RCM Guitar Exam - From Preparatory to ARCT
The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Conservatory of Music. In 1947, King George VI incorporated the organization through royal charter. Its Toronto home was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995, in recognition of the institution's influence on music education in Canada.
The Royal Conservatory Certificate Program is the division of The Royal Conservatory that sets and supports standards in music examinations across Canada, USA and internationally. The organization conducts 100,000 examinations annually in over 300 communities around the world.
RCM Examinations are conducted several times each year in more than 300 communities through a network of local centres. The Certificate Program encompasses all levels and spans 11 grades: from beginner (preparatory level) to certification as an Associate of The Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT), to certification as a Licentiate of The Royal Conservatory of Music (LRCM)
Drawing upon its reputation of excellence, the Royal Conservatory's acclaimed guitar series (https://www.rcmusic.com/) presents a fresh and exciting selection of material to engage classical guitar students at all levels. Each progressive Repertoire and Etudes book explores a wide range of historical periods and styles, featuring pieces compiled from more than 500 years' worth of guitar and other plucked-string music. With this series, teachers and students will embark on an innovative learning path designed to foster well-rounded musical development and an enduring passion for their instrument.
Depends on levels, to get RCM certificates, students needs to pass both theory exams and practical exams. The practical exams contains several repertories from various music periods (concerto is required for high level), studies, technicals (scales, arpeggio and solid chords, tremolo, etc), ear testing, and sight-readings. Details can be found here: https://www.rcmusic.com/.
When I taught classical guitar and theories as a RCM certified teacher, my students passed got various level of certificates, and some of them won the gold medals. Since I recorded a number of pieces for the all level RCM exams, I compiled some excerpts from the pieces from preparatory level, level 1, 2 ... 10, and ARCT. Hopefully new students will have a basic feeling how the arrangement of the difficulty (both musicality and techniques) across the RCM grading system.
https://youtu.be/f-NpHAifWcs
Here are the musical excerpt of repertoire and studies from all levels:
RCM Preparatory (Grade 0):
- Contentment (Shawn Bell)
- Exercise 13 (Elias Barriero)
RCM Grade 1
- Travelin' (Michael Coghlan)
- Branle englese (Emanuel Andriaesen)
RCM Grade 2
- Bourrée II, BWV 1010 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
- Arietta (Joseph Küffner (Kueffner))
RCM Grade 3
- Sonata no. 26, Minuet (Niccolò Paganini)
- Premiere Guagirana (Jacques Bosch)
RCM Grade 4
- Choros (Domingo Semenzato)
- Lesson 10 (Dionisio Aguado)
RCM Grade 5
- La Ligamos (Milonga) (Claudio Camisassa)
- Spanish Romance (Traditional)
RCM Grade 6
- Prelude 4 (Heitor Villa-Lobos)
- Bourrée, BWV 996 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
RCM Grade 7
- Mazurka-Chôro (Heitor Villa-Lobos)
- El Testament D'Amelia (Miguel Llobet)
RCM Grade 8
- Allemande, BWV 996 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
- Allegretto moderato, op. 6, no. 11 (Fernando Sor)
RCM Grade 9
- Danza española, op. 37 no. 5 (Andaluza) (Enrique Granados)
- Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Francisco Tárrega)
RCM Grade 10
- Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios (El Ultimo Trémolo) (Barrios Mangoré Agustin)
- Ten Etudes, No. 6 (Giulio Regondi)
RCM ARCT (Associate of The Royal Conservatory of Music)
- Fugue, BWV 1000 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
- Variaciones on “O Cara Armonia” by Mozart, op. 9, (Fernando Sor)
1886年是清光绪十二年，欧洲卖出了世界上第一辆奔驰汽车，匈牙利钢琴家李斯特去世，美国发明了可口可乐，自由女神像在纽约港揭幕……与此同时，加拿大皇家音乐学院（The Royal Conservatory of Music）正式成立，至今已有百余年历史，加拿大依靠RCM考级体系在上百年的长河中培养出了众多的音乐家，享誉世界的格伦·古尔德（Glenn Gould）就是这个体系中，于上世纪40年代取得ARCT（演奏级证书）的加拿大著名钢琴家。
RCM考级如国内音乐考级一样，分不同科目，不同级别，演奏规定曲目，及有相应的考级教材出版，但它并不冠以“业余音乐考级”之名。RCM考级所设级别从预备级（Preparatory）开始，继而1-10（Grade1－Grade 10）级，直到表演证书、教师证书(ARCT)。当你通过教师级别证书考试的时候，意味着你可以从事相应科目的教学，所以，它不是专为业余学琴者而设立的考试，而是一个音乐考试体系。当然，低级别考级参加者还是以业余琴童为主。 参加者除了要参加演奏考试之外，还要参加相应的理论考试。从演奏5级开始，考试者就被要求参加理论考试。若未能通过理论考试，演奏成绩再好也不能取得级别证书。在演奏考试中，除了要考已经准备好的曲目之外，还要考视唱练耳（Ear Tests）和视奏（Sight Reading）。
该考级没有国内跳级限制等要求，考生可以自由选择参考级别。 当学生取得一定级别证书后，可以作为学分使用而免修相应课程。以加拿大BC省为例，到目前为止，通过六级和乐理一级考试，可以抵10年级相应学分；钢琴七级和乐理二级证书可抵11年级学分；八级和乐理二级证书可以抵12年级学分。北美有些大学的音乐专业也把该考级的等级证书作为入门要求之一。皇家音乐学院在美国也逐渐流行，比如在华州Bellevue也有考点。