Many string players in Singapore will have encountered one of 2 words when they were younger: ABRSM or Trinity. The former stands for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Both are major providers of graded music examinations worldwide.
Before COVID changed the world, most candidates had to sit for a live examination in front of an international jury. Nowadays, many candidates take the ABRSM Performance Grade option which was introduced during the COVID period. This option replaces 3 sections (scales/arpeggios, sight reading and aural tests) in the live examinations with a 4th piece for performance, making it fully geared towards only a full performance-only examination. The mode of examination is to submit a fully unedited, single-take, video recording of 4 pieces back to back.
Selecting 4 pieces for continuous performance isn't always easy, and it is even more difficult to play all 4 in a single continuous take. Candidates need to build up their playing stamina to be able to get through these exams smoothly. We will break down the marking rubric for examiners when they assess candidates and provide a recommended guideline for preparing these exams well.
The marking rubric is divided into 2 main pages: one for grading individual pieces and another for overall performance. The overall result is then stratified into 4 grades of: Distinction, Merit, Pass and fail.
Marking rubric for individual pieces (ABRSM)
Marking rubric for performance (ABRSM)
Sample marking sheet from a Piano candidate
As seen from the marking sheet, the 4 pieces are graded individually and performance as a whole is also graded as a 5th item. The individual scoring of each piece carries a greater weight overall in the scoring of the candidate’s marks.
There are 5 main components of marking pieces individually, and every piece is graded upon 30. One can assume each component carries 6 marks worth for scoring. Here, we discuss how to score better in marking for each component of marking:
Pitch: Perhaps the biggest weakness of most string players and the easiest to penalize. Any intonation errors are very audible on video, especially when performing with a piano.
The first step towards ensuring a good mark for candidates is to be in tune with the piano. Likewise, pianos also need to be well-tuned to 442 hZ on the A key, which is the same tuning frequency for orchestral violinists and violists. String players need to ensure optimal fingerings on the left hand to enable ease of playing and good consistent intonation.
Teachers must ensure that their students are able to understand the reasons why they must play with their choice of prescribed fingerings. Young candidates should remember to keep a straight wrist to allow the fingers to fall onto the fingerboard correctly so as not to compromise their intonation.
Optimal holding position with a straight wrist and relaxed fingers
Collapsed wrist supporting the violin with compromised finger placement (not recommended)
Overly curved wrist with compromised finger placement and risk of forearm strain (not recommended)
Time: Rhythm and consistency of tempo. On a professional level, performers are able to maintain a very grounded and consistent tempo in the music with little fluctuations in passagework. Accuracy of rhythm is also important as it is common for young string players to be not as well-versed in training their subdivisions. It is easier to play long notes than to be precise with the timing of shorter notes.
Conversely, candidates should caution themselves when counting long tied notes so as not to under-count or over-count those passages which will end up causing the pianist and candidate to play out of sync. One more word comes to mind when time is the subject: rubato. This is the act of ‘giving and taking time’ in the music. A poor but basic definition would be to appropriately increase the speed of certain passages in tandem with the music’s character (giving time) or to slow down certain areas to convey expressive emotion (taking time).
Tone: A good tone is one that is not over-pressed nor ‘swishy’ in character. Here, control and positioning of the bow arm and right hand is paramount as it deals with producing a good sound from the violin.
A good rule of thumb to ALWAYS stick to is that the bow must remain in the CENTER of the violin when placing it on the strings. This area gives the greatest contact point for a well-rounded sound without having to press on the strings too harshly. The only exceptions to keeping the bow in the centre is when the composer clearly writes sul tasto (play with the bow as close to the fingerboard) or sul ponticello (play with the bow as close as to the bridge as possible).
Candidates should also be able to pull the bow to its full length to the tip and slightly before the frog in a straight fashion. Candidates whose bows do not move straight nor stay within the centre of the instrument tend to have subtle fluctuations in sound that do not sound clear.
Central placement of the bow between the fingerboard and bridge (optimal)
Bow placement too near the fingerboard resulting in a ‘weak’ sound
Bow placement too near the bridge resulting in a ‘scratchy sound’
Shape: This is a highly personal component to mark but it most definitely refers to audible phrasing in the candidate’s performance. A general rule of following the composer’s performance directions (articulation, audible dynamic changes, etc.) will be safe enough to make the candidate’s performance not monotonous in nature.
However, string players are able to manipulate the left hand with a special technique: vibrato. Young string players may find the concept of wiggling their fingers on the finger board very unnatural, but the candidates who are able to execute a decent level of vibrato will add a whole new dimension to their performance akin to a real vocalist singing in performance.
Performance: This component looks at how well the candidate has practiced and prepared their music. It comes down to how well the candidate is able to play through the piece and add their own personal touch to it. Stage anxiety in front of a camera will always be an obstacle for candidates in comparison to playing through without any direct observance.
It is recommended that candidates play through their entire programme without stopping to build stamina of how they should pace themselves akin to a long marathon, and also ‘recreate’ the conditions of performance by deliberately recording themselves. By doing so, they can easily spot which areas in which pieces are tricky and not clear so they can work around those problematic areas.
For the grading of performance as a whole, it can be safely assumed that the thorough preparation of the 4 pieces will most definitely raise the chances of obtaining a high score in this area.
The candidate also has to demonstrate the appropriate stylistic practices of each piece in order to show their depth of understanding of music. In the same vein that each composer was born in different times to different circumstances and movements, the candidate must go beyond merely knowing the music score well and function as an interpreter of sound. For example, a solo sonata by Bach cannot be played with the same liberties as a piano-violin sonata by Beethoven.
The more convincing and polarizing their performance, the better the chances of the candidate scoring a distinction and becoming an authentic musician.