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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

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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:

Viewofthehills · 05/07/2013 23:04

Happy people here-DD got a distinction for her Grade 7 Flute, despite the awful aural (got passmark so not as bad as she thought) .
Quickest result I think we've ever had- 1 week after exam.
But the result for her singing exam 2 weeks ago still isn't on-line

MadeOfStarDust · 06/07/2013 07:53

Yep my DD got hers last night - one week exactly...

she got a merit in her grade 3 piano - (high pass was expected grade) and at 122 this was highest of her 3 grades - she goes up by 1 mark a grade!!

so happy people here too....

Lancelottie · 06/07/2013 17:08

Yee-ha, DS (he of the 'predictably crap' scales upthread) has somehow wangled a distinction in grade 6 nonetheless.

He is doing a victory dance round the kitchen.

Lancelottie · 06/07/2013 17:08

Congrats to View's nd Stardust's DD's too!

MadeOfStarDust · 06/07/2013 20:02

Congrats to all !!

Original poster

Wafflenose · 06/07/2013 21:40

Well done to everyone, and LOL at the 'predictably crap scales'! They can't have been as bad as he thought.

OP posts:

Viewofthehills · 06/07/2013 21:58

Congrats MadeofStarDust and Lancelottie!

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 06/07/2013 23:22

DS1 (15) has just scraped through his Grade 5 piano, which is a huge relief as both the teacher and I were worried. Am also pleased he didn't achieve a high pass by some miracle as he really didn't deserve it. He has two distinctions at Grade 5 for brass instruments and didn't put in the practice necessary for this. Piano is just going to be a fun third instrument now and he will concentrate on higher grades with Tuba and Trombone, probably Grade 8 trombone next, I think.

Just enjoying concerts now, we had a lovely joint concert today with a visiting youth orchestra from Canada.

Lancelottie · 08/07/2013 14:29

Just the grade 4 cornet still to come for the Lancelets this term.

I've never had results through for one before the other had even taken the exam before. Feels a bit odd!

MadeOfStarDust · 08/07/2013 16:20

Raspberry... a pass is a pass - at least he didn't fail it - a few kids I know did fail at our centre this term - our DD's music teacher at Secondary was telling DD how she had got 103 in her grade ONE exam - made her pull her socks up!

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 08/07/2013 18:03

MadeofStardust it is indeed.

DS1 has voluntarily gone to the piano far more than he used to already, and is enjoying it, which is lovely to see after exam stress.

Piano teacher already mentioned next exam series though, this will be DS2s turn for Grade 5. (But he will practice!)

Theas18 · 09/07/2013 09:57

Congrats all!

Still waiting for DD2s RSCM award and grade 6 recorder. Just realised DS grade 7 piano on Fri ...gulp... He's actually done some practice recently and now needs to have a decent go on the exam grand at school. However Sheffield open day Jolly today for him and his mates ...

FiveHoursSleep · 10/07/2013 17:06

Yay- DD1 has just got a high merit ( 3 marks off a distinction) for her Grade 3 Double Bass. This is the first exam she has sat for this instrument, so she's very happy with this result :)

MadeOfStarDust · 10/07/2013 17:33

She should be very happy with that Five.... Congratulations!

pigsinmud · 10/07/2013 18:09

Thank god he has passed g5 theory. Hurrah! All that worrying, delaying entering because he was panicking. It is done. Can now do g6 which he should have done last term. I suggested skipping and going to g7, but ds1 won't hear of it.

FadedSapphire · 10/07/2013 18:37

Well my ds just done grade 1 recorder today. 2 pieces went ok and one tits up apparently. He started fine, went wrong and poor piano and him muddled about til he found himself so... mmmm...
Scales a mixed bag according to my spy outside the room [I wasn't there].
He was jolly when came out apparently. Not home yet but having fun at his grandparents.
He is very hit and miss. On a good day his teacher says distinction. On a bad day a scraped pass [or maybe worse?].

Sometimes he likes to experiment or try to play off by heart. May not have taken grade 1 seriously enough despite examiner. He is a flibberti gibbit. Oh well!!

Lancelottie · 10/07/2013 18:47

Today I acquired the accompanist's small baby to entertain while DD did her exam.

I recommend this strategy! DD came out looking pale and saying 'Did you hear where it all went wrong in the middle?' and I could honestly say I hadn't noticed anything amiss at all.

quip · 11/07/2013 18:00

He's in there at the moment. I just heard a complete disaster with the E minor scale but the rest have just been minor slips. I hope he's okay. Oh dear I can now hear his aural... 《tries not to listen》

Lancelottie · 11/07/2013 18:05

Borrow a baby, quip, it's the only way!

singinggirl · 11/07/2013 19:12

Relieved to report that DS1 passed! Only 109, but given he was sure he had failed I'm happy with it And at least it should prove to him what can happen if you don't practise till three weeks beforehand......

quip · 11/07/2013 19:53

congratulations singinggirl ds. I will take an mp3 player with me next time, or get dh to take the dcs to any future exams, as the clarity with which I could hear it was quite alarming. Particularly when the examiner said "is this major or minor" and ds said "I'm not sure but it's a lovely tune - I like that".

I found out from ds that it wasn't E minor he massacred, but C major, which he hadn't learned. Which makes me feel a bit better, as what he played did sound vaguely like a major scale.

Theas18 · 12/07/2013 08:53

Aww Quip have a hug!

Congrats singingirls DS 109 is a good pass and maybe a bit of a kick up the bum re timing practice in future?

DD2s Dean's award (RSCM) is in- a very decent merit, though her teacher who was there ( she's training to examine) was annoyed as the examiner went very off syllabus, asking her questions about the composers of her pieces etc, which is very much above what is actually required. The cynic in me thinks he knew who she was, and where she sings and wanted to be " very strict" - these are GCSE level questions and the Deans award is not at this standard at all! The next step ( Bishops) isn't really either. It's difficult though as it gets a bit " incestuous" trying to find examiners for her for RSCM things - we know most of the others far too well!

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 13/07/2013 00:13

Well done to all DC

Theas18 is the Deans award the bronze level? DS2 will be doing his next year (would be capable now but you need to be in choir 2 years).

Theas18 · 13/07/2013 15:30

Rasberrylemon yes google tells me it's called different things in different areas.

NoComet · 13/07/2013 15:35

Waiting for grade 5 singing results, the dreaded aurals are the problem here too!

Not holding our breath, they are never speedy (Ballet results are even worse).

They know on the day, so why don't they just hand over the marks sheet when they have written it?

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