Piano Exam, Competition & Audition Prep in Las Vegas

Graded exams, festivals, competitions and college auditions — prepared by a teacher who sits on the other side of the table. I’m Dr. Maria “Masha” Pisarenko, a concert pianist with a Doctor of Musical Arts and piano faculty at the College of Southern Nevada and Southern Utah University. I prepare students in Las Vegas for every major piano exam and competition system, and I have served as a juror myself, so I know exactly what examiners and judges listen for.

What I prepare students for

ABRSM graded exams

Practical exams from the early grades to the diploma levels: pieces, scales and arpeggios, sight-reading and aural tests, plus music theory.

RCM Certificate Program

Royal Conservatory exams at every level: repertoire, etudes, technical requirements, ear training, sight-reading and the theory co-requisites.

NFMC Festivals

National Federation of Music Clubs Junior and Adult Festivals — required and choice pieces prepared to a rating, year after year.

MTNA & local competitions

MTNA performance competitions, LVMTA events, Silver State and other Nevada competitions. My private students have placed 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention at Las Vegas competitions.

LVMTA Chase-Riecken Musicianship Exam

The Las Vegas Music Teachers Association exam: a theory test from Primer to Level 10 in the spring, then technique and repertoire played for examiners at UNLV. I prepare students for both parts: theory, scales, cadences and the pieces.

National Piano Guild auditions

Yearly non-competitive auditions where a student plays a prepared program for a judge and receives a rating and certificate. A good goal for steady progress every year.

AP Music Theory

The College Board exam for high school students: written theory, aural skills, dictation and sight-singing. See my music theory and ear training lessons.

College & conservatory auditions

Audition repertoire for music majors: choosing the right program, building it, and rehearsing it under audition conditions. I prepare piano majors for their recitals and juries at the college level.

Scholarships and recitals

Scholarship auditions and recital programs where one performance decides the result.

Exam guide: what each exam asks for, and how I prepare you

Families often ask me which exam is right and what it actually involves. Here is a short guide to the exams my students take in Las Vegas and across the United States. I prepare every part of them: the pieces, technique, sight-reading, ear training and theory.

ABRSM exams (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music)

• Practical piano grades, Initial Grade to Grade 8: three pieces, scales and arpeggios, sight-reading and aural tests.
• Performance Grades: a recorded program of pieces, judged as a performance.
• Music Theory grades 1 to 8: written theory, harmony and musical knowledge.
• Aural tests and sight-reading: singing back, clapping rhythms, recognising cadences and features of a piece; I train these as their own skill.
• Diplomas (ARSM, DipABRSM, LRSM) for advanced pianists.
• How practical grades are marked: 150 marks in total, 30 for each of the three pieces, 21 for scales and arpeggios, 21 for sight-reading and 18 for the aural tests. 100 marks is a Pass, 120 a Merit and 130 a Distinction.
• What the aural tests ask: in the early grades, clapping a rhythm, echoing a melody and noticing changes; in the higher grades, singing from notation, recognising cadences, chords and modulations, and describing the style, period and character of a piece.
• Theory grades are separate written exams; many students take them alongside the practical grades, and I prepare both in the same lessons.

RCM Certificate Program (The Royal Conservatory)

• Preparatory to Level 10 and the ARCT diploma.
• Practical exams: repertoire, etudes, technical requirements, ear tests and sight-reading.
• Theory exams that are required alongside the higher practical levels.

LVMTA Chase-Riecken Musicianship Exam (Las Vegas)

• Theory test from Primer to Level 10, taken in the spring.
• Technique and repertoire exam held at UNLV.
• I prepare students with the LVMTA level syllabi and practice tests: scales, cadences, terms, intervals and written theory.

LVMTA Chase-Riecken Musicianship Exam: what each level asks

The Las Vegas Music Teachers Association exam has two separate parts. The theory exam is written (and includes listening questions); the technique and repertoire exam is played for a judge at UNLV. Students of any age may enter, and since 2025 a theory pass is no longer required before the playing exam. Pass both parts at the same level in the same year and the student earns a trophy as well as a certificate.

How the playing exam is scored: technique and repertoire are marked separately, and a student needs at least 70 in each to pass. 90–100 is Superior, 80–89 Excellent, 75–79 Good, 70–74 Fair.

The theory exam, level by level (in my own summary):

• Primer (ages about 5–7): musical alphabet, clefs, finger numbers, black-key groups on the keyboard, high and low, which note is longer; by ear, how many notes and which is longer. A shorter, 50-point test; crayons are allowed.
• Level 1: notes on the grand staff, steps and skips, drawing the grand staff, 2nds to 5ths, keys of C, F and G, spelling those triads, five-finger scales, 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4; by ear: high/low, up/down, same or different rhythm, piano or forte.
• Level 2: two ledger lines, whole and half steps, every interval from unison to octave, keys of D, A and E, I and V7 chords, full eight-note scales in C, F and G, 6/8 time, "music math" with note values.
• Level 3: three ledger lines, major and perfect intervals, the first minor keys (a, e, d) with natural, harmonic and melodic forms, 3/8 and 2/2 time, ear training with major and harmonic minor scales, triads and intervals, plus first music history (Baroque to Contemporary) and form (binary, ternary).
• Level 4: minor 2nds and 3rds, flat keys B-flat, E-flat and A-flat, I–IV–V7 in six keys, all three minor-scale forms written out, triplets and sixteenth notes.
• Level 5: double sharps and double flats, minor 6ths and 7ths, the minor keys g, c, f and b.
• Level 6: augmented 4ths and 5ths, diminished 4ths, 5ths and 7ths, intervals in nine keys.
• Level 7: intervals in B, F-sharp and C-sharp (and their enharmonic keys), drawing augmented and diminished intervals.
• Level 8: every interval quality, B, F-sharp and C-sharp major and minor, diminished and augmented triads, dominant 7th chords, triads on every degree of the harmonic minor scale; by ear: chromatic and whole-tone scales, triad inversions, major, dominant and diminished 7th chords, and melodic and rhythmic dictation (choose the measures you hear). A listening section asks the student to recognise set works by Vivaldi, Haydn, Debussy, Joplin and others, with composer, nationality and period.
• Level 9: the remote minor keys (g-sharp/a-flat, d-sharp/e-flat, a-sharp/b-flat), dominant 7th chords in all inversions, Roman-numeral analysis of any triad in any major key, cadences; by ear: authentic and plagal cadences and augmented and diminished intervals.
• Level 10: all intervals above and below, all major and minor keys, Roman-numeral analysis in minor keys, and drawing any chord from its Roman numeral and position (for example, a diminished vii chord in second inversion in D major); by ear: authentic, plagal, half and deceptive cadences and any interval above a given note.

The technique and repertoire exam: every level has a technique list and four repertoire pieces, one from each period: Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary. From Level 3 there is a sight-reading test. Technique grows step by step:

• Level 1: five-finger scales legato and staccato in C, G and F, contrary motion, tonic triads hand over hand, blocked and broken.
• Level 4: one-octave scales hands together in E major and d and e minor, a chromatic scale from C, triad inversions, the I–IV–I–V7–I cadence, two-octave arpeggios.
• Level 10: four-octave scales in sixteenths in C, A and B-flat major and minor, four-note chords, dominant and diminished 7th chords broken and blocked, cadences in all positions, four-octave arpeggios, a required etude (for example MacDowell's "March Wind") and set pieces from a required list for Baroque, Classical and Romantic.

Theory is held in April (online), technique and repertoire in early May at UNLV. I prepare students for both parts: the written theory and ear training, the scales and cadences at the right tempo, the four-period program, and the sight-reading.

MTNA competitions: who can enter and how long

• Junior, ages 11–14: up to 15 minutes at state, 20 at division and national.
• Senior, ages 15–18: up to 20 minutes at state, 30 at division and national. Piano duet is also offered.
• Young Artist, ages 19–29: up to 25 minutes at state, 40 at division and national.
• Solo piano must be memorized, and the program cannot change after you apply. There are also composition and chamber music competitions.

NFMC Junior Festival: ratings and Gold Cups

The National Federation of Music Clubs festival is held every February and is not a competition: each student plays for a judge and receives a written critique and a rating, from Superior (5 points) to Needs Improvement (1). Points add up year after year toward Gold Cups: the first cup at 15 points, then 30, 45, 60, 75, and the President's Cup at 90. Events include piano solo, duet, trio, hymn playing and theory. For a Superior, the judges expect secure memory and a quick recovery from small slips, and that is exactly what we practice.

MTNA and Nevada Music Teachers Association programs

• MTNA performance competitions (Junior, Senior and Young Artist) and composition competitions, which run from the state round to the division and national rounds.
• Nevada state and local events, the Silver State competition and LVMTA festivals.

Other exams and festivals popular in the United States

• NFMC Junior and Adult Festivals (National Federation of Music Clubs): yearly ratings and gold cups.
• National Piano Guild auditions: non-competitive yearly programs with ratings and certificates.
• Trinity College London graded exams.
• AP Music Theory (College Board) for high school students.
• College and conservatory auditions, including theory placement and aural skills tests.

Not sure which exam fits? Tell me the student's age, level and goal in the form below, and I will recommend the right exam and the right date.

How preparation works

1. Choose the right level and the right date. Entering a student too early is the most common mistake. At the first lesson I assess where the student really is and pick the exam session or competition that fits.
2. Build the program. Repertoire chosen to show the student at their best, not just to meet the requirements.
3. Train every component. Pieces are only part of the mark: scales, sight-reading, aural tests and theory are practised in every lesson, so nothing is left for the last week.
4. Mock exams and rehearsal performances. Students play the full program in front of people before the real day — in studio recitals and mock exams that follow the real format.

Why it matters who prepares you

• Juror at the NNMTA Reno Piano Festival, the CSN Piano Concerto Competition, National Federation of Music Clubs events and the Silver State Competition
• Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance (UNLV); international prizewinner in Paris and Rome
• Trained at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin Academy — the Russian piano school
• Steinway & Sons Top Music Teacher, 2018
• Member of MTNA and LVMTA; teaching in Las Vegas since 2006

Questions parents ask

Which exam system should my child take — ABRSM or RCM?

Both are excellent and internationally recognized. ABRSM is the British system with sessions worldwide; RCM is the Canadian system widely used in North America. I help you choose based on your child’s goals and the exam dates that fit your calendar.

Do you also teach music theory for the exams?

Yes. Theory and aural skills are part of every lesson, and I prepare students for the written theory exams that some levels require.

Can adults take piano exams?

Yes. Many adult students take graded exams as a clear goal and a measure of progress. The preparation is the same, at your pace.

Can you prepare a student for a college music audition?

Yes. I teach piano majors at the college level, so I know what audition panels expect — repertoire, technique, sight-reading and how to present yourself in the room.

Are lessons online or in person?

Both. Lessons are at my private studio in Las Vegas or online, in English or Russian.

Book your first lesson

WhatsApp (702) 809-7576

Tell me which exam or competition you are aiming for and when. Call or text (702) 809-7576. Lessons are by appointment.