Graded Music Exams in Aotearoa New Zealand, Part 1

For developing musicians, the graded examination system has become a benchmark for musical achievement. However, exams are often blamed by teachers, students, parents and scholars for making music less enjoyable and causing increased anxiety among students. So how do these exams prepare Aotearoa New Zealand students for their musical futures? And what role, if any, do exams and exam boards have in the construction of the amateur-professional binary? Taking a reflexive approach, this chapter looks at the prominent music examination boards available in New Zealand, with case studies made of the syllabuses for voice and recorder—the disciplines in which the authors are experienced performers and pedagogues—and investigates the roles and responsibilities of these boards. It begins with a discussion of why students take grade exams and what alternatives might exist for them. This is followed by an examination of the tension that exists in teachers’ handling of the syllabus: as a set of exam requirements intended to be used as part of a teacher’s wider pedagogical program on the one hand, or as a curriculum on the other. The chapter also considers how digital exams are changing the landscape and what role they could play in the future. It concludes by discussing the roles of exam boards and teachers in enabling students to thrive as future amateurs and professionals.