The outcome from that will definitely not be good. We believe in teaching music in a holistic manner, or in other words you can’t separate or neglect any component. We have seen many cases , students with a weak foundation in music theory sitting for practical Grade 2 or 3 exams. They may be able to pass. With such weak understanding in theory at the initial level, it will hamper their progression and performance in the higher grade like grade 4 & 5. A lot of teachers have ignored the fact that time spent in imparting theory knowledge at the lower grade, will help students to advance to higher grade faster, without too much struggles rather than to regurgitate the learning of repertoire blindly.

There was a student who joined us only a month before her practical Grade 3 exam. In the first lesson we realized that her foundation in music theory was not good. She had not even covered Grade 1 music theory but she was sitting for Grade 3 practical. She couldn’t read notes at all as previously, she was taught to just copy and imitate what her previous teacher showed her. The most obvious issue she had was definitely her struggles with sight-reading test. In fact, all the other exam components were affected too. Furthermore she couldn’t really understand the musical terms used, or in other words, understanding a music language.

Every exam syllabus has been designed in such a way that music theory knowledge plays an equivalent role with the practical grade, especially if we talk about the lower Grade 1-5. For example, if a student whose theory has only reached grade 1, but intends to sit for Grade 3 practical, he or she will definitely find it difficult to manage the overall exam components of grade 3 syllabus in all instruments. It may take longer time to prepare these kinds of students to sit for the practical exam.   For example, Grade 1 theory doesn’t cover any minor scales but in Grade 3 practical exam, students are required to play minor scales as well as sight read in minor keys, not to mention other areas such as compound time, musical terms  etc…..that are not covered in grade 1 theory syllabus. Students might lose interest too if he or she finds the practical exam tough to follow with their lower level of understanding in music theory.

Well, this practice is definitely a barrier for a deeper understanding of their repertoire and the enhancement of their general musicianship skills. Most of the exam repertoire for Grade 6 – 8 are serious works, with complex textures, harmonic structure and forms, which require solid knowledge and experience. As educators, we prefer to see our students being more independent, and be able to analyze and examine their repertoire on their own, instead of teachers spoon-feeding them at all times. Blindly practicing repertoire without understanding the construction of it will not form a long lasting passion and interest in music. Some students end up hating the practical exam because they feel it is meaningless to play something that they do not quite understand at all.

Our teachers have  taught and examined many high grade students, some of them are really good players, even excellent. Unfortunately, the lack of strong music theory knowledge pulls down students’ abilities to score well, especially when it comes to sight-reading and aural. Let’s talk about sight-reading for Grade 8, is it enough to only play the right notes and rhythm? Can you have a quick grasp of the texture, form and style in 30 sec.? What about the description of a piece played by the examiner for the aural segment, are you confident talking about texture, use of harmony/chords, and speak with musical terms? All that is essential in order for students to achieve excellent result in the high grades 6 -8. Just practicing the 3 exam pieces and scales may not be enough to ace the exam. Even for recorded exams without the accompanying tests, understanding the pieces you play with solid theory knowledge is essential as explained in the previous question.

In the very first place, they’ll have a lot to catch up, even if they get into a performance department, not to mention if they choose to go for theory, composing or conducting. In a typical performance course, there will be separate weekly lectures for harmony, solfege, counterpoint/polyphony, music history, music analysis and many more. Having Grade 8 music theory may not be even enough to blend in well in a cohort of students coming from music specialists schools, but it is a good starting point I think. Even in the music elective programs in some of the local secondary schools and junior colleges, students are required to pass the Grade 8 theory as their MEP curriculum includes a higher mastery level in composition, harmony and music analysis.

As good music educators, we should always advocate that the theory knowledge be on par with the performance grade level, no matter what instrument you are playing. Parents should demand this from their child's music teacher. Due to the different competencies and music trainings of the teachers, we find that many students or parents are misled to think that music theory should take a back seat to their performance and that music theory is not important. This is the wrong mindset to have for music educators.