Essential Music Theory: Grade 5

There are limited spaces available on this course. Please join our waiting list and we will contact you if a place is available.

• Please note that accommodation in Sundial Court isn't available in 2024.
• For our Terms and Conditions, please click here.

Participants will be put into groups based on their age where possible.

Ages 11+ 

Course Dates & Times

Easter Course
Monday 8 – Friday 12 April 2024
10am–4pm 

Summer Course
Monday 22 – Friday 26 July 2024
10am–4pm 

About Essential Music Theory: Grade 5

This five-day course is ideal if you are preparing for the ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory exam and/or want to improve your knowledge of music theory. The course draws upon intuitive musical understanding and focuses on stave notation. The syllabus will also provide you with a foundation for more advanced music theory studies.

ABRSM music theory exams are now taking place online. Please check the ABRSM website for information. (Please note exam entry is not included in the course fee and exam entries are not administered by Guildhall School.)

Who is the course for?

• Anyone aged 11 and over with knowledge of ABRSM Grade 3 Music Theory, or the equivalent, preparing for the ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory exam and/or wanting to improve their knowledge of music theory.
• There is no upper age limit on this course. We encourage and welcome participants from all ages 11 and over.

What can I expect?

The classes offer collective demonstrations and discussion, alternating with increasing elements of individual work and 1-1 attention as the course proceeds.

Collective lessons are given in three broad topic areas:

• Time: understanding the notation of durations, metre and rhythm
• Pitch: understanding the notation of steps, intervals and patterns, tonality and harmony
• Sound and sense: understanding terminology, concepts, instruments and voices

Some of the activities will be online, but most exercises involve writing within the required publications and on manuscript paper.

Do I need anything for the course?

• Manuscript paper
• Pencil
• Pencil sharpener
• Eraser

The material used for individual work will be taken from the publications below. Please ensure you have purchased the following workbooks prior to the course:

Workbooks

• Discovering Music Theory, The ABRSM Grade 4 Workbook
• Discovering Music Theory, The ABRSM Grade 5 Workbook

It is also essential to purchase un-worked sample papers, chosen from the list below.  We would suggest one at the Grade 4 level and two or three at the Grade 5 level, depending on your individual needs.

Sample papers

• ABRSM Music Theory Sample Papers Grade 4
• ABRSM - More Music Theory Sample Papers, ABRSM Grade 4
• Music Theory Practice Papers 2021 - Grade 4 - ABRSM
• ABRSM Music Theory Sample Papers Grade 5
• ABRSM - More Music Theory Sample Papers, ABRSM Grade 5
• Music Theory Practice Papers 2021 - Grade 5 - ABRSM
• Music Theory Practice Papers 2022 G4 - ABRSM 
• Music Theory Practice Papers 2022 G5 - ABRSM

Course Fee

£450

Participation Bursaries are available for this course. Please note the application deadline for participation bursaries is 29 April 2024.

There are limited spaces available on this course. Please join our waiting list and we will contact you if a place is available.

• Please note that accommodation in Sundial Court isn't available in 2024.
• For our Terms and Conditions, please click here.

Participants will be put into groups based on their age where possible.

Eligibility

• For everyone aged 11 and over. There is no upper age limit on this course. We encourage and welcome participants from all ages 11 and over.
• A good grasp of Music Theory to ABRSM Grade 3 level. This is based on self-assessment using the ABRSM online GR3 sample paper as a guide. See: ABRSM: Exam preparation resources.
• Participants must have sufficient English language skills to cope with course demands.

About the Course Tutor

The course is taught by pianist Andrew Bottrill, professor at Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Primarily a pianist, Andrew Bottrill enjoys a variety of occupations in music.  After many years teaching at the Royal College of Music he is now based at Guildhall School, and Head of Keyboard at Latymer Upper School.  His four-hand duo with Zrinka Bottrill appears regularly in the UK and Croatia, to some considerable acclaim in the international press.  Through this and his educational work he has amassed a catalogue of compositions and arrangements that are yet to be published.

His studies with Edith Vogel and James Gibb resulted in winning all the major  Guildhall School piano prizes, together with the Premier Prix Concert Recital Diploma, success in the Dudley Piano Competition, and appearances for the Park Lane Group and the Kirckman Concert Society.  He also has an MA in music education from the University of London.  He recently published a substantial collection of Edith Vogel recordings from her broadcasts, and two articles about her artistic legacy.