Legendary Indian rock band Parikrama have endorsed the groundbreaking new Rock & Pop exams from leading music exam board Trinity College London. The band, which plays classic rock music fused with Indian instruments and have been around for 20 years, will perform at a Showcase Rock & Pop Event in Mumbai on 2 June, at the PALM Expo, at the NSE Grounds, Goregaon. Additional concerts will be held in other parts of the country during the course of the year.
Subir Malik, on behalf of Parikrama, said: “It in indeed an honour to be associated with Trinity College London and its fantastic new syllabus which we are very excited to perform in public. We are absolutely sure that this association will immensely benefit both Parikrama and Trinity. We look forward to years and years of association.”
Students in numerous countries around the world can now enter for Trinity’s Rock & Pop exams. A wide range of support resources can be found on the website www.trinityrock.com. These include videos featuring professional musicians explaining and demonstrating some of the technical skills students will master as they learn the music in the syllabus, which ranges from the Rolling Stones to Rihanna. The music is available in new songbooks which include hints, tips, background information and a CD with backing and demo tracks.
The first ever Rock & Pop exam took place in the UK on Friday 18 May. Self-taught bassist Ben Godwin sat his Grade 2 Bass exam at Sutton Music Centre, and said he felt very privileged to be the first candidate to take one of the exams. “I was very pleased with my experience of my Rock & Pop exam. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to perform and I think the song choices are excellent” Godwin said.
The exams, for students of guitar, bass, drums, vocals and keyboards, reflect the creative way in which rock and pop musicians learn – through the performance of great music. The extensive graded song lists feature a wide range of artists from Pink Floyd, David Bowie and the Kinks to Radiohead, Kings of Leon and Jessie J.
Designed for musicians teaching themselves as well as those taking lessons, the exams will develop the confidence and skills of students playing for fun as well as those with ambitions of a career in the music industry.
The new songbooks are currently available up to Grade 5, and can be ordered through music retailers and the Rock & Pop online store. Each book includes sheet music for six songs, a CD with professionally recorded backing and demo tracks, information about session skills and much more. Download packages for individual songs are also available from the online store. The books for Grades 6-8 will be released in September.
Chief Executive Sarah Kemp said: “We are extremely excited that exam sessions are now taking place. The syllabus has been designed to offer a progressive framework for learning with performance and individuality at its centre – musicians can learn technical skills through playing a wide range of music but are also encouraged to perform original songs in their exam. This allows musicians to tailor their exam to their strengths and talents and to reflect their individual goals and ambitions.”
Trinity College London’s Rock & Pop syllabus and supporting publications have been devised and produced in association with Faber Music and Peters Edition London.
For more information about the Rock & Pop syllabus visit www.trinityrock.com.
