We have lots of options for learning and getting qualifications in music theory so let's explore one of them: Musicianship. It's a great pathway to expand your general music studies and focus on music analysis and historical context. All our Theory Syllabuses are designed to support emerging artists by enhancing the skills they need for their artistry.
What's in the syllabus?
You'll start by covering the basics - how to read music notation and the various scales, intervals, chords, and rhythms across both treble and bass clefs. Transposition, terminology, and general knowledge are also introduced at the foundational level, which gradually become applied to creative questions such as rhythmic invention. Grade 4 introduces an aural test where these foundational concepts are assessed with ear tests, rather than written questions and the written portion of the exam shifts into history, form, creative composition, and analysis. Grades 5 and 6 also include the analysis of set works for even deeper exploration of the various compositional techniques. The theoretical skills develop lead to analysis of all genres of periods of music, encompassing chamber, choral, orchestral, and vocal music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. You'll look at compositional form, the instruments, and the historical context at the time. If your subjects include music history or extension music, Musicianship can certainly equip you with tools to excel.
Musicianship runs from Grade 1 to 6 (by which time you're at a university level of knowledge) then extends into Associate and Licentiate Diplomas.
How will theory help my practical skills?
This Theory Syllabus is useful to EVERY type of music performance study.
We know that understanding theory can be a huge help when it comes to growing your skills and passion for your craft. By learning theory, you deepen your knowledge and comprehension of your actions, helping inform your artistic choices. By increasing your understanding of the notes and harmonies behind the dots on the page, you gain the tools to bring the notes to life and discover new and interesting layers to your repertoire. Theory will help you to get more out of your performing arts education, and support you in your learning journey.
- You'll gain deeper insight into the composers' intentions and be able to better (and more easily) translate notes into music.
- Get to know your piece on a deeper level to easily identify phrases and musical lines of expression.
- Understand the written musical instructions and expand your tool kit of techniques.
- Practical exam Discussion and General Knowledge segments are a breeze when you know the backstory.
The Theory of Music material is directly relevant to all AMEB (and Rockschool) music syllabuses and is one of the options you can take to achieve any corequisite requirements for senior practical exams: if you're working towards a Grade 6 practical exam, you'll need to have successfully completed your Grade 2 theory exam and so on.
How is it different to the other AMEB music theory syllabuses?
Each of our four theory syllabuses has its own style and focus areas so it really depends what and how you want to learn. They all cover the basics - notation, harmony, terms etc - but each are presented in different ways and then take their own paths to specialised learning topics. Musicianship is one of the few to include aural tests in the exam, which constitute (from Grade 4) at least a quarter of the overall exam. This is fantastic for developing this valuable skill for both performance and analysis.
What resources are available?
The syllabus itself provides the scope of what you'll need to learn and the exam conditions to prepare for. While the Musicianship Syllabus doesn't provide a list of recommended references, many useful and relevant texts can be found outlined in the Theory of Music and Music Craft Syllabuses.
Teachers will find the AMEB Online Theory Guidelines for Teachers to be a great resource. It's free to download from our AMEB Online Shop and offers invaluable insights into Examiners' expectations, the marking rationale, and even tips for best preparing for online exams.
For Grades 5 and 6, we've prepared an analysis of the set works as a guide to preparing for your exam. Head to the AMEB Online Shop and you'll find Analytical Notes under Study Resources.
The AMEB Online Shop also has a host of historical exam papers and aural tests that you can use to practice your knowledge and prepare for the types of questions that may come up in your exam. And, if you head to the Resources section, you'll find an article that will help you with your Diploma, too!
How does the online exam platform work?
As soon as you enrol in an Online Exam, you'll have access to practice exams. All exams (both the official exam and all practice exams) use an integrated software called Musition that has been created just for us by Rising Software. If you'd like to read more about the music theory tools and notation, or if you are looking for some guidance, we have a heap of helpful FAQs available on SCORE.
Your practice exams get marked automatically (some grades this may not be the whole exam) so you'll have a really good idea of the result you're likely to get and also where you might need to do some more study. That means you can take the time to familiarise yourself with the platform and give yourself the best possible chance of success.
Teachers can enrol a cohort of students in a Class Exam for them all to sit at the same time. This also provides all candidates in the group with the exact same sets of questions to help with benchmarking across the class.
All exams require an exam supervisor to ensure exam policies are adhered to. If you need to trouble shoot anything with the online platform, check the FAQs on SCORE or reach out to your customer support team in the AMEB Federal office.
Can I get TCE bonus points for my Musicianship exams?
Yes you can! And that goes for any AMEB exam, including all Speech & Drama, PAA, Classical, and Rockschool syllabuses. In fact, all theory exams are eligible for TCE bonus points from Grade 2 onwards, as well as practical Grade 4+.
When can I do a my Musicianship exam?
Almost any time! Exams can be done online and at a time that suits you. You'll need a supervisor to ensure all the work is your own but the online platform is available 24/7. We even see people achieving their theory exam on Christmas Day! Head to SCORE to enrol and start practicing with access to free practice exams.
Paper-based exams are available only for Diplomas in Musicianship. If you're wanting to do a paper-based exam, please have a read of our website information page.
I have more questions.
That's great! We'd love to help with those. Please feel free to browse the other great sources of information on our website or get in touch to find out more.
