Preparing For an AMusA Performance Diploma Exam – Why Bother?!

Preparing For an AMusA Performance Diploma Exam – Why Bother?!

amusa diploma exam

I recently sat and passed my Associate Diploma of Performance (called the “AMusA” piano exam in Australia) with Distinction.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic!

It was a project that I’d been working towards for around two years, having last sat a piano exam when I was 12 and having had a break of around 10 years from serious piano playing when I left school.

Preparing thoroughly for the exam was a huge undertaking and certainly not without its difficulties, but it has been an incredibly positive experience that has developed my performing skills out of sight!

One of my blogging friends and fellow teacher, Fran Wilson (aka The Cross Eyed Pianist) from the UK also recently completed her diploma exams at Associate and Licentiate level with the ABRSM. She has written a couple of excellent articles about why on earth piano teachers would consider such a time-consuming challenge, and I’d encourage you to check out the more recent Why take a music diploma?. (Update 2014: also check out Graham Fitch’s suggestions at: The Countdown to Your Diploma Exam.)

Wilson notes:

Anyone who thinks a diploma is a step up from Grade 8, think again. While it is a logical next step for a competent musician who has achieved Grade 8, a diploma, even at the lowest, Associate level, is significantly more involved, requiring a high degree of attainment, combined with a professional attitude to preparation, communication, musicality, presentation and stagecraft. The diploma itself is a professional qualification, recognised by other musicians and music professionals around the world.

…not to mention you get to put extra letters after your name, dress up in a robe and hang a pretty certificate on your wall!

At associate level, the exam consists of a recital program of 30-40 minutes duration, generally featuring four pieces of varied styles. For full details on the AmusA requirements, check out the AMEB website. The syllabus may be downloaded here. Similar documents may be found on the Trinity College and ABRSM websites for their Diploma equivalents.

keep calmThe first step for anyone considering a Diploma is getting a highly competent teacher – preferably one who has considerable performing experience. Just as Fran was coached by her teacher, Penelope Roskell, I was lucky enough to be coached by Caroline Almonte – one of Australia’s preeminent teachers and pianists.

At Diploma level, you not only need to be a competent performer under stress; you also need to demonstrate the correct stylistic interpretation of each piece depending on its era. For this reason, you need the support and mentoring of someone who has not only hopefully ‘been-there-and-done-it’ but who is able to teach the performance and interpretative skills necessary at this level.

For those unaccustomed to performing solo recitals, the Diploma is a huge undertaking, especially considering that even at Grade 8 level, the most time you’d generally spend playing during the exam would be 10-15 minutes (Diploma exams are closer to 40 minutes). In order to bridge this gap, the AMEB added another exam level to their syllabus in 2009 called the Certificate of Performance which is a recital-only exam designed to help prepare students for their diploma (see syllabus link above for repertoire). Trinity College as a similar “Advanced Certificate” recital-only exam and I’m sure the other boards do the same.

What to expect/what have I learnt?

  • The general knowledge requirements are detailed and need to be conversational by exam time. Know your stuff about the composers and their output in particular and have an in-depth understanding of your pieces, their forms, the history of the forms, the eras, performing norms, etc. etc. You may be asked a little or a lot come exam time so you must be prepared for anything!
  • The more you perform, the more comfortable you become with your program so play through your exam pieces in front of an audience (and in your practice room) as often as possible, even if it’s just one other person or even a student after a lesson.
  • I learnt that it’s not a good idea to perform (or sit an exam) after a full day’s teaching and/or practice. I had a disastrous run-through for my teacher a month out from the exam after teaching all day and practising for about three hours – my brain was fried. Lesson learnt.
  • Similarly, make sure you don’t plan anything on exam day (and preferably on any day of a performance). You need to be relaxed and focussed in order to play well.
  • Performance nerves do not disappear with more performing, although it can help! There are many ways to help manage performance anxiety – please read my previous article about this. I’ll be blogging more about this in the future.
  • Wrong notes and memory slips do not equal a fail. The examiners are looking for a musical performance, not a perfect one. The most important thing is that a memory slip or mistake doesn’t throw you. Keep calm and stay on-track.
  • You can choose your exam order to suit the music and your strengths. Bach does not have to go first!
  • At AmusA level, you do not need to memorise your pieces. I chose to memorise half of my program, but it isn’t a requirement. At LmusA level, you need to memorise at least one piece. If you feel more comfortable reading the music, do it.
  • There are no prerequisites for Diploma candidates except that you need to have passed Grade 5 Theory (Grade 6 for Lmus). However, the theory exam can be completed after your performance.

pianistWhat would I recommend to candidates preparing for their Diploma?

  • Try and play a variety of pieces from the syllabus at exam level before you set your heart on any in particular. For example, I tried a number of Beethoven and Mozart sonatas before I found one that I really fell in love with and that could allow me shine. Keep in mind that when you do choose your final pieces, make sure you really, really, really love them as you’ll be living with them on a daily basis for some time!
  • Start the General Knowledge (GK) early – you learn so much from the process of researching your pieces and the composers that it can influence your performance dramatically. Don’t leave it until the last-minute like some students do for grade exams. At diploma level, it’s not about simply regurgitating facts. The examiner wants to see that you’ve done thorough research, made connections between composers, eras, historical events and styles and gone beyond the basics.
  • Don’t try and do the GK yourself – go to a specialist teacher. Contact me if you’d like recommendations in Melbourne.
  • Treat the GK as more of a discussion than a question and answer. The examiners want to have an intelligent conversation with you about the music and composers, not be given one-word answers to a hundred questions.
  • Perform for as many people as possible – preferably different teachers. Everyone will have their interpretive opinions – some you will like, some you (and your teacher) may disagree with. That’s fine. That’s what preparing is all about – trying different interpretations before you settle on your favourite and the most appropriate. I played for around eight other teachers during my preparation.
  • Regularly video/audio recording your performing and listen/watch back and critique yourself. This really goes for all students at all levels. The more you record and listen to your playing, the more you’ll discover whether you actually sound like you think you sound!
  • Play your exam program under exam conditions everyday for the month leading up to your exam (I’m not kidding!). You’ll know it inside-out and know exactly the mental effort that will be required on the day. For the rest of your practice time, work through all the hardest technical elements of your pieces. I had a list of all the hardest bits I needed to practice on a daily basis.
  • Do a mock exam in the exam room on the exam piano, preferably with a teacher to give you feedback. I did this and it was an excellent experience! You get a sense of the nerves you’ll experience on the day and how that may affect your playing. You also get a chance to get used to the foibles of the exam piano.
  • Examiners in particular know the system and what is expected of you and they can also provide advice on what other examiners will be looking for. So if you know any examiners, ask them to give you a ‘mock exam’.
  • Get into a really regular practice routine! For me, this was 7.30am – 9am every morning before I started teaching, plus afternoons and weekends whenever possible (I’m a morning person). Holidays were a big practice time for me. Indeed, the last holidays before my exam consisted pretty much solely of practice, lessons, mock performances and study.

So in answer to my first question: Why bother preparing for a Diploma?

  • I’m a strong believer that all teachers should continually develop their own performing and teaching skills through lessons/mentoring from a master teacher. Having a Diploma exam as a goal ensures you set aside the necessary practice time to ensure improvement – quite tricky when you’re an adult.
    I learnt so much from my teacher about interpretation as well as tackling technical issues. All of that knowledge can now be passed onto my students.
  • Similarly, I found that all the work I did on my GK was immediately relevant to my teaching and useful on a day-to-day basis.
  • Preparing an exam introduces you to new repertoire. For example, as part of my preparation, I studied Carl Vine’s Five Bagatelles (List D). When I first heard these, I really didn’t take to them at all. But with encouragement from my teacher, I ended up thoroughly enjoying practising and performing them and started looking for more of his music. Similarly, I listened to (and tried to play) heaps of the music on the syllabus when I was selecting pieces – all again useful for my own teaching and a general broadening of my musical knowledge.
  • Given the performance expectations for Diplomas is so high, you are likely to work on your pieces more than you’ve ever worked on anything at the piano! For me, this consistent, deliberate practice meant my performing ability improved exponentially during the time I spent preparing for the exam. I ended up performing at a level I never dreamed possible and this would simply not have come about without the pressure of the exam.
  • You get a real sense of what your students are going through and how much practice they have to do when they are working towards exams, competitions, recitals or auditions.
  • I gave a number of recitals in the lead-up to my exam and found that my ability to control performance nerves also improved over time. This was due to a number of recommendations by my teacher and also the brilliant content of Dr Don Greene’s Book “Performance Success” (the best $25 bucks any musician or teacher can spend).

By the way, you may be wondering why I didn’t do one of the many Teaching Diplomas offered by the various music examination boards given I’m a piano teacher. I already have a Diploma of Education and Bachelor of Music, so didn’t feel the need for more pedagogical study. However in order to continue teaching performance at higher levels, I wanted the performance experience. However, if you don’t currently hold a teaching qualification, I’d strongly encourage you to consider options such as the ATmusA or ATCL and check out these tips for teaching diplomas.

Finally, here are some links you might find useful:

What about you?

Are you thinking of taking a piano Diploma? Have you already started? How are you going with it? Have you experienced a Diploma by another exam board? What’s it like? How is it different?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, comments, ideas below.

Tim Topham

Tim Topham is the founder and director of TopMusic. Tim hosts the popular Integrated Music Teaching Podcast, blogs regularly at topmusic.co and speaks at local and international conferences on topics such as integrated teaching, creativity, business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Tim has been featured in American Music Teacher, The Piano Teacher Magazine, California Music Teacher and EPTA Piano Professional. Tim holds an MBA in Educational Leadership, BMus, DipEd and AMusA.

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  1. I am in the UK. Can I take one of your diplomas?

  2. My son is completed his grade4 in abrsm last year in disctintions. And he’s teacher moving away to other states. we urgently need a tutor to support him so he can continue playing . Can you reckon me anyone? And can he change to AMEB at this stage?

    Many thanks

  3. This is a really motivating article. I’m interested to know how you managed prep for the diploma with any work and family commitments. Thanks!

  4. Hi Tim,

    I have been so encouraged by your article!
    I was wondering if you could send me your recommendations for teachers to prepare me for the AMusA please? Many thanks for your time.

  5. Hello Tim,
    Thanks for the discussion on how you achieved the AMUS.
    To me it seems daunting but I did achieve Grade 8 last year after a 50 year gap in piano exams, so anything is possible!

    I still want to do the Certificate Teacher of Music with the AMEB but I thought I would wait while I get more experience. This is my second year of teaching piano and I am feeling more comfortable with it.

    Were you at La Trobe Uni in the 80” doing the BA of Music?
    I had a go at it but had to pull out unfortunately which I regret now but it was so long ago anyway.

    cheers

    Phyllis Aslanides

    • Hi Phyllis – I was at La Trobe, but not until the late 90s. Loved it before they closed down the department – very sad times. I was one of the last cohorts to go thru. Good luck with your CTMus 🙂

  6. Thanks for this!

  7. Hi Tim
    My son (13 years old) is going to do an Amus next week and he hasn’t done his G5 theory yet! Do you have any good theory teacher recommended in Melbourne near Balwyn/Kew area? Does he needs to pass the theory exam in six months after his Amus exam? Thanks

    • Hi Rebecca. He doesn’t have to do the theory right now. He just won’t receive his certificate until that’s completed. I can’t remember if there is a 6 month cutoff – his teacher will be able to advise. Does his teacher have any theory people to recommend? Most teachers are pretty well connected. If not, email me directly at support@topmusic.co and I’ll send you a personal recommendation.

  8. Interesting article. Thanks!

    My 14yr old son has been reluctantly persuaded to sit for his AMusA this year by his teacher. He’s been pouring over the repertoire for what seems like forever and is almost completely disengaged with it now.

    He put Amus on hold to work on Gershwin piano concerto for a competition at school and loved it – it was like his piano playing came alive again. Unfortunately that’s all done now and his teacher is back forcing the Amus bandwagon.

    As a pianist back in the day who NEVER grew to like Bach, and only just tolerated the classical-ness of Beethoven. I can completely empathise with my son and just hope that he can pull himself over the line in the next few months to get free of what feels like a millstone of expectation rather than fun!

    His teacher has promised that *if* he gets through AMus he’s “allowed” to work on Rach2 for next years concerto competition.

    Why work for AMus as a 14yr old? That has to be a whole different question to the one you’ve answered!

    • Hi Adrian – I completely sympathise and I also wonder why teachers force this kind of thing on children his age.

      I can only hope that he sticks thru it and continues playing. Things like this can cause kids to stop playing… forever sometimes.

      Whose idea was the Amus thing in the first place? It can be great for some kids, but it doesn’t sound like he’s into it at all!

      Remember that the teaching of a child is very much (in my opinion) a 3-person role: teacher, parent, child. Don’t forget that you have a say in this too 🙂

      If I can be of any more help, let me know. Wishing you and your son all the best.

  9. Hi Tim,

    Could you send me recommendations for General Knowledge teachers in Melbourne?

    Thanks in advance

    • Hi Gabriel – I’ll PM you.

  10. hello Tim,
    my exam is on saturday can i have some tips!

  11. Hi Tim,

    My son completed his Piano Grade 8 whilst in year 9 (age 14) at school and was awarded a high distinction. He has also in the past won several Piano Competitions – so he is a confident performer. Then his teacher retired and he moved on to another very experienced and highly respected teacher, who did not recommend continuing the AMEB and instead spent time on short pieces, studies, technique, and a deeper understanding of the music and the classical composers. Now one and a half years later my son is wondering if he should have continued on with AMEB – do most students who complete AMusA finish this before they finish High School (I noticed someone said they completed it at 12 in the comments above) or do most piano students do it later as an adult, like you did? What is your experience?

    • Hi Vonnie. Thanks for the question. While some students do their AMusA at school, it’s very difficult to get a good mark when you’re really young so it’s still not that likely without massive sacrifice and with lots of time and focus. I would say it’s more common to get this in late teens and as an adult, so there would be nothing stopping him doing it now.

  12. Hi Tim. I’m currently preparing for my AMusA exam and was wondering about how I should approach my GK? My exam is mid October and I’ve gotten my GK 2 weeks ago. So far all I’ve done is familiarise myself with the GK of the physical piece. I’ve annotated where modulations occur, sections end etc. My pieces are (if it helps)
    Bach – Prelude and Fugue No. 20
    Chopin – “Aeolian Harp” Etude
    Haydn – Sonata in B Minor Hob. XVI:32
    Chernin – Russian Rag

    Thank you so much 🙂

  13. Hi Tim my son passed with distinction AMasA 12 years old 2013 , Now he working on LMas for the 2016-17
    He have problem finding program (list B)
    He already have
    Bach p/f
    Rachmaninoff prelude op23 no5
    Scriabin Etude op8 no12
    Shopin Etude op25 no12 (may not include in program )
    He love Shopin sonata b minor op58
    is it to much Romantic era??? + time, over 50min :(((
    Please help !!

    • Hi Eleni. Would love to help but very short of time atm. This really is a conversation for your son and his teacher. It depends what he likes, where his strengths are, etc. You can really suggest programs without knowing students. Just make sure that the program fits into the allocated time. I think 50 mins is too long from memory, but I don’t have the syllabus in front of me.

      • Thanks Tim!

  14. Hi, I did my grade 8 about 10 years ago and would like to get back into proper lessons and hopefully set a goal to finish Amus. I don’t really know how to look for a good advanced teacher and I am based in Brisbane. Do you happen to know any good piano teachers I could contact in Brisbane? Thanks!

    • Hi Ruby. Thanks for you your message – great news on your plan to get back to your piano! I’ll send you a private email with some details.

      • Thanks Tim! 🙂

  15. Yes very nice article about preparing and the performance of music. For more info visit us at “http://www.cornerstone.edu.in//”

  16. hi, im doing my amus late next year. Im not really sure what the requirements for pieces are. right now i have bachs english suite no.3 and im doing the prelude, but my teacher told me to do the other movements but im not sure if theyre qualified for amus. I also have sonata with three movements. my teacher isnt planning on making me learn any more pieces, but i eard you need four???? Can someone please tell me what we need for amus????

    • HI Alice. You and your teacher really need to consult the Manual of Syllabuses to confirm the requirements. You can get an online download of it from AMEB for $10: http://www.ameb.edu.au/2014-piano-syllabus.html. If your teacher isn’t able to confirm this, I’d worry about his/her ability to teach you up to the required standard for this award.

      Re the suites, it depends which one as to whether you can do more than just the Prelude. If it’s BWV 806 for example, you have to do the Gigue also. Generally, you need a balanced program which would most often involve something Baroque (Bach), Classical (Beethoven/Haydn), Romantic (Chopin/Rach) and Modern. ie. 4 pieces.

      In any case, you really need to refer to the syllabus. I’m happy to offer you a consulting session via Skype if that’s of assistance. Use the “about>contact” link above to organise.

      • Thank you so much, i think ill ask my teacher for the syllabus (hopefully 2015) and ill pick out a list c and d to learn, and hopefully theyll be short enough to fit within the 40 mintue? time limit. My teacher seems to get a lot of good results so ill stay with her for the time being but thanks for your help 🙂

        • That’s great Alice. I’ll soon be posting a resource for general knowledge… make sure you’re a subscriber to stay tuned 🙂

  17. Hi Tim, I’m about to take the exam as well in a week, on Saturday actually. I’ve been playing my pieces for about a year and a half now and this article has really helped me understand the processes that go into preparing for this exam, so thank you! I feel like I’ve got my pieces under control but I have two things that are really bugging me. First, the general knowledge. Do you have any idea what type of questions they will ask? I know that it’s about the stylistic features of the particular musical era, composers, anything on the score, etc. but to what depth will they ask the questions? Will there be any questions about how I interpret the music? Also, I’m worried about my age. I’m 14 and I know that plenty of younger people have taken this exam and passed but it’s pretty nerve racking, sitting in front of two people with doctorates in music and playing for them. I mean, I’ve barely started high school. What I’m saying is that I’m worried they won’t take me seriously in account for my age. Congratulations on your distinction, though! If you could reply before my exam, that would be really great 🙂

    • Hi Samantha. Thanks for your great questions and good luck on Saturday! Sounds like you are well-prepared if you’ve been working for over a year – that’s a great start. The questions asked are quite dependent on the examiner and the pieces, but there are some common things to consider. I’ll try and email you something in the next few days and I think I’ll add a GK cheat-sheet to this post (have been meaning to for a while!). Interpretation comes through performance so they are unlikely to ask about that, however they can ask about stylistic features of various periods and the particular pieces involved.

      Definitely don’t worry about your age – they will judge you only on your musical merit. I know quite a few of the examiners and they are generally great people who will have your best interests at heart and won’t be biased about your age, as long as you pull-off the musical performance they need. I personally tried to ignore the examiners – just play as if you’re in a bubble (while still projecting and making it a performance), but they will be very unobtrusive.

      I wish you all the best!

      • Hi Tim! Thanks for the email, it really helped. It’s a bit late but thank you for your advice!! Also, I passed with distinction which was pretty cool.

        • OMF you got a distinction???? You must be really good wow. im 14 as well adn i have no idea what im actually meant to play and i dont think my teacher does either…

        • Wow Samantha! HUGE Congratulations!! That is a massive achievement, especially considering how you were feeling 3 weeks ago. Thanks so much for letting me know how you got on – I was going to try and get back in touch to ask you 🙂 For anyone else reading this in the future, I’ll be adding more General Knowledge info to this article soon.

          • Thanks!

  18. […] Related: Preparing for an AMusA Diploma Piano Exam […]

  19. What a great article – I’m currently studying for a DipAbrsm – in the UK – it has really improved my playing no end – but for me the best bit has been becoming a student again and remembering what that feels like – it has been invaluable insight. I have definately changed the way I teach as a result. I’m struggling to find practice time/energy as a full time home educating mum and piano/singing teacher. I too have a music degree and post grad cert or education – I choose to do the performing diploma for similar reasons to you – and mainly because I wanted my playing to improve.

    • Great to hear your story, Kate. Sounds like we are very much on the same path. I became a much better teacher from becoming a student again. I can also advocate learning a completely new instrument as an incredible experience for a teacher. I had to learn trumpet and trombone for a school teaching role a few years ago – being a beginner again was both frustrating and incredibly insightful. Good luck in your exam!!

      • Oh yes! I took up the flute a few years ago on a whim – haven’t had much time for it since doing the diploma, but it really gave me a new perspective on what it’s like to feel all fingers and thumbs again!

        • Btw stumbled upon your blog a few months ago and your teaching style has really given me a new tack with so many students. My colleague and I run a musicianship academy and have been introducing piano to the students there who range between 5 and 14 yrs. We have had young people who have not studied an instrument play 12 bar blues improvisations and we have found it so useful for helping with the theoretical understanding of cycle of fifths etc. one criticism, from my daughter, says you talk about boys far too much

  20. Hi, TT….just checked out your Youtube stuff…..can’t believe it’s that small boy who began lessons with me! Your dedication and application over the past couple of years is an inspiration to many, I’m sure! Congratulations…..Roses

    • Thanks Roses! I can’t believe how I’ve improved either!

      I’ve also posted my article about the Amus if you wanted to add any comments, you can do so here: https://topmusic.co/2012/02/09/preparing-for-an-amusa-performance-diploma-exam-why-bother/

      You’ll see that the email you just sent me (below) has been added as a comment on the page already. That’s what’s been happening when you reply to the new article posts.

      Cheers

      Tim.

  21. A couple of years ago I did my ATCL. I had just finished my Bachelors and Masters (in non-music related subjects) and, like you, had taken a break from serious music playing. I wanted to do it as a qualification and a challenge – and unfortunately, for most of the prep I was in Bangladesh and did not have access to a teacher. But I passed, and I’m thrilled about it! I don’t think I’ll be doing any more any time soon, though.

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