Summer Term Music and Music Exams Thread

Herc Re grade 5 theory, there's always the GAM residential course late August if your DD2 has recharged her batteries by then.
When DD1 did it, ages ranged from 8 to 17. Got her from Grade 2.5 to Grade 5 level, although exam not till November so you need to keep it going and/or swot up in half term.

Raspberry sorry for my negativity, did have the added hurdle of changing schools and DD very young for her age.

Julie KCL don't welcome any applicants predicted below AAA these days. Seems to be much more academic than others, and very much favouring ABRSM exams.

Herc Bath Spa still on list for an October visit. Good luck to your DD2 for tomorrow.

Well done Julie!

DD1 may do grade 8 theory next year, through school. If they don't organise it and teach it (in school time) then I'm not going to push it, because I think she is doing too much - but it is definitely a great thing to have. Certainly the brainiest qualification I have, I think. It was certainly the hardest one! But I'm not a keyboard player (much) and I always found the harmonisation stuff much more difficult than my friends did.

Raspberry this piano exam was a surprise since she only started learning at Easter. I think that none of us realised how draining doing les mis for 7 shows over 5 days would be, to be honest. Mind you she was the least drained of any of the kids. I'm going to try and schedule her properly next year though. No term with more than 2 exams and if there are 2 one of them has to be singing. Although after tomorrow she'll be stuck until she's done grade 5 theory anyway, as far as singing is concerned. I've never had much success scheduling Dd1 though, and her health problems and hospital visits/stays this year have really buggered up what little planning we did do. Ah well. The plan was to have all the grade 8s out of the way by now but she was so ill at Easter we didn't let her be entered for either her 2nd or 3rd study grade 8 this summer, since she couldn't play or sing for more than 5 minutes at a time. She's fine now, but we couldn't bank on that.

I'm definitely pushing both of them to reconsider their life plans, just because practically anything seems easier than what they have set their hearts on!

Well done Julie!

Oh, and for general info, I passed my theory exam with merit, 85, which given the facts that I didn't bother doing any preparation and left after two hours because it was really stuffy in the hall, is fine. I know I could have done better, but I was aiming for a pass. I didn't do super-duper fantastic harmonisations or anything, and the point is I now actually have the prerequisites to do my DipABRSM if I choose to. I really don't like theory and I only did one term of analysis at university, which is why my degree didn't suffice for the prerequisite!

Circular that thought has occurred to me, that although school is encouraging him to aim high at present that needs to follow through! So we aren't going totally mad, just getting a feel for some.

morethan sounds like your DD is very mature for her age. Hope she gets a well deserved rest and it all gets sorted.

Herc now that term is almost over, hope you all get the rest you need too.

Not sure how we would cope here if both DDs did loads. Though DD2 has decided to start singing lessons again soon which is good news.

I was given a firm offer at York for the BMus without auditioning, and for Leeds for the BA with possible transfer to BMus course (which has the extra year), likewise without audition. But I went to KCL instead (where I likewise didn't audition).

Of course, that was more than ten years ago and I live on a rock in the English Channel.

Herc.

Your dd really thrives with the pressure.
My dd used to be in her element, she lived for it, but not anymore.
I'm not 100% sure what she'll choose to do, but have my suspicions.

There are 2 new groups on the horizon for September, one will replace an existing one and the other will be new.
So I'm sure she'll say no more exams, I can't see a group or the chance to perform going too soon tbh.

Well done to yours though, hope she gets a good rest.

View, good luck, have fun. There is actually some good advice on secondary ed and higher ed. DS1 is physics rather than music, and had 2 days in Oxford with school last week, loved it, so now has a very high bar to aim for! At least he will start Y12 very focused. We would have done some more just now, but since then he has been away with school band trip for ten days now.

Well done to all people with results.

Morethan your DD sounds exhausted, poor love. Sometimes they have to find out for themselves, I think, and hopefully will learn to prioritise. Is she actually giving anything up or are you re-evaluating over the summer.

Herc good luck to your DD2 tomorrow. I think so too about exams, we are just planning out DS2 year, which sounds really sad, but I don't want him doing exams altogether, and need to liaise with teachers.

We've just finished a reasonably calm series of concerts with school/music service, the record was 3 on less than 24 hours. DS2 did Lion King with school last week which was also lovely. Just DS1s post tour concert next week, and apart from DS1s chorister stuff we are finished for the summer!

Circular - was talking to someone who's at bath spa this evening, at the show (I think I've mentioned him before). He is apparently having a magnificent time.

Wafflenose Not all the Unis audition. Some say on website they always do, from memory, York, Cardiff, Bath Spa. Remember at Birmingham open day them saying they never audition.
Also a late starter here, DD taking grade 8 soon, but has skipped grade 7 so everything crossed. And delighted to have recently got a merit for Grade 5 piano.

Raspberry We started last Autumn half term, had to as Saturdays difficult in term time and 6th form only allow 3 days off for open days in school time. One problem with going early was that we were over optimistic on possible A level grades, based on GCSE results. DD found AS much harder than expected and expects grades to have plummeted. So stopped visits for now until results through.

Another day, another show (plus all day rehearsing). Perhaps not the best preparation for Dd2's 2 exams tomorrow, but there you go - she hasn't had a weekend off since march. She wouldn't know what to do with herself without 4 or more hours of rehearsal and/or a performance every Sunday. I'm bloody exhausted though! And after tomorrow's exams - she has some more auditions! I believe I've said on here (in the previous threads) at least twice before that 3 exams for one child in one term are too many - but I'm saying it again. Especially considering the Big Show, the little shows and SATs this term. Must have been mad. I'm hoping she will have a proper rest over the holidays. Although knowing her I think she might not...I'm going to have a good old rest anyway. Just watching her and DD1 is exhausting.

Ha Ha, I missed 2 summer courses off the list.

That's it, please excuse the rant, but never again.
I am so stupid and thought it would work and it hasn't, so there.
So much pressure, rehearsals, auditions, extra rehearsals, competition, 3 grade 4 music exams, not to mention half a dozen concerts.

She loves doing it, she used to thrive on it and now its too much.
Poor love started everybody else's mad last 2 weeks a month ago and she hasn't stopped, neither have me nor dh which just has to coincide with his busy time.
If we ever suggest she stops something or cuts back she won't even consider it, but today she has and we have.

We should have known better, but its such a change for her, maybe she is growing up.

Anyway, just thought I'd give an example of the journey and how exhausting it be.

Raspberry I hadn't considered that, but I will now you've said it! DD is the first one in the family to want to do music or indeed anything artistic so I feel like I'm starting from scratch. It would help a lot to find out what's actually involved. Thanks.

Jim Well done to your DS!

View I can't comment on the Grade 8 other than to say your DD sounds exactly like mine, but with regard to doing the university rounds, have you thought about starting this year? I hadn't but advice from school was to start with my DS who has also just finished Y11, so we are doing some in the autumn. It might give you a clearer picture too.

Ds got 124 on recorder (tears) and 135 on violin (happy). He thought he'd messed up the aural but bizarrely he did better in his g4 aural than his g2 and the exams were one after the other. It was actually the sightreading where he lost the marks. Never mind, he's got over it now and looking forward to playing some fun stuff over the summer. He's having a break from practice until the end of term though.

Thank you all! She is so hard on herself and responds so badly to any praise she is not in agreement with that I have been scared to even say well done. Which in effect means I end up reinforcing her belief that this is the worst thing that could have happened when really it's a good mark.

waffle That's pretty impressive to pass grade 8 a term after grade 7! (I can say that at the moment being very familiar with all the scales just for starters).

circular That's really interesting too. I've been looking on-line a bit with her, but it's quite slow going and doesn't give as true an impression as visiting- I guess we may be doing the rounds this time next year.

Her teacher has a very clear plan of what she wants her to work on next which includes lots of technique and some truly beautiful music which I am looking forward to living with for the next while!

Viewofthehills DD1 is hoping to apply for 2015, so been looking at many different courses and attended open days/campus tours, both University and Conservatoire.
Only come across 1 insisting on grade 8 distinction on application (Leeds BMus). The norm for the Unis seems to be 'working towards' Grade 8 on application. I appreciate many will have far more and it's competitive, but it seems they do look at the bigger picture and grades are not the be all and end all.
The Conservatoires seem to be expecting at least grade 8 distinction level at audition, regardless of whether the exam has even been taken.

Well, dh's friend is an examiner for Trinity. He just had someone for an exam who said, at the end, that she was retaking Grade 8 as she was 3 marks off a distinction in her previous one. Dh's friend thought - oh dear you're 6 marks off a distinction now. He felt really bad for her as she left the room thinking she'll be so disappointed when she gets the results.

I have no idea. Dh has had pupils who got a merit at Grade 8 and gone on to do music at university/music college, so perhaps it doesn't matter that much. I'd press on with improving playing rather than worrying about bettering the mark. But I have a perfectionist ds2 who has just done Grade 7 (waiting for results) and I know that when he does Grade 8 he would not be happy with a merit.

I have no advice Viewofthehills but I'll watch to see what answers you get. DS is in the same boat, I told him to wait a few years and then if he still wants to do it again he can. I suspect that he won't, at the time of the results he was gutted with a merit because he thought he deserved better (as did his teacher) but seven months along the road I can't see that it's affecting him much. He wants to do a diploma and if he makes a good show of that then G8 is less important.

By November when the disappointment has faded she may have changed her mind. I have no ideas what universities are looking for, is G8 on two instruments not enough?