Rockschool is the leading accredited provider of rock and pop exams worldwide. We believe that anyone can get a recognised qualification by playing the music they love. Our qualifications cover the principal rock instruments as well as including many other areas of study including music composition, music technology, performance skills, digital synthesis and music business skills.
We are committed to making music examinations practical, flexible and fun. With a wealth of musical, academic and industry experience in the company you can be confident that a Rockschool qualification is vocational, structured and interesting for students and teachers alike.
In the Beginning
Music educator Norton York and his playing partner Simon Pitt founded Rockschool in 1991. They realised that rock musicians were not being offered the same access to qualifications and training as classical musicians were and that this could and should be remedied.
In 1993 Rockschool launched the very first integrated rock music graded music exams for electric guitar, bass and drums. Since then the company and the syllabuses have grown and developed to cover piano, vocals, higher level diplomas, vocational qualifications and band based keyboards.
Accreditation
Rockschool has been an independently accredited awarding organisation in the UK since 2002. Rockschool is accredited by all four UK countries (England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland) and is the only graded music awarding organisation to have such comprehensive accreditation. Grade Exams, 6, 7 and 8 across each syllabus, are worth UCAS points.
Qualifications
Our qualifications cover a range of instruments and skills - all with the objective of helping candidates to be the best musician they can. From graded music exams to higher level diplomas, Rockschool is continually introducing new practical qualifications to help the musician of today. In-depth details for all the qualifications can be found on our qualifications page.
Books
Rockschool grade books are groundbreaking in the support and information they provide to candidates and teachers. With every new syllabus Rockschool responds to changes in the industry and teaching by providing extra support, information and most importantly, great new tunes.
Each grade book, across all instruments, contains everything a candidate needs to sit a Rockschool grade or performance exam:
- Professional audio (full mixes and backing tracks)
- Standard notation, (plus TAB for Guitar and Bass)
- Supporting materials
- Technical requirements for the exam
- Guru's hints and tips
To support our grade books we also produce companion guides for each instrument. Each teaching companion contains examples of unseen pieces that students will encounter in the exams, examples of general musicianship questions and hints and tips for taking the exams. The companion guides are an essential tool for teachers and cover Grades 1-8 for each instrument, and Entry Level 3 (Debut) - Grade 5 for Band Based Keys.
The incredibly popular Hot Rock series for drums covers artists such as Oasis, Metallica, Muse and ACDC. Each book has an examination version of the track, full transcript and professional audio. Perfect for any candidate wanting to do a free choice piece in their exam.
More information at http://www.rockschool.co.uk/