Brass

Our Music Grade and Diploma exams are available both in digital and face-to-face formats.

Find out more about digital exams

Your performance. Your choice.

Build authentic skills
Our performance-grounded technical work and supporting tests are specifically designed to develop the skills that are specific to your instrument. A combination of unique lip flexibility and performance-led exercises, along with orchestral and brass band extracts, develop essential and authentic brass skills and techniques progressively through the grades.

Explore diverse repertoire
Discover pieces across a variety of styles and genres, from orchestral to jazz to brass band, and explore the directions you could take with your music-making.

Benefit from industry expertise
Use the syllabus, supporting books and online resources, developed with prominent brass players, to explore our exams and see where they can take you.

We offer brass exams from Initial to Grade 8. The Initial exam acts as an introduction to the exam system for new performers.

Exams are offered for a wide range of orchestral and brass band instruments: French horn, Eb tenor horn, trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, Eb soprano cornet, euphonium, baritone, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, Eb bass and Bb bass.

The Brass Syllabus 2019-2024

• Wide ranging repertoire reflecting diverse genres and styles, enabling you to develop authentic performance skills in a range of contexts including orchestral, session, jazz and brass band.
• Supporting a range of teaching approaches is at the heart of the syllabus. We realise that many students learn in groups, and so duets are an option for Initial to Grade 3 for trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, euphonium, baritone and trombone.
• Instrument-specific technical work is a hallmark of Trinity exams, enabling you to develop all the skills and techniques you need. This includes a combination of unique lip flexibility and performance-led exercises, along with orchestral extracts.
• Repertoire exam books are available for trumpet, cornet & flugelhorn for Initial to Grade 8, with downloadable recordings of the pieces played by eminent trumpet player Andrew Crowley, including with piano playalongs.

Further information

Full details (including our procedures, syllabus requirements, what to expect, and what to bring with you) can be found in our Information & Regulations.