Gervase Prescod ... received the highest marks in both the Grade Three clarinet and the Grade Six Alto Saxophone exams. - Photo by Michael Reckord

Annually, in more than 90 countries, some 600,000 (mostly young) music students take their Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams. Thousand of students in some of those countries take part in the approximately 60 annual High Scorers Concerts held after the examinations.

In Jamaica, that concert was held on Saturday, June 6, at St Andrew's High School for Girls. Most of the island's 44 distinction students for 2009 showed off their talents. The vast majority were piano students, but there were also singers and players of the violin, clarinet, alto saxophone, flute and xylophone.

Three students received prizes from special guest, Lady Hall, for getting the highest marks in their exams. They are Dominique Chen (Grade Two Piano), Sydnae Taylor (Grade Two Piano) and 13-year-old Gervase Prescod, who received the highest marks in both the Grade Three clarinet and the Grade Six Alto Saxophone exams.

The Gleaner asked young Prescod, a Wolmer's Boys' School student, about his interest in music. He did not ask to be sent to music classes, he said; his mother told him (and his sister Miranda, another of the high-scorers) to go.

"I started with the violin," he said, "but I didn't like it. Then I tried the cello, but I didn't like that either."

lessons on his veranda

Then his mother brought home a saxophone and Prescod started taking lessons from Major Joe Williams on the veranda. Happily, he took to the instrument and lessons went well.

"When I reached Grade Five," he said, "I thought it didn't make sense to do the sax alone, so I started on the clarinet. Within one year, I reached the grade two level and took the exam."

Now, he said, his favourite instrument is the saxophone, but he is beginning to like the clarinet "more and more". He is not planning to become a professional musician, however, music will always be a hobby.

function flowed smoothly

"Right now, I'd like to be an aeronautical engineer, but that might change," he said, shrugging with the nonchalance of a bright teenager who can be anything he wants. (His father, Dr Michael Prescod, was with him and Miranda at the concert.)

For the most part, the function flowed smoothly. One by one, starting with the grade one students, the performers walked onto the stage in the school's auditorium and played their instruments. The pieces lasted anywhere from 20 seconds to four minutes.

Most of the performers were confident, played without problems and played well. However, there were some hitches. A couple of students had memory failure halfway through their items; nerves caused one singer's voice to fail; at least one girl did not play because her accompanist did not turn up; and some listed performers were no shows.

A long-standing problematic situation was revealed by the concert's printed programme. Of the 27 music teachers of the high-scoring students listed, 23 are Kingston based. Three are in Montego Bay and one in Portmore.

The question arises: Where do the thousands of potential musical stars who live in the thousands of communities outside of the areas named go for music lessons? Some of them are highly gifted musically, like music teacher Kathy Moyston-Lawson and popular teenage violinist Jessica Yap who got their music 'degrees' (the LRSM - Licentiate, Royal School of Music) at ages 14 and 16, respectively.

Readers might ask whether Jamaica really needs, or can afford, to have thousands of our students studying music when they could be studying to be doctors, lawyers and engineers - the traditional professions. The Sunday Gleaner put this question to one of the music teachers.

jazz exams coming to ja

Her reply was that nowadays a physician friend of hers was earning more from playing music than from her medical practice and in any case, whatever one's profession, music can enhance it - financially, or otherwise.

"Stick to the music," she advised anyone who started lessons.

Clarke said the ABRSM gave over 15 awards last year to Jamaican musicians "who have excelled both locally and internationally over the years". She also announced that starting next year, ABRSM exams in jazz will be available in Jamaica.

The ABRSM has the authority of four of the United Kingdom's leading conservatories: London's Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.