The national piano grade examination is divided into 10 levels, but for example, the more authoritative Central Conservatory of Music divides the grading of the examination into levels 1 to 9, but level 10 is often a mode.
There is no very accurate value in assessment for levels 1 to 10, but each level in the examination has corresponding requirements.
Level 1: "Bayer Piano Basics Tutorial" Fingertip coordination requires coordination.
Level 2: "Elementary Piano Etudes" allows you to master the rhythm and changes during playing.
Level 3: "Piano Smooth Etude" can maintain overall fluency in the first half of playing.
Level 4: "Piano Smooth Etude" can achieve accuracy and smoothness as a whole.
Level 5: The first half of "Quick Piano Etudes" can be played to keep up with the complex rhythm and speed.
Level 6: The second half of "Quick Piano Etudes" can be played to keep up with the complex rhythm and speed.
Level 7: "Quick Piano Etudes" can be played skillfully and quickly.
Level 8: Master the medium-to-high-difficulty performance skills in "Piano Etude Finger Dexterity and Technical Connections".
Level 9: "Moscowsky Etudes" can be played with coordination of both hands.
Level 10: "Chopin Etudes" has reached the elementary level, and the musical concepts and interpretations have reached the professional base. The ten levels of piano grading are assessed through formal examinations organized by relevant institutions every year. Those who pass the piano exam can obtain the grading certificate of the corresponding level.
There are three authoritative institutions for piano grading in China:
1. The grading organized by the Music Grading Examination Committee of the National Musicians Association
2. The Central Committee Conservatory of Music Piano Grading
3. Shanghai Musicians Association Piano Grading
Piano grading is divided into basic skills and repertoire performance. The basic skills are based on the ability to play scales and arpeggios. As the level increases, the rising and falling marks gradually increase (6 rising or 6 falling in the 10th grade test), and the speed of scales and arpeggios also gradually speeds up (the 10th level scale requires a per minute Playing 144 quarter notes is 516 sixteenth notes, which is equivalent to 8.6 notes per second). What are the four major misunderstandings about piano grading?
Myth 1: Parents’ expectations are too high.
Piano learning is an educational investment with a large one-time investment and a long investment period for ordinary families, not to mention that it requires parents to spend a lot of time and energy to assist.
With high investment, parents naturally expect high returns. Many parents around me have this mentality: let children of the same age compare with each other's exam levels, believing that the higher the level, the better the level. This makes the journey of piano learning become a game, and the original fun of learning piano is gradually lost.
Misunderstanding 2: Blindly raising the level of examination.
Although the Ministry of Education has repeatedly reiterated that art examination results cannot be linked to higher education, some parents are still eager for quick success and hope that their children can complete the highest-level examinations in kindergarten and primary school.
For this reason, they asked teachers to shorten the time limit for piano learning, improve the children's level, and put the piano aside after obtaining the highest-level certificate. This kind of blindly high-level training will inevitably destroy the natural process of piano learning and prevent the children's skills and musical sense from stable development.
If the child fails the exam, it will dampen the child's self-esteem and self-confidence. Even if he is lucky enough to be promoted, it will be counterproductive and it will be difficult to develop solid basic skills. Professor Zhou Guangren, a well-known music educator and pianist in China, suggested that parents should not rush to follow the baton of grading examinations and become complacent when they see how many certificates their children have obtained.
98% of piano children will not become musicians in the future, and learning piano is just a hobby for them. If there is a grade test, it is best not to skip the grade. Some children have just passed the first grade and are busy taking the fifth grade. People trained by this kind of tutoring method often have a weak foundation and cannot become successful.
Misunderstanding 3: Emphasizing skills and neglecting the cultivation of humanistic qualities.
When "grading" is regarded as the only purpose of learning piano, "piano grading" becomes an alternative "examination-oriented education." Everything is centered on "grade examination", only playing grade examination repertoire, ignoring the study of music theory, sight-singing ear training, music appreciation and other subjects; only focusing on repeated practice of technical skills, ignoring musical connotations such as speed, intensity, expression marks and musical emotions. This experience has caused many children to be like a "machine that only knows how to play the piano."
Myth 4: Insufficient physical and mental preparation before the exam.
Many piano children and parents believe that piano grading is more important in normal times, and only needs to perform well on the spot during the exam.
In fact, the piano grading exam is different from other cultural exams. It is a comprehensive quality exam. It not only requires children’s technical skills, musical feeling and artistic literacy, but also has great impact on psychological quality. test.
Because children have weak psychological self-endurance and problem-solving abilities, strong psychological dependence, and random behavior, they are easily disturbed by external factors and produce mood swings. If there is insufficient physical and mental preparation before the test, the tension between children will affect each other, leading to abnormal phenomena such as slippery fingers during the test, incorrect notes and forgetting of notes, etc., thus affecting the test results.