Firstly, congratulations on passing your Trinity music exam! Whether you are at the start of your musical learning journey or have been working your way through the grades for a while, you have worked hard and you should take time to celebrate your achievement – you could even ask someone to nominate you into the Trinity Hall of Fame! If, however, you are already starting to wonder what you want to do next, read on as this blog explores what it means to progress and the wide range of options available to you.
What is musical progression and what does it look like?
Before we take a look at what your next steps might be, it’s important to consider what it means to progress in music. By definition, to progress means to get better at something and to keep moving forward. But progression isn’t always linear – it’s not always a straight route upwards; sometimes you need to take steps sidewards, or even backwards, in order to move forward again. Let’s look at a possible example:
Betty has just passed her Grade 4 Saxophone exam. Her parents take her to a concert to celebrate, where she falls in love with jazz. She decides she would like to take a Jazz Saxophone exam next time around but is nervous about learning to improvise. Her teacher advises her that she can take her next performance grade in Jazz Saxophone but that she might want to build up her theoretical knowledge of music first as this will help equip her with the tools used for improvisation.
By taking a sidestep towards music theory, as opposed to moving straight onto Grade 5 Saxophone or Jazz Saxophone, Betty would be developing other musical skills which will support that next step forward in her playing.
So, the questions we would advise you to ask yourself are these:
- Is there a long-term goal? If so, what is it? To perform? To compose? To teach? Or something else?
- What do you need to do to achieve that goal? Are there different options available or is there a definite path?
- What styles of music do you like to play and/or listen to? How do they compare with what you are learning?
You don’t need to have all of the answers now, and you don’t need to figure it out on your own; talk to your teachers, family and friends if it helps too! But, before you do, read on to see what options might be open to you…
Explore different pathways
The most obvious progression after passing a graded music exam is to move onto the next level up. But, as Betty discovered in our previous example, there are often different musical styles you can explore and progress in – you don’t have to stick with one specific genre. Some examples of the different pathways candidates can take through our graded exams are listed below:
Pianists and keyboard players: Piano, Electronic Keyboard, Rock & Pop Keyboards or Piano Accompanying (Grade 5+)
Singers: Singing, Rock & Pop Vocals, or incorporate acting and movement through a Musical Theatre exam (you can find out more about the difference between Singing and Musical Theatre exams here)
Violinists: Violin or Scottish Fiddle
Guitarists: Classical Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Rock & Pop Guitar or Rock & Pop Bass
Flautists, Clarinettists and Saxophonists: Flute/Clarinet/Saxophone or Jazz Flute/Clarinet/Saxophone
Drummers and Percussionists: Drum Kit, Rock & Pop Drums, Orchestral Percussion, Tuned Percussion, Snare Drum or Timpani.
Exploring the various options available to you may introduce you to something you’ve never considered before or help you reach your long-term goal quicker.
Expanding your skills as a performer
Graded music exams are a great way of developing a broad range of skills you need in order to play your instrument well. However, if you are looking to develop skills specific to performance such as programme planning and stagecraft, Music Certificate exams could be a great alternative for you. They are recital-based exams meaning you simply perform pieces, as if you were playing your own concert – this makes them a great way of preparing to take a Performance Diploma, if that’s what you’re working towards.
Certificate exams are available at three levels and the repertoire performed should be equivalent in technical difficulty to the grades listed below:
Foundation – Grade 3
Intermediate – Grade 5
Advanced – Grade 8.
Group Certificate exams are also available so, if you play or sing in an ensemble, large or small, you could take an exam performing together instead!
Alternatively, you could explore our Repertoire-only digital music exams, which are the equivalent of Performance Grades that other exam boards offer. These exams require candidates to perform an extra piece in their exam in place of the Technical Work and Overall Performance/Supporting Tests sections of a Technical pathway or face-to-face Classical & Jazz exam. These are a good way of building performance stamina, whilst still working your way through the graded exams and, at Grades 6-8, earning UCAS points.
Strengthening your theoretical knowledge
Whilst there is no requirement to take a Music Theory exam in order to progress through the performance grades with Trinity, there is no denying that a better understanding of music theory can support your playing. It’s also an essential if you like composing your own pieces too!
The introduction of Digital Theory Grades means that you can work towards your exam at your own pace and take it, when ready, from home or school. The software used is very similar to other musical notation platforms used for composing, and there are lots of tools to help you prepare including opportunities to try it out in advance and a free practice test. You can also find out more by watching our webinar recording.
We hope this blog has given you some ideas as to where Trinity can take you next. Look out for our next musical progression blog, which will focus on vocational and professional qualifications.
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