In November 2018 AMEB, Australia’s leading provider of examinations for music, speech and drama, will launch a fully revised Piano Syllabus for examination from 2019 along with a suite of educational resources.
Examinations from beginner Preliminary level through to pre-professional diploma level will be offered. The new publications include Series 18 grade books, handbooks and recordings from Preliminary through to Grade 8, a Technical work book in two volumes – Level 1 (Preliminary to Grade 4) and Level 2 (Grade 5 to Grade 8), and a Sight-reading book covering Preliminary through to Grade 8.
It is essential that AMEB syllabuses remain current and in line with international best practice in music pedagogy. The periodic revision of all aspects of our syllabuses is instrumental in achieving this, and is the best way for us to ensure that our syllabuses feature the best new piano works and publications available.
AMEB engaged a team of specialists from around the country, led by Principal Consultant David Lockett, to help guide the syllabus revision process. Contributors include Angela Turner (Level 1), Helen Smith (Level 2), Glenn Riddle (Level 3) and Jeanell Carrigan (Collaborative piano).
Collection of graded repertoire for AMEB Piano exams. Carefully selected by top Australian Piano performers and pedagogues, the grade books feature a diversity of musical styles and often include works by celebrated Australian composers. Repertoire is carefully coordinated to align with the technical requirements at each grade level.
Available to download from www.ameb.edu.au or download or stream from most online music retailers including:
Contains detailed analyses of all works from the corresponding grade book alongside a wealth of information about the historical, biographical and interpretative elements of each piece. Complete with a glossary of key terms, this Handbook helps students address the Section III General Knowledge requirements of examinations. Please note this product does not contain a CD recordings of the works – Series 18 recordings are sold separately.
*Digital handbooks for each grade will be available soon
Contains all of the technical work required by the AMEB Piano (2019) syllabus for examination. The Technical work books are available in separate volumes for Level 1 (Preliminary to Grade 4) and Level 2 (Grade 5 to Grade 8). Both books feature fully-notated scales, chord progressions, arpeggios and technical exercises in a logical and convenient layout.
A structured course in the development of sight-reading for Pianists containing examples of the kind of sight-reading material candidates may encounter in examinations from Preliminary to Grade 8.
Series 18 Grade books
The Series 18 grade books (Preliminary to Grade 8) present a range of appealing and pedagogically valuable repertoire at each grade level, with Australian compositions featured in every book. Grade books are a cost-effective way of obtaining a range of graded repertoire for study and examination in the one volume. The Series 18 grade books, along with the Series 17 grade books published previously, supplement the fully-revised Manual lists on the new Piano (2019) syllabus.
Recordings
AMEB has produced a series of professional recordings of all grade book repertoire as a resource for syllabus users. These recordings are by top Australian artists and will be a source of inspiration for teachers and candidates alike. The AMEB Series 18 recordings will be available online from digital music retailers mid December 2018.
Technical work & Sight reading
Students will be asked to perform Technical work and Sight-reading in most grade examinations. The Technical work consists of scales, chord progressions and arpeggios alongside custom-composed technical exercises. All of the technical work is detailed in the AMEB Piano Technical work (2018) books, comprising separate volumes for Level 1 (Preliminary to Grade 4) and Level 2 (Grade 5 to Grade 8).
Teachers and students may also be interested in the new Sight-reading (2018) book, which contains over 120 examples of sight-reading (Preliminary to Grade 8), similar to that likely to be encountered in examination.
Collaborative Piano Exams
From 2019, Piano candidates for Grade 5 to Grade 8 may choose to present for a collaborative piano exam. Taking this new collaborative option allows candidates to demonstrate ensemble skills by presenting works with an associate artist as part of the repertoire requirements (Section II) for the grade. All requirements for these exams are detailed in the 2019 Manual of Syllabuses.
Repertoire Exams
After a two-year trial, AMEB is rolling out a brand-new style of examination, to be offered alongside the traditional comprehensive AMEB examinations which will be familiar to most students and teachers. It will be known as the Repertoire examination and will be available from 2019 for Preliminary through to Grade 8. Repertoire-only examinations are available in every AMEB music syllabus (with a few exceptions)[1]. See ameb.edu.au/repertoire for more information
David Lockett LIVE from APPCWe're live from the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference with AMEB Principal Piano Consultant David Lockett. Thanks to Gillian and Paul from Blackrock Music ShopSign up to the watch list for more interviews from AMEB piano consultants throughout the week. https://bit.ly/2YIiDLU
Posted by AMEB on Monday, 8 July 2019
Angela Turner at the APPCAngela Turner chats with Gillian Erskine of Blackrock Music Shop at the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference about her role as a syllabus consulatant on the new AMEB Piano Syllabus. #AMEB #APPC #piano
Posted by AMEB on Wednesday, 10 July 2019
Gillian speaks with Angela Turner about grading piano pieces in general.#AMEB #piano #appc
Posted by AMEB on Wednesday, 10 July 2019
#AMEB Helen Smith speaks with Gillian about Grade 5 - 8 in the Series 18 Syllabus.
Posted by AMEB on Thursday, 11 July 2019
Thinking about AMus or LMus for your students? Gillian is interviewing Glenn Riddle, the Diploma Syllabus consultant for our new Piano syllabus. #ameb #pianoteacher
Posted by AMEB on Thursday, 11 July 2019
Steve Hodgson, AMEB Head of Publishing live at APPCSteven Hodgson AMEB Head of publishing speaks with Gillian about the new Theory of Music Integrated Course and Workbook & new piano publications.
Posted by AMEB on Thursday, 11 July 2019
Jeanell Carrigan live at APPCJeanell Carrigan speaks with Gillian about the new Series 18 Collaborative Piano exams from Grade 5 - 8.#ameb #piano #collborativepinao
Posted by AMEB on Thursday, 11 July 2019
Click here to download David Lockett’s piano workshop presentation slide summary.
Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference
Date: 8th – 12th July 2019
Venue: University of Queensland
View the full program and register
AMEB VIC Final Regional 2019 Piano Syllabus workshop
Date: 11th August 2019
Time: 10:30am – 4:30pm
Venue: Ballarat Grammar School, Wendouree
See the AMEB Victoria website for more information
David Lockett’s career has included concerts and master classes on four continents, recordings for CD, radio and television, publications in the areas of pedagogy and musicology and more than four decades of university teaching. He has performed a vast repertoire of concerti, solo works, chamber music and instrumental duos.
A long-standing interest in the music of Australian composers resulted in an ABC Classics CD and a published edition of Margaret Sutherland’s piano music, together with more than forty première performances of newly composed works. His awards have included a Stephen Cole the Elder prize for excellence in teaching at the University of Adelaide and a CD of the Year nomination in the Australian Music Centre/APRA Music Awards. He is a Patron of the Music Teachers’ Association of South Australia, a Vice-Patron of the Adelaide Eisteddfod Society and a member of the international advisory board of the Piano Teachers’ National Association of Japan. He has adjudicated competitions in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom and is Chief Examiner (Practical) for the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB), overseeing the Licentiate and Fellowship performance diplomas. He compiled and edited the AMEB’s Series 17 piano publications and was Principal Syllabus Consultant for the development of the Board’s new piano syllabus, to be introduced in 2019.
David Lockett was Director of the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide for a total of seven years and now carries the title of Emeritus Professor. He is a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), an honour that was awarded for for “service to music as a concert pianist, educator and researcher, and as an advocate and supporter of Australian music and composers”.
Read David’s speech from the Piano Syllabus Launch at MONA, November 15th 2018.
In further detail:
‘Reviewing the AMEB Piano Syllabus’ by syllabus consultant Angela Turner in Hal Leonard’s The Piano Teacher. Read the full article here.
Everything You Need to Know about the New AMEB Series 18 Piano Syllabus by Tim Topham – December 11th 2018
The New AMEB Series 18 Piano Syllabus – Frequently Asked Questions by Tim Topham – December 3rd 2018
‘New Piano Syllabus from AMEB’ by David Lockett on thepianoteacher.com.au – May 30th 2018
David Lockett’s Piano Syllabus Launch Speech – MONA, November 15th 2018
The AMEB offers high quality syllabuses, educative services to our teachers, examiners and candidates, and quality publications to the highest editorial standard.
The AMEB standards and accreditations are recognised professionally not only within Australia but also overseas, where it is one of the most respected bodies in this field.
AMEB examinations are based on syllabuses designed by leading scholars and performers, regularly updated to ensure that they reflect an appropriate range of performance skills and the latest musicological research. The content of these syllabuses is, wherever practical, published in affordable editions, ensuring that the cost to students of acquiring a full range of the set pieces is as simple and inexpensive as possible.