RCM Preparation
Classical • Jazz • Pop • Blues
The Royal Conservatory in Toronto
Royal Conservatory of Music
RCM Exam Preparation
Experience one of the top names in music certification from one of the top schools in North America. Merriam’s unique ability to give students more stage time, in front of real audiences, makes us one of the most effective preparation pathways for RCM examinations.
Add to that our 100+ teachers, many of whom are RCM graduates themselves with decades of experience in preparing students in a fun and effective way for the examination process.
Merriam School of Music
RCM Offerings
In addition to their examination system and community music school, the RCM also offers education through The Glenn Gould School, a certificate-granting post-secondary school within the RCM focused on high-achieving classical music performers in a variety of instruments and traditions.
They also offer advanced training for younger musicians, similar to Merriam Enriched, called the Phil and Eli Taylor Performing Academy for Young Artists.
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Prepare For The RCM Exams
Royal Conservatory of Music Exams
The Royal Conservatory of Music is a Canadian leading international music institution based in Toronto, located at their historical teaching campus at 273 Bloor Street West, M5S 1W2. It was founded in 1886 and originally known as The Toronto Conservatory of Music.
Their newly-renovated landmark performing arts facility (named Telus Centre for Performance and Learning) contains Koerner Hall, the principal concert hall celebrated for its architecture and acoustics; The Glenn Gould School; the Phil and Eli Taylor Performing Academy for Young Artists; and is also home to the Arc ensemble. The facility is adjacent to the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Toronto’s St. George Campus.
The RCM is best known for their extensive syllabus and examination systems – referred to collectively as the RCM Certificate Program. They regularly publish a curated set of classical music repertoire books alongside their extensive series of examination programs.
The organization is lead by Dr. Peter Simon. More recently, their community music school based in downtown Toronto announced that they had changed their name from The Royal Conservatory School to the Oscar Peterson School of Music.
They operate on the philosophy that learning through the arts enables higher levels of human potential, and much of their current marketing material is in support of the same.
The Royal Conservatory of Music counts numerous Grammy award and Juno award winners amongst its graduates, although in nearly all cases, these individuals have merely passed the RCM’s exams, not attended any educational courses offered by the RCM’s various professional or community music school programs.
Industry Leading Music Lessons
#1 Name In Music Education
Taking RCM exams here at the Merriam School of Music is a match made in heaven. Everything that makes us the top destination for music lessons – our stages, studios, curriculum, and most of all our numerous and varied performance opportunities for students – also makes our students more successful and confident when taking an RCM exam.
Since the RCM is not a teaching method and doesn’t mandate any specific pedagogical approach, anyone can technically offer teaching services to prepare students for RCM exams. While this can offer parents a lot of choice, it can also create confusion amongst families who assume that a teacher offering RCM exam prep has specific training, or will be using specialized lesson structures.
RCM Syallabus Guide
RCM Syllabus & Exam Guide
The RCM publishes a helpful online guide to their exam system, and includes information on how and when to apply, as well as the range of exams available. This information is also available through our teaching staff for students currently at the school. The exam and syllabus resources are collectively referred to now as the Certificate Program.
The RCM Syllabus is available online or through most bookstores, including Merriam Books. It is a detailed collection of all of the requirements for each practical (playing) exam that the RCM administers. This includes repertoire selections, technical requirements, dates, and application procedures.
Piano Exams
RCM Examinations
The RCM administers exams and publishes exam materials and repertoire across many instruments, however, the piano has the highest number of participants by a large margin. RCM Exams have become almost synonymous in Ontario with piano lessons since their use is so widespread.
There are pros and con’s to the high level of use of the RCM exam system within the amateur teaching community. Proponents of the RCM system rightly point out that it is an excellent curation of piano music, and that few systems in the world have done a better job of collecting, preparing, and staggering the repertoire into discernable levels of difficulty.
Royal Conservatory of Books
RCM Music Books
The RCM publishes materials through their own publishing company, the Frederick Harris Music Co. These include examination preparation materials, repertoire, and theory companion materials. They are available at fine book stores throughout Canada, as well as Merriam Books.
Royal Conservatory of Music books are available for sale through Merriam Books – both online and in person.
The Merriam Curriculum
A Complete Music Education
Students at Merriam don’t just learn differently. Their entire experience is broader and more engaging. They learn creativity and free expression while building confidence, self-esteem, and friendships. It all begins in the classroom, but where it takes them, goes far beyond.
"Our mission and purpose is to help foster and inspire creative, connected, and well-rounded lives with the power of music."
- Alan Merriam, President of Merriam Music
Common Questions & Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
How many grades is a Royal Conservatory piano?
There are technically 10 ‘grades’ within their system, but the entire journey is actually 13 levels or stratas of difficulty. For piano students, there is Preparatory A and Preparatory B, then Grades 1-10, and finally the ARCT certificate.
What are the requirements to take the Royal Conservatory piano exam?
Generally speaking, anyone can take any exam of the RCM provided that they complete the registration process. Grades are frequently skipped, and students can also take breaks from the exams from year to year.
In order to achieve the full certificates for higher level grades, both the practical (playing) exams as well as supporting Theory and History courses must be completed.
What is Royal Conservatory piano?
Students who are ‘in’ Royal Conservatory piano are typically enrolled in their examination system, and learning from a teacher whose primary focus is the passing of those exams. Since the RCM does not mandate any specific teaching style, but merely the standards which must be met to pass their tests, students’ experience with RCM varies greatly.
Teachers who choose to use the RCM to curate repertoire and use their exams as one of many long-term goals, but still focus on comprehensive musicianship and the engagement of their students have achieved the best results, whether independently, or with schools like Merriam.
Who owns the Royal Conservatory of Music?
The Royal Conservatory of Music is a private not-for-profit organization administered by a Board of Governors, and currently lead by Dr. Peter Simon. It has received sizable public grant funds but is not an agency of any level of government.
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