The Australian Music Examinations Board will offer the the new syllabus from 2016.

The Australian Music Examinations Board has announced the launch of a new musical Theatre syllabus, which will be in effect from the end of 2015. It will also be publishing a series of supporting materials including Grade books from Preliminary through to Grade 4, a technical work book covering Preliminary through to Grade 8, and a set of recorded accompaniments for Preliminary to Grade 3.

This is the first time the AMEB has offered an examinations syllabus dedicated to musical theatre, which has been introduced “in response to public demand from students and teachers.” The new syllabus, which has been devised by an expert panel of teachers and musical theatre experts, will not only offer a broad range of musical theatre repertoire, but also a programme of dedicated technical work, focusing on developing the various vocal techniques essential to musical theatre singers. These will be assessed using custom-composed vocalises in typical musical theatre styles appropriate to the specific grade level, that will not only help students develop their technique, but will also promote vocal safety and an appropriate rate of development.

In contrast to the core classical syllabuses, which often feature commissioned pieces written specifically for educational purposes, the repertoire selections for the musical theatre syllabus will be entirely made up from existing musical theatre songs, even at the earliest levels. The AMEB has also pledged to offer a great breadth of repertoire choices, from the most famous musical theatre hits to lesser-known, more obscure gems.

Examinations from preliminary level up to Grade 8 and Associate and Licentiate (the highest levels offered by AMEB) will be available.