User:Keiki Yuen/Australian Music Examinations Board

Australian Music Examination Board

The Origin of AMEB exams AMEB; the Australian Music Examination Board, is a program of music examination started in Australia by the University of Melbourne and Adelaide in 1887. Then the Australian Music Examinations Board slowly emerged in 1918 to the whole country. To create a national enterprise offering public examinations in music, they held a conference in Sydney for the first time, named “Australian Music Examinations Board”. The members include,

Professor William Adolphus [W.A] Laver, Ormond Professor of Music, University of Melbourne. Professor J. Matthew Ennis, Elder Professor of Music, University of Adelaide. Mr Henri Verbrugghen, Director of the State Conservatorium of Music, NSW. Mr D.J. Coutts, representing the University of Tasmania. Mr G. Sampson, representing the University of Queensland. Mr C. R. Hodge, representing the University of Western Australia. (AMEB, 2017) The intention is to provide graded assessments of the achievements for music students. Later it also provides assessments for students of speech and drama. The AMEB exam is one of the most qualified music exams across Australia. AMEB exams are based on small abuses designed by experienced scholars and performers. It is regularly updated to make sure they keep up with an appropriate range of performance skills in the latest musicological research. AMEB exams are internationally well respected. Federal Board Directors The AMEB Ltd Board is make up of six states representatives. Mike Tyler the representative of Queensland. Who is the chairman of AMEB Ltd Board, he is experienced in music and arts education, music performance and arts business. He is currently the Queensland education department’s principle education officer who is responsible for arts. For New South Wales, they have Anna Reid, who is a researcher in higher education theory and practice. She associated work as an academic developer in 1996-1999 at UTS and 2000-2009 at Macquarie university. The representative from Western Australia Graeme Gilling was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. He studied the piano and composition at university of Canterbury and completed a Bachelor of Music with honours in composition. Professor Jennie Shaw is a representative from southern Australia and Northern Territory. She is an executive dean of the faculty of arts at the university of Adelaide. Her research and teaching interest are across arts and humanities broadly, her recent publication include Music’s Immanent Future: The Deleuzian Turn in Music Studies (Routledge 2016). Dr Andrew Legg is the representative of Tasmania. He was born in Hobart and trained to be a classical pianist, composer and educator. He has an internationally well-established image as a pianist, arranger and writer. Professor Gary McPherson is a representative from Victoria. He is the Ormond professor of music and director of Melbourne Conservatorium of music at the university of Melbourne. He also studied music education at the Sydney Conservatorium of music. Criteria for AMEB exams The AMEB has designed a detailed grading criterion. These criteria for assessment are to be used to measure a candidate’s music achievement. They have divided into three levels; level 1 referred to 4th grade assessments, level 2 referred to 5th to 8th grade assessments. There is also level 3 which is the associate diploma. For level 1 and 2 candidates, people who are assessing their music exams for grade 4 to 8. Judges judge them with, high distinction A+, honours A, high credit B, credit B+, pass with merit C+, pass C and not satisfactory D. In order to get a high distinction, the candidates must demonstrate an outstanding achievement in meeting the requirements on the syllabus in all sections. For level 3 candidates, who are assessing for the associate diploma (AMusA) and licentiate diploma (LMusA). Judges give them award with distinction if the candidate fulfil all the criteria, and demonstrate performance flair, consistent technical and musical command and penetrating stylist insight. Award is given if candidates satisfy the musical performance overall. No award will be given if they do not fulfill the requirements of the award. The marking scheme for speech assessment is identical to the music exams for grade 4 to grade 8. candidates are assessed with a high distinction A+ if they demonstrate outstanding achievements in all area of performance and preparation. Follow along with honours A, credit with merit B+, credit B, pass with merit C+, pass C, not satisfactory D. Musical theatre syllabus for AMEB AMEB, the Australia’s leading provider of examinations for music, they have launched an entirely new syllabus, with the help of Australian stage and screen star Lisa McCune (James, 2015). George Torbay is the syllabus consultant and known to be “one of the Australia’s musical lights” who said by the Sydney morning herald. The brand new AMEB program is designed for musical theatre. To help guide the writing process of the syllabus, AMEB engaged with a plenty of musical theatre experts from around the country, including teachers, performers and academics. A series of music publications will also be released with the new syllabus in order to support musical theatre education from beginners to diploma levels. The new musical theatre syllabus will serve a range of Australian students and teachers, including the ones who wish to perform in amateur and school musicals.

AMEB exams during the pandemic All face to face examining has stopped when the national lockdown began in March. However, they have immediately discovered plans to help music teachers and students. There were questions about how music lessons can be shift online and how technology can help with the music learning situation (mirage, 2020). AMEB CEO’s Bernard DePasquale describes “Music is at its most powerful when experienced live and in person,” however he gradually sees educators adopting and pivoting new models in order to teach music remotely (Musa, 2020). They have come up with two aims in mind. One was how to switch music lessons online and the other idea was to create a forum which bring music teachers and students together in a space to chat and share about their experience. He says that “[they] are not doing this as a money earner,” the only intention is to keep teachers teaching. Also, the first priority is to keep teachers and students save from the coronavirus situation.

References: Ameb.adelaide.edu.au. 2020. The University Of Adelaideaustralian Music Examinations Board (SA & NT). [online] Available at:  [Accessed 10 September 2020]. Ameb.edu.au. 2020. AMEB | Australian Music Examinations Board. [online] Available at:  [Accessed 10 September 2020]. James, E., 2020. Music To Our Ears: New Musical Theatre Syllabus For AMEB. [online] AussieTheatre.com. Available at:  [Accessed 10 September 2020]. Mirage News. 2020. AMEB Sees Spectacular Rise In Online Usage. [online] Available at:  [Accessed 10 September 2020]. Musical-theatre.ameb.edu.au. 2020. Musical Theatre | AMEB. [online] Available at:  [Accessed 10 September 2020].