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Singing for Musical Theatre

About Singing for Musical Theatre exams

We offer a range of assessments for singers specialising in musical theatre, including Practical Grades and Performance Grades, as well as the ARSM diploma in Music Performance for advanced musicians.  

Latest updates – we’ve expanded the repertoire lists with music from recently-released shows, rediscovered favourites and more songs for bass/baritone voices. The additional songs are marked with ‘new’ in the syllabus PDFs and you can perform them in exams from January 2024. 

Read on to find out more about our Singing for Musical Theatre exams. 

Who can take Performance Grades
Singing for Musical Theatre – Practical Grades

Practical Grades are face-to-face exams that focus on all-round musical knowledge and skills, including performance. Exams are available at Grades 1 to 8. In the exam you perform three accompanied songs and one unaccompanied song, as well as taking sight-singing and aural tests.  

The UK pilot for using recorded accompaniment in Singing for Musical Theatre Practical Grades finished on 30 September 2023 and we will not be offering this as an option in the future. All Practical Grade candidates must now have live accompaniment as specified in the syllabus. Recorded accompaniment continues to be permanent option for Performance Grades in all subjects. Find out more about Performance Grade accompaniment.

Downloads

Download a PDF of the full Singing for Musical Theatre Practical Grades qualification specification. This includes the syllabus and marking criteria as well as detailed information about exam requirements.

Singing for Musical Theatre – Performance Grades

Performance Grades are digital exams assessed from a video recording. They have a strong focus on performance, including communication, interpretation and delivery. In the exam you perform a programme of four songs.  

You can take Performance Grades at Grades 1 to 8. There are no booking periods or exam sessions so you can choose when to book, record and submit your exam.  

As well as reading the qualification specification and syllabus for your subject, you should read our Performance Grade guidance which includes important information about recording and submitting your exam video. Follow the link below to find out more. 

Downloads

Download PDFs of the Performance Grades Qualification Specification and Singing for Musical Theatre syllabus.

Sample Aural Tests
ABRSM Grades 4-8 from 2021

Here you will find recordings of the Singing for Musical Theatre Sample Aural Tests at Grades 4-8, plus a mock test for each grade. Click on the below links to download files of the audio tracks.

*Please note that all grades at 4-8 are not currently available for download - we aim to add them in as soon as possible.

Watch a performance

Fabian Soto Pacheco from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland performs Dear Theodosia from Hamilton, which is on our Grade 8 Singing for Musical Theatre syllabus. 

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