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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:
yegodsandlittlefishes · 16/07/2013 20:15

well done for all those who have taken their grade exams, especially grade I, whether they have passed or not - it is an achievement to have taken a music exam. Oh, and particularly well done for the parents...getting to grade 1 is usually the hardest stage! Wine

My DCs are rather shy, and avoid performances or drama groups whenever possible, so the exams were a way for them to share their instruments with someone else and have small experiences of an audience and dealing with nerves while being watched in an exam. They might not have had the best marks always, but the amount they practised and time spent learning how to play well was roughly reflected in their exam results. This has been a good way for them to gauge how much work to put into other school subjects, as well as making academic school exams or tests less nerve-racking.

DC passed with a good merit in her grade 5 clarinet exam Grin, a good report for music Grin (GCSE next year) and we are still waiting to see whether she passed her grade 5 violin. Brew

hardboiled · 16/07/2013 21:45

Congratulations to everyone!
Awaiting for DS grade 5 piano results...the DS with an injured finger. He did not want to cancel and managed to soldier on...

Why does it always take so long!?

houseofboys · 16/07/2013 22:35

Support needed please! DS did his grade 1 flute today and I think from his teacher's coded ' he suddenly seemed very nervous but hope it will be ok' he may have fallen apart a bit and he's really stressing. He was thrown by how formal it was I think. The examined didn't react to anything he did or say anything at the end beyond 'you can go now' at the end. He says he made a mistake in two of his three pieces, had a long pause in one scale and made a mistake in the sight reading. I had told myself (and him) that the examiner will want to encourage and not want to fail him but am I horribly wrong? Are they generous on grade 1? His aural and questions on dynamics/ rhythm were ok he said but he's convinced he's failed. I really hope not as he has low self esteem anyway :(

FadedSapphire · 17/07/2013 06:53

I await grade 1 recorder houseofboys [see my recent previous posts]. My ds said 'oops' a lot in exam apparently....

Lancelottie · 17/07/2013 09:36

House, I reckon they get at least half marks for just having a bash at grade 1 scales! Certainly none of mine have known their scales perfectly let alone played them without a mistake.

houseofboys · 17/07/2013 10:40

That's very reassuring! So do they try and pass if they can or does it depend on how nice the examiner is?! His one sounded v formal. Hope he could workout what was nerves and not lack of practise! How long do results take?

duchesse · 17/07/2013 11:17

Still nothing from Trinity for DD's exam on July 8th. Her teacher reckons it could be the end of the week. DD is and was very laid back about the whole thing. She's just done her GCSEs as well so didn't really start practising properly until June 20th. We'll see.

Yes, of course I know that exams aren't necessary! But if some DC are stressed about the exams it's always good to remember they don't have to do them and they can still become very good players. Maybe waiting until they've gained in confidence would be a good idea. It depends on the personality of the DC.

hardboiled · 17/07/2013 12:09

House,
the examiners do vary. Last year DS encountered a very serious formal examiner and felt quite intimidated. His result was much lower than in previous years.
This year he says the examiner was kind. He came out much happier.
It makes a huge difference.
They are supposed to take nerves into consideration. But they do fail some children. The son of a friend failed Grade 1 piano. He probably did not deserve to pass, was not prepared properly and became very nervous in exam. He gave up piano straight away.... :(
In your case, it seems the examiner saw your DS was nervous, so it may be ok. Try not to worry, it's a long wait, two weeks or more...

duchesse · 17/07/2013 12:19

Examiners do vary a lot in their approach to the mark scheme, and their experience on the actual instrument they're examining. DD went from distinction at grade 3 to barely scraping a pass at grade 4 to very high distinction at grade 5. The pieces she played at her grade 4 exam were the exactly same pieces she'd presented a month earlier at the Devon performing arts festival in which she won her category and was awarded the equivalent of a high distinction (the arts festival is marked in the same way as grade exams. She played them at the same level for the exam. The differences between those years were that examiner at her grade 4 exam knew nothing about the horn as such, and chose to sit far too close to the bell so he couldn't detect any nuances. Her teacher, who was accompanying her for the exam and therefore heard her play, was incensed at her mark and tried to appeal but it seems a bit pathetic to appeal a pass and we decided not to in the end.

hardboiled · 17/07/2013 13:03

Result in! DS got a Distinction in his gr5 Piano! So happy for him.

Theas18 · 17/07/2013 13:11

More fantastic results! Congrats to all those who have done so well and fingers crossed for those still waiting.

Don't know where to post this but DD2 has got into "Blockwork" for NYRO ( a few people on here know what that means LOL) and she is VERY happy!

I haz proudz :)

musicalfamily · 17/07/2013 15:30

Hi all,
my two did their grade 1 and grade 2 violin exams and they think they did really well. I actually heard their pieces but couldn't hear the rest of the exam as there were other people milling around and chatting.

They certainly did the best on their pieces, there were no slips, they remembered all the rests and dynamics and their teacher was very pleased. However they did say the aural was "hard" and the scales had a few "slips" so who knows!!!!

Anyway, I am soooo glad it's over, now just one show to get through and then we can all FINALLY RELAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Theas18 · 17/07/2013 16:02

Yayy!b musicalfam. Breathe and do things that don't involve distant shouts of " F sharp , don't for get the F sharp!" at least for a bit

musicalfamily · 17/07/2013 16:11

Ha ha thanks Theas18. Yes it's definitely no more shouting, I think I got a bit at the end of my tether towards the end "...!!! will report in once we get the results!

sittinginthesun · 17/07/2013 16:27

Hello all. Am I allowed to stealth boast on this board??? My ds1 (who I always thought was a bit of a "pub pianist", got his grade 1 result this morning.

136!!!

I am completely gobsmacked. Teacher is over the moon. He is just cool and calm about it.

kitkat1967 · 17/07/2013 16:32

well done to your DD2 Theas I know what high standard that is. As mentioned before my DD is going to NYTRO but we are not at all organised (dreading the journey actually!!).
However she is loving the bass I got her so I know she will have fun playing that.

kanita · 17/07/2013 21:10

Well done to all your DCs so far. Mine had some mixed results - DD1 had her Treble G6 with distinction (hurray!) and DD2 had Violin G3 pass with 113 (eek!). Both the teacher and I pushed to skip a grade as she was already playing G2 pieces well a term ago. At the Festival DD2 did well and earned distinction with one of the pieces but only scored 23/30 at the exam. She was a bit downcast and we were a bit disappointed for her as we thought she will do better than that. I wonder if we made a mistake? Also in my mad and weak moment I had signed up to do my violin exam at the same time as my 2 DDs - happy to say I passed with merit but in the future I will not have 4 exams in a term again. Hugely puzzled at failing the sight reading - my strongest point. I wondered if I played the wrong tune? Confused

Still waiting for DD1's piano result... Hoping to hear before going on holiday!

Good luck with the rest of results everyone.

morethanpotatoprints · 17/07/2013 22:17

My dd has her grade 3 violin tomorrow.
Not sure about the traumatic scale, but here's hoping Grin
Does anybody know the turnaround of results for this late stage?

Original poster
Wafflenose · 18/07/2013 09:36

I think it's a couple of weeks at the moment.

Well done to everyone who's passed, and well done to those still waiting, for getting through it!

My final result came through... a pass (only just) so I have 39/39 successful exams completed this term. :D

OP posts:
FadedSapphire · 19/07/2013 03:57

Don't know details yet but ds passed his grade 1 recorder. Big phew. I was out and he was in bed when the teacher rang. Bit of a scrape but who cares! A pass is the boost he needs and he will be thrilled.
Yippee!!

musicalfamily · 19/07/2013 10:36

yeah well done FadedSapphire's son!!

Lancelottie · 19/07/2013 11:22

Bloody hell. Just got the breakdown of marks for DS's tuba mentioned above, and he got 140. Full marks on 2 of the 3 pieces, 29 out of 30 on the other... and the scales were indeed as crap as he'd said they were, at 14 out of 21.

His teacher has just said that there is No Excuse for scales to be quite that bad -- but he's more than delighted!

hardboiled · 19/07/2013 11:29

Lancelottie, that's just fab! A musician does not usually go on stage and starts playing scales the audience prompt to him...A musician plays music and it seems to me your DS nailed that. Impressive.

FadedSapphire · 19/07/2013 12:00

Thanks musicalfamily.
A relief indeed...

Lancelottie · 19/07/2013 12:39

Thanks Hardboiled (now tempted to try shouting 'Now play F# major!' at a concert some time).

Big cheer for FadedSapphire's son here too! DS scraped a pass at some of the earlier grades too, but it was enough to keep him interested and playing into his teens.

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