Grade 8 Aural Tests

Improve your aural skills and learn how to tackle the aural test section of your graded music exam.

  Enroll in Course



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What You Will Learn


Valuable aural exam preparation and ear training with the Grade 8 Aural Tests course.



When it comes to music exams, candidates often prepare themselves well for the playing but are less sure when it comes to the aural tests. There are several resources offering examples of tests but very few that teach the techniques needed for successful outcomes. Designed to follow on directly from our Grade 7 Aural Tests course, this course features all the content you would be expected to know for the aural tests in a grade 8 exam, with detailed explanations of how to tackle each test and plenty of practice examples, walking you through each area step by step in a clear and informative manner. As well as being suitable for candidates preparing for ABRSM practical exams, aural skills are essential for any musician, and here is a progressive course in acquiring those skills. During the Grade 8 Aural Tests course we'll cover...

  • Repetition of the Lowest of Three Parts - How can you make it easier to remember the bass line? Can you repeat the phrase accurately? How can you use the opening key-chords and starting notes, ensuring you can confidently reproduce the melody?
  • Sight Singing with an Accompaniment - How do you best approach sight singing? What singing techniques do you need to employ to feel more confident? How do you maintain pitch and rhythmic accuracy?
  • Identification of Cadences, Modulations, Chords and Clapping Rhythms - How do you tell if the piece has modulated to the dominant, subdominant or relative key? How do you accurately tell when the cadence is perfect, imperfect or interrupted? Are you able to clap back a rhythm in time and at the correct speed?
  • Musical Features - How do you describe the musical features of a piece and what key features can help you identify this? How do you identify form, texture, style and period, musical character, tonality, tempo, articulation and dynamic variation within a piece? What else could you say regarding musical expression to improve your answers?
  • Strategic Question Answering - How do you approach questions with confidence and accuracy? Do you understand the question formats? What are some of the pitfalls you need to avoid?




 



This is a godsend for my grade 8 exam coming up!!

- Emily






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Who Is This Course For?


All keen music students, performers and examination candidates.



Don't let those aural tests intimidate you any longer. Enroll in our course today and embark on a journey to musical excellence. Whether you're a student or a parent looking to support your child's musical education, our course is your key to success. Our aural test courses cover all the essential elements of aural training from the ground up and are ideal for students preparing for examinations, as well as an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve and develop their aural skills. This course follows on from our Grade 7 Aural Tests course.


Do any of these sound familiar?



"I've got no idea what I am supposed to say about features of the piece of music that’s played in the exam..."

"There’s never enough time in lessons to cover the aural work properly..."

"I have trouble hearing bass lines..."

"I’m dreading the aural tests for the exam..."

"I don’t know how to listen to chords and modulations..."





 



Thank you so much for making so many helpful videos! I've just found out that I've passed my grade 8 violin exam with distinction and I think you're doing an amazing job of teaching people from all over the world.

- Tara



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By the end of the Grade 8 Aural Tests course you'll be able to…




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Repeat the lowest part of a three part passage by singing it or playing it

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Sight sing a melody in a two part context

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Identify features of a piece of music, centred around dynamics, articulation, tempo change, tonality, musical character, style and period, form and texture, and other musical features

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Identify perfect, plagal, imperfect and interrupted cadences and the chords associated with them, identify modulations to the dominant, subdominant or relative keys, describe chords and and clap back a rhythm and identify the time as 2, 3, or 4 time

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Confidently answer the questions asked in the exam

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Apply these new skills to other areas of music and critical listening applications

 



I am going to have an entrance exam for the university soon, so I have preparing by watching quite a lot of your videos. Therefore, I don’t know that the result of the exam is going to turn out good or not, however, the most important thing is, I have already increased a pretty solid aural training skill. Thank you very much!

- Fey






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Course Information


What's Included with the Grade 8 Aural Tests Course?



Professional Teaching

You'll receive expert tuition on how to approach each section of the exam and you'll learn useful strategies for success.

Practice Exercises

The course contains a plenty of practice exercises for you to work through along with the initial teaching material.

Ask Questions

Below each video you are able to post comments and ask questions should you have any in regards to the course topics covered.              

Easy to Follow Structure

The course is divided into multiple stages, breaking down each part separately before putting in all together.

Complete at Your Own Pace

You can easily fit the course around your regular commitments, completing it at your own pace and in your own time.

Anywhere Access

Your course never expires. Learn when and where you choose! Computer or mobile. Just get comfortable and dive in!





Your Instructor


Gareth Green
Gareth Green

Hi, I’m Gareth and I'm passionate about developing ‘the all round musician’.

Nearly 35 years of music examining with ABRSM, work with the BBC on Radio and TV, experience on the international concert platform, as a published composer and arranger, have brought rich resources to the 40 years of teaching in which I've engaged.

Scholarships at The Royal College of Music, Oxford University and St. Paul’s Cathedral gave me fantastic opportunities to learn from the best musicians, scholars and teachers. Working as Director of Music at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School then provided a wonderful opportunity to develop my teaching skills.

Teaching individuals and groups of all ages, and at all stages of development have refined a teaching approach that I hope is fun and engaging, and focused on explaining things clearly and logically. And that is what these courses are all about - understanding the basic principles with clarity, then going deeper, applying them to your musical life and liberating yourself as a musician.

It’s a rich and amazing journey, and I can’t wait for you to join me today!



Frequently Asked Questions


I'm taking a music exam, is this course for me?
Absolutely! This course is suitable for candidates preparing for ABRSM examinations and cover everything you need to know for the grade. It is also perfect for students studying at school, college or university, as well as anyone else who is interested in learning aural skills.
When does the course start and finish?
It is a completely self-paced online course! Watch and replay lessons as you wish - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all of the devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We stand behind the academic quality of our online courses and are committed to ensuring that you completely satisfied; that’s why we offer a 14 days money back guarantee. Simply send us an email explaining what you didn’t like about the course and why it wasn’t suitable for you and we’ll give you a full refund.
What payment methods do you accept?
Both credit and debit card payments are accepted. You can also pay with PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
I need help! Who can help me?
If you have a question related to this course, email [email protected]

A Letter from Gareth Green
MA (Oxon), MA (Leeds), FRCO(CHM), FLCM, ARCM

Many candidates dread the aural tests in exams because they feel they can’t do them. Many candidates spend much more time in lessons and in their own work at home focused on pieces and other parts of the exam than they do working at aural training. Many take the view that it is impossible to work on aural training and aural tests alone.

My experience as an examiner has often suggested that more time spent on aural development would have enhanced the outcome of that part of the exam and would also have had a positive impact on outcomes in the other sections of the exam.

Aural skills are essential for any musician so, whatever happens in exams, it is essential to develop the skills.

This course covers everything you need to do and you can work through it in your own time and in your own space. Enjoy!


Gareth Green, Music Matters




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