Hello,
I just passed my Grade 8 Singing exam with Distinction!! I will be attending University of Minnesota to study Vocal Performance. Has anyone ever had any luck convincing a US university to give them college credit? I know that the Trinity Exam, trinity college in London will evaluate Us students for college credit. BUT the college credit is still contingent upon the actual college.
Thanks for any advice!
Congrats on your achievement!
ABRSM, Trinty College, RCM, etc exam systems are not widely used by US music teachers. Whereas “I am an ABRSM Grade 8 pianist/vocalist/violinist etc” means something in the UK, certain Asian and Middle Eastern countries, few musicians and instructors in the US know what the curriculum includes or the testing criteria for the various grade levels. I doubt very strongly that you will be granted any US college credit for passing an ABRSM exam.
In general, vocalists and instrumentalists need a defined number of lesson credits to attain their degrees at US music schools. Are you getting a BM? I don’t know that there are any schools that would reduce the lesson credit requirements and give college credit for non-college work or allow a student to “test out” of these requirements.
Do you have an ABRSM background in theory or piano?
Music schools/departments in the US typically have theory placement tests. If you have studied ABRSM theory, you may “test out” of some levels of the school’s theory sequence, but the placement will be based on your performance on their test, not the fact that you have passed any particular ABRSM level. In effect, studying ABRSM’s theory curriculum may provide you with a fine theory background which provides the background knowledge to start above a beginning level of college theory.
Similarly, many US music schools require piano credits from non-piano majors. There is often a system to “test out” of some or all of this or to start at a higher level. This would also be evaluated based on a demonstration of playing skills, not an ABRSM grade. Again, the ABRSM training may give you the ability to demonstrate a high level of piano skill, but the the US music school is quite unlikely to care if ABRSM defines you as a “Grade 8”, Licentiate, etc.
Edited to add - I assumed you were a UK citizen when I wrote the above. Looks like you are US. Much of my response is probably superfluous. Those that come from a country with a strong ABRSM presence often don’t understand US music instruction so I attempted to provide a bit of background that you are unlikely to need!
I think you have to look at this in how music performance works to understand why they won’t give you credit for the ABRSM level. Music performance majors work differently than an academic major, with an academic major you have a track you follow, for example a chem major would take chem 101 (first semester inorganic), Chem102 (2nd semester inorganic), Chem 201 (organic 1st semester) and so forth, through required and elective courses. If someone took AP chemistry, they might be able to pass out of chem 101 and maybe 102, getting the credits for them, and being able to jump into the next courses in the track, which in theory might let them either graduate earlier or take more advanced electives.
In terms of musical performance there isn’t that track (I am talking the actual lessons, not things like theory and ear training that have a track like that). You don’t have ‘voice lessons 101’, ‘voice lessons 102’ with a prescribed track, you simply work with a teacher and progress, pure and simple, so there isn’t any sense of passing out of a class and so forth. With theory ABRSM you wouldn’t likely get credit, all you would get is placed into a higher level theory course, but you wouldn’t get credit for placing out and even if you did, wouldn’t really do much for you because programs generally require taking theory all through the program. If they did grant ABRSM credit you might be able to use that to fulfil a core academic course requirement in the arts, for example, but that would likely be covered simply by being a music performance major:)