00:00A watchful eye and a sharp ear.
00:06How loud can you get on? Just the D. Play that first note.
00:10Oh, wow, look at that. You've engaged your arm.
00:14Where's that been hiding?
00:15Mike Hyder has been teaching music for 30 years.
00:19During that time, he's helped hundreds of students
00:22tackle a litmus test for any aspiring musician,
00:26exams run by the Australian Music Examinations Board.
00:29It's a very hard exam, but the kids really prosper if they do well.
00:34For all its importance, Mike Hyder worries the AMEB's standards are slipping.
00:39He says the board is using generalist examiners to assess students,
00:44even advanced levels.
00:46It means students can be examined by someone unable to play their particular instrument.
00:52Unless you are a player, you really cannot understand what it takes to play at a high level.
00:58The AMEB says its generalist examiners are highly qualified.
01:03A generalist doesn't make them lesser. It makes them having gone through an added layer of training.
01:10The board says it's the only branch in Australia that sends assessors to regional areas,
01:15but there are limits to the services it can provide.
01:19Parents and teachers say they've been receiving specialist examiners in the regions until recently,
01:24and the generalist assessors represent a change in direction.
01:28The board denies any change.
01:31I think that is the most important part of that you feel as though you can trust what the examination procedure is like.
01:40There's no way AMEB would subject string players in Perth to anything but a string specialist.
01:46A teacher's pitch for the right notes.
01:49A teacher's pitch for the right notes.
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