Please review the summary listing below which show what’s taught at each grade on the drums and the objective criteria’s that students should become familiar with whilst having classes with us. The topics below are commonly additional objectives that aid with ability and will be taught in your staff training (not required for Grade exams, but instead offer additional tuition that we expect you to teach students to improve their musical ability)
Official governing body for drum exams is Rockschool. All students are encouraged to take their grade exams on-site via a video recorded exam with upper management.
Grade 1
Beats
- Play to click tracks
- Play a 4 beat
- Play an 8 beat
- Play a 16 beat
- Play a basic 4 beat bar fill using eight and sixteenth notes (no rests)
Technical Exercises (Rudiments)
- Learn how to play single roll and paradiddle rudiments
- Be able to continuously play single stroke rolls at speed for 60 seconds (70bpm) eight notes
- Play eights and sixteenths for singles, doubles, and paradiddles at 70 bpm onsnare
Theory
- Sight read one bar with quarters and eighths on snare at 80 bpm
- Learn what a measure is and other basic music structure
- Learn what BPM and time signature represents in music
- Learn what each note and rest value mean (quarters and 8ths)
- Learn how to play basic fills every 4 or 8 bars 70 bpm
- Ear test one bar with quarters and eighths on snare at 80 bpm
- Groove recall with kick, snare, and hi-hat (2 bars using quarters and eighths)(75 bpm)
- Be able to identify drum kit instruments on the music stave
- Understand what dynamics are
- Know all names of each part of the drum kit
Grade Exam
- 3 performance pieces (two of which may be free choice pieces)
- Technical exercises
- Sight reading or improvisation & interpretation (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- Ear Tests (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- General Musicianship Questions (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
Grade 2
Beats
- Incorporate hi-hat pedal on the beat (Dog barks or clicks)
- Fill using eighth, sixteenth, and eighth triplet (75bpm)
- Learn what an offbeat is
Technical Exercises (Rudiments)
- Expand on single and diddle rudiments (double stroke technique: one hit two bounces) (BPM doubles are in 8th notes)
- Introduce buzz rolls (indefinite buzz rolls)
- Introduce what a flam and drag are (left- and right-hand flams included)
- Introduce Triplets
- Be able to continuously play single stroke roles at speed for 120 seconds
- Start learning rudiments and foot patterns at teachers’ discretion
- Be able to play accented paradiddles, singles, flams (qtrs), and eighth note triplets on snare (70 bpm)
Theory
- Sight read one bar with quarters and eighths and sixteenths (and equivalent rests) on snare at 75 bpm
- Improvise with just kick snare and hi-hat at 75 bpm
- Ear test one bar with quarters, eights, sixteenths, and quarter rests on snare at(80 bpm)
- Groove recall with kick, snare, and hi-hat (open and closed) (Listen and replay/write on the stave (75 bpm))
- Start to incorporate dynamics while playing and not changing tempo
Grade Exam
- 3 performance pieces (two of which may be free choice pieces)
- Technical exercises
- Sight reading or improvisation & interpretation (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- Ear Tests (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- General Musicianship Questions (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
Grade 3
Beats
- Starting to apply beats to drum-less backing tracks
Technical Exercises (Rudiments)
- Play a triplet on snare, incorporate accents
- Start learning rolls and looking at what this would look like on the stave
- Start incorporating beating foot on the “pulse” when playing rudiments.
- Continue to refine technique.
- Be able to play singles at 75 bpm (eighth, eighth triplet, and sixteenth notes) 75bpm
- Double Strokes eighth and sixteenth (75bpm)
- Paradiddles with accent on snare or toms (75bpm)
- Improvise own drumbeat + fill which include flams, ghost notes and rolls(75bpm)
- Triplets (Accents on snares and toms) 75 (bpm)
Theory
- Recalling drum fills from ear
- Ear test one bar with quarters, eights, eight triplets, sixteenths, and quarterrests on snare at (80 bpm)
- Groove recall from teacher’s drum beat with kick, snare, hi-hat and crash(open and closed) (2 bars using quarters eighths and sixteenths and quarter andeighth rests) (75 bpm)
- Learn what dotted notes mean
- Start improvising fills to backing tracks. 70-80 bpm
- Sight read one bar with quarters and eighths and sixteenths (and equivalentrests) on snare at 80 bpm
- Improvise with just kick snare hi-hat and crash at 80 bpm
Grade Exam
- 3 performance pieces (two of which may be free choice pieces)
- Technical exercises
- Sight reading or improvisation & interpretation (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- Ear Tests (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- General Musicianship Questions (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
Grade 4
Beats
- Fill at 80BPM
- Learn and use different parts of the drum kit to make different sounds
Technical Exercises (Rudiments)
- Have sight-read 40 rudiments
- Single and Double strokes (eighths, sixteenths, eighth triplets) 80 bpm
- Paradiddles singles (triple paradiddles) sixteenth notes (80bpm)
- Be able to create an original drum beat and successfully incorporate rim shotsand cross sticks (80bpm)
- Hands and feet playing sixteenth notes and eight triplets (BPM)
Theory
- Ear test one bar with quarters, eights, eight triplets, sixteenths, quarter and eight rests on snare at (80 bpm)
- Groove recall with all drums from the teacher’s beat (2 bars using quarters, eighths and sixteenth notation + quarter and eighth note rests) (75 bpm)
- Know the difference between an 8th, 16th and 32nd notation and triplet notation on the stave.
- Apply 8th, 16th and triplet rests period in your very own drumbeat.
- Learn what a ghost note is and its purpose in music
- Start to increase speed, endurance, and maintain proper technique with thebasic rudiments
- Understand coda’s, repeats, dynamic notation
Grade Exam
- 3 performance pieces (two of which may be free choice pieces)
- Technical exercises
- Sight reading or improvisation & interpretation (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- Ear Tests (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- General Musicianship Questions (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
Grade 5
Beats
- Fill at 80 BPM
- Homework: To have learnt how to play the drums to a song of the student’schoice (80bpm)
- Memorised a piece of music longer than 60 bars.
Technical Exercises (Rudiments)
- Singles, doubles, paradiddles, triplets, flams and ruffs/drags 85 BPM
- Other rudiments at 75bpm
- Start learning rudiments and foot patterns at teachers’ discretion
- Single and Double strokes (eighths, sixteenths, eighth triplets) 80 bpm
- Paradiddles singles and (triple paradiddles) sixteenth notes (90bpm)
- Hands and feet playing sixteenth notes and eight triplets (BPM)
- 5 stroke roll phases
Theory
- Ear test one bar with quarters, eights, dotted eights, eight triplets, sixteenths, quarter and eight rests on snare at (80 bpm)
- Grove recalls with all drums (open and closed) 2 bars using quarters eighths, eight triplets, dotted eighths and sixteenths and quarter and eighth rests (80- 120 bpm)
- Refine technique
- Be able to distinguish the difference between a verse, pre-chorus, bridge, and outro
Grade Exam
- 3 performance pieces (two of which may be free choice pieces)
- Technical exercises
- Sight reading or improvisation & interpretation (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- Ear Tests (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- General Musicianship Questions (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
Grade 6
Beats
- Continuous Cycle of drum fill at 80 BPM
Technical Exercises (Rudiments)
- Singles, doubles, paradiddles, triplets, flams and ruffs/drags 120 BPM
- Other rudiments at 70bpm
- Play single stroke rolls at a BPM of 200
- Single and Double strokes (eighth triplets, sixteenth, sixteenth triplets) 140 bpm
- All diddle rudiments sixteenth notes (80bpm)
- All ratamacue rudiments (80bpm)
- Rolls open and closed (80) bpm
- Hands and feet playing sixteenth notes and eight triplets (80 BPM)
Theory
- Recall of groove and fills learnt (Be able to memorise 2x 3-month drum packs) = 12 drumbeats
- Intro to polyrhythms
- Start keeping a rudiment log, just like a gym log to start tracking progression.What rudiments have you learnt?
- Be able to watch the teacher play a drum beat and correctly write this beatonto a stave (Using correct notation value also)
- Refining techniques including fingers, wrists, and arms
- Improvise to drum less tracks
- Study (Rock, Jazz, Latin, Blues) rhythms and be able to play each genre on demand
Grade Exam
- 3 performance pieces (two of which may be free choice pieces)
- Technical exercises
- Stylistic Studies
- Sight reading or improvisation & interpretation (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- Ear Tests (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- General Musicianship Questions (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
Grade 7
Beats
- Be able to perform a fill at 100 BPM
Technical Exercises (Rudiments)
- To have created their own drumbeats for an: intro, verse, chorus, bridge & outro
- Be able to tune each part of the drum kit in such a way that it caters to their chosen genre of music that they’ll be playing
- All diddle rudiments sixteenth notes (115bpm)
- All ratamacue rudiments (100bpm)
- Rolls open and closed (135) bpm
- Hands and feet playing sixteenth notes and eight triplets (85 BPM)
Theory
- Recall of groove and fills
- Homework: To find a song of the students choosing and create three variationsof drumbeats which can be played
- Review a drum beat which the teacher creates and learn how to play the drumbeat perfectly in 20 seconds
- Intro to odd time signatures (9/8, 5/4 7/8, 3/4)
Grade Exam
- 3 performance pieces (two of which may be free choice pieces)
- Technical exercises
- Stylistic Studies
- Sight reading or improvisation & interpretation (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- Ear Tests (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- General Musicianship Questions (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
Grade 8
Beats
- To have created their very own composition which involve other band members and direct their very own video production (Speak to teacher for further information)
Technical Exercises (Rudiments)
- Be able to pack down and set up and drum kit in 10 minutes
- To have created their very own composition (Which includes a guitar backingtrack that they’ve played)
- To learn a song of the student’s choice and play Infront of an audience
- All ratamacue rudiments (150bpm)
- To have learnt how to use various video editing software’s (e.g., premierepro) and used this to enhance homemade recordings
- Hands and feet playing sixteenth notes and eight triplets (150 BPM)
Theory
- Recall of groove and fills
- Stylistic Study (Rock, Jazz, Latin, Blues)
- Learn how to play in band situations (e.g., various cues)
- Intro to odd time signatures (9/8, 5/4 7/8, 3/4)
Grade Exam
- 3 performance pieces (two of which may be free choice pieces)
- Technical exercises
- Stylistic Studies
- Sight reading or improvisation & interpretation (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- Ear Tests (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)
- General Musicianship Questions (only required if doing an exam at the official centres in person)