IN musical scores, there are various symbols to mark the absence of notes for a given length of tempo. They are called, somewhat obviously, rest notations.

For 12-year-old Cindy Liang, rest is long overdue. She has just finished a grueling stretch of practice on the keyboard to prepare for the amateur pianist grading-test held by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music earlier this month.

Passing Level 9 in the test, she can now kick back and enjoy what’s left of winter vacation.

“I know that it would be good if I could achieve all 10 levels before middle school next year, when academic pressures mount,” she said. “But for now, I just want to have a break without thinking about another test.”

Some 3,000 youngsters participated in the amateur pianist grading-test.

Music lessons for children have become an obsession with many parents, who want to hone their offspring in one or two of what were considered the basic accomplishments of a scholar in ancient China — playing a musical instrument, engaging in a game of chess, painting and doing calligraphy.

Lessons in these artistic endeavors are often the subject of after-class courses, and mastering the skills is gauged by popular grading tests for amateurs. Parents usually push their children to excel.

Liang started taking piano lessons when she was four. She participated in her first grading-test two years later. According to her mother Julia Chen, the piano teacher suggested her daughter start up the 10-run grading-test ladder.

“The teacher said my daughter would make Level 4 with proper practice,” Chen said. “The test would prod her to practice well. That made perfect sense to me, so we took it on.”

Chen is not insisting her daughter complete all test levels, but she admitted she would be proud if she did.

“It is always good to have set goals,” Chen said. “It took her three months to prepare for the Level 7 two years ago, but only half the time for Level 9 this year.”

The grading-tests are not only a widely accepted measurements of artistic acumen but they are also essential assistance for learning, according to Ken Yuan, whose 5-year-old son recently achieved a D1 certificates in amateur chess rankings.

“Chess is a confrontational game,” Yuan said. “A player grows with each competition, which is better than always casually playing alone at home. Of course, the grading-test is not the only channel where you can find worthy opponents, but how can you identify who’s suitable if you don’t know your own level?”

According to the National Social Art Level Test Center, there are about 80 organizations approved by the Ministry of Culture to hold amateur grade testing in 58 areas of music, dance and fine arts.

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music is one of 10 organizations that hosts tests nationwide. Six local organizations are also approved to stage such tests in the city. The others include the Shanghai Musicians Association, the Shanghai Association of Jiangnan Traditional Stringed and Woodwind Instruments, the Shanghai Artists Association, the Shanghai Calligraphers Association, the Shanghai Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Association, the Shanghai Percussion Association, and the Shanghai Association of Language and Written Language Works.

Last year alone, 200,000 applicants participated in the tests hosted by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and an estimated 1 million applicants are involved in one grading test or another annually, according to the National Social Art Level Test Center.

The testing market has attracted overseas attention.

The London-based Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, a test organization with a 126-year history, opened an office in Shanghai in 2009 and then expanded to 23 cities across China.

So far, 20,000 students have taken the organization’s music tests in the East China region, including Shanghai. Participation grows by about 30 percent a year.

The tests are not meant to compete, but rather to complement other available grading exams, said Zhao Peiwen, chief delegate in the British organization’s East China office.

Indeed, many aspiring test candidates take more than one of the available exams. Many participants believe that having two certificates of achievement is often better than one, said Su Zhen, a counselor at the British group.

Quite a number of parents believe the certificates bolster the chances of their children getting into top schools, even the competition for the best primary schools.

Both Yuan and Chen said they are aware of that perception, though it wasn’t the motivating factor to give their children musical training and push them to take grading exams.

Che Yue, 16, took accordion lessons and parlayed them into a Level 10 exam certificate, but she said that didn’t really help her when applying for a slot in a top high school. In fact, she now considers all the years of hard practice, pushed by her parents, pretty much a waste of time.

Some senior high schools and even universities used to grant a few extra points for grading certificates in their entrance criteria, though generally not as a deciding factor in allocating sought-after slots.

Such practices have been mostly faded out with series of related national policy adjustment. Yet, there are exceptions of some senior high schools with student orchestras or ensembles looking for talented players. Of course, that number is still limited.

“It is a bit of a gamble,” said Che. “It works if a school has an opening for a particular instrument that you happen to play when you are applying. Unfortunately, accordion players are not in hot demand and certainly weren’t needed at the high school I wanted to attend, so I had to settle for my second choice.”

For the moment, Che said she’s not interested in continuing with accordion lessons.

“I may pick the instrument up again later, but only if it might help me get into a good university,” she said. “That would be the only reason and not personal interest.”

Some musicians lament that the grading-test system undermines the concept of appreciating music for music’s sake.

“Music is such a beautiful art,” said Tang Jin, a local pianist who teaches at the Middle School affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. “I think it’s a reckless waste of a god-given talent to practice for utilitarian goals only.”

Tang was a judge at piano-grading tests for years, but later resigned because of the mechanical playing that dominated so many performances.

“Many participants were there just to complete all the notes, without showing any understanding of the piece of music,” she said. “It was a torture for them and for me.”

While parents may be eager to foster multiple talents in their children, it’s not a good idea if the process destroys their love of music forever, she said.

“Wouldn’t it be good to simply watch children enjoying how to play music at their own pace!” said Tang.