Expected cello progress?

@twinsyang no, he's done Trinity Digital. he does not naturally enjoy performing to camera at all but has adapted well for the exams. he is good at scales and enjoys them so Trinity suits him better than ABRSM performance.

i know this is an old thread but happy to chip in. my 7yo started cello nearly 18 months ago, in February last year. he took Grade 1 in December (merit), Grade 2 in March (distinction), about to take Grade 3 (next month) but learning G4 repertoire. he practices 6 days a week for around 15 mins so not loads by any means. but i sit with him for every practice, and join his lessons too, so i just repeat what teacher tells him to make sure every practice session is worthwhile. i don't play cello myself, but play the violin so i know enough to be able to support him.

These are how long is a piece of string questions! I doubt my DS could sit properly after 26 lessons.

Nothing to worry about - at that stage, fingerings on notes are normal as are the stickies, though I personally hate them and my yr 2 student can play in tune without so I don't think they're necessary. I dislike them because they mean children look at their fingers instead of listening, but it's a personal thing and I'm sure I had them when I started. Usually by the time the tape wears out, or the next size instrument is required, the child has learnt the positioning.

The numbers for fingering are fine, but again I have a thing about it because by grade 1 they have to do sight-reading which isn't numbered. Which is where my last grade 1 fiddler fell down and I'm trying to prevent that issue with the younger ones. If your DD can figure out the fingerings herself, she's just writing them in to help herself learn tunes quicker. No worries.

Having previous knowledge helps a lot - Wafflenose may be amused to know that I genuinely learnt the flute up to around grade 5 in two hours spent by myself, at the age of 16, and a month later was tackling my friend's grade 6 pieces. Awful tone, mind! But seriously, if you read music, are musical, and can remember the fingerings... the rest comes with a little practise.

I still can't play fast stuff, though!

Grade one only requires standard first-position fingerings - on 'cello that would be 1-34 and 12-4. Shifting on violin (moving hand up and down) isn't required until grade 3 at the earliest, but alternative fingerings (e.g. to get a B-flat) are required from grade 2 and this might mean small shifts for a cellist but I can't work that out without sitting with a cello and doing it.

Grade 1 also requires the ability to slur in a controlled manner (two or three notes in one bow, including slurring of scales - some of my students have found this hard), pieces involving two, three or all four strings, expression and dynamics and good intonation (my students find this tricky as I do NOT allow sticky tape on their instruments, so they may take considerably longer to reach grade 1 but learn to play in tune by ear from the word go). And of course, there are aural and sight-reading requirements. If your DD has learnt another instrument and reads music well, she has a head-start with those.

FWIW, I took grade 1 and passed with a good distinction after a year on violin (started in a class of 8, too), and passed grade 4 with merit a year after, so it's quite possible that your DD could be nearing grade 1 standard although she would need time to learn and polish the repertoire, learn the scales etc.

She sounds amazing actually! But her teacher is the one best placed to comment on tone, bowing, expression, etc.

Shouldn't you be asking some of these questions of her teacher? It's great that you are interested and involved, but why ask random people on the internet who don't know your child? Her teacher is best placed to advise you.

Roughly speaking, it seems to pair up with the violin "fiddle time" equivalents. Thus... pages 25 onwards in Joggers and quite a lot of Sprinters are set for ABRSM's Silver Music Medal, which is very roughly the same standard as grade 1 pieces. However, being able to vaguely struggle one's way through putting the right finger on the string and playing beautifully in tune with a lovely tone, expression and articulation are two different things! I'd expect a grade 1 candidate to be finding this level of repertoire easy, if you see what I mean.

Open strings, first fingers and some third fingers will allow you to play some Initial grade pieces. You do need fourth fingers to do the Initial Grade scales. Much to my surprise, DD2's teacher has just started her on some of this, although I don't know if she'll do the exam. She is reading her new clef reasonably well, and has to play in 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 time. Sight reading is on open strings, with simple rhythms.

Grade 1 is further on, and uses all four fingers on all four strings. I wouldn't know whereabouts in the books you mention though, as we don't have them. I think some of the pieces might be set for exams though - have a look at the syllabus to get an idea.

dd has been learning cello and I always sit with her for practice. Partly because she finds reading music very difficult (dyslexic). I help with timing etc tapping rhythms and check her fingers are in the right position (and encourage her to listen to the notes). I think stringed instruments are so much harder than piano at the beginning - they have to work out which string and which finger to use with one hand then bow with the other.

I've seen very little actual effort going into practice

OP, just wondered about your routine. Do you not sit with her for her practice? I think at this stage of a musician's development, the parents commitment is critical. It's unreasonable to expect a young child to just get on with it, and develop their own discipline. Practice must be supported (i.e. encouraged by your presence) and frankly enforced for a couple of years before kids have the skills to do it themselves. Particularly for string players.

I have to say that I almost lost the will to live in the first terms of my DD's violin (this is normal), but we stuck with it, and am glad we did.

No you can't fail the Prep Test... you get your shiny certificate there and then.

DD2 did Initial on Recorder yesterday. It took her 4 terms, but she started when she was 4 years old.

Oh, it's also worth pointing out that Initial Grade is slightly harder than the ABRSM Prep Test is, even though both are pre-grade 1. Initial Grade is a proper exam with the standard exam format, as far as I know; Prep Test is less formal and I don't think you can fail it (hope not!!!).

Thanks. My eldest is 8, and began 2 instruments this year (Y3), we had been told she is doing well, so I wanted to see how well.
I'm pleased!

What's important is that people realise just how hard grade 1 is - sometimes I've had to play the pieces to a parent so that they can understand why DD isn't going to do it at the end of the first year.

Fram -

Prep test is supposedly for students who've been playing for six to nine months. In practical terms, that means one academic year. However, it totally varies from student to student anyway. I started violin in year 3 and passed grade 1 with distinction in the third term, taking grade 4 (merit) a year later. I started in a group of eight, though, and the second year was only paired, and with an older child. But I'm generally speaking musical and academic.

However, it seems that after a year, most of my violin students and my pianists who started at that age are about that level - though some are ready to start working towards grade 1 and some will need to consolidate a lot.

I've had older beginners do grade 1 piano in the second term, and the younger beginners (only on piano) will take much longer. If they start at 3yo, we'll call it three or four years to prep test. I'm guessing, there, but based on the materials I use.

on the cello, that is... she is doing Initial Recorder tomorrow, after 4 terms of learning.