LCME Digital Recorded Exams: recording guidelines

Recorded exams guidelines +

Live Online exams guidelines +

General & ID

All work submitted must be the candidate’s own. The entire recording, both audio and video, must be of the same performance, performed by the candidate who is entered for the exam. Impersonation by another performer or use of a recording not made by the candidate will result in the examination entry being disallowed and may lead to further sanctions. Where our examiners doubt the authenticity of candidate work submitted for assessment, this will be investigated, and appropriate action taken.
All components of the exam, including technical work, exercises, pieces and discussion questions, must be recorded as one single, unedited performance. If there are any cuts or audio/video edits we will not be able to assess the exam, and the recording will need to be resubmitted.*
A copy of the Candidate ID must be uploaded with the video files. If the candidate does not have photo ID a responsible adult may verify the candidate by uploading their own ID.
Candidates should not provide any information at the beginning of the performance, such as name or titles of the pieces — simply start the recording and begin your performance.

*one take recorded performances will become mandatory starting March 1, 2025.

Music published with an accompaniment must be performed with the accompaniment. This may be provided live with a pianist or with a backing track. External speakers, rather than those of a laptop or phone, will be required for audio output so that the correct balance is achievable between candidate and backing track.
The accompanist does not need to be in shot during the filming of the performance.
You do not need to submit scores of any music performed from books published by LCME.
Candidates must not use photocopies, unless for awkward page turns. Original copies or authorised downloads must be shown to camera at the start of the recording.
You must upload copies of the printed music of free choice items and lyrics of pop vocals songs. If we do not receive this, it may result in your examination being referred and the result being delayed.

The candidate should say the name of each item of technical work or exercise before playing. For example, "C major scale, forte", "Snakes and Ladders".
Candidates must remove from their visibility any books or sheet music containing technical work notation before they begin this component. They may refer to a list of requirements as published in the relevant Technical Work document.
The Discussion questions should be answered all together at the end of the examination. Somebody may be present to ask the questions, but prompting is not allowed, and answers may not be read from a script.
The use of a click track or metronome is not allowed for any component of the exam.
Digital pianos must use the acoustic piano setting with no reverb added.

Ensure your filming room is quiet, free from interruptions and devices are on silent mode (including the one you are using to film).
Ensure that the filming device has been checked for sufficient battery and storage capacity before filming begins.
A smartphone or tablet is sufficient for recording quality, and does not need to be filmed in HD. We recommend you set your video camera resolution to 720p to avoid very large file sizes. The camera can be in portrait or landscape view.
Performances must be recorded using a static camera and a single microphone; multiple microphone setups are not permitted. Audio and video must not be edited in any way (e.g. cuts, splices, EQ/reverb, compression, pitch/timing correction, tonal effects).
The recording must be of sufficient quality to allow assessment of all aspects of the performance, including tone quality and dynamic range. Audio and video must be accurately synchronised.

The candidate must be in shot all the time, and their face, hands, feet (if pedalling with piano) and whole instrument (keyboard for piano only) must be clearly visible. Where a vocal microphone is used in Pop Vocals exams, the mic must not obscure the candidate’s face.
Piano and Drum Kit exams should be filmed from the side to allow an uninterrupted view of the whole performance.
Light levels and direction should be tested before recording to ensure that the candidate is clearly visible on screen, and not in silhouette. The recording device should be positioned to ensure a good sound balance between the candidate and the accompanist or backing track (if applicable).

In-room technical support may be offered from a responsible adult when the candidate is recording their examination material, for example for operating backing tracks or turning pages. Any influence made to the examination process such as cueing or prompting is not allowed.
We suggest making a short test recording first to ensure the audio signal is clear, not distorting or clipping, and the video image is clear, and the balance is correct (if accompaniment/backing track is present).
All recorded components of the exam must be uploaded in one single file as a continuous performance without any cuts, edits, or modifications.
Your uploaded files must be in avi, flv, WMV, .mov or mp4 format. The maximum file size is 2GBs.
To assist you in meeting these requirements, please refer to our file compression guide to manage your file sizes effectively.
To submit the recording, login and upload it to the booking area of the account, following the Submission Guidelines. List the pieces performed, in the order of performance, in the Submission Information Box.