The rules at a glance
These are the rules for Trinity College London digital music exams, paraphrased from the board's recording guidance support article and its Submit page. Those pages are the authority; check them before you upload.
- Size. A maximum of 3GB. The board writes the limit in GB. Reelpass reads 1 GB as 1,000,000,000 bytes, the smaller reading, so a file under it is under either reading.
- Format. MP4 or MOV.
- File name. Forename and surname run together, then an underscore, the style and instrument run together, an underscore, and the grade: for example SamSmith_ClassicalPiano_Initial or JennyJohnson_JazzFlute_Grade5.
- One take. One continuous recording. Editing, pausing or stopping the recording invalidates the submission.
- Start of the video. No spoken introduction. Show your music to the camera, then begin the performance.
- Sound. At most one external microphone, with no processing on the sound.
- No cues. No counting in, click track or other prompt during the performance.
- Submitting. Do not submit the same video more than once unless Trinity asks you to.
- Recording. The article says to turn off HD or choose the lowest HD setting, because high definition video makes very large files.
ID and verification
The recording guidance does not ask for ID on camera. Trinity has a separate ID and verification article, which Reelpass has not read; check it.
The file name pattern
This board is the strict one on names. The name has three parts joined by underscores, and each part has a job:
- Forename and surname run together with capitals and no spaces.
- The style and the instrument run together: Classical, Jazz, RockPop, then the instrument.
- The grade: Initial, or Grade followed by the number with no space.
The board's own examples, with an extension added, are SamSmith_ClassicalPiano_Initial.mp4 and JennyJohnson_JazzFlute_Grade5.mov. Both pass the Reelpass validator unchanged. The article gives no Rock and Pop example; Reelpass writes RockPop. Check with Trinity.
Worked example
These names come from the Reelpass renamer, which builds the pattern from the candidate's details:
| Forename | Surname | Style and instrument | Grade | File name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jenny | Johnson | Jazz Flute | Grade 5 | JennyJohnson_JazzFlute_Grade5.mp4 |
| Mary-Jane | O'Neil | Classical French horn | Initial | MaryJaneONeil_ClassicalFrenchHorn_Initial.mov |
| Zoë | Lefèvre | Rock and Pop Drums | Grade 3 | ZoeLefevre_RockPopDrums_Grade3.mp4 |
Hyphens, apostrophes, spaces and accents are dropped or folded, and each word starts with a capital, so a double barrelled first name and a surname with an apostrophe still make a name of letters only. The Rock and Pop row uses the Reelpass setting described above.
Two names that fail the pattern, with the reason the validator gives:
- IMG_0042.MOV: It has 2 parts separated by underscores; the pattern has 3: ForenameSurname, then StyleInstrument, then the grade. The renamer needs the candidate's details to write the right name.
- SamSmith_Piano_Grade5.mp4: "Piano" should start with the style: Classical, Jazz, RockPop. The renamer needs the candidate's details to write the right name.
Recording the performance
Frame the camera so the examiner can see what the syllabus asks for on your instrument, usually your face, body and hands. Hold the music to the camera for a few seconds, then play. If something goes wrong, stop, delete the file and record the whole thing again from the start: a pause or a cut in the submitted file is not allowed.
Common mistakes
- Uploading the phone's own name, such as IMG_0042.MOV, instead of the pattern.
- Leaving out the style, as in a name with Piano but no Classical or Jazz.
- Writing Grade 5 with a space, or 5 on its own, instead of Grade5.
- Giving a spoken introduction out of habit from another board.
- Pausing the recording between pieces.
- Recording at full HD or 4K and ending up over 3GB.
Before you submit, check the file name, size and format against these rules. The check runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Sources
Checked on 27 September 2026. Every rule here is paraphrased from the page named, read on the date shown. Boards change their guidance; the board's own page is the authority, so check it before you upload.
- Digital Recording Guidance (support article). Trinity College London digital music exams, read 27 September 2026. Modified on Thu, 5 Feb (no year shown; 5 February fell on a Thursday in 2026). https://support.trinitycollege.com/support/solutions/articles/202000101849-digital-recording-guidance-for-bookings-made-from-5th-november
- Submit (digital grades and diplomas). Trinity College London digital music exams, read 27 September 2026. No date is shown on the page. https://www.trinitycollege.com/qualifications/digital/digital-grades-diplomas/submit