Right from its conception, the London-based Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) has carried out its responsibility enacted by the Charter of the Royal College to help in ‘the cultivation and dissemination of the art of Music in the United Kingdom and throughout the Dominions.’ In 1892, ABRSM was invited by the University of the Cape of Good Hope to conduct exams in the Cape Colony. By the year 1895, Australia, New Zealand and Canada were all receiving visits from ABRSM’s examiners. In 1903, ABRSM exams were introduced to Malta and in 1907 to the West Indies. In 1948, ABRSM further expanded to South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malta, Zimbabwe, Cyprus, Singapore and Kenya. At the start of the 20th century, ABRSM exams gained worldwide attention for its esteemed international music excellence standards. Since its foundation, the numbers of ABRSM examinees have grown exponentially, i.e., from 30,000 in 1914, to 460,000 by the year 1981. Candidates now come from all over the world, including South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, and Indonesia. The ABRSM has a longstanding partnership with the following four (4) Royal Schools of Music: (1) the Royal Academy of Music; (2) the Royal College of Music; (3) the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Northern College of Music. Today, His Majesty King Charles III, is the patron of the ABRSM, succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
