Unaccompanied song

Read our guide to the unaccompanied song.

What the examiner looks for

• Excellent communication
• Totally secure memory
• Overall pitch sustained with assurance
• Accurately controlled intervals and intonation
• A well-chosen, comfortable key for the candidate’s voice – ideally a singer will know this instinctively and not need a starting note from the piano
• Effective tempo choice and inherent sense of rhythm
• Instinct and ability for story-telling
• Facial involvement – a singer’s eyes are so important
• Expressive use of colour and dynamics
• Use of rubato where appropriate