Preparatory Rudiments

This is the first post of a series on the new 2009 RCM Theory Syllabus. I’m hoping to highlight the changes that have been made and include some observations in relation to my online classes.

I was just studying the new 2009 theory syllabus and noticed that included in the front of the syllabus is a new exam entitled Preparatory Rudiments. It covers a subset of the Basic Rudiments requirements, including pitch, rhythm, scales, intervals, and triads.

There is no book (that I’m aware of) that covers these requirements exclusively, but all of this material can be found in any basic theory book. There is no pre-requisite for this level of study, and the exam is not a co-requisite for any level of RCM study.

So what is its purpose? My thoughts are that it doesn’t serve a great purpose for students in the RCM system who are on the road through the Rudiments requirements. The Basic Rudiments requirements are not so taxing that a student needs a stepping stone to manage them (unless they are very young, in which case a 1-hr exam may not be a good idea anyway).

I do see a purpose for this exam, however. This is a great set of requirements for those who know little about music but wish they did. Perhaps a church choir member who wants to read music? Or a parent who is trying to help their child practice their piano lesson at home? The requirement set is manageable in a few lessons and would make a helpful introduction to the topic of music reading and comprehension.

I haven’t yet packaged this into a course. But I can see a future “Introduction to Music Reading” class coming up. Let me know if you’re interested.