We’ve been working over the past three years on piloting music assessment for the Clarion with ABRSM, the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music. This involved Open Orchestras musicians playing in front of examiners, and National Open Youth Orchestra Clarion player Alessandro demonstrating the capabilities of his instrument to them too.
From September 2024, ABRSM Open Music Assessment will be open to Clarion players. This a significant landmark in ABRSM’s 130-year history of assessing musical performance and inspiring musical achievement. We’re incredibly proud that the Clarion is the first-ever digital instrument recognised by ABRSM.
The ABRSM Open Music Assessment gives musicians at any level the chance to have their playing or singing assessed by an examiner in a face-to-face setting. The examiner listens to their performance and provides an independent evaluation, with no pass or fail and no marks awarded. At the end of the assessment, the examiner provides a certificate which includes their comments about the performance.
James Welburn, ABRSM Deputy Head of Engagement says: “The Open Music Assessment is flexible and accessible – musicians can choose what they want to play or sing and receive constructive and objective feedback from an ABRSM examiner. With its inclusion in our Open Music Assessment, the Clarion is the first electronic musical instrument to be assessed by ABRSM and we’re excited by the opportunities that this will create for Clarion players across the UK. Having developed this offer alongside Open Up Music and with Clarion players taking part in pilot exam visits over the last year, we know there is an appetite among Clarion players to have their musical performances assessed and their achievements celebrated and recognised.
We’re delighted to continue this important work alongside the brilliant team at Open Up Music and will be actively looking for ways to develop the Clarion further, both through this assessment and by commissioning new music written specifically for the instrument.”
We hope many Clarion players will rise to the challenge of having their music heard and assessed in the coming years. Young musicians who took part in the pilot came out very proud of their achievement!
