Juniors are any ages from Grade 1 to grade 3. These grades act as a scale of a student’s formative musical development: while they will receive certificates in each one, they do not count towards higher education requirements. Grade 5 acts as a gateway exam for Grades 6, 7 and 8, and introduces a theoretical element; a student cannot skip straight to Grade 6, regardless of the skill they already have. However, it is possible to start your examined musical career at Grade 5, skipping out Grades 1-4 entirely, if your initial skill level is high enough.

Grade 1 (Beginner) Music for 1st and 2nd-year players. Mainly quarter note values and longer are used, with eighth notes occasionally. A limited number of pitches used.

Grade 2 (Intermediate) More advanced than Grade 1. Uses more interesting rhythms incorporating dotted-quarter-eighth-note figures, with more pitches used than in Grade 1.

Grade 3 (Late Intermediate) Uses some sixteenth notes in addition to all other note values. Syncopation can be used. More key changes and accidentals are utilized. The grade 3 curriculum consists of the development of musical awareness through singing, playing and the inclusion of a variety of musical instruments. Within the school, we have three classes of grade three who all have a love of music and the fun that it can provide. We include recorders, drums and the Orff instruments in our classroom activities in order to develop kinaesthetic and musical abilities with all students. Students also learn many different songs and dances in order to increase their ability to differentiate between various rhythms and the beat that it is associated with.