Autumn Term Music and Music Exams Thread

One grade 3 student entered for this term (piano) and now working on local festival entries. Not expecting students to do particularly well, just trying to get them on stage!

We'll be doing the own choice string section (violin) as even though I helped choose the set pieces I'm not a fan of set pieces - one of my strengths was always choosing programme. Post-grade-1 student has accidentally been asked to play a grade 2 exam piece (Trinity alternative list) as of yesterday when I picked it without realising. It's from Trory's books so I'd suspected, though. The younger two are doing "Halloween" and "Where's my wellies?" from Red Parrot Green Parrot. Halloween has screeches behind the bridge, and they both play with lots of expression.

Also doing a couple of piano duets (two year 3s and two year 4s) against people up to three years older... again, they'll be on stage and get their certificates anyway... and hopefully some own-choice piano in the older beginners' section.

A quick thanks to Julie for the recommendation for the Hey Presto! music theory for cello books. I got the set, they look good and DS2 likes the look of them and is happy to work through them. I particularly like the specific things like bowing directions. (I'm not a cellist and this is useful information for me!)

Meanwhile, onward and almost upward with my piano practice: having just about survived F sharp minor, this week's treat is C sharp minor! I am in total admiration of all the DCs who can just play these, by the way!

Shedding my young singers came to it via Anglican Church music ( from in utero lol) so classical and folk weren't hard, they also love musical theatre. The aria type work has been more challenging . Tbh they haven't done many singing exams.

Worth reading the syllabus and helping your child choose their folk song as chances are they know more than the teacher realises - many folk tunes now have hymns - waly waly (the water is wide) and kelvin grove are 2 we've done for various things. Picking less well own folk songs is fun too eg the alternative tune to Scarborough fair.

Not caught up on this thread for ages! Nice to hear how you are all doing.

It's a bit odd chez Theas18 now as after this weekend we will only have dd2 (15) at home. So almost no exams ( maybe grade 7 clarinet sometime, and grade 8 recorder eventually when she feels like it - I shall suggest post GCSE - but there will be the practical element there too).

She's back at cathedral, suddenly this week finding herself doing more solo spots - which is great as she needs to improve her confidence - that's the problem having a sister 6yrs older - she's always so much better that you feel " rubbish".

Also started back at wind band. Sadly their Italy tour has been moved to clash with cathedral tour, which will take precedence as clearly there are zillions of clarinets and she wouldn't be missed.

DS has a choral scholarship audition Sunday and has decided today to learn the vagabond from songs of travel. We don't do over prepared here!

Shedding

For dd she was singing in a choir and it seemed to gel quite easily with a natural voice tbh, there is nothing forced because at the early stages it is relatively simple in sound iyswim.
If she likes Hymns there are a couple in the A list I'm sure.
Mine asked for Italian lessons, and this year starts French as well.
Languages aren't needed until gr6+, but she was interested in the arias
No idea why. We listen to all sorts of music, except opera.
Now, I go with the flow.
Her teacher will know her voice and be able to guide her with her choices and the syllabus has so many options.

Bramshot

Ha Ha we were the same.
DD only passed grade 2 and that was mainly the unaccompanied song and a bit of misinformation from her previous teacher.
She got a distinction for grade 4 but isn't doing any now until gr6.
I think they do need a certain maturity for the higher grades especially as you can't expect them to make allowances for children.
There is no rush I think a merit is absolutely brilliant for your dds age, many haven't even started yet.

We met DD's new saxophone teacher on Friday. Seems very good. He thinks that as a recorder player (she did 6 years of soprano and alto recorder) the sax should come quite quickly once she learns the blowing technique. She will get 30 mins individual tuition once a week plus ensemble playing 1 hour a week starting after half term.

On the downside they have no suitable instruments to borrow so we've had to buy :-/

Thanks morethan. Reading now at ABRSM Very interesting. I think we may have underestimated that part a bit. She skipped Grade 3, and for Grade 2, the unaccompanied song felt like just a bit of fun really...

Bramshott.

Your dd did very well to get a merit, gr4 is a huge jump from 3 in quite a few instruments.
The aural is a big step too.
I think they often mark the unaccompanied song down a bit, the same happened to dd too and her piece was good too.
Have you read the article and tips for the unaccompanied piece on the abrsm website, its quite interesting.
As dd covered most of the gr5 syllabus just for repertoire she is going to skip this grade, obviously working on the musicality at this level and then going onto gr6 hopefully winter next year.
I think its important to remember they are still young as well and the intermediate and higher grades imo need a certain amount of maturity and lung development.

Oh, and little DD2 (7) had her first piano lesson yesterday and is super-cute and keen! It will be interesting to see if piano suits her better than it suited DD1.

Finally got the comments sheet for DD1's Grade 4 singing. I know that a merit is a merit, but can't believe that the examiner gave her a FAIL mark on her unaccompanied folk song! She sang that really nicely at home. Still maybe exam nerves meant the intonation went haywire in the day... She scraped a pass mark in her sight reading and aural, and got good marks on her pieces.

It's hard if it takes more than three months to learn... ;-) But that's for me. For the kids... a month seems reasonable.

My DD has her first formal music theory class (at French music school) this afternoon, which could be fun as they have put her in the top class. I'm waiting to find out if she has finally bitten off more than she can chew ;)

She had her second piano lesson (previously self-taught) and she was miffed because her teacher remarked that she always picks pieces in her "comfort zone". She thought they were quite hard LOL! (But she thinks anything she can't play perfectly within a couple of hours is hard). He is going to sort out a repertoire for her, it will be interesting to see what he comes up with.

I've looked at ABRSM jazz piano and I think you need to be a grade 3 pianist to do grade 1 jazz. So it could be a good option for some people, but not a stand-alone subject, IMO. Otoh I like general musicianship, which covers for theory too.

Lcm jazz piano works on its own, but wouldn't give access to abrsm grade 6.

I can't comprehend that feeling at all, I bet it can really help those who don't like a fuss. I don't think my dd would like it as she likes Dad as preference, me if Dh can't make it.
I'm under no illusion that I'm second fiddle.

I'm not sure if dd will manage theory in time as she has set herself a target of grade 6 singing winter 2015, which although sounds ages away she doesn't like anything work related.
I think she is her own worst enemy. So talented and a wonderful gift, but someday eventually everyone has to put in lots of effort.

Don't mind me, just venting.

Morethan, it was very weird the first time, waving DS1 off to school like normal and him coming home having done it. One year he even had his mark before he came home.

DD doesn't cope very well with it, she would prefer to have me with her beforehand. She has actually done most of the theory up to Grade 5 but doesn't want to do an exam so I'm not going to push it.

Not al lessons are at school so we still use the ABRSM and Trinity centres as well.

DS2 will be doing Grade 5 theory though, hopefully next spring.

Raspberry, that is very good wrt the school being the centre, it must make life a lot easier.
I think it is good as a theory avoider for those who struggle with the written work or answering in the way the papers require.
For us it would be a temporary avoider, theory would still be done but not with the urgency needed to be able to take higher grades.

Waffle
You have my sympathy with the theory, dd has all day to do it but having started quite late and she struggles a bit it is pretty slow going atm.

I would advise anybody starting out to do the relevant grade theory alongside the practical, even if they don't intend taking an exam until grade 5.

Jazz exams are very popular at school, the woodwind teacher is an enthusiast, and they get very good results. DD loves playing jazz style music so leapt at the idea, but didn't love the improvisation side of it.

School is its own Trinity centre, and generally only does Trinity exams, though they will enter people at a local centre for ABRSM if they want.

It wasn't a theory avoider, it doesn't count for ABRSM, (only their own jazz does, I think). She is only a fun player, and I have enough difficulty keeping it 'fun'.

It didn't cost us anything because he had all the books etc necessary (50 years teaching!!!)

That's interesting I didn't know Trinity did them.
From what I hear there aren't so many centres that offer it and in some cases you need to travel miles for your nearest centre.
I also heard the books were expensive as had a rhythm section accompaniment cd.
My dh has a pupil who wants to do it and I'm not against our dd doing it if dh changes his mind. He doesn't like the songs on the syllabus and the scales. I'll have a look at it tonight but just wondered if anybody had done it.
Well done to your dd Raspberry. Can I ask if she took it as an alternative to the theory exam, or because she fancied a bit of jazz?

I can offer DD's experience. DD did Trinity Jazz Grade 5 on sax and hated it. Absolutely hated it. BUT she didn't like the improv., despite only losing a mark in the exam. Also there was apparently some singing in the aural which she also hated. She just missed a distinction.

She was much happier doing Grade 6 as a normal exam.

That is just my DD though.

Does anybody have any experience of the jazz grades particularly gr5 and would you recommend.
Pros and Cons compared to normal abrsm exams.

I think the reason I'm tempted to use them is that they deal with the whole this note is that fingering issue,