Summer Term Music and Music Exams Thread

Got it! DD1 squeaked a merit in her Grade 4 singing with 120 marks. Will get comments sheet tomorrow.

It was her first day in Y7 today, and tomorrow she has to negotiate the complexity which is two instrumental lessons during the day! Fingers crossed.

Any other young musicians starting secondary this term?

Just got miss 7's exam date. It's far later than we wanted. Why are exam dates never when you want them?

Oh:-(
Both of mine have a mindset of getting stuff done. I keep reminding them that I already have mine. Miss 10 occasionally asks why she is carrying on past grade 5, but I just tell her she has to know this stuff anyway - which is true. She wants to get her diplomas and so she needs to be able analyse.

I think attitude to hard work is key. At some stage they realise they are working for themselves. Miss 10 has 'got it'. I don't know whether miss 7 has it or not.

I think it comes down to making it fun. Miss 7 has been playing sax for nearly three years. That's nearly three years of rhythms, key signatures, analysis of melodies, Italian terms - even transposition as she plays in E flat and her sister, in C. I made sure that I have used the exam terminology when discussing her practise with her. She knew the words 'enharmonic equivalent' a long time before she ever saw it written. When I used to teach I would just say ' the other name for the note'. Now I ensure I use the proper terminology. I am constantly amazed by how quickly my 7 year old has got grips with it all. Mind you, the proof will be in the passing.

I took grade 5 theory at 12 and grade 8 in the same year. But I didn't start playing until I was 9.

Grade 8 before 10yo is a scary thought...

I took grade 5 theory at around that age! Mind you, didn't start playing anything until year 3. And it was the only theory exam I did - and the only stuff I learnt. Grade 6 theory only happened 20 years later. :p

Scariest thing was being in a room with all the littles doing grade 1 (and why bother sitting the grade 1 exam? My students will all just do mocks).

Oh - I forgot to add, that the children just sit the grade 5 exam. We didn't bother with any earlier grades. Grade 4 is remarkably similar to grade 5 and they very quickly understood the early grade material so they just did all the grade 1,2 then 4 and 5 booklets and past papers without sitting the exam until grade 5. The thing my 9 year old was the most bothered about was what to do if she needed the toilet and whether she should leave before the end as she had finished! The exam was fine.

No secret. She just used to do 30 minutes workbook three times a week. Now she's finished the workbook she's practising past papers. Fortunately she finds exactly the same questions hard and easy as her sister. She finds chord recognition easy. Ditto writing scales. She doesn't like SATB short score question and she gets frustrated with the transposition. She just does a couple of questions at a time. Soon she has to learn a load more Italian, French and German. I helped my 10 year old by making up lots of rhymes and actions. It worked well as she passed first time round when she'd just turned 9.

So miss 7 will probably go in for it session 1 2015. I do believe in them understanding in depth and not just to pass the exam. The only thing miss 10 has forgotten is some of the Italian and German terms - and even I have to look up the German as they tend to be more obscure. She's finding the grade 6 stuff is fine - so she is just using the ABRSM 'harmony in practise' book to work through. A bit daunting initially, she is finding it fun now. It's done wonders for her composition.

I keep telling miss 7 that if she wants to get her higher grades and letters she HAS to pass the grade 5 theory. There is no getting round it ( I haven't explained that she could do trinity) and we expect that if she works hard, she will pass. So that's what she's doing. She is hoping to grade 8 before she turns ten.

Busy preparing dd2 for grade 5 practical and grade 5 theory. Miss 10 has been working on technique, lots of double stopping studies and repertoire. She's also had a grow, so saving up for the next violin and bow. I never knew the bow was so expensive! She's doing brilliantly with her harmony book on the long haul up to grade 8 theory.

Waffle Just checked Exeter as not on DD's radar, they don't do music now, so guess that's why. Many Unis also don't seem to be auditioning and/or interviewing for music. Which is a shame for her as she interviews better than she looks on paper.

Ishouldbe If he's going into yr10 then 3 years to applications. Although most want grades/level on starting course, always a plus to have the grade on application. DD was reluctant about starting piano at 13 or 14 as a means to an end then started to enjoy it, but still took over 3 years to get from grade zero to 5. Familiar with bass clef, but progress slowed down beyond grade 3.
Maybe if he doesn't want to follow his father, keyboards would be a better option - IIRC requirements say piano/keyboard skills. Or jazz piano if he is a brass player?

Julie, I had a look at entry requirements recently, DS is 14 so there's still time to hit G5 piano from a standing start. I doubt he'll be applying to the RAM where G5 piano is not a requirement but is "desirable to enable you to improve your general musicianship" or Aberdeen (again not a requirement but "desirable"). I had a good look around and we decided that he isn't slamming any doors shut by starting the instrument he wants to do (trombone) rather than the instrument that would be most useful to him (piano). If he wants to teach then he's going to need piano, we see the need for it but he doesn't. Yet. My campaign of brainwashing will continue...

I suspect that his anti-piano stance comes because his father plays piano and DS doesn't want to compete if he can't win.

Circular,

It may have changed since my day (I graduated in 2005) - I think there were some requiring grade 5 and others grade 6 back when I applied. A friend did earn a place somewhere with only grade 4 piano, but she had reached grade 4 in a year (last minute decision to apply for music degree!).

Well done Waffle DD - 100% in theory, wow!

Julie Not seen any courses asking for G6 piano, and been looking through many with DD1. Quite a few say G5 piano.

DD1 busy gathering personal statement info for CUKAS and UCAS, and trying to decide on audition pieces. Expecting a busy term, no practical exams, may take G8 theory but depends on school workload.

Congratulations to miniPavlova on the GCSE and miniWaffle with the continuing theory work. We have two weeks left in the holiday, theory lessons have started up again and he has an instrument lesson next week. My pocket had hoped that he wouldn't bother with exams on the second instrument until G6 (when there are UCAS points to be had) but he wants to take them. My mother said she'd buy him a new trombone when he reached grade 4, I suspect he'll be starting with either that or G5 so she may be paying out earlier than she thought.

I should be gardening, weaving would be nice but the garden won't wait.

well done to all on the late session results!

All good here, new (ok, old german c 1890's) violin purchased here, new bow selection still to be done (CF or wood...minefield!) and raring to go on new term. Well, nearly...

Looking forward to the new thread waffle. It's only taken me 2 terms to work out how to create bold text

Piano helps you with certain aspects of theory, like:

• reading bass clef
• thinking about intervals and chords as combinations of tones and semitones.
• knowing the notes in scales (can help for string players who often learn scales as fingering patterns) and again thinking about tone and semitone patterns.

• hearing harmonies and cadences (chord sequences at the end of a phrase).

For music college and for most university music degrees you need at least grade 6 on piano. It's why I started learning it at around the same age.

Well done to your ds Raspberry! That's really good.

Dd (11) is doing her music summer school this week. Performance this evening ... I'm really looking forward to it. She has been tired but buzzing!... Played 9-4 every day.... Had a sore mouth on Monday and Tuesday

She is debating having keyboard lessons when she starts secondary school in September . Her clarinet teacher has said it could help her theory too? (she's just done her grade 5 practical so if she wants to carry on with exams this might help??) I am not musical ... So was wondering if someone could explain please? I imagine it is because you can see all the notes... Or (lol )is that a stupid thing to say?
Dd has been keen to play something else for a bit and someone has leant her a big keyboard. We cannot afford piano (plus have no room)
We also have an acoustic guitar... That's about all that is available .
She will have to choose.

Thanks Wafflenose and Bramshott.

He isn't doing A level music, heading towards science and Maths with some philosophy thrown in!

He will keep playing his instruments of course, and the bands he plays in.

Our piano teacher has just texted to ask me round for a catch-up next week to see how DS2 is doing with his theory, so its a good job he has done all his homework!

Well done to your DS Raspberry. Is he going on to A level music?