IMPORTANT: Please note that this guidance pertains to the updated 2027 Musical Theatre Syllabus (for exams taken from 1st January 2027 onwards). For guidance relating to the 2021 Musical Theatre Syllabus (for exams taken before 31st December 2026), please see here: Musical Theatre Exams (Solo / Duo) - 2021 SYLLABUS


At grade 6 Learners must present two songs and one spoken song from three different musical genres.


At grades 7 & 8 Learners must present three songs from three different musical genres


These must be taken from a published work of musical theatre or from a film musical from one of the genres below: 

  • Light Operetta 
  • Musical Comedy 
  • Golden Age 
  • Pastiche Musical 
  • Pop/Rock Musical 
  • Juke Box Musical 
  • Concept Musical 
  • Book Musical


There are many resources online and in books which offer detailed definitions of a variety of musical theatre genres which we would encourage Teachers and Learners to access. As a starting point, we have created a glossary of some Musical Theatre genres. The below serves as a list of examples to give some clarity, but the list is not definitive as there will be crossover where some musicals fit more than one genre. For example, here we have listed Guys and Dolls within Musical Comedy, as it is such a clear example of this genre, but it also belongs to the Golden Age and it is a Book Musical. 

 

As such, we encourage Learners to write the selected genres on the LER (or titles list) next to the title of each song, and cite it as part of their introduction outlining the context. Examiners may ask Learners to name the genre of each chosen song. 

 

These definitions should only be used as an initial starting point for the Learner preparation for the examination, and wider reading and research is encouraged.


Please consult the following articles: