ABRSM-aligned · Grade 1 → Grade 3

Read, write and
understand music —
properly this time.

Online music theory for Grades 1 to 3, taught one concept at a time by Min Min Tay. All three grades, one enrolment — no more guessing at key signatures the night before an exam.

300+
students guided
91%
pass at Merit or Distinction
12 yrs
teaching theory
𝄞

From first note to fluent reading

Three grades, one clear path. Each lesson builds on the last, so nothing arrives out of nowhere.

a minim = two beats

Watch first

A two-minute look at how the theory finally clicks.

Sound familiar?

Theory only feels impossible when no one shows you the pattern.

01

Key signatures are a blur.

You count sharps on your fingers and still second-guess whether that is A major or F-sharp minor — every single time.

02

Theory feels disconnected from playing.

Intervals, cadences and Italian terms are just words on a worksheet. None of it seems to touch the pieces you actually practise.

03

You crammed, passed, and forgot it all.

Grade 1 went in the night before and out the morning after. Now Grade 2 quietly assumes you remember every bit of it.

04

Rhythms fall apart on paper.

You can clap it, but writing the right rests and beaming a bar of 6/8 correctly turns into a guessing game.

05

Practice time disappears.

Between school, work and the instrument itself, theory is the thing that always slides to next week — and never quite happens.

06

The exam paper holds surprises.

Transposition, rests in the wrong place, terms you have never met — discovered for the first time under the clock.

None of this means you are bad at music. It means you were handed the rules without the reasoning. That is the part Min Min teaches.

What you will learn

Three movements, played in order.

Each grade is its own movement — a complete, self-contained set of skills that sets up the next.

1

First Movement

Grade 1

Build the alphabet of written music from zero.

  • Note and rest values, from semibreve to semiquaver
  • Treble and bass clefs, ledger lines and the grand staff
  • Simple time: 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, and how to beam correctly
  • Tones, semitones and the major scales of C, G, D and F
  • Intervals by number, degrees of the scale, and your first Italian terms
2

Second Movement

Grade 2

Add minor keys and a wider harmonic vocabulary.

  • Major and minor keys up to three sharps and flats
  • Harmonic and melodic minor scales and their tonic triads
  • The 3/8 time signature and grouping of rests
  • Intervals above the tonic, named by number
  • Demisemiquavers, ties, dotted notes and more performance terms
3

Third Movement

Grade 3

Read fluently and start thinking like a composer.

  • Keys up to four sharps and flats, major and minor
  • Compound time: 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8, and how it feels different
  • Intervals named by quality — major, minor, perfect
  • Tonic, subdominant and dominant triads in root position
  • Transposition by an octave and reading the alto clef

Where this takes you

The grade is the milestone. The understanding is the point.

01

Sight-read without panic

When you understand what is on the page, your eyes stop spelling out every note. Reading gets faster because it finally makes sense.

02

Recognise every exam question

Walk in having already met transposition, cadence-spotting and term translation a dozen times. Nothing on the paper is a first encounter.

03

Compose and improvise on purpose

Knowing why a phrase resolves the way it does lets you write and improvise with intention instead of hoping it sounds right.

04

Clear the Grade 5 gate early

ABRSM requires Grade 5 theory before Grade 6 practical exams. Solid Grades 1 to 3 now means no scramble later.

How the course runs

Self-paced, but never on your own.

Everything is online and waiting whenever you are — with a real teacher on the other end of it.

Short video lessons

One concept each, 6–10 minutes. Watch, pause and replay at your own pace.

Worksheets that get marked

Printable practice for every topic, returned with notes — not just a tick.

Live Q&A every week

Bring the question that stumped you. Min Min works it through on screen.

Real past-paper drills

Timed mock papers from Grade 1 to 3 with model answers and feedback.

MMT

Min Min Tay

Theory teacher & examiner

Your teacher

Twelve years turning “I don’t get it” into “oh, that’s all it is.”

Min Min Tay has taught music theory to more than 300 students — from seven-year-olds meeting the treble clef for the first time to adult learners returning to music decades later. She has marked exam papers as a panel examiner, which means she teaches to exactly what the markers look for.

Her lessons strip the jargon out first. A diminished interval, a compound time signature, an Italian term — each one becomes a small, obvious idea once you see where it comes from. That is the whole method: pattern before memorisation.

300+
students guided
Examiner
practical exam panel
4.9
average lesson rating

From the students

What changes once theory finally clicks.

4.9average from 300+ students
I had failed Grade 5 theory twice before this. Min Min started me right back at Grade 1 and suddenly the whole thing made sense. Passed with Distinction.

Yvonne M.

Adult returner

My daughter went from dreading theory worksheets to asking to do the next lesson. The short videos and the marking made all the difference.

Daniel T.

Parent, Grade 2

Clear, calm and properly structured. Nothing on the exam paper surprised me because we had already met all of it. Worth far more than the price.

Priya S.

Grade 3 student

Enrolment

One price. All three grades. Yours for good.

No tiers, no per-grade fees, no upsells. A single enrolment opens the complete Grade 1 to 3 theory course.

Everything included

  • All three grades

    Every lesson for Grades 1, 2 and 3 — the complete theory path in one enrolment.

  • Marked worksheets

    Printable practice for every topic, returned with real notes rather than just a tick.

  • Past-paper drills

    Timed mock papers across all three grades, with model answers and feedback.

  • Weekly live Q&A

    Bring the question that stumped you — Min Min works it through on screen.

  • Lifetime access

    Keep every lesson and update for as long as the course exists. Learn at your pace.

  • Private student area

    One calm place for your lessons, worksheets and progress — no scattered links.

One-time payment

$97

Lifetime access · Grades 1–3

Enrol now

30-day money-back guarantee

Try the lessons in full. If theory still is not clicking within 30 days, write to Min Min for a complete refund.

Start your enrolment

Tell us where you are. We will map the rest.

Leave your details and Min Min sends you a placement suggestion plus your secure checkout link within two days. One payment of $97 unlocks all three grades, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

  • A placement suggestion based on where you actually are
  • A sample lesson and worksheet to try before you pay
  • A clear schedule to your exam date

No payment here. Min Min sends your placement and secure $97 checkout link first.

Questions, answered

Do I need to read music already?

No. Grade 1 starts at the very first note on the staff. If you already read a little, we place you where it makes sense rather than making you sit through what you know.

Which exam board is this for?

The curriculum is built around the ABRSM grades, which line up closely with Trinity and most school syllabuses. The reading and writing skills carry across all of them.

How long does each grade take?

Most students spend six to ten weeks on a grade at a comfortable pace. You are never rushed — with lifetime access the lessons stay available whenever you need them.

Is it really one price for all three grades?

Yes. A single payment of $97 unlocks every lesson, worksheet and past-paper drill across Grades 1 to 3, plus the weekly live Q&A. No tiers, no upsells, no per-grade fees.

I am a parent enrolling my child. Is that fine?

Very common. Choose "Enrolling my child" on the form and tell us their age and current level — the pacing and worksheets adjust for younger learners.

What if it is not for me?

You are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Work through the lessons, and if it is not helping, write to Min Min within 30 days for a full refund. No forms, no friction.

The next exam is going to come either way.

You can meet it having crammed, or having understood. All three grades, one payment of $97, taught by Min Min — make it the second one.

Enrol now — $97