LEADING NEW JAZZ GRADE EXAMS, UK AND WORLDWIDE

The radical idea around the new jazz Grade exams was simple and inclusive: to provide beginner jazz musicians the same opportunities for a structured curriculum and meaningful qualifications as their fellow classical ones have always enjoyed. Jazz was at least being recognized as being ‘worthy of study’, but that needed to filter down to mainstream education. And the ABRSM ‘got it’.

The task was to introduce mainstream educators, mostly classically trained, to the idea that all kids can improvise at every level, and give both educators and learners the tools to do it.

For those unfamiliar with UK music education, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) have been a fixture since colonial times. They mainly provide one-to-one assessments lasting 10-15 minutes at eight levels (or Grades) for instrumental learners from absolute beginner (Grade 1) through to college-entrance level (Grade 8). One of several ‘exam boards’, the ABRSM is based in the UK, but sends 100s examiners into schools, colleges and individual teachers’ studios across 92 countries, to assess 1000s of kids playing all instruments at every middle and high school level. As such, it has massive influence on the attitudes and priorities of music educators across the globe.

I was lucky enough to be appointed the ABRSM’s Lead Jazz Consultant to the from 1998 to 2007. As Lead Consultant, I initially led a team that developed the new repertoire lists, scale exercises and tests for the exams. We piloted them in schools, and gradually redrafted them over 2-3 years. They had to be ‘real jazz’, and they also had to work for mainstream educators. 52 associated publications emerged, for beginner jazz musicians in piano, wind and brass instruments. One of these was my ‘Jazz Piano from Scratch’, an established tutor book for beginner jazz pianists, still available worldwide from Hal Leonard and ABRSM Publishing.

We gradually rolled out the exams internationally, after initial success in the UK. This involved training the new jazz examiners, in how to assess jazz rigorously, and make the exams fun. It also involved jazz workshops with thousands of instrumental and vocal teachers in the UK and later around the world, to offer them jazz skills, modify their mindsets a little, and train them how to use the materials. I am still in touch with many of those amazing teachers.

Altogether the team commissioned and and edited over 75 new compositions and arrangements by arrangers from all corners of the jazz world, with improvisation at the heart of every one. Allies and now lifelong (mostly British) friends from that time of intense musical creativity and new music education thinking include Nikki Iles, Pete Churchill, Simon Purcell, Scott Stroman, Leslie East, Hywel Davies, Phillip Mundey, Mark Armstrong, Martin Norgaard, Michelle James and Katherine Knight.

Together the team painstakingly established 5 new levels of achievement (Grades 1-5) through the definition of innovative assessment criteria. These criteria assessed key jazz skills including improvising, working by ear and reading lead sheets, alongside the ability to play recreatively, along with backing tracks and live musicians.

Other opportunities followed. In the days of IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education), I gave frequent clinics at US conferences including New Orleans (1999), Long Beach (2004) and New York (2005). With Jamey Aebersold, I became one of two members of the IAJE Resource Team, appointed to answer questions and write articles for teachers about teaching improvisation. I grew to love that work, and continue my connection with jazz educators worldwide now as a member of the Editorial Board of the Jazz Education Network (JENRing).

Key educational principles which made the jazz exams unique were to introduce improvisation from day 1, to teach the skills of pulse, rhythm and groove, and to insist on working by ear as well as from notation. All our repertoire lists also included new writing in contemporary styles, alongside simple but authentic arrangements of standards and 12 bar blues. Both creation and recreation were embedded into the assessment process, such that each candidate had to improvise a total of 6 times in their exam.

The ABRSM’s jazz exams have been going now for over 25 years. We gave them a new jazz boat, new jazz oars, and taught them how to row. Looking back, As a result of our change-making work, thousands of kids and adults that had previously no opportunity are now playing jazz. That change continues.