Music Exams in India
India is a commonwealth country, and English music is quite popular in India. Musical instruments like piano, electronic keyboard, guitar, violin, drum kit and English vocals are the most popular subjects students in India learn. The British examining bodies are most popular in India, like the Trinity College London, ABRSM, London College of Music and Rockschool. Music examination boards in America, Canada, and Australia do not operate in India. Musicea Arts and Culture Council is probably the first Asian international music examination board headquartered in India. Every examination board offer some unique products, like the Musicea Arts and Culture Council is the first examination body to offer qualifications for Bollywood Vocals, Bollywood Keyboard, Bollywood Guitar and Bollywood Dance. There are boards like the Prayag Samity and Pracheen Kala Kendra that conducts examinations for Indian music. Musicea is the only qualifications board that offers Indian music assessments and western music assessments. Music exams in India are a serious affair. Both teachers and candidates prepare for it and receive good marks. For western subjects, the choice of repertoire is more exam specific than performance, making candidates unhappy as they invest a lot of time preparing for the exam. Also, the syllabi contain very little India-specific content. The advantage of Musicea is that it offers balanced Indian and western music in its repertoire. Moreover, the choice of repertoire is open and not confined to a particular book. Great professors suggest that education is beyond the scope of a book.
The scope of music exams in India is expanding with every passing year. We are living in a digital era. Online music exams are also becoming popular in India as it has several advantages. Musicea is one of the few qualification bodies that have begun conducting online exams since 2017. Musicea is probably the first council to conduct live online exams since 2017. Music exams should not be a burden. In India, English is a foreign language. Many candidates struggle to communicate in English, making the music examination a nightmare. Musicea is the first awarding body to conduct exams in dual languages. The teacher and candidate-centric offerings make Musicea a favourite amongst many. Musicea is the first council to offer qualifications for Kodály inspired children’s music for candidates under six years. Musicea also offers a Music Teacher Training Diploma for preschool and primary school music teachers. Music exams in India are now reaching the remote parts of India. The quality of performance is gradually improving. With the new education policy in place, there will be more demand for qualified music teachers in the coming years, increasing the demand for music exams in India.