ABRSM

ABRSM
Company typeCharity
IndustryMusic education
Founded1 October 1889 (1889-10-01)
FounderSir George Grove
Sir Alexander Mackenzie
Sir Arthur Sullivan
Sir Charles Stanford
Sir Walter Parratt
Sir Hubert Parry
Sir John Stainer
Headquarters
4 London Wall Place
London
EC2Y 5AU
,
United Kingdom
Area served
93 countries worldwide
Key people
Chris Cobb
(Chief Executive)
Colette Bowe
(Chairman)
Mervyn Cousins
(Chief Examiner)
ProductsMusic exams
Sheet music publications
Digital music applications
Music education courses and events
Revenue23,397,000 pound sterling (2021) Edit this on Wikidata
£45.5 million (2023)[1]
Number of employees
182 (2023)
Websiteabrsm.org

The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity[2] based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualifications in music within the UK's National Qualifications Framework (along with the London College of Music, RSL Awards (Rockschool Ltd), Trinity College London, and the Music Teachers' Board). 'The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music' was established in 1889[3] and rebranded as ABRSM in 2009.[4] The clarifying strapline "the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music" was introduced in 2012.[4]

More than 600,000 candidates take ABRSM exams each year in over 93 countries. ABRSM also provides a publishing house for music which produces syllabus booklets, sheet music and exam papers and runs professional development courses and seminars for teachers.

ABRSM is one of the UK's 200 largest charitable organisations ranked by annual expenditure.[5]

  1. ^ "Charity Commission". Apps.charitycommission.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  2. ^ "ABRSM, registered charity no. 292182". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  3. ^ "ABRSM history". Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music" (archived versions of website). Internet Archive. 19 October 2014. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012.
  5. ^ Charities Direct: Top 500 Charities – Expenditure Archived 2 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine