Low pass grade 1 piano-daft mother needs help getting a grip and helping dc!

As a piano teacher I say relax and don't worry. A pass is a pass. I have three grade 8s and a music degree and have absolutely no idea what mark I got in any of my grade 1s!
It is no measure of what will happen next at all. Exam pressure is a big thing and chances are she'll plod on to the next grade and pass that one too- maybe with a distinction.

I agree with those who have said check the mark sheet and ask the teacher how much time was spent on things like the aural tests and sight reading. Some teachers skimp on those and actually the marks make a big difference.
For your daughters sake, big up the fabulousness of a pass at grade one. Buy her a well done gift and give only praise. She worked hard and she passed!!

Hi OP. I understand where you're coming from I think.
Don't worry about the low mark. Had dd done the prep test? If not, then an exam situation can be very daunting for some children.

Overall, she passed, which is good. Well done to her. Now look at the mark sheet and find where the marks were down, talk it through with dd, praising where necessary of course, spotting where to do better next time (if she wants to).

Then move on.
I think grade 1 piano is harder than grade 1 on other instruments, so she really has done well. Grade 1 - 105 is worth celebrating.
She may still turn out musical, who knows? If she enjoys her music, she will get good at it. Has she tried working out some pop song tunes on the piano and singing along with herself? Making up (random) tunes on the piano? Singing is a key part in being musical I think.
Good luck, and enjoy!

She put in the work and 'endured' the exam process, so personally I think she is entitled to know the mark and see the comments sheet when you receive it; it will help her in knowing what to do next, and help better prepare for future exams. (It's not necessary to sit every Grade; our DS skipped a few on his way to G8 on saxophone.)

It's also good that she does clarinet, and is in various ensembles, as that is useful for social reasons, as well as broadening musical experience. I played drums for forty years, in every kind of setting there is pretty much; I never got to be as good as I had hoped, but I did provide adequate, sympathetic backing for stage shows, bands, and solo performers, and as a TA coached primary children to accompany the Christmas production for ten years.

(Sometime, I'll PM you.)

Yes, you can be an amazing pianist and rubbish at exams. My DF sounds like Vladimir Ashkenazy but he kept failing his grade 8!

I think the whole process of preparing for and taking exams places inevitable pressure on the end result. Of course you are secretly disappointed as are 99% of other parents whose child "just" gets a pass.

What you have to focus on is that results in the early grades are pretty meaningless. So much depends on how the child responds to exam pressure, the vagaries of exam marking, and (to be blunt) the quality of the teaching, especially if the parent isn't musical and can't help much at home. As a child I went from passes at grades 3 and 4 to a very high distinction at grade 5 after a change of teacher. (I still didn't have much in the way of musical talent lol - compared with my actually musical daughter, it's clear that I was just technically competent).

Your daughter is still little - you literally have NO idea what her "big thing" will be when she's older. When my daughter was 9 I would have laughed bitterly if anyone suggested she had a musical talent. She'd been playing an instrument four years at that point with no sign of any gift. Like I said above, it was only much later that she discovered (via another instrument) a genuine talent for composing and improvisation - she'll never be a virtuoso player but as her guitar teacher says, she is already a real musician.

Based on the limited knowledge I have of my own children plus some of their friends, grade 1 results are not necessarily an indicator of future success. We have observed this particularly at piano.

For example, a friend's child got a really good distinction at grade 1 and her mum was over the moon as she was sure her child had found her "thing". The child just shrugged. A year later the grade 2 result was a scraped pass. Grade 3 was put back a couple of terms.....then never taken and piano lessons have stopped. I believe that she did really well at grade 1 as she was very accurate and well drilled and on the day managed to sparkle too. But usually the sparkle wasn't there and she lost interest.

I also know others, including my own children, who have been more wobbly at grade 1 but have developed as they have progressed. One of my DSs got a middling pass at grade 1 and then a blinding distinction at grade 4. I know which way round I would rather see it.

Congratulations to your daughter. Grade 1 piano is not for beginners is what we say!

Well done to your DD for working hard to prepare for grade 1 and for demonstrating on the day that she's a decent grade 1 player!
I'd definitely wait for the mark sheet (which may well appear today, along with the certificate) and look for comments that indicate what went well in DD's exam performance. Maybe she gave a musical performance of one piece, made the examiner feel s/he was relaxing on the beach during another etc. etc. Hopefully there will be something in there for you both to feel positive about. I know my DD was chuffed to bits that the examiner for her G4 trumpet exam had commented on how unperturbed she was by a slip-up at the start of one piece; continuing to perform regardless of errors was something she's been working hard to improve. Definitely look at the constructive criticism too...if she's interested, she may prefer to go through that with her teacher.

An exam mark provides a snapshot of a person's performance during the 11 or so minutes in the exam room. Unlike written exams, there's no going back and correcting an incorrect note/answer. It's quite an odd scenario, even more so when you factor in that she was playing on an unfamiliar piano.

She's done brilliantly to pass and deserves to feel proud of herself for even being willing to take an exam. Now that she's familiar with the set-up she may find subsequent exams less nervewracking but, just as valid, she may be someone for whom piano playing is something she doesn't want to be examined in. That doesn't mean she can't work through a syllabus so she can still say, "I'm working on grade X".

Well I'd just like to applaud your honesty!! It may be "frowned upon" and you'll be given a tonne of advice about how it's "not important" - but the reality is that for every mother who believes they don't care, there will be at least 10 who feel exactly as you do. They just daren't come out and say!!

I think it's normal to want your child to be a talented musician - after all, you want to feel that there is some point in forking out for lessons! - and there does seem (based on threads on here) to be a lot of social pressure to have children sit music exams and do well. So I don't blame you for being disappointed.

But take a step back and ask yourself - who is ever going to care whether she got a pass or distinction at grade 1? Plus, the exam only assesses what she did on the day, not whether she's actually musical. And maybe she isn't that musical, but so what?

I went through the period of mild disappointment when I realised that my beloved firstborn was not, actually, that gifted a recorder player. She was perfectly competent but didn't care enough or practice enough. It was only much later that her musical ability found another outlet and we discovered what she was capable of (which doesn't, incidentally, involve exams at all).

*beautifully

You could see if she's interested in joining a music group (in or outside school) so she can learn and play with others, then it's more a team activity and collective achievement rather than being competitive over who got what grade. It's also more fun.

I would also encourage her to perform, whether it's in public, at school, or just at home to immediate family, and give her lots and lots of praise. IMO it's more important to boost her confidence and get her used to playing in front of others. Not much point being an amazing musician - or a musician with Grade 8 distinction - if you can't play well in front of anyone other than a teacher or examiner.

I speak from experience!! Might have pursued music very seriously if I had been a better, more relaxed performer. As it is I play beautiful when I'm by myself (!) - bit of a waste really.

What does the mark sheet say?

IME examiners see their role as an extension of the teachers - and try hard to be very explicit about what marked you up/down on the day.

Music exams are tough - my dcs find them the hardest and most nerve wracking thing they do. I did violin (thanks, parents) up to grade 6 and hated every exam.

View grade 1 as an experience and nothing else. After the next one, you will be able to better judge her future direction.

Yay, thanks!
Also congratulations to your dd. Getting to grade 1 piano is such an achievement. I hope she feels proud.

I wouldn't worry. The exam process can be very daunting if you haven't experienced it before. That, plus nerves, a few mistakes and possibly a quite harsh examiner may have resulted in the low mark. It's understandable to be disappointed but it isn't any real indicator of her musicianship at this stage. As someone else said, have a detailed look through her mark sheet and a chat with her teacher about how to improve next time!

OP - Sorry; you have explained things while I was doing my reply, which may now be irrelevant. I'll digest, and come back sometime.

How long has she been playing? And do you play yourself, or know enough about music to help her?

Was it her choice in the first place to start piano, or was it something YOU wanted her to do?

As a TA I was involved in introducing primary children to music for fifteen years - Keyboard, Recorder, and Percussion clubs, but it was always 'informal' music so no emphasis on 'reading dots', except for a few who wanted to, and children only did music because they enjoyed it.

So I think you need to examine your own motives, and have an honest discussion with DD to work out the next move (for both of you).