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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Does anyone's musical dc not do exams?

32 replies

Dancergirl · 10/03/2016 16:00

Interested in opinions. Oldest dd, now 14, plays the flute and piano. Flute is her main instrument and she took up a bit of piano to help with GCSE Music. With her flute she had a bit of a slow start due to repeated change of teacher at school, but I then found a fantastic private teacher and she progressed rapidly doing Grades 1 and 2 within a year both with Merit.

She then had a gap and did Grade 3 a year or so later. Even though she was well prepared it went a big wrong on the day and she scraped a pass. Bit disappointing but I told her a pass is a pass and to move on and enjoy her playing. She has now decided she doesn't want to do any more grades for a while and I am fine with that, she is old enough to make sensible choices. She is very much enjoying playing both instruments without the stress of doing exams.

Youngest dd started piano last summer and made very fast progress and is really enjoying it. She is due to take Grade 1 in a couple of weeks and her teacher says she should do very well. But I can't help feeling that a bit of the joy has been taking out of playing, focussing on playing the exam pieces well plus scales, aural etc. Dd is keen to take the exam but is also a bit worried about it. I'm worried it will put her off something she was really enjoying.

I play the piano myself and worked up through the grades as a child. I didn't really give it much thought but I quite liked the challenge of exams.

So my questions are - what are the benefits of doing exams, and can you become a competent musician without doing them?

OP posts:
NewLife4Me · 10/03/2016 16:22

The thing is whether you take exams or not you are at a level that corresponds to an exam.
E.g my dh has a pupil who is consolidating grade 5 now, having gone to pieces in grade 2 a couple of years ago, didn't take another exam.
She plays pieces both from the older syllabus and others that dh works out the level.
If she feels she wants to do an exam he will enter her at the level she is working at when ready.
She is that bad that dh daren't choose pieces from the new syllabus because she'd go to pieces, just knowing they were exam pieces.

I hope all that makes sense.

My dd hasn't taken exams on her main instrument at school, they aren't bothered and that's a specialist music school.
She'll have them all by the time she is 14, but they skip a couple and just take the milestone exams.

raspberryrippleicecream · 10/03/2016 16:19

Don't forget you don't have to do them all, your DD could skip a few and do a higher grade later on.

Original poster
Dancergirl · 10/03/2016 16:16

Thank you. Playing is very much a hobby for both of them, they have no desire to win music scholarships or pursue a career as a musician. I want them to enjoy playing, they will still gain all the benefits of learning a musical instrument without doing exams.

I will see how dd gets on with her Grade 1 and then let her decide if she wants to take any more exams.

OP posts:
raspberryrippleicecream · 10/03/2016 16:14

The short answer is yes, you can become a more than competent musician without grade exams. Many countries don't do them.

DSs trombone teacher was really pleased we weren't bothered about exams, he said they would concentrate on playing.

My DC play a variety of instruments and do exams on some and not on others, depending on what they want.

sunnydayinmay · 10/03/2016 16:11

My dcs play the piano. Ds1 has taken grades 1 & 2, and is taking grade 3 next week. He thrives on structure, and loves getting pieces to grade level, but hates sight reading, so I am considering this.

Ds2 is three years younger (9 years old) and is playing at grade 2 level but not doing grades. He would gain nothing from them - he loves to learn new pieces and scales, and loves playing, but taking grades would stifle him.

They have the same teacher, and she is absolutely happy to adapt her teaching to this.

I think our hope (subject to their rather strong personal opinions!)_ is that they will be around grade 8 level by the time they leave school, but don't actually most and if they have a certificate to prove it!

NewLife4Me · 10/03/2016 16:08

The benefit of doing exams.

Gives parents a rough idea of how their child ha progressed, a benchmark and possibly the certificate can lead to scholarships for private schools.

Most definitely you can be a musician without any exams and what's more you don't always need them to progress to specialist conservatoires, although they may give you the edge at Uni level/ post compulsory level.

Some parents and teachers like the treadmill of one grade followed by another and see grade 8 as a means to an end and for this type of learner they are great.

If you actually want to be a respected musician however, they don't really mean anything.

ErgonomicallyUnsound · 10/03/2016 16:07

My DD (9) plays three instruments and is only doing grade exams in one of them, and tbh we may stop those.

Her flute teacher commented on how unusual it was for a parent not to want their child to do grades - I'm not a big fan, as like you, I want her to enjoy it without the stress and competitiveness of an exam, especially when there are a number of tiger parented very bright children in her class who win plaudits for everything and seem to want to compete over scores.

She's happy not doing the grades at the moment but if a time comes when she is keen to, fair enough.

I find the whole world of extra curricular exams and competiveness sad and insane in equal measure.