...to want to launch my dd's piano teacher into space (piano prep test Q)?

[MurielPuce]

My 6-yo dd has been taking piano for about a year, and in February, her teacher asked "if she'd be interested in doing a little prep test this term? Nothing formal, but it is good experience, etc." Piano-crazy DD nods, enthusiastically, because Piano Teacher made it sound like a party, and dd genuinely loved her ballet exam, the hairdos and the medal from Darcey Bussell, etc. I am from the US and we don't do piano exams there, so I didn't realize that it would be more than a nifty challenge during her regular lesson. As the weeks went on I discovered dd would have to come out of school for the test, I'd have to pay a £33 fee... etc, as the teacher spooled out thing after thing after thing that would be required, each new item came as a total surprise, and yet we said, okay, okay, okay because we love our daughter.

Today, the final straw, is that after being cagey about when, exactly, the date for the exam would be, Piano Teacher sent an email to say it would be "next Wednesday, at 1:30 PM, you must be there 20 minutes beforehand to warm up, so fun!" Except that next Wednesday is her last day of school, and the 1:30 slot means she wouldn't come back to school at all on that day. And I know they don't do anything academic, really, on the last day of school, but to make a 1:30 exam she'd have to dash out before saying goodbye to her pals, esp. her best friend who is moving abroad the very next morning.

I AM SO STEAMED. What should I do? The teacher seemed shocked that we were upset about this, and said she didn't know what could be done. "Erm, erm, I may be able to cancel.... but it's all set." Argh!!!!!! Am I damaging my 6-year old by canceling this exam? Am I being unfair by asking for some flexibility? Am I being a crazy stage mother by having her do piano at all? What is the point of this prep test anyway? Help!

You need to learn to respect and value your dd's efforts and the ABRSM's exam organisation and structure.

Ds2 missed his school play due to sitting his piano grade 1 last week.

Music always comes first. Everyone knows that.

The music teacher should have given you and your dd more notice of the exam than just a week. She should have known ages ago. She sounds quite lax.

I find piano teachers a little bit flakey on the admin side (even if they can be great teachers). My dd is taking her piano exam tomorrow and the teacher has only just asked for the exam fee.

Oh, I have never had any issue with the school giving my dd time off for her ABRSM exams. The school would be grateful you are taking the time and expense to give your dd such a recognised grounding in music, something all good schools like to encourage.

A lack of communication from the piano teacher, I think. Not very professional of her. But maybe you should have pushed for more information?

I wouldn't bother with the exam now, given the best friend moving abroad thing. Your DD would hate to miss seeing her for their last afternoon of school together. Hope you don't lose the fee.

Is she in Year 2 and will be leaving her infant school to move to junior school, so it is actually her last day at that school ever? Because if so I understand, there will be goodbyes to teachers, she will not be coming back to that school etc (DS is in that position).

If she is coming back to the same school next year I think its fine, isn't it? She's only saying goodbye to her pal a few hours earlier than she would have done anyway?

I'm from the UK but never sat a music exam in my life. But I knew they were run independently from school so missing class and some small payment due did not surprise me at all when DD's rolled round. If you didn't know what the teacher meant when she mentioned a prep test, it was incumbent on you to ask IMO.
I agree, in any event, you are massively overreacting. Assume she is your oldest child?

My daughters have done piano grade exams and always had notice and we were made fully aware of what it entailed, practice, fees, out of school time test appointment etc. It sounds like the teacher has been a bit vague and that you weren't really up for this. I understand that you don't want your daughter to miss the last day but in my experience all she'll be missing is a lame dvd when she could be gaining a certificate/grade in something she enjoys(I presume) I agree with others, ask DD and check out what's on at school on the last day. I'm sure you can reorganise times of the exam if you want to.

No, we don't do music exams in the US. I studied piano for 16 years, majored in music at University and never sat a single exam. Thousands of auditions and juries, yes; exam, no. The UK system is all totally new to me.

Perhaps I do come across as a bit keyed up, but I don't think it's crazy to want more than a few days' warning for an event for which I have to pull my child out of school... for her RAD ballet exam we were told two months in advance of the date and the ballet school was very up front about what would happen on that day, which gave my DH and I plenty of time to take time off work, inform the school, etc.

On the ABRSM website it gives very little information about exactly what's required for piano prep exams apart from the repertoire; for Grade 1 and up it's quite clearincluding the dates by which the exams are finished, supposedly by early July. If I'd had more robust informationwhich I would have expected to come from her piano teacher--I would have made a different decision. I suppose it may seem a little unreasonable to be upset about pulling a child out of school on the last day, but I'm not okay with being capricious about school attendance, whatever day it is, excused or not.

And no, we can't do additional playdates with her best friend; as I mentioned she's leaving first thing the following morning to move abroad with her family, so I would rather not have to whisk my daughter out of school at lunchtime without allowing them to have a proper goodbye.

Could they not have a proper goodbye the day before?

I do understand it's all a bit frustrating and last minute. IME, some music teachers can be a bit disorganised. I'm sure you've come across that, as well.

The music teacher doesn't choose the exam day or time. The ABRSM have thousands of candidates and they simply send out times that suit them.

Why don't you contact them with your nippy attitude and leave your supportive, encouraging piano teacher alone?

OP, your last post is rather concerning. All the details for the prep test is in the prep test music book that your DD should be practising from and have her own copy of for the exam - ive done the prep test as a self taught adult a couple of years ago (I put myself in for the exam) and know all you need is in that book. You don't need anymore information than the book which she should have a copy of and to be learning from and taking into her prep test. It's all in there except the optional piece which can actually be the other piece in the book so no other books are needed.

I don't understand what you were expecting from the abrsm website about prep tests when it is all in the book. They do have some very good guides about preparing for abrsm exams and what to expect which are good to look at and rules and regulations though mostly those don't apply to a prep test as its not the same as an exam.

ABRSM do not give as much warning for exams as your DD had for her ballet, because the closing dates aren't two months before the exam dates. Especially not prep tests which last under ten minutes. The piano one is on a piano ABRSM provide and on a specific day - if she hasn't please get DD to practice her pieces on at least three different pianos including a grand piano as the one in the test could be very very different to what she is used to.

I found it a useful thing to do, I'd hoped to go on and do grade one but unfortunately my health declined and I can no longer play. There is a big jump to grade one piano. I also did another prep test but found that one rather pointless as grade one for that instrument was actually not as hard as grade one piano.

Another difference between ABRSM EXAMS & balket exams is that unless a teacher has LOTS of candidates eg works in a secondary school, you go to a public centre with pupils from other teachers.

Ballet exams are private centres, the teacher is given a date that the examiner will visit her school.

click here for The Piano Prep test book links to the book I'm referring to in my post.

Sorry in my first post it should say "closing dates for ABRSM exam entry are two months before the exam dates" so that's why there isn't much notice.

My DS did his prep test age 6 - we were told time where to be for the exam .... not sure what the issue is? You either do it when the ABRSM (or Trinity) examiner is there - or you don't.....

These are external examinations

When DD1 had been learning for a year aged 6 we were told we would get a date for the summer term for her grade 1. Came back from a weekend away (no practice), DD came home from school on Monday and told us she had sat the G1. We didn't believe her but checked with school and it was true - they had forgotten to tell her or us. She got a merit so no harm done but we were a bit annoyed. She handled it better than we did, being dragged out of maths to suddenly sit an exam!