Summer Term Music and Music Exams Thread

Hi everyone
You all seem so knowledgable about it all! Dd is waiting on her grade 5 abrsm clarinet exam results.... It seems to be taking longer than previous grades.
I am a musical dimwit so have no idea how she did. I could hear it ( through the floors) and it sounded nice ( lol... I think)
She came out smiling anyway
I thought she would relax on the playing side after the exam but she seems to be playing it like crazy! ( about 2 hours today!) Seems a bit obsessive...she likes making stuff up and playing from a jazz book. We live in a terrace and I feel for my neighbours.Lol.... And it's only day 1 of her school holidays. She goes up to secondary school in September.

My violinist dd (10) started cello last sept and got a distinction at grade 4 in April! She's 'working' on grade 5 for next term I think.

@Wafflenose -

I totally can't play cello but have been told I'm a natural cellist (haha, guess what instrument I actually asked to learn when I was seven, only the teacher didn't come to my school!). However, it's radically different from playing violin, compared to viola, but similar enough to mess with my head (especially having mucked around on gamba a bit too). I figured I'd start with grade 5 repertoire, though, because I'm a twit. I have a handle on the alternative fingering issue, but the bowhold is just plain weird.

I'm hoping DD2 will take grade 5 theory at Easter time. We shall see. She has too much on in the autumn term even if you don't consider the whole 'new school' thing. She's agreed to do no more than half an hour a day with me on theory during the holidays (I'm off work for 3 weeks) although she is also having an orthodontic operation under GA in the time, doing a dance course, and having a birthday (with the attendant treat - going to see miss Saigon again, which will knock out a whole day). So managing theory every day will probably not happen.

In Kent NannyPeach, any use to you? There are criteria, but it is amazing how vaguely they can be interpreted! I am going to comment to the ABRSM about the marking of the sight reading in the preparation time though, since they clearly state that should not be marked.

DD2's teacher is a bit up on arms over her results too - she thought she should have got about 4 marks more on each exam (she accompanied her for the singing and she could hear the pieces clearly outside the door). But, these things happen all the time. Luckily DD2 is happy with her results so isn't fussed. DD1's piano teacher was surprised at how many marks she got for her grade 5 piano - she thought she would get fewer - so it can work both ways. Annoying and upsetting when it goes wrong though.

Singinggirl - where is your theory course??? Dd has been concentrating on 11+ This year, but really needs to pass grade 5 theory in November as she is ready to do grade 7 violin next spring.

Ds (7) is taking grade 2 violin in a few weeks.

Are there any guidelines on how many marks get deducted?
DD1 agreed with the comments, but thought the marks deducted in relation were harsh. Especially as examiner not an expert in her instrument.

singinggirl I think it happens all the time. Dh has been by so many marks in the past for his pupils and our own dc. He was surprised dd1 got a distinction for gr 1 - he reckoned a merit. Then the other way round when ds2 scraped a merit for gr 4, when the day before a friend (also an examiner) had reckoned, in private to dh, that he'd easily get a distinction. Dh was in there accompanying him so heard the pieces - the marks he was given for them were crazily low. Yet, the same examiner gave one of dh's pupils a distinction when dh thought he'd get a pass(hopefully). Dh's reasoning was, well the examiner was a singer - no offence meant by that!

It all just seems so random.

DS1 got a pass in his grade 5 violin, but his teacher wasn't happy with the marking in her 12 examx. His pieces were certainly marked very harshly - I was in there accompanying him and I would have predicted about 3/4 marks more on each piece than he got. And with his sight reading, the examiner seems to have marked his 30 second look through rather than his actual attempt, since she commented on him stopping in the middle section, which apparently only happened in his look through time.

Waffle Your DDs playing was absolutely lovely. Some interesting camera control too lol.

Well done to all on the recent results.
Just found out here that DD1 missed a distinction in her grade 8 by just a few marks. Not what she expected and being very hard on herself.

Hopefully he'll try again but we'll have to see; he starts secondary in September so may well not want an exam that first term. It's nerves with him, one small slip and everything goes.

Just for your amusement:

Well done rabbit's dd. We're still waiting.... It's annoying as dh's pupils who had exams after ds2 & dd2 have had theirs back. Dh was most surprised as one girl started crying in the first piece and didn't stop for the rest of the exam and she got a merit. Dh came out worrying whether she'd pass or not!

DD2 got 128 for grade 1 piano which she was delighted with, and 117 for grade 5 singing which she was fine with in the light of the fact that her sight singing 'was a complete travesty'.

Well done Julie!

Don't know if I'd mentioned it already, but this term's grade 1 piano got a merit (I'd given 118 in his mock) with pieces being not-spectacular (as expected) but good marks on supporting tests; the elder of my two first-year violin students has had her bronze music medal confirmed as of a few days ago...

And I scored 85(m) in grade 6 theory but an A, so distinction, in grade 8 practical musicianship. I always thought theory was over-rated past grade 5! Don't have the comments or certificates yet, though.

Next term is local music festival and just one grade 3 - transfer student. Possibly some medals for the fiddlers. I'm aiming for a few to skip grade 1 and go straight to grade 2 in the summer - transfer students who are currently nearly-grade-1 in standard.

Exam results in, my grade 3 who went to pieces failed by three marks, with only 9 on his scales and 14 on one piece. All my others were high passes and merits though, including a merit for the girl who came out in tears. So now, forward to the theory course I am running in a couple of weeks!

Thanks

G4/5 is the easiest to find fun music for.... The Harry Potter books, Lord of the rings books other film/Disney music etc all seem to be arranged at this sort of level. Since DD got to G4 she can find sooooo much more music she can dabble with.

We've made it through the term: ED passed G4 piano, G3 violin, aced audition for county group, school exams, teenage issues. Phew.

Music teachers: please could you recommend a book of piano pieces to play for fun at G4/G5 level? I think we've lost our way with so much pressure all in one term and it has become work. When violin gets too much we pull out the folk tunes and have a singalong/playalong as a family but I can't work out what 'non-exam' piano book will be at the right level for her. Thanks in advance.