Hi
Can anyone help me with a site to download and copy abrsm type graded questions/exam papers. I have a gcse group from September and need to cram in 1-5 before we get on to composing etc. (Most have only had supply teaching and have had no traditional theory lessons. One or two are taking lessons over the summer as the majority are at a practical level between 4-5 and will need the grade 5 theory soon). Although I am working through a local school and in there music department, I am going to have to get my own resources and there is not much budget. I have sets of abrsm theory papers from various years, and grades but obviously cannot copy them to give out for homework for the pupils. (I have 12 maybe 15 pupils).
Am I being very naive and old fashioned, but why has the the more 'formal' side if learning music, ie theory, harmony, compositon, writing music, listening and analysis, history and composers gone from the the school curriculum. As far as I see, the gsce still requires all of this and pre-supposes that the latter has been followed in order to continue to get through the exam. I have been coaching pupils for gcse for nearly 15 years and they all appear to be totally ignorant of all the basics to do with with western music. They don't even know much about how their own popular material is composed. There is a glut of theory, composition, books on composers, downlaods from music programmes etc etc, but the pupils don't use any of this. I am so fed up with my pupils coming to their lessons and saying they have been told to 'go and compose' but have no grounding on how to go about this, or even any introduction or example. One pupil this year came with a few bars saying her teacher had told her to compose a 'Pavan' (She had no idea that it was a dance piece. No example had been given.) and it was in 3 time! I wrote to the teacher concerned that a Pavan was usually in 2 or 4 time. When my pupil next came to her lesson, she said the teacher had changed his mind and that the piece was to be a Waltz. Once established, we listened to various types of waltz, looked through past grades she had done to pick out similiar and analysed how they were constructed by phrase and harmony and she was able to compose her own.
I am beginning to get stressed out about teaching a class as I gave up full time secondary teaching many years ago as I fore saw the downward trend that msuic was following and the lack of disclipline, and the dumbing down of music education that was occurring. Yet, I have had to apply all the the formal teaching in my one to one lessons because thats what the pupils need to get on with their studies.
I only agreed to take a class as my daughter ( grade 8 recorder, 6 cello, piano, theory) was left off the music timetable. She and a few others wanted to do gcse and as I said I would coach her, this led to parents insisitng that the school paid me to teach a class containing their children. To make this 'class' viable the school have filled it up with others wishing to do an extra gcse outside the timetable. (There is only a part-time teacher and no HOM). The school is buying a music writing program to link with the keyboards, but only my daughter and one other can play the piano.
Any help will be gratefully received.

Oh, dear, dear, dear...

Sorry not to be of any practical help, Aligator, but this post just fills me with despair. It confirms my suspicions regarding the dire state of music education in some (too many) schools. How can we have let things get in such a sorry state??

Very best of luck.

It is possible to get through a GCSE in music with only the most basic theory mastered - Scores for compositions and performances don't need to be in traditional notation form, they can be, for example, a print out from a sequencing program.

I do agree though - it is very annoying when half the class wouldn't recognise a clef if it hit them in the face.

My child has chosen music as one of the GCSE options - the course starts in September but after options were chosen earlier this year the music teacher made it a requirement that everyone wanting to take GCSE had to sit the Grade 1 theory paper in June. Teacher did an after-school class once a week for a few weeks anf they all worked through the grade one book. I'm not sure what the arrangements would have been for any child whose parents didn't pay the exam fee.

Not much help for now, I know, but something to consider for next year?

ABRSM don't have past theory papers for download, but Trinity Guildhall do - theory exams.