Dd, aged just 9, is learning the piano and her teacher has entered her for a music theory exam in November. Now I thought this was Grade 2, but it turns out it is Grade 3.
Now, frankly, she is nowhere near the standard required for this. She is within hailing distance of Grade 2, but she is going to crash and burn badly - she just can't get a handle on compound time among other things.
Ds sailed through his music theory exams at the same age as dd so I suppose the teacher assumes that dd is a carbon copy.
The teacher and dh are both saying "Oh, she'll be all right" but I don't think she will.
Is it a) possible to change the grade of exam at this stage and b) should I insist she is pulled altogether? It seems a bit defeatist but I don't think failure will teach her much of a lesson.
Just for the record, if you are doing ABRSM exams you do not need grade 5 theory before progressing further. You can just as easy take practical Musicianship or solo jazz exam gr 5 both have no written exams and are definitely more applicable and beneficial to those who want to be musicians rather than those being taught an instrument to gr 8. Not that I think theres anything wrong with this, if that is what you want.
If you take Trinity board exams you don't need ASB grade 5 theory at all to do your grade 6-8 exams! Although I think it is important to have a good understanding of theory to inform your practical skills and musical interpretation. Understanding the grade 5 theory topics can make learning new pieces so much quicker and easier!
Just to report that of my "own volition I phoned the exam centre and asked for dd to be put in for Grade 2 instead of Grade 3. Now I have to face the teacher... [fear emoticon]"
well done! how about just letting it be your little secret? he'll never know till he sees the certificate.
The material for the AB Gr 5 theory is actually fairly in depth - having taken the exam myself as a child, even though I def didn't enjoy it at the time I later found what I had learnt useful in preparation for GCSE , A Level and degree study . Especially as a lot of the syllabus wouldn't have been directly covered within instrumental lessons alone.
That said with past papers and good workbooks being easily available I wouldn't consider taking the exam for grades 1 -4 necessary if the work had been understood and completed to a good standard - I suppose it depends on the teacher in questions opinion
