The Gore school was the southern-most venue which offered the Rockschool syllabus, Ashby School of Music tutor Dean Ashby said.
The nearest Rockschool operated in Christchurch, Mr Ashby said.
‘‘This is a fact we are pretty proud of,'' Mr Ashby said.
In all, 25 pupils sat the examinations during the two days.
The Rockschool syllabus originated at the Rockschool in the United Kingdom and encompassed a range of instruments and was graded from debut, then grade 1 through to grade 8, he said.
The Rockschool examinations are administered by Trinity College London, incorporating Trinity Guildhall.
The fact Trinity College was involved in the examining and accreditation of the syllabus gave the Rockschool extra credibility and gave students an internationally recognised qualification, Mr Ashby said.
That qualification could open doors for students who wanted to study music at university level.
Otago University offered a rock music degree and that provided a natural progression for students who had gone through the Rockschool syllabus, he said.
The syllabus filled a niche in the music field. It offered tuition in areas including rock, jazz, blues and heavy metal, he said.
The Gore school has been offering examinations since 2005 and the school had a 100 per cent pass rate every year.
Mr Ashby is hoping for the same result again this year.
Ashby School of Music has 80 students attending lessons each week, with an equal split of females and males and a mix of adults and school pupils.
Mr Ashby said his oldest student was in his mid-60s.
‘‘People have different reasons for learning music.
‘‘Adults may have played spasmodically over the years, but had thought ‘right, it's time to put some time into me','' Mr Ashby said.
Mr Pleass said he travelled throughout the world examining Rockschool students for Trinity College and this was the southern-most centre he had examined in.
Mr Pleass spends the majority of his work life travelling.
‘‘My wife is happy to see the back of me for a month at a time,'' Mr Pleass said.
After finishing his stint in New Zealand, Mr Pleass will examine pupils in Hong Kong where the Rockschool syllabus is popular.
Students who wanted to gain jobs as entertainers on cruise ships often took up the option, Mr Pleass said.
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