Requirements

Piano Repertoire
Piano Applied Technique
Sample Theory Tests

Piano Repertoire

Repertoire that students are playing for Achievement Day has fallen under greater scrutiny by our judges in recent years. Also, we continuously add new teachers who are not certain as to what our guidelines are for acceptable and appropriate repertoire. Therefore, it is essential that we all understand what repertoire is and is not acceptable for adjudication in Achievement Day.

Repertoire MUST be original piano compositions. This simply means the piece must have been written for the piano originally. This would exclude the following:

NO Piano transcriptions of symphony movements…examples: Ode to Joy, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, Haydn’s Surprise Symphony and others
NO Folk songs…Examples: Go Tell Aunt Rhody, Yankee Doodle, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Hot Cross Buns, Peirrott, Frere Jacques, When the Saints Go Marching In, Camptown Races, and others
NO Hymns, Spirituals, Gospels…Examples: Any hymn or hymn arrangement, Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
NO Broadway or Pop Tunes…Examples: Any Broadway songs, any Disney selections, any current songs from “pop or rock” artists
NO simplified classical repertoire…Examples: Any simplified classics that the music companies publish to make the classics more “reachable” for pianists; for example, Moonlight Sonata must be in its original form and original key.
NO cuts in standard repertoire…Example: Fur Elise must be performed in its entire rondo form, not simply the A section or main theme.

For young students, if you are choosing repertoire out of method books, you must make certain it was originally written for teaching. Anything listed above would not fall into that category. However, there is much original music available that is superb for auditions. Each method publisher has extensive listings of supplemental books and sheet music. This is a far better resource from which to pull for student auditions. Judges generally would prefer to see a standard of repertoire above that of simply the method books. (This in turn may help your student achieve a higher score.)

Applied Technique for Piano

J
I
H
G
F
E
D
C
B
A
Level:

Level A	Required Major Keys: C, G, F
Scales	One octave hands separately. Minimum speed: quarter note = 60
Chords	Tonic chords, root position only
Intervals	Played from the keynote as they occur in the scale
Level B	Required Major Keys: C, G, D, A, E, F
Scales	One octave hands separately. Minimum speed: quarter note = 60
Chords	Tonic (I), Subdominant (IV), Dominant (V), root position only
Cadences	I - V (V7) - I
Intervals	Played from the keynote as they occur in the scale
Level C	Required Major Keys: C, G, D, A, E, F Harmonic Minor Keys: a, e, d
Scales	One octave, hands together. Minimum speed: quarter note = 60
Chords	Tonic (I), Subdominant (IV), Dominant (V), root position and inversions, hands separately. Root position only of chords in required minor keys.
Cadences	I - IV - I - V (V7) - I in required Major keys only
Intervals	Played from the keynote as they occur in the scale
Level D	Required Major Keys: C, G, D, A, E, B, F Harmonic Minor Keys: a, e, b, d
Scales	Two octaves, hands separately. Minimum speed: quarter note = 60
Chords	Tonic (I), Subdominant (IV), Dominant (V), root position and inversions, hands separately. Dominant seventh (V7) in root position only
Cadences	I - IV - I - V (V7) - I in required keys
Intervals	Played from the keynote as they occur in the scale
Tonic Arpeggios	C, G, a, e; two octaves, hands separately
Level E	Required Major Keys: C, G, D, A, E, B, F, Bb, Eb Harmonic Minor Keys: a, e, b, d, g, c
Scales	Two octaves, hands separately. Minimum speed: quarter note = 60
Chords	Tonic (I), Subdominant (IV), Dominant (V), root position and inversions, hands separately. Dominant seventh (V7) in root position only
Cadences	I - IV - I - V (V7) - I in required keys
Intervals	Played from the keynote as they occur in the scale
Tonic Arpeggios	White keys only, two octaves hands separately
Level F	Required Major Keys: C, G, D, A, E, B, F, Bb, Eb, Ab Harmonic Minor Keys: a, e, b, d, g, c, f
Scales	Two octaves, hands together. Minimum speed: quarter note = 60
Chords	Primary chords in root position and inversions, hands together; Dominant 7ths in root position, hands together
Cadences	Played in all required keys
Intervals	Played from the keynote as they occur in the scale
Tonic Arpeggios	Two octaves, hands separately
Level G	Required Major Keys: All; Harmonic Minor Keys: a, e, b, d, g, c, f, and student's choice of two black key minors
Scales	Two octaves, hands together. Minimum speed: quarter note = 60
Chords	Primary chords in root position and inversions, hands together; Dominant 7ths in root position, hands together
Cadences	Played in all required major keys and all white key minors
Intervals	Played from the keynote; change major to minor and augmented, and perfect intervals to diminished and augmented
Tonic Arpeggios	Two octaves, hands together
Level H	Required Major Keys: All; Harmonic Minor Keys: a, e, b, d, g, c, f, and student's choice of three black key minors
Scales	Two octaves, hands together. Minimum speed: quarter note = 72
Chords	Primary chords in root position and inversions, hands together; Dominant 7ths in root position, hands together
Cadences	All keys
Intervals	Played from the keynote; change major to minor and augmented, and perfect intervals to diminished and augmented
Tonic Arpeggios	Two octaves, hands together
Level I	Required Major Keys: All; Harmonic Minor Keys: a, e, b, d, g, c, f, and student's choice of four black key minors
Scales	Three octaves, hands together
Chords	Primary chords in root position and inversions, hands together; Change major triads to minor, diminished or augmented; Dominant 7ths in root position, hands together
Cadences	All keys
Intervals	Played from the keynote; change major to minor and augmented, and perfect intervals to diminished and augmented
Tonic Arpeggios	Three octaves, hands together
Level J	Required Major Keys: All; Harmonic Minor Keys: All
Scales	Four octaves, hands together
Chords	Primary chords in root position and inversions, hands together; Change major triads to minor, diminished or augmented; Dominant 7ths in root position, hands together
Cadences	All keys
Intervals	Played from the keynote; change major to minor and augmented, and perfect intervals to diminished and augmented
Tonic and Dominant Arpeggios	Four octaves, hands together

Sample Theory Tests

These sample tests are examples of the types of questions and the materials that will appear on the tests. The actual tests may be in a different format.