentation or other techniques used
- amount of dynamic variation
- tempo, and
- song length.
A suitable own choice song will probably look and feel like one of the songs from our repertoire book.
Remember...
An own choice song can be performed:
- with a backing track
- with one live accompanist
- with added lyrics, sung by the performer
- unaccompanied.
One last thing - whatever you choose to perform, don't forget to provide some form of notation for the examiner to follow, which is either handed to the examiner in a face-to-face exam or uploaded to the submission platform for a digital exam. This can be in the form of:
- a lead sheet with lyrics, chords and melody line
- a chord chart with lyrics
- a full score using conventional staff notation, or
- a full score using conventional staff notation and TAB
Whatever you choose to present, we can't wait to hear a performance as unique and individual as you!
Photo by Mike on Pexels
Comments & Replies