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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:
CinnamonAddict · 02/07/2013 09:50

I can't wait in the car. She wants me to come with her to find her accompanist.
Last time I was at work when she did grade 6 and her accompanist was so booked up that she couldn't play through her pieces with her before the exam.
I am very sure that she will not do grade 8 (if she passes this one) before she has waded through her hormonal swamp. Too stressful for me. She isn't particularly bothered. Gah

CinnamonAddict · 02/07/2013 09:52

singinggirl Good luck to him!

hardboiled · 02/07/2013 10:07

Can't believe this thread has been going on for two years!
This is my first post, I don't usually make a big thing about the exams but just needed some advice... DS 11 is sitting piano gr5 on Friday and he hurt his finger on Sunday playing mock rugby with his dad on the grass! Well, he said it was hurting yesterday through his practice...I'm keeping my eye on it. On top of that he has a concert tonight an another tomorrow, so not the best week for an injury... What shall we do if his finger is not right on Friday? Do we call ABRSM?

All this has got me thinking about the compulsory rugby in his secondary school as of next Sept! [emoticon of overworried mum]

RussiansOnTheSpree · 02/07/2013 10:36

hardboiled You can cancel due to illness and get about 75% of the fee back. Dd1 did her grade 7 flute with what was thought to be ligament damage following two dislocations in quick succession but turned out to be ligament damage as above PLUS small break. Not recommended to be honest.

Dd2 is in exam right now. I hate this bit.

hardboiled · 02/07/2013 10:47

Thank you Russians and good luck to your Dd2!

singinggirl · 02/07/2013 11:26

DS very despondent - the pieces didn't go well, and apparently it just got worse from there Sad He knows it's due to lack of practice until about the last three weeks so is currently blaming himself. Hopefully he might learn from it, but for now I've got my fingers crossed, I think his pieces were a pass, it depends on everything else. He did say the aural was bad, apparently in the singing back by the time he'd pushed his voice to the right notes he'd forgotten the end of the phrase. Sad

Theas18 · 02/07/2013 12:12

Well grade 6 treble done and dusted, She was reasonably happy with it - scales " a bit dodgy" but the main pep talk before she went in was just to remind her that apart from the pieces each section has a relatively small defined number of marks. This means that, as long as you don't let a completely duff scale shake you so much that the rest of them are awful too, you'll still get a reasonable number of marks. Don't think " I've blown it all" because 1 scale /aural test went wrong.

She was fortunately migraine free on waking- phew!

She's very happy now as she just has a couple of concerts before the end of term. as she put it " that's no biggie" .

Theas18 · 02/07/2013 12:14

Russians it's rubish waiting for them isn't it. I just found out today this exam centre has a coffee shop just across the the road. I left her to it and went there.

Singinggirl. Hope he's done OK.

hardboiled don't get me started on rugby and injuries. It's really horrible!

Lancelottie · 02/07/2013 12:29

I think you need proof of illness or injury -- that's what we were told a couple of years back when both kids woke with dire, hacking coughs and temperatures on the day of their exam. ABRSM accepted one schools' confirmation of absence as 'proof' of illness but not the other's, not sure why.

Lancelottie · 02/07/2013 12:31

Ah yes, things not to do just before your exam:

Injure hand in karate session (cornet player)
Trip in playground and bite through lip (euphonium player)
Go anywhere near sibling with flu (both of them)

Frankly by now I cheer if they make it in through the door on the day.

CinnamonAddict · 02/07/2013 13:08

Oh dear singinggirl, hope he did ok.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 02/07/2013 21:28

I'm sure it wasn't as bad as he thinks, singinggirl. Do let us know when you hear.

I had my last candidate of the session today - a Grade 1 Piano pupil with ABRSM. She says it went "OK". Lesson last night was dodgy, but better then than during the exam!

I'm also waiting for the results for about a million Music Medals!

My Trinity pupils got 1 Pass, 6 Merits and 2 Distinctions this term, so far so good.

OP posts:
Red2003 · 03/07/2013 10:31

My son just did his grade 5 violin exam and got a good pass which I think is well deserved - he's 9 and practices 5-10mins a day. He's done really well in the past grades getting distinctions and merits.
He was hoping to get a merit I think (as he mentioned that after the exam) and is a little disappointed although I did try and sell it as a great achievement - he slipped on the aural (which he finds difficult and also on the scales although he seemed fine with those beforehand but clearly didn't manage during the exam).
Hopefully he won't get too put off and realise that the higher grades require alot more work.
Any suggestions on how to make him feel better?

Original poster
Wafflenose · 03/07/2013 11:41

He has done very well. Tell him it's accredited as a Level 2 qualification - the same sort of level of difficulty as a GCSE at grade A*-C.

He will need to practise a lot more than 5-10 mins to succeed in the upper grades. Grade 5-6 in particular is a big jump, and can take a long time. I have a DD aged 7 who has just got a merit for her Grade 4 recorder, and is putting in about 40 minutes a day now, aiming for Grade 5 in a year. She is having to learn treble at the same time though.

OP posts:
Red2003 · 03/07/2013 12:03

Thank you Wafflenose - that's very helpful.
Hopefully it'll push him into practising more.
Well done to your daughter!

kitkat1967 · 03/07/2013 12:40

We just heard that DD got a distinction in her grade 4 Treble. Am really pleased for her as she has never had a distinction before (hates aural) but usually gets 127 so always close.
On the other hand as she is grade 6 Oboe and already did grade 5 descant so she did find the preparation very straightforward (she only gets a recorder lesson every 2 to 3 weeks though).
I'm going to buy her a Bass and Sporanino now ready for NYTRO at the end of the month Smile

MadeOfStarDust · 03/07/2013 12:53

WOW - well done to your DD on distinction - they are only dreamed of round - here my dd does not practise enough - she gets good passes , and a merit last time.... but she knows she would do better if she practised more....

TheOneWithTheHair · 03/07/2013 12:58

Hi. Can I join in please? Dd has just got a merit in her grade 1 singing and will be doing her grade 1 piano soon. I'm very new to all this as I never learned to play an instrument, I can't read music and I'm of limited help. Dh learned piano to grade 8 but he tends to be very impatient and they end up rowing.

Any tips on how I can help would be gratefully received.

MadeOfStarDust · 03/07/2013 13:48

Tips of how to help.... hmmmmmmmmmmm

just be there to be shouted at when practise does not go well - and remind them that they do need to practise sometimes helps too.... Smile

TheOneWithTheHair · 03/07/2013 14:43

Haha. Yes I definitely need to remind her some most days. She loves it but tends to forget.

Thank you.

kitkat1967 · 03/07/2013 14:45

distinction not usual here either - although she did say she was going to aim for a distinction this time (so I guess she doesn't always Hmm).

DD is 12 so support from me is now mainly financial and transport, so new reeds, new music, new recorders..........

She took this most recent exam without any input from me Grin

TheOneWithTheHair · 03/07/2013 15:04

Sounds good to me. Grin

Dd is nine. She started in February so it's not a habit yet. Oh well. There's time.

CinnamonAddict · 03/07/2013 16:58

My daughter has had a professional musician's amount of practice today Grin better late than never. Making up for weeks of sloppy practising.

She really doesn't want to disappoint the teacher. I hope she gets a merit (but that's probably asking for a miracle).

Scales have improved 200%, what a bit of work can achieve.
Well done to all that have got results!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 03/07/2013 22:09

Hope kitkat's DD enjoys NYRO! Mini Waffle is going to have a go when she is (much) older!

OP posts:
Theas18 · 04/07/2013 10:02

waves to kitkat! there will be a mumsnet anonymous group of at least 2 of us!