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The Certificate of Practical Musicianship

awarded by

 The National College of Music, London

In 2004, the governing body of the National College of Music accepted a proposal which suggested that the musicianship of those who did not wish to take grade examinations, or were unable to do so for a number of reasons, should be recognised in a tangible form. Thus, the Certificate of Practical Musicianship was designed.

The award is offered at three levels: Junior, Intermediate and Senior. At each level, the requirements are the same, in that a candidate is required to submit a portfolio of his or her ability. The requirements are that three separate forms of musicianship should be offered, and that one of the pieces that is played must be taken from the grade examination pieces prescribed for any particular year.

A candidate entering at junior level could offer, for example, a hymn tune played by ear on the piano, a short piece on the descant recorder and a piece taken from grade 1 of the NCM’s examination syllabus, played on the relevant instrument. At Intermediate level, the requirements are the same, but the piece from the examination syllabus must be from grade 3 and for the senior award from grade 5. Any three forms of conventional music-making are acceptable for entry for this award. There are no age restrictions for entry at any level.

Portfolios should be recorded onto cassette tape or CD and must be accompanied by an entry form which must be signed by a ‘sponsor’ who is able to validate the authenticity of the work, and the appropriate fee should be enclosed.

Candidates are awarded either a pass or an ‘unclassified’ result. In the event of a pass being awarded, the student will receive a certificate from the National College of Music, showing the name of the candidate and the date on which the work was accepted as being worthy of an award.

The Certificate is organised through the Oxford Centre of the National College of Music, details of which are available from the General Secretary, Mr. Eric Hayward.
To download or print the above details, please click here (Adobe Acrobat PDF document 74kb)

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