Level 4 – Early Intermediate I
- Technique: All major scales, 2 octaves, hands together. A, E, D minor scales (natural, harmonic, melodic). Hanon #16–20. Czerny, Op. 299 ("The School of Velocity"), Book 1. Diminished and augmented triads.
- Theory: All major/minor key signatures. All simple and compound intervals. Diatonic triads in major/minor keys. Cadences: Plagal (IV−I), Deceptive (V−vi). Sixteenth notes.
- Practical Musicianship:
- Sight-Reading: Piano Adventures Sight Reading 2B. Two-hand accompaniments.
- Aural Skills: Differentiate major/minor triads. Sing major and melodic minor scales. Melodic dictation with skips of a 3rd.
- Creative Application & Artistry: Improvise over a 12-bar blues progression. Create melodies over I–vi–IV–V progressions.
- Music History & Literature: The Baroque Period (Bach, Handel). Study of the dance suite.
- Performance & Examination: Perform one Baroque and one Classical piece from memory in recital. Pass the Level 4 Academy Examination.
Sample Repertoire: Bach, Minuet in G minor; Clementi, Sonatina Op. 36, No. 1; Kuhlau, Sonatina Op. 55, No. 1; Bartók, Mikrokosmos Vol. 2.
Level 5 – Intermediate II
- Technique: All major and minor scales, 3 octaves. Chromatic scales. Major/minor root position arpeggios, 2 octaves. Hanon #21–30. Burgmüller, 25 Progressive Etudes, Op. 100.
- Theory: Triad inversions. Dominant 7th chords (V7) and inversions. Musical form: binary, ternary, rondo. Required harmonic analysis of all repertoire.
- Practical Musicianship:
- Sight-Reading: Four-part Bach chorales. Hannah Smith, Progressive Sight Reading Exercises.
- Aural Skills: Identify triad inversions and V7 chords. Rhythmic dictation with dotted rhythms.
- Creative Application & Artistry: Embellish a known melody. Improvise using Dorian and Mixolydian modes.
- Music History & Literature: The Classical Period (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven). Study of sonata-allegro form.
- Performance & Examination: Accompany a simple instrumental solo. Prepare one etude, one Bach Two-Part Invention, and one complete Classical sonatina for the Level 5 Examination.
Sample Repertoire: Bach, Two-Part Inventions (e.g., No. 1, 4, 8); Mozart, Sonata K. 545; Schumann, selections from Album for the Young; Gillock, New Orleans Nightfall.
Level 6 – Intermediate III
- Technique: Scales in contrary motion and double thirds. All major/minor arpeggios, all inversions, 4 octaves. Czerny, Op. 299, Books 2-3. Heller, Etudes, Op. 45. Introduction to octave technique.
- Theory: Secondary dominants (e.g., V/V). Modulation to closely related keys. Non-chord tones (passing tones, neighbor tones, appoggiaturas).
- Practical Musicianship:
- Sight-Reading: Transposition of simple melodies at sight (e.g., up a M2, down a m3).
- Aural Skills: Harmonic dictation (I, IV, V, vi, V/V). Sing intervals up to an octave.
- Creative Application & Artistry: Improvise in the style of Mozart. Thematic development of a 4-bar motif.
- Music History & Literature: The Romantic Period (Chopin, Schumann, Brahms). Study of the character piece.
- Performance & Examination: Play in a piano trio. Prepare one full Classical sonata, one Romantic piece, and one 20th-century piece for the Level 6 Examination.
Sample Repertoire: Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier (select preludes & fugues); Haydn, Sonata Hob. XVI:35; Chopin, Waltzes (A minor, B minor), Preludes (E minor, C minor); Debussy, Le petit nègre.
