I was wondering, what exactly are people talking about when they say they`re playing level 8 music and stuff? Is there a national standard er something?
Thanks fer your help!

Just like growing up, the lower the number, the easier it is. Difficulty increases from Level/Grade 1 and up.

cool, but how do i find out where i stand?

Go ask your orchestra/band director, or check your music. if it is any UIL literature, the grade should be somewhere on the music.

The Level or grade system is adopted primarily by the english, if i`m not mistaken. personally i took the grade 8 guitar examinations last year, and essentially the requirements for that were all the scales, three pieces you would choose from 3 separate lists (essentially ud end up with a baroque/rennaisance piece, a romantic piece and a slightly more modern piece), prima vista piece, and aural examinations where u had to distinguish between the left hand and right hand melodies on the piano and sing the one requested.
There is quite a distinction between the grades, especially past grade 5. The main difference is not in the complexity of the pieces but how u end up playing them. For example the grade 8 examination may include a couple of fairly `simple` pieces, which may have a lot of dynamics going on, or which may have accelerandos or ritartandos evident more prominently than other more complicated pieces.
After the grade 8, come the diploma examinations, which again based on the english system, are 3. The Diploma, the Licentiate Diploma and the Fellowship Diploma. In all of these examinations u are expected to play a full program, ranging from , i think 25 minutes for the Diploma, to 40 minutes for the Fellowship.
All of the information, including repertoire lists for each grade can be found at http://www.abrsm.org/?page=exams.
Hope that helped.

Grade 8 is the last exam taken by most who do not intend to make music a career. Time was (but is no longer) when a distinction at grade 8 meant you were at conservatoire entrance standard, but these days you would have to be a lot better than that to get into a conservatoire (as opposed to a university)

For lower grades, in brief, grade one involves playing in first position only in keys of C G and D (for viola), grade two involves first position only but with more keys, third position is required for grade 3 and second and fourth positions for grade 4, with fifth position and vibrato coming in at grade 5. Many amateur orchestras, but not the best ones, will take viola players from about grade 6.

liz