Autumn Term Music and Music Exams Thread

Congratulations Shakyisles - I've been reading this thread but have been dealing with family drama and haven't had a minute to add to the discussion lately.

LooseAtTheSeams - We did Trinity so there was no singing requirement. I think singing-avoidance is more likely to be a boy thing. DS (14) is a choir refuser, he will not sing in public. I am told that "singing is for girls" (don't jump on me, I know it's sexist rubbish) and the school choir reflects that as the m/f ratio is about 1:20. It's a vicious circle, boys won't join because there are no boys in it so then boys don't join. I've seen the music centre junior choir and that's not quite as skewed but it's nowhere near a 50/50 split.

I knew his residential week with a national ensemble had a singing component and I didn't tell him, it's not my problem if he doesn't look at the timetable. They had half an hour choir every day and that was fine because everybody sings, no exceptions. It's possible that if I could have got him singing before the move to senior school he might have stuck with it but for me that ship has sailed.

Loose

A good choir is worth its weight in gold for encouraging musicality and you never know where it might lead. DD has a red carpet Premiere with hers tomorrow and features on tv a few times over xmas.
This all came about on a chance audition where she just went for the fun of it, now she's in her second year and lives for it.

Thanks, Shaky, tried to reply before but our internet connection is dodgy! Think my post disappeared but you have strengthened my resolve to send him to the choir, which is an excellent one and I am sure it would help. He is only 9, so still time!

Looseattheseams- if it's the ABRSM syllabus the singing component just gets harder. I think candidates can fudge their sight singing at grade 4 but not grade 5 and above. Choir IS important and is the reason my children have done so well at sight singing. In fact, I considered it so important, when I couldn't find a choir here suitable, I ran one!

Aside from the ABRSM aurals app, which is not that great, I didn't find anything remotely worthwhile. There is certainly no fudging grade 6 sight singing, a melody with only 15 seconds preparation. It's not the sort of thing you can leave until a week or two before the exam, so I would try and find some way to get him to join choir. If he is a teenager, maybe you could appeal to him as a 'way of meeting girls'? Maybe you could run your own, like I did - with repertoire more appealing to boys?

Anyway, good luck!

DD will take a sax "exam" in the summer term but it's not like UK grades as the French conservatoire system doesn't have independent exams with a fixed syllabus. It consists of a performance of several pieces in front of a jury of examiners. I suspect her teacher will aim to have her take the test required to enter "cycle 2" next year which means she will need to play pieces around grade 4/5 standard. Although this is her first year of sax, she previously played recorder (same fingering which helps enormously) and she plays jazz guitar to a high standard, so this is quite achievable.

She'll probably have to take a theory exam too (no idea of UK equivalent but she is in the top class with students who have done around 8 years of theory). Nothing planned for piano or guitar although we are still investigating UK guitar exams (she didn't like the Rock School exam pieces at her standard).

I might have to find a piano teacher for her brother now. He's been teaching himself Christmas carols all week while I've been away for work, and his progress is surprisingly good (he's much less musical than DD and I really didn't expect much). A friend brought round the first 3 John Thompson beginner books this morning and he's gone straight to book 2. If he keeps it up to the end of book 3 I might even be prepared to fork out for some lessons.

DS2 is under 3 weeks away for cello exam. DS1 has also decided he wants to do G4 drum kit in March so we need to get the form in this week. DS2 should be fine with his cello pieces and scales and practises well but if anyone has any advice in how to improve the singing part of the aural I would be grateful! It's only grade 1 but he really needs to get some singing practice and stubbornly (and frankly that's an understatement) refuses to join the choir as advised by his teachers and even his G1 piano examiner! Is there an app? I use the ABRSM CD but he isn't keen on that, either although he can do all the clapping and time signature parts perfectly well.

Choirmumoftwo, I think it gets hard after grade 5. My daughter prefers jazz and noticeably ABRSM starts to go more 'classical'. She is thinking of following trinity repertoire but she actually plays classical, borrowed repertoire really well. Maybe your son is not enjoying the pieces? Plus the aurals get much harder and the scales list gets longer!

I agree you can't do it for them. Those teenage years much be hard - and we have a wee while to go before we hit them yet.

Pressure off here for a while.

How soon are the exams dates looming for the rest of you?

That's even harder when they have the talent choirmumoftwo. I have my own mother still telling her now 47 year old daughter that she had the talent, but I know I did not have the passion...then, and did give up to pursue other interests.

So conscious not to repeat history, I tell my DD she had made her instrument choices, so do them to your best ability and enjoy them, or don't pursue them, as there are plenty of other things to do.

Often children don't know now and can regret later which is why we encourage them to go on, but with so much extra curricular juggling sometimes stopping is sadly the best option. And yes, coming back to an instrument on own terms with a different motivation (even if it's I'm not getting just a pass again) is a great thing.

My 15yo DS is about to go belly-up in his Grade 7 saxophone exam. We encourage, cajole, support WRT practice but can't do it for him. He insists he wants to do the exam and has been working towards it (interspersed with other repertoire) for a year but he is nowhere near at the required standard. He's a talented lad but just won't engage with practice. I (cruelly) hope he fails rather than just scrapes a pass but it's a harsh lesson to learn.

Icing on the cake was she received an invitation to the high scorers concert. She's more interested in the birthday party she has been invited to! Lol. Eight is a great age.

We stopped recorder lessons when it became obvious that DD wouldn't practice unless forced to (and I'm not interested in turning leisure activities into a battle of wills). She picked up music again a bit later and is much more motivated now.

In fairness though there are times when fitting in practice is tough - sometimes homework or family events or life in general just have to take priority.

..and also blind as a bat without my glasses on (hopefully hits correct keys this time)

Congratulations to your DD Shakyisles!

Don't know how you music teachers do it Julie. If you asked a parent is it acceptable for their child to turn up to school without doing homework, they'd say no. So why don't they have the same attitude with music learning??

I absolutely do not have the disposition to be a music teacher! (smile)

Freaking out about student's grade 3 so much that I'm giving him extra lesson today. No matter what I do, I can't make them actually practise, you know? I can rant and rave and tell you to learn them for next week, but if you don't do the learning what can I do? Grargh. At least the pieces are reasonable and the aural will be okay. Scales and sightreading.......... exam in a week's time, let's just hope for a pass, eh?

(And ruin my track record... but transfer students who arrive with no technique and not being able to read music... then insist on doing the exams... I already put it off twice).

That's fantastic especially at such a young age, well done to your DD!

Some kids seem to handle stress really well - my dd plays better in lessons than at home and even better in public. She has her first sax concert in 2 weeks (Christmas concert) and is completely relaxed about it (too relaxed IMO!)

Fantastic result, well done to your DD!

So glad I am not doing exams, I am really regretting agreeing to take part in a learners' concert next weekend. Nerves tend to get the better or me! The DCs are much more chilled!

Great news. Well done to your DD

Got the result! She was so pleased and kept jumping up and down saying 'I passed, I passed'.

She got 140.

Isn't it great when they come out smiling! So glad it went well and I bet you were ready for that wine!!!

All done! All smiles! Having had it weighing on her mind for a couple of weeks, she decided that it was all going to be great about ten minutes before the exam, gave a big smile and just got on with it. She has a whole pile of new music to start and can spend more time bending notes and doing her beloved blues scales now.

Eventually she did about 15 minutes in the morning - a few scales, the first eight bars of her B piece, the ornaments only in her Bach. Her usual long notes warm up. Worked a treat, she reckons.

We should know in a few days time.

I am ready to crack open the wine!

Fingers x'd exam went well Shakyisles, in your time it must be evening now and all exam stress is behind you!

Shakyisles - grade 5 does seem to take on a special significance, rightly or wrongly. I would do a gentle run through and scales for a late pm exam. Dd launched herself at the aurals today - seems to be ok-ish except for,the singing back which seems a lot longer than previously and she isn't very comfortable with.

I meant to say that it's grade five and around 3.15pm, so she is usually quite tired by that time. If the exam was a morning one we would just run through prior to the actual exam. But I'm tempted to get her to do scales and top and tail her pieces... I'm really nervous for her. She is super nervous too.

DS2's cello exam is at 9.30 so definitely no practice in the morning but we wil do a bit of a run through the night before. DS1's mock g3 flute (mainly to ensure he can join an ensemble as needs to be at that standard) is at 8.30 in the morning (his lesson time) so he'll definitely not be practising before it! Actually, this week he was so dopey his teacher had to intervene before he tried to put the flute together the wrong way round!! He isn't usually that bad, though.
Nice weekend, both DCs at an introduction to jazz workshop, one on percussion and one on cello, and had a great time! Wasn't too sure how they'd react to the cello, but a very warm welcome indeed!