Spotlight on: AMEB Award

Calling all performing artists!

The AMEB Award is a program of activities that you're probably already doing as part of your love of (and development in) the performing arts. So why not get recognised for your efforts?!

There are three AMEB Awards - Bronze, Silver, and Gold - which increase in the levels of contribution and the amount of work involved. Each Award requires the participant to achieve an AMEB exam, participate in some performances, and complete some contribution activities.

Who is it for?

Anyone in the performing arts! You might be a musician, dancer, actor, DJ, theorist, or perhaps a triple threat - if there's an AMEB syllabus, you can do the AMEB Award.

Which exams/syllabuses are eligible?

All AMEB Syllabuses! If you can do an exam with AMEB, you can do the AMEB Award. That includes all AMEB Music, for Leisure, Speech and Drama, Rockschool, and PAA. The AMEB Bronze Award requires an AMEB Qualification in Grade 3 or higher, Silver is Grade 5+, and Gold is Grade 7+.
Please note that some syllabuses (eg theory) have slightly different Grade requirements so please check those variations as part of your planning.

What sort of Performances do I need to do?

Pretty much anything with more than 5 people in the audience. One performance must be on the specialty of your AMEB exam, but the others could be almost anything. You could do a recital at your local nursing home, play in your community band, dance in your annual ballet concert, sing in your church choir, do a poetry reading, present a pitch to your local Rotary Club, or DJ at your cousin's wedding.

My students are already busy - what's the value in doing the AMEB Award?

There are so many great outcomes to achieving and AMEB Award.
Let's start with recognition. We know that performing arts students are already busy. They're busy doing what all performing artists do - getting involved, and learning and loving their craft. It's likely that your students are already achieving all of the requirements of the AMEB Award, so why not get recognised for the hours they spend rehearsing or donating across their community? This program aims not only to recognise these achievements but also provide some context of validation for others to understand the depth of involvement and dedication that is part of the performing artist's life. Not to mention it'll look great on a resume!
And another bonus: if you're in a school, we offer one of our AMEB team to attend your assembly to present AMEB Award recipients with their certificate so it will help with recognition of your program to the leaders and wider community.
Secondly, there's the experience and growth. Whether your student is already achieving their activities, or needs to add a few new things, they'll have a new lens over their experiences. Each activity needs to align to a value. Simply by noting the value of what they're doing adds a new dimension to their work and they'll find that the intention behind their actions will be more conscious and stronger as a result. When it comes time to report the completion of their activities, they'll take a moment to reflect on their contribution or development and what they're gaining from the experience.
There are lots of great benefits to the AMEB Award but lastly we'll look at our community. The contribution activities in particular are designed to promote growth in the individual but also through engagement and enrichment of the performing arts community around them. They'll gain deeper connections with their peers and mentors, have wider experiences, and develop their own craft in the context of the sector around them, all of which will support their learning and better equip them for life and their future.
Ok there's one more obvious thing to mention - they'll also receive a certificate, and a pin that they can wear with pride.

What are Contribution Activities?

These are the sorts of things that our high achieving cohort are probably already doing: setting up chairs for rehearsal; tutoring younger dancers to refine their choreography; helping their peers to learn lines; helping make costumes or sets; fundraising for a tour; being part of the production crew for the musical, and so on. Not all students will be as actively and  dynamically involved as others, but consider what a fantastic opportunity the AMEB Award presents to galvanise their engagement, and build the collaboration and initiative within your cohort!
Just a note here - Contribution Activities are not performances. Unless you're tutoring, you'll need to put down your instrument or specialty craft for these components.

The Gold has a Substantial Contribution Activity - what's that?

This is where we recognise that AMEB Gold Award participants are going above and beyond in their dedication to the performing arts. Their activities will serve as an inspiration to others, and greatly enrich their community. The Substantial Contribution Activity (SCA) must hold the value of Leadership at its core. There's an expectation that the Activity will require a commitment of at least 8 hour over a period of six months, including planning through to delivery. After completion, the participant submits a reflection piece about their experiences of the process and outcome. Activities are only limited by your own creativity!
Just a note here - the SCA must be undertaken solely for their AMEB Award, and not part of an assignment or assessment within formal education.

Can I get bonus TCE Points with the AMEB Award?

Not directly... yet. Eligible AMEB exams can earn you bonus TCE Points already, and using your AMEB Qualification toward your AMEB Award won't change that. This program is still new, so it will take a couple of years to demonstrate the required metrics, but our plan is to work with TASC to make this program eligible for further bonus points. We'll keep you posted!

I'm an adult learner - can I do the AMEB Award?

Yes! We'd love to see your achievements and contributions recognised. There's no age limit on this program, however we do recommend that learners are at least 12 when undertaking the AMEB Silver Award, and 14 for Gold.

How do the Activities get approved?

Each activity has a Supervisor, and this can be the same person for multiple (or all) activities. Don't worry - we know that teachers are already beyond capacity so we've made this as  smooth and effortless as possible. You'll receive an email letting you know that the participant has nominated you, asking you to either accept or decline to be the Supervisor. When the activity is complete, you'll receive another email asking you to review the activity and confirm or decline that it has been completed. That's it!

This has been a peripheral look at some of the key details and questions but we have loads of resources and information to support you in your AMEB Award journey. Head to our dedicated page to dig deeper and plan your program of achievements!