New Ukulele Exams!

The Registry of Guitar Tutors (RGT) has just launched the first ever series of fully-accredited, Ofqual-regulated, exams for ukulele. RGT’s initiative means that the ukulele has now been formally recognised as being as worthy of study as any other instrument.

RGT exams are designed to be fun and enjoyable to partake in and give you a unique opportunity to display your uke playing ability. As well as gaining an internationally recognised qualification, you get to find out, via a reliable and independent assessment, what standard your uke playing really is.

The RGT exams, and handbooks, are split into five different sections with a wealth of options open to you every step of the way. This means you can focus on what you enjoy playing most, or push yourself into some more challenging playing territory. The five sections are: Rhythm Study;Performance; Free Choice Specialism; Prepared Accompaniment;Musicianship.

All in all, it's a syllabus that very much comes from the ukulele players and teachers own experiences.

RGT ukulele grade exams can be taken at over 250 exam centres across the world, or alternatively you can submit a filmed or audio recording of your playing to gain a Performance Award.

RGT ukulele exams are available for individuals, as well as an ensemble
syllabus for ukulele groups of any size.

For more information visit www.rgt.org/exams/ukulele-exams.php or call RGT
on 01424 222222.

I've used the RGT for guitar before. I like the intent behind the program.

However, I'm not thrilled with the admin. I tried to register with the organization two years ago. Paid the fees, ordered books, started teaching, and even had a friend tell me that they were contacted as a referral. Then... Nothing. Not even a how to log in or a mention on their website as an instructor. Not even a "We're Sorry..." email. Plus, any inquiry I've made has gone unanswered.

I dropped their books from my curriculum for guitar. I'll likely not be looking at their ukulele books either.

Again, having a standardized method, testing, and certification for guitar/ukulele along with a network of teachers and examiners is a good idea. It just needs to be done well and (at least from my experience) RGT isn't quite hitting the mark yet.

~Danny

OK, I'm sticking my neck out here, folks.

I think that anyone who wants to learn from someone else, should simply ask the
'Tutor' to play or sing and play something on a uke. If they like what they see and
hear, then they can ask that person to 'tutor'/teach them.

Beyond that, any other research on prospective teachers would/should be the student's
responsibility.

I suppose it's nice to have an accreditation institution, but even they will need to earn
the right to be seen/used as an authority re: the fitness of their members to actually
teach or tutor others. I suppose they could be a repository of 'tutor' videos for prospective
students to access to evaluate the skill of the tutors.

Anyway, not knowing who or what RGT is, ie their actual earned or perceived validation as
an accrediting institution, I prefer to go local or word of mouth.

But that's just me

keep uke'in',

Thanks for sharing Merv

Purpose of RGT uke exams

Hi,I don't think the purpose of the RGT uke exams is to teach but more to offer an official recognition to uke players as they reach a specified standard. This kind of recognised qualification range has been around for many years in the UK and elsewhere for all other instruments, like piano and violin and even guitar, but it's only now that the uke is getting recognised as a 'proper' instrument.
On the RGT website (www.RGT.org) it says the benefits of taking an RGT Ukulele exam are (copied from site):
Gain a useful and internationally-recognised qualification.
Find out, via a reliable and independent assessment, what standard your playing is.
Achieve your playing potential by setting yourself a clear target to aspire to.
Preparing for the exam will help you develop all aspects of your ukulele playing in a structured way.

Hi Merv, we met at the RGT conference in London a couple of weeks back.

I used the RGT Acoustic Guitar syllabus and materials to teach my guitar students in school, and I'm now using the uke ones for my uke students. I may be wrong, but I understand that in the US, taking 'grades' in instruments isn't necessarily the norm, but in the UK it is common for children to study an instrument and take exams to attain grades. They work their way up through the grades and the grades are accredited, meaning they have a value when it comes to applying to college, etc.

It seems to me that if children are taking grades in violin, flute, piano, etc. then offering ukulele is a great step forward for the instrument in terms of it being taken seriously, especially as it is quickly becoming the instrument of choice for primary school (replacing the recorder).

Of course, not everyone wants or needs to take exams, but I offer it to all of my students now. In fact, when teaching in schools, I've had parents ask about exams and accreditation, and they had previously decided to put their children in for guitar lesson and not uke lessons simply because they knew that the guitar exams had some 'educational weight'.

To Uncle Rod - It may be worth looking into RGT. They are great. Good books and top tutors. I really enjoying using their stuff in my guitar teaching. I'm yet to have a look over the uke side of things though.

hi everyone
does anyone know where I can get grade descriptors for ukulele? in other words what skills and knowledge and ability would a pupil need to be considered ata grade 1 or 2 or etc level.
j

The only grades I'm aware of for Ukulele (and I'm not a teacher or nuffink) are from the Victoria College of Music in the UK:

http://www.vcmexams.co.uk/ukulele.php

http://www.vcmexams.co.uk/pdfs/ukulele.pdf

I'd be tempted to have a go at taking myself along this path myself, but to be honest I think the process (for me at least) would suck the joy out of playing.

I had a quick look and the structure of the exams are basically what have been in existence for many years for orchestral instruments.

As Phil Doleman said above, graded exams are a way of life for school children learning an instrument. They give structure to the development of technique and provide a measure of musical development. The higher grades are also often a requirement for entering music college post school. The daughter of a friend is a professional cellist and she went through this system and to get into music college she had to have a distinction at grade 8 in cello and also (I think) a merit at grade 8 in a second instrument (in her case piano) without that she would not even have been invited for an audition.

They do have a downside, though. The exam system can result in a narrow focus whereas wider development as a musician is desired. My friends' daughter at one point was introduced to jazz by her piano teacher and he delayed her taking the higher grades and got her involved in both listening to and playing jazz in order to broaden her musical horizons although her main focus ultimately was classical music.

Many adults take the graded music exams, especially if they're interest is classical music as it provides them with a set of goals to aim for. I took recorder exams for a while and got as far as grade 4 then packed it up for the very reason Jim Avery gave above - it began to take the fun out of playing. The set pieces certainly took you out of your comfort zone but I found that I had to concentrate on them to the detriment of my wider musical interests and I found the whole business stressful and I decided it just wasn't worth putting myself through that level of stress. That said, I did take a grade 6 theory which I have found very useful. I got persuaded to do it by a tutor at the college I used to get recorder lessons at because she needed to make a minimum number for a class but I felt it would be very useful because of the level of harmony in the syllabus and that has proved to be the case.

Merv, I think you have neglected to disclose that you are the "chief examiner" for RGT.

GB-uke said:

but it's only now that the uke is getting recognised as a 'proper' instrument.

Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree. The ukulele has been recognized as a "proper" instrument for a long time. Just because you are only now recognizing it doesn't make it suddenly "proper".

I absolutely detest graded competition in musical performance. I like to play, I like to learn. But I don't want anyone slapping a label on me. I know when I suck, and I know when I play well. And, that's all I care about. Of course, I'm 70 years old, and I just don't care what anyone else thinks about anything anymore.

Hey, George, lighten up! They're only exams, and no one HAS to take them.

If you detest them, just ignore them, relax and get on with your music. ld:

Ukejenny said:

I respectfully disagree. The ukulele has been recognized as a "proper" instrument for a long time. Just because you are only now recognizing it doesn't make it suddenly "proper".

Click to expand...

Here in the UK at least, many still think it's a toy not a "proper" instrument.

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...-david-cameron-robin-grey-protester?CMP=fb_gu

With the UOGB being from GB, how in the heck can anyone who's breathing consider it a toy?
Testing ukulele talent is an interesting concept, and it's cool to know about this.
Nurses are tested regularly, and held to very exact standards. I get plenty of that at work, and have to study and take CEU courses on my own time.
I have to take courses and pass tests to be certified to sell Legal Shield to businesses.
I get enough of testing.
I don't plan on ever having a music career, I'm a hack, but I love teaching other people the basics, and how to play their first song. But I don't ever plan to take it seriously enough to be tested. I'm in it for the fun, period.