ABRSM unveils landmark 2027 & 2028 Piano Syllabus

ABRSM has launched its 2027 & 2028 Piano Syllabus, describing it as one of the most varied piano syllabuses it has ever created.

Covering Initial Grade through to Grade 8 for both Performance and Practical Grades, the new syllabus brings together classical repertoire, new commissions, international folk music and arrangements from pop, stage and screen.

The syllabus includes works by composers including Handel, Haydn, Bach, Clara Schumann, Florence Price, Prokofiev and Bartók, alongside arrangements of music by Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Stephen Schwartz and Hans Zimmer. Featured screen and stage selections include What Was I Made For? from Barbie, Popular from Wicked and Day One from Interstellar.

ABRSM said the syllabus had been developed to give musicians ‘freedom to explore and flourish’, with repertoire shaped by feedback from learners and teachers around the world.

For the first time, all pieces in the graded repertoire books are accompanied by free multimedia learning resources. Pianists can scan a QR code to access audio recordings and bird’s-eye-view video performances of syllabus pieces, featuring professional musicians and students from the Royal Schools of Music. The online resources also include practical exercises and guidance designed to help learners explore the stories behind each piece.

Hazel Wieboldt, ABRSM’s Head of Music Development and Learning, said: ‘The vibrant and wide-ranging repertoire in our Piano Syllabus 2027 & 2028 has been shaped by the voices of learners and teachers from all over the world. It’s designed to give pianists the freedom they need to explore and flourish.

‘What makes the new syllabus even more exciting are the free resources that we have built into the graded books. We have collaborated with musicians, composers and teachers to find new ways to bring the pieces to life online and deepen the learning experience for students.

‘This syllabus reflects our ambition for every learner to see themselves in the music that ABRSM chooses, with new commissions and music from all genres shining side by side – alongside new ways to explore them.’

The syllabus also includes composers new to ABRSM, among them Indian composer Santosh Baynes, whose piece The Voyager appears at Grade 1. Baynes is a graduate of ABRSM’s composer mentoring programme, which supports composers, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, who want to write for music education.

Traditional music from Namibia, China and Ireland is also included, while Beethoven features at both Grade 1 and Grade 8 to mark the 2027 bicentenary of his death.

ABRSM has also expanded the options available for pianists playing with one hand. Repertoire for one hand is now available for Performance Grades at Grades 6 to 8, in addition to Grades 1 to 5.

The new syllabus is available now and can be used in exams from 1 January 2027. The current 2025 & 2026 syllabus remains valid until 31 December 2027.