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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Support group for parents of children taking music exams!

999 replies

Wafflenose · 14/11/2011 22:03

Hello, I'm feeling excited, nervous and wobbly because my daughter is taking her first music exam in three weeks. I'm a music teacher and am very used to getting children through the exams, keeping the parents informed, helping to focus practice, etc, but this is my first experience with my own child doing an exam and for some reason it's more scary than putting other people's children in! I think she will be OK (and the other thirteen I have entered this term) but I'm not!! Any tips for the 'other side' (parents rather than music teachers) for how to keep us both calm on the day would be gratefully received! Does it get easier as they become more experienced? Am thinking not...

She is taking part in the local music festival tomorrow, to gain performance experience. She's wildly excited, and I've got the jitters!!

OP posts:
RussiansOnTheSpree · 22/03/2013 19:33

@clouds Sugar in the petrol? Grin

RussiansOnTheSpree · 22/03/2013 19:34

When I was a kid you could win actual cash money prizes. Those were the days. Grin

CloudsAway · 22/03/2013 19:51

And up goes she!

I was an adult before I realised what 'the Spree' meant.

And the big thing at our music festival was the daily results in the newspaper, as well as promotion on to regional and ultimately national festivals - which we got to often with our choir, but much harder on a solo instrument.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 26/03/2013 18:02

DS1 had his Grade 5 tuba exam yesterday and apparently had a bad day, played very badly and messed up his aural completely.

Teacher just rung to say he has 92 and a Distinction. Would be nice to see what he got on a good day then!

CURIOUSMIND · 26/03/2013 21:36

Very well done, little Raspberry.Grade 5 is particularly hard.I don't know much about Trinity, but with ABRSM, Grade 5 gave the lowest percentage of distinction.

ImNotaCelebrity · 27/03/2013 23:10

DS (8) got distinction for his gr 4 violin. He is sooo chuffed!

Roisin · 28/03/2013 07:19

Well done Minicelebrity: that's brilliant!

CURIOUSMIND · 28/03/2013 22:07

Got my boys results today (so early!):
G7, 140, G3, 141.
So pleased with the teacher.She is simply fantastic as a performer,a teacher and a Mum as well.

Inncogneetow · 28/03/2013 22:17

Awesome results: well done them! You must be very proud.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 29/03/2013 18:53

Very well done to all your DSs

Original poster
Wafflenose · 30/03/2013 08:33

Wow, well done everyone!

We are still waiting for Grade 1 Flute results, but it's only been 11 days and will now be delayed due to Easter.

DD1 is doing Grade 4 Recorder next term (and a Silver Music Medal on her treble, so as not to be left out, because I teach at her school and most of her friends are taking one!), so we've started on those. We're also coming to the end of Grade 1 Theory, but I will not be paying for her to sit the exam! She's become more interested in piano again too. I do feel bad that we can't afford lessons for it all - she has a 20 minute flute lesson, but does the rest with me whenever there's enough time. I wish we could do more for her really, but I suppose we are saving a small fortune!

OP posts:
maggiethecat · 01/04/2013 00:22

Well done to your dc!

Celebrity, was that abrsm violin? Dd did hers 2 weeks ago and I wonder when we'll know result.

IroningBoredDaily · 01/04/2013 19:11

We finally have dd's violin results and she got a high merit (128). We had been worried the aural and scales had gone badly, but it turns out she got a distinction for aural & sightreading and the pieces hadn't gone as well as we thought. I'd been worried she'd be disappointed with the result, but she was pleased with herself! Theory next!

Inncogneetow · 01/04/2013 21:44

Well done baby ironing board! Especially as she hadn't been well.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 03/04/2013 15:14

Well done to Little Ironing Bored!

I have almost identical news - DD (7) got 127 for Grade 1 Flute. Her first piece wasn't great, but everything else had high marks, including full marks for aural. She's enjoying lots of fun new music, and we've just finished the Grade 1 Theory book (in an attempt to keep it at the same level as her flute). Grade 4 recorder is in two months!

OP posts:
IroningBoredDaily · 05/04/2013 09:17

Thank you! Today we start theory lessons! Have any of you managed to get a young dc through grade 5 theory on your own? I don't feel I know enough to confidently support her, so have asked someone to come and help. She's a very bright, mature girl, so I'm hoping it's not going to take too long - What do you think??!

Inncogneetow · 05/04/2013 14:50

My top tip is use the Trinity workbooks for gr1-4; they are much more child friendly and 'fun' than the AB books, but cover more or less the same ground. Then switch to AB for the gr5 level.

ds2 was 11 when he did his, but just worked with me at home. Had 2 or 3 composition lessons with a teacher prior to the actual exam.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/04/2013 15:39

I haven't got a young one through Grade 5 Theory yet - most have been 11-16, but definitely spend plenty of time going through all the books. Many people think you can just start at Grade 5, but the knowledge is cumulative. Being good at scales (which your dd clearly is) is a massive help.

I imagine my dd will be at least 11 by the time she actually needs to do it, because she's doing recorder grades (her first instrument) with Trinity. I think the theory gives them increased understanding at many levels though. She did two practice papers for Grade 1 Theory this morning and got 95% and 96%, so when I think of it we will get the next book and just plod along at her pace. At two years older, I expect your dd will go faster!

OP posts:
CURIOUSMIND · 05/04/2013 16:58

Welldone, little Ironingboard and Little waffle!

Re:G5 theory
It's definitely achievable on your own at young age My Ds1 did G5 theory at age 8.5 on his own, scored a distinction. Make sure you got the right material. We had AB theory practice book and answer book, some past papers. The pink book by Eric Taylor is very useful according to Ds1. Also you need a good rubber,a little ruler and a good pencil.

Primrose123 · 05/04/2013 17:08

Can I join the thread? My DD has just found out that she has passed grade 4 piano and is thrilled. My other DD is still waiting for her grade 3 violin result, which should be out at any time.

Also, I took up piano teaching about a year ago, and put one of my pupils in for an exam for the first time in March. She did grade 3 and I've just found out that she passed, so I'm thrilled!

maggiethecat · 05/04/2013 19:44

Teacher just emailed to say dd got her grade 4 violin. Haven't told dd yet but she will be very pleased!
Will need to turn mind to gr 5 theory - she won't be thrilled in the least as she just wants to play.

lljkk · 20/04/2013 17:40

ooh ooh ooh -- how's everyone doing?
Signing in as I've just filled in the form for DD's grade 3 violin (TrinityGH) in July.
3 months to go.

musicalfamily · 20/04/2013 19:26

Hello!!! My DD1 is doing grade 2 violin and my DS1 grade 1 violin.
It will be a fun summer!!
Like you say, 3 months to go though, so plenty of time to practise!!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 20/04/2013 20:17

Hello both!

DD is doing Grade 4 recorder on June 11th, so in about 7 weeks! We ran through the aural tests for the first time today, and she could do most of it!

She has also started working towards Grade 2 Flute and Theory (although we will probably wait a year with the flute and let her enjoy it - she knows the scales and can do the sight reading and aural, but wants to play hundreds of pieces!)

She also plays the piano reasonably well for her age, but hasn't touched it for weeks, so I would say the interest isn't really there! Hmm Also dabbles with the treble recorder and ukulele! I am taking her to the South West Playing Day for recorder next week, organised by the SRP, so hopefully she'll meet some like-minded people!

I have just started off DD2, who is a month short of her 5th birthday. She is playing tunes along the lines of Hot Cross Buns. I must be mad!!

OP posts:
RussiansOnTheSpree · 20/04/2013 22:00

DS did really well in his grade 4 clarinet, which he was very pleased (and relieved) about. He's going to spend this term on the sax, apparently (he informed me this week) which is cool as far as I'm concerned. DD1 broke several fingers at the end of last term. The bones are mended but she has ligament damage on a couple of fingers. So she isn't playing at the moment (much) which is killing her. She's doing a lot of left hand work on the piano and a lot of guitar but other than that....she was supposed to be doing grade 7 flute the week after next. But I don't think she will be. DD2 is definitely doing grade 3 flute, already entered. Not sure about grade 4 recorder - she is ready but I personally found the experience of doing two instrument exams with her at Xmas to be horrific in terms of stress and given that Dd1 is doing her GCSEs this summer (a year early) and Dd2 is also doing grade 4 singing for sure in the summer (but more like July than June) I think to do the recorder exam as well might be a killer. She might just skip to grade 5, she's been playing a mixture of 4 and 5 pieces on both descant and treble, so it might be as well to just leave it till Xmas or even Easter and just go straight for 5. She was previously dead keen on doing every single exam she could but she has finally realised that it's not compulsory.

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