Grade 1 Violin failure

In the scheme of things I don't think parents should be worried about a fail affecting their kids confidence. Get a grip! How are our children ever going to cope with life if they never experience failure!

Quite right Pterosaur. I trusted their teacher though. They have done really well in all their other music exams but will definately be checking up from now on!

It doesn't hurt to keep an eye on the syllabus yourself (though you shouldn't have to).

I have just suspended piano lessons for my DDs for a few weeks pending the results of their exam! We have always got on well with their teacher he gives me regular verbal feedback and they passed their first exam with good marks. DD1 was 2 marks away from a distinction.

However he decided to enter them for this exam with 3 weeks notice. I was a bit worried but he assured me they were ready. They took the exam but both came out saying they had been asked to perform a scale they did not know and had trouble in another section too. The piano is their second instrument and both have taken several exams before in other instruments so know the drill well. They were both upset and it had shaken both of them to not know what the examiner had asked. I phoned the teacher to discuss with him and he was very vaugue but sounded worried as if he realised he was in the wrong.

I am so cross as this will effect their confidence and he insisted they were ready for it. I have asked for a couple of weeks break until we get the results particularly the feedback sheet with a breakdown of their marks. If they have done badly as result of not knowing something the teacher should have taught them I will be looking for a new teacher. The Dds really like him but I could not justify keeping him on in that instance.

If I were you I would have a frank conversation with her teacher when you have the exam feedback

I think i may be trying to read things into what the teacher has texted as thinking about it I agree with you maggiethecat.

Seeker I am sure Miranda would never have failed. Lawrie could well have done though...

I used to only just pass music exams. Sight reading and scaleS let me down.

But why would he comment by text that she talked through the pieces, as in how she performed them, since he would know how she did having accompanied her?

If your daughter is practicing and enjoying music that is the main thing. It would be a shame if she is put off by such a negative experience. I didn't get put forward for any grade exams as my teacher said it was a waste of time, she'd rather pick the music we were playing. She was the best teacher I ever had, she helped me gain confidence by playing in lots of groups,bands, orchestras and festivals. I ended up playing at a high level in adult chamber and symphony orchestras whilst still at school.
Importantly I still play for pleasure, which I think has encouraged my kids to see music as a life long life enhancing thing.
But my sight reading is abysmal

Lawriemarlow - I wonder if that was what he meant? I did wonder, but that makes perfect sense.

(BTW - bet Miranda never failed a violin exam...............!)

I agree with crystalglasses about failure, but with music lessons, the problem can be that it's too tempting to give up completely, while with school exams, the child is obliged to get on with it. Anyone would want their child to have as positive an early experience of music as possible, in the hope that it leads to an enduring interest.

Norman - if my children play for pleasure as adults at any level, that'll be a great result as far as I'm concerned. DD1 has played in a local community folk band (she's put it on hold at the moment because she has too much on) and one of the best things about that is the fact that most of the players are adult amateurs, playing because they enjoy the music and the company.

And yes, I play (badly) for pleasure. You wouldn't thank me for a recital. But I enjoy it and I'm glad I stuck at it as it enriches my life.

It isn't all about becoming a concert violinist.

Does the teacher mean she talked through the pieces with him afterwards? I would be surprised at someone talking during the exam itself.

Marialuisa makes a good point about playing in groups; they help enormously with sight reading, are a change of scene and a social event. Performing in group can help with nerves too.

Perhaps the way forward, OP, is to forget the exam debacle, possibly find a new teacher, find a music centre or similar group, let her have a bit of fun with it, then eventually think about grade 2, when DD and her teacher are quite confident that she's ready.

I'd have been upset if either of my children had been put in the same position as your DD, not because the exam itself is important, but because of the possible effect on her confidence and enthusiasm. It's all mendable though; I'm sure she can make a fresh start with it.

There's no reason why a child should be devastated at failing a music exam, or any exam in fact. Failing is part of life and as long as she knows she did her best, that is all that matters. The op may feel angry or disappointed with the music teacher but this shouldn't be conveyed to the child imo.

The dc should be encouraged to pick herself up and carry on, if she really enjoys learning to play.

I was eight when I failed my grade 1 piano exam.

Hmm Colleger, no gently gently with you.

I have a DD the same sort of age who is on the musical side and I can't help but wonder if your DD really needs to do the early exams at all and could just enjoy playing and building her confidence for a while? Has she been playing anything other than exam pieces since September? If not she must be bored out of her mind and it would probably help explain why she "can't" sight read. Does she play the violin in a school or music centre group at all as may help things too?

Oh dear I hope your dd bounces back and marks it down to experience. Dh is musician/ music teacher - he gets upset if I just put teacher!

He has only had one failure in about 18 years. This child was borderline and he warned the parents before she was entered for the exam. I would have thought your teacher should have known she was borderline and let you know.

You'll know more when you get the mark sheet and then have a chat with teacher. We swapped teachers after ds2's grade 1 violin exam - mainly because teacher was so busy and was difficult to pin down a time for a lesson. She expects more from ds2 and he has stepped up to the mark - so glad we changed.

Two years seems a very long time to get to grade 1 on the violin. There could be a number of problems:

Teacher is useless
Student is not very able
Not the right instrument for student
A mixture of both
Student totally cocked up exam

Why would she be talking during the pieces? You don't do that. Have I misunderstood something?

I'd be looking for a different teacher tbh as it doesn't sound like this one is teaching/preparing for exams in a way that suits your DD.
DD1 managed to pass grade 3 clarinet despite playing one scale going up and a totally different one coming down, but as the examiner said "she approached everything with enthusiasm" so despite not being particularly musical, she did a lot better than DD2 who seems to fall to pieces in music exams despite playing ten times better than her sister.
We've found that it's the singing that lets the DDs down as neither of them can hold a tune (take after their dad ) and DD2 especially is too embarrassed to just have a go

Yes, it definitely depends on your examiner, which is why the attitude of the teacher is the biggest guide as to whether you need to be concerned re the quality of teaching.

The fact that he told you by text rather than calling would concern me. If he hasn't taught her to keep going at all costs that would also concern me. It is the fact that he doesn't seem to have communicated any issues with you so that you can support her practice that is the biggest worry for me. Sight reading, aural and scales should be heard in every lesson in the run up to an exam imo and parents advised if additional specific practice at home is required. I used to write the names of the scales on pieces of paper and get the pupils to pick a certain number to do out of a pot every day so that they all got practised over the course of a week. There are also books of practice sight reading that I would lend to pupils if they were weak in that area.

I would be very concernted at her having talked through the pieces, talking would mean the examiner couldn't hear properly and she is not giving a performance if she is talking.

Talking whilst playing is a big no no.

They are very intimidating exams, particularly after the teacher/accompanist has left the room.

I don't think teachers always take that into account (they were probably pretty good at doing them themselves).

My DD2 took her first exam, grade 2 cello, last year, and the teacher came out happy with her pieces, but she had a bit of a meltdown during the scales. She pulled herself together on her third try at one (I'd accidentally wandered into earshot at the wrong moment - I could hear the fear ). She got through it, but I think many children need to be prepared to a level which will allow them to lose marks in the actual exam.

DD1 also underperforms in music exams (she's perfectly all right in academic ones). She's supposed to be doing grade 5 violin this summer, but I want to be sure that she's well above the required level to pass, as she finds the exams such an ordeal. She doesn't want to stop taking them though, so we plough on.

DS2 (9) recently got 102 for his Grade 2 piano (2 marks over the pass mark) and his teacher was horrified. All her pupils got 20 points below her predictions, including the music scholar for whom she had confidently predicted a distinction (she got 108). I think she complained overall about the marks and was very angry, because it looked as if she hadn't prepared them properly.

The comments on DS2's report didn't stack up either. For example, he failed the scales but her comment was something like "Not always even but all were readily attempted" and he got the pass mark for the aural but according to the report only got one thing wrong; he got full marks the same week for the aural in his Grade 1 clarinet exam.

We've just ignored it and moved on. He was pretty upset as he really was much better than that.

Ah. If she couldn;t do the sight reading at all that might be the reason. If she only screped a pass on the other elements - and stopping and starting in the pieces won;t have helped, a very low mark on the sightsinging could have pushed her below the magic 100.