Rockschool Grades Review

Before I get into anything here in this article ... let me first explain what RockSchool grades are. 

The grading system of music exams for Guitar, Keyboards, Drums and Bass have choices of "examination boards" that you can use. Most of the examination boards offer their graded certificates from Grade 1 - Grade 8 in classical music. So - for example - in guitar, you'd be playing classical guitar. Whereas ... in RockSchool, the difference is that you study the styles of music that are much more common today, so things like Rock, Metal, Blues, Jazz, Jazz Fusion. It's not uncommon to be playing something like Metallica, or Jimi Hendrix style - all designed to get you a qualification in music, often leading to university level qualifications - or university entry qualifications. That is just a very fast summary. I recommend you visit the RockSchool website to read a bit more for yourself!

Ok, So . . . 

I will start this article with a personal bias of mine ...

I love RockSchool grades. I believe they are the best thing in Music Education today. They make people into Real Musicians.

In learning how to play instruments, there has always been a problem with "graded exams" that majored on academic achievement, playing numerous scales, and being very "technically sound" but not being a very good musician - when considered all round. Technical Excellence at the expense of Real Musicianship!

I realized how bad this was when I first started teaching piano - many years ago, when people who had achieved grade 8 (which in the UK is the highest grade before Diploma Exams) were asking me to teach them "how to play properly"!

There obviously was a problem! They had certificates that told them that they were advanced, they had respect from their peers when they told them they had the elusive "Grade 8", but ... they still felt that they were'nt real musicians!

This is why I believe that the Rockschool grades are actually the best on the market today. I feel it addresses all the problems above and more.

I will try to explain more in this article!

It's not enough to be a great technician!

It's not enough to have a great ear!

What's the point of having one without the other? You'll still be effectively "disabled" when learning an instrument. You must be an all - round - musician to be able to be a good musician today.

So, I want to explain why RockSchool is very good at producing all round musicians, better (in my professional opinion than other boards).

- Learning tunes that you relate to - Modern Tunes in style of modern artists.

- Learning Essential theory- eg: scales and obscure chords

- Assesment of your Ear Training

- Assessment of "real life musical skills".

In Rockschool, you need to play at least 3 pieces to a backing track, so any mistakes you make will be obvious. 

In Rockschool (especially in Guitar and Bass) you need to show your own individuality, and even to the point of creating your own "solos" and lead breaks!

In Rockschool - unlike other boards - (and this is it's greatest strength) - you need to have a well developed ear to pass.

In Rockschool you learn the theory necessary to function as a modern/contemporary player.

So let me expand on what I wrote before, on why I love RockSchool so much, and what it does for you as a musician.

- Learning tunes that you relate to - Modern Tunes in style of modern artists.

If you're into modern music, you can learn in the styles that you love and choose. You can choose pieces that are in the style of Jimi Hendrix, or Satriani and Vai (for the higher grades) or in the styles of Jazz or Fusion if that's what you're into! If you like Santana, it's covered. Grunge? No Problem! Punk? They have it! Any modern music (especially in the guitar and drum syllabuses) they have covered. If there is something you want to play in your style (or that you have written yourself) you can play it as long as it is equivalent for the grade!

- Learning Essential theory- eg: scales and obscure chords

Just because you learn modern music does not mean that the RockSchool syllabus is light-weight when it comes to theory. You increase your knowledge a lot by learning Rockschool grades. You must become an all round musician. So all of the technical exercises that would be associated with a "grade" are included here also! You don't get away easily!

- Assesment of your Ear Training

There is a pretty rigorous ear-training aspect of RockSchool exams. You must be able to develop your ear at an appropriate level for each grade. This is where RockSchool shines in comparison to other Awarding Bodies, because, they don't properly assess this aspect, but Rockschool emphasizes overall musicianship!

- Assessment of "real life musical skills".

Rockschool is about building real musicians. It's not about just handing out qualifications to people because they are able to read music! That's not enough! It's more than that! We need musicians who can feel the music, hear the music, read the music and produce the music.

Rockschool provides exams in all of these, and that's why - in my professional opinion as a music teacher - I love it!