Summer term 2019 music

Hope all the theory takers pass alright, we are aiming for the next session but don't want to pressure DD. It really is quite hard and I did some music at uni level! I am in awe of those who passed it aged 8 etc!

Good luck to all the grade 5 theoryers! We’ll be going through it again with the 2nd DC probably next term... hoping (optimistically) to get most of it covered over the summer holidays but we shall see...

Hello - another Grade 5 theory mum here. The centre we went to was also very strict and not forthcoming with the information. The children didn't have any scrap paper, and I asked for some to be provided as my DD likes to draw a keyboard etc. Finally some manuscript paper were given out, but they were smaller than A5 - blank paper would've been better.

Hoping for a pass this time after failing by 3 marks back in March.

There’s a great book “take 5 and pass firstvtime” which covers most of it!

My top tips...walk into exam and draw the following on scrap paper

A piano keyboard
Both staves, label lines and gaps
Circle of 5ths (helpful mnemonic from dd’s Piano teacher...fish chips garlic bread and dips anchovies eggs and beans...sticks much better than usual mnemonic I think)
Tone patterns for major and minor scales (musical children should know these from their scales, rest of us can just memorise them)

With those you can double check everything...all the intervals you just count on the keyboard etc...there’s a reason you’re not allowed to take anything in with. Keyboard drawn on it...

Train them to draw notes neatly and use a ruler for stems and joins!

I do hope dd passes. She did Grade 3 theory six months ago and got it into her head she wanted to have done Grade 5 theory by the time she left primary school. No rest for her though - Grade 5 violin coming up in a few weeks!

Also new! But a long time lurker...lol! DD sat the grade 5 theory Saturday. Can I have too .
Longest 2 hrs ever as I made her stay in the room to check, check and.. check again. So hoping she passes.
Petra what a great idea. Never sat a music exam in my life but after weeks of theory with DD, reckon I could probably pass lol.

Hi All,

New here! I have a DD(8) currently working on grade 3 Violin. I'm not musical myself (stopped at grade 3 piano) so I'm of no help to her at all!

This thread is great for sharing ideas and getting advice! Thank you!

I don’t think we will get the theory results until September as term ends on 5th July. I’m pretty sure DS2 will pass. He has done so much theory, some of it must have sunk in. Anything beyond a pass is a bonus!

Thanks Kitty, I'm not giving away the huge pile of past papers just yet until we get the result. I can't wait to be rid of it, it's very messy!!

Well done to all those who took their theory exam yesterday. Glad DD came out happy bostik.

Fingers crossed and cake all round! I guess it will be 15th July by the time we hear the results.

Well I take my hat off to those of you who have taught your children personally!

Another G5 theory mum here! Felt horrible dropping DD off yesterday as she's also little but she was quite chipper about the whole thing. She took G1 theory a couple of years ago and just finished SATS so she knew the format. How well she has done is another matter - she finally passed a couple of old papers before the exam but never with flying colours and still struggled with reading the question properly, checking the clef, etc. Still, at least she left the exam room feeling positive - a scraped 'pass' will suffice! Fingers crossed :)

Petra, what a good idea! I might aim for that for my younger dc, if he seems musically inclined. frankly I feel my brain may be too addled. I could get a few marks for the Italian terms but that’s about it!

Petra that’s a great solution!! I did mine 2,254 years ago and doubt I’d come anywhere near passing now! As it was I got 67 on that occasion...!

Yes, I stayed and insisted on waiting in the holding room on the grounds that she might go back there. She was taken there as soon as she got there (15 mins before he starting time) and had already been taken into the actual exam room by the time I’d got to the holding room. So I couldn’t even tell her where I’d be waiting.

I know this is mn, and we’re generally supposed to send our dc down the mine as soon as they can walk, but dd is 11 and still at primary school. I’m minded to contact the ABRSM about this because it doesn’t seem right.

We knew a few of the teens that were there from music centre and they are 17/18: they were also confused!

Dd was entered by her piano teacher, who also teaches an adult with autism. I can’t help thinking how hard that situation would have been for him to navigate.

I just solved that issue by doing g5 at the same time as dd!!! Which was highly amusing! I just thought if I’m going to teach it to her I might as well take it...

Thanks Taggie... i’m Just glad she wasn’t too hyped about it. Hope your son gets the result he hopes for.
4 strings, yes the way it works does seem a bit off for younger children. I guess with a younger child you hang around the building; I went to a play park with my younger child as he would have gone up the wall in the waiting room and been asked to leave. No phones allowed in the room, and an indeterminate leaving time definitely create a confusing moment even for the teenagers.

Another with a dc now waiting for Grade 5 theory results! Dd did it yesterday. Youngest there, and was shepherded into a holding room with loads of teenagers and not told where she would go when she came out. There was no steward, just a school caretaker and two invigilators (she’s done theory exams before at the same centre). When she was let out of the exam room the poor child wandered the corridors for a bit until she found the caretaker. All a bit disorganised.

Sunny I missed your message- sorry and welcome. Dd2 is at cym- she loves it and is just finishing her first year. She’s much younger (9) -but the older ones always seem to be having a ball. Happy to talk more if you have questions. Hope your dd is pleased and enjoys herself. I was also worried about giving up a teacher and Saturday orchestra, but it is now dd2s favourite thing

DS2 did his grade 5 theory exam today too. He seemed quite pleased with himself, but was not brilliantly prepared as he has had a lot on his plate over the last few weeks. We’ll see how he goes.

Good luck to your DD 🍀

Hi everyone,
I am a lurker on here, just come on to ask if anyone else is in the ‘music theory exam result waiting room’ after today’s exam?
My year 8 dd sat her grade 5 with a little reluctance today. Hopefully she will pass it, although she is not a practical exam aficionado, so it’s not like she has taken it in order to be able to get her grade 6...
we will see what she does
If anyone cares to join me, I have

Hi Just discovered this thread. My lo has started playing Clarinet at Christmas and plays the ukulele. She has autism and learning difficulties but is very good at music. She has perfect pitch (I’m told). She will be working towards Grade 1 clarinet in September.
Wanted to ask advice- she has started picking out tunes by herself, for example she played ‘its a hard knock life’ which she’s learning at dance lessons and Havana just by ear and made few mistakes. Is this unusual
Or something to expect? I played piano and a bit of guitar when I was younger but the clarinet is new to me. What else can I do to encourage/develop her further?

Category final on TV is the third round out of five. Very tough to get to that stage even if really good. Know some incredibly good people who didn't make it.