I have tended to put my brass students through Trinity exams as there has always been a lip flexibility test as part of the exam. I see this as a vital technique for brass players and to have it tested at every stage has proved to be highly beneficial for my students. I'm pleased to see this has been retained in the new syllabus, across all brass instruments, alongside some interesting and welcome changes.
The repertoire lists have been refreshed and, for the first time for brass, there are new Trinity graded repertoire books for trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn. This removes the need to buy music for each individual piece, reducing associated costs.
Initial Exams (pre-Grade 1), which give beginner brass players an invaluable fore-taste of the exam experience, are now available for trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, euphonium, baritone and trombone.
New from 2019, one piece from the Group A list is written for brass duet (two players of the same instrument) with the candidate playing the upper part. The lower part must be performed live by a teacher or fellow student. This is available from Initial to Grade 3 only. Having someone familiar beside them (where teachers consider it appropriate) may help young players to build their confidence. I will certainly be considering this option for certain students, and it will be interesting to see how it helps them develop.
Trinity has revised its ‘own composition’ requirements and if you have students who show interest or ability as burgeoning composers, it's really worth reading the detail in the new syllabus. Personally, I have never had a student who has played one of their own pieces in an exam, but this fresh reading of the syllabus has inspired me to consider it going forward.
In the lower grades, scales are followed by the related arpeggio. There is some value in beginner students linking the scale to the arpeggio, as it gives solid key navigation to build on in later grades.
Trinity has always offered flexibility in its technical requirements for scales by offering students the option to select ‘scale exercises’ instead. I have tended to put my students through memorised scales and arpeggios, but I do know teachers who have found the scale exercise option to be useful for some students. For Grades 6 to 8 there is still the option of brass band/orchestral excerpts instead of scales, which are of great benefit to those contemplating an audition process.
The new syllabus has also retained the flexibility in the supporting tests; there is a choice of two from sight-reading, aural, improvisation and musical knowledge (from Initial to Grade 5). For higher grades, sight-reading is mandatory and the musical knowledge option is dropped. My only ongoing concern is that students may not experience sight-reading or aural tests until they get to Grade 5.
Some of my students have been very grateful that the Trinity syllabus does not necessarily require them to sing. As a teacher and examiner, I accept the reality that not everyone is comfortable with the sound of their own singing voice, even if they play their instrument beautifully.
The syllabus now helpfully includes highly detailed notes on the assessment and marking criteria in the body of the document, rather than referring to the website. All the revisions are listed at the beginning of the document.
When it comes to refreshing the choices for pieces, I've compared the old trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn Grade 1 syllabus with the new one. It's great to see that the number of pieces on the Group A (accompanied) list has increased, with around three-quarters retained from the old syllabus, which will ease the transition from old to new. Five of the pieces are included in the Trinity repertoire book mentioned above.
For Group B (unaccompanied), Trinity has retained its loyalty to Brass Wind, a trusted and respected publisher in the brass teaching world and I'm delighted to see the addition of the Abracadabra series as they're one of my staples for early learners. Students will be excited to know that they will easily transition into exams with pieces they already enjoy playing.
Perhaps the most controversial change is the new option to perform on a plastic instrument at all grades, as long as it delivers ‘the full range of tonal colour and dynamics’ (see pp40-43). For early grades, I can see this as a positive initiative, as these instruments have proved to be such a success where budgets are limited. I would hope to transition players on to traditional brass instruments by around Grade 5 but it's great to have the option.
The Trinity syllabus has always been modern, forward-looking, flexible and inclusive. The new syllabus does much to reinforce and build on this tradition. The impact of these changes will be felt at all levels, from those taking their Initial exams to the Grade 8 student, for whom a distinction will add 30 points to their UCAS applications.
Trinity's new exam syllabus is now available on its website and will be valid from 1 January 2019. tinyurl.com/mt12-tclbrass
