Australian Music Examinations Board
| Abbreviation | AMEB |
|---|---|
| Established | 1887 |
| Legal status | Charity[1] |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia |
| Owners | University of Melbourne New South Wales Government University of Western Australia University of Adelaide Queensland Government Tasmanian Government[2] |
| Website | https://ameb.edu.au |
The Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) is a federated, privately funded charity which provides the most extensive and recognised program of examinations for music, speech and drama in Australia.[3][4]
Purpose
The Board has its origins in the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music where a system of public music examinations was established in 1887. Further work culminated in the formal creation of the nationwide Australian Music Examinations Board in 1918.[5][6]
The AMEB develops and delivers examinations for music, theory, speech, drama and dance.
The organisation consists of a federation of branches in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory and Tasmania. There is a national office whose board consists of a representative from each state board.
Examinations cover a large range of skill levels from a "preliminary" grade suitable for very young children through to academic degree-level diplomas, including the Associate in Music (AMusA), the Licentiate in Music (LMusA), and ultimately the Fellowship in Music (FMusA), a diploma that is often conferred on an honorary basis to musical luminaries.
History
With the advent of television in Australia through the 1960s, the AMEB pioneered a series of televised lectures by composer and pianist Frank Hutchens beginning in 1963.[7]
In 2016 the AMEB introduced its first syllabus in musical theatre.[8]
The Board celebrated its centenary in 2018.[9] In the same year it began operating internationally in 2018 when it reached an agreement with the Vietnam National Academy of Music. This program resulted in Australian teachers and examiners travelling to Vietnam to train staff on the AMEB teaching and assessment model.[10][11]
In the 2020s the AMEB expanded its use of 'generalist' examiners to assess and grade students to more senior levels, rather than employing players of the instrument being examined. Some music teachers and professionals objected to these changes.[12]
References
- ↑ "Australian Music Examinations Board Limited". ACNC Register. Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "AMEB | Past Present Future". AMEB. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Home | Australian Music Examinations Board | The University of Western Australia". www.uwa.edu.au. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Alexandra (20 February 2015). "Music teachers outraged over CDs replacing accompanists". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "Australian Music Examinations Board (Vic) Ltd - Organisation - The University of Melbourne Perpetual Calendar". umpc.esrc.unimelb.edu.au. The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "About AMEB | Elder Conservatorium of Music and School of Performing Arts | Adelaide University". adelaide.edu.au. University of Adelaide. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "Frank Hutchens: AMEB lecture "Music Which Tells a Story"". ABC Classic. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Cathcart, Presented byMichael (16 November 2015). "AMEB introduces Musical Theatre syllabus". ABC Radio National.
- ↑ "Reception to Celebrate the Centenary of the Australian Music Examinations Board". Government House Queensland. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "Australian Music Examinations Board to export exams". ABC Classic. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "AMEB signs historic agreement with Vietnam". Limelight. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Dollery, Rebecca; Mercer, Daniel (29 November 2025). "Parents lose faith in music exam system with specialists scarce in regions". ABC News. Retrieved 16 July 2026.