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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:
Theas18 · 27/03/2014 20:59

Sittingatmydesk that's lovely :)

Glad he had a great prep test. I think it's meant to just be a nice thing to do to ease you into performing a little bit.

I thought I'd escaped from this list for an exam season, but apparently not. DS teacher forgot to enter him but he's been squeezed in ( the school is a centre, more people in a day is better!) so grade 8 horn it is.

Can't say I've heard much practice....and he's doing A2 as well but heigh ho he'll do what he does!

ThreeLannistersOneTargaryen · 30/03/2014 21:02

DD did her first music exam today (G1 flute) and thinks it went OK. Whatever the outcome, I'm proud of her for working so hard and staying calm during the exam.

DS2 has his first exam tomorrow (G1 clarinet). He has picked up the clarinet very quickly, but is a little unpredictable in social situations (ASD & ADHD) so I have no idea how it will go! Grin

chickpeastew · 30/03/2014 21:11

Ds has g3 recorder this week. He needs to practice slowly. But he's not. He tells me he'll slow down in rhe exam. Sigh.

OldBeanbagz · 01/04/2014 10:48

Gone from quietly confident of at least a merit this morning to just praying for a pass Sad

DD thinks she played one of her pieces wrong (on the repeat) and was then asked to play a scale that she hadn't even been taught.

Everything now crossed in the hope that it doesn't turn out to be as bad as she thought.

JaneinReading · 01/04/2014 16:44

Thea, good luck (grade 8 horn). One of mine just passed g7 and g8 will be next but he does not practice until he is booked for an exam which is ridiculous so it becomes a chicken and egg situation - won't be put in until he practises, won't practices until put in for the exam until like last time I insist to the teacher that even if he definitely will fail I want him entered.

Good luck to everyone else. Our last of a large family are doing the last of their exams, gd 8s etc in the next year or two - end of an era given it was over 20 years ago their oldest sister did her first grade 1. I will miss it when it is over.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 01/04/2014 22:01

My eight pupils all passed last week - actually, three passes and five merits. They weren't the strongest bunch generally, but worked hard and I felt that the marking and comments were spot on.

Pretty relaxed now, as I've just directed my last two big performances of the term, and neither of my children were involved in the latest round of exams!

OP posts:
JulieMichelleRobinson · 02/04/2014 00:30

Waiting on Saturday... first grade 1s I've entered in years (I wasn't teaching in between). In the meantime, have finally caved in and bought a tablet so I can record properly for the music medals. I have a few children ready to take copper after starting in September, and one who has taken much longer but bless her for persevering!

mothertotwoo · 02/04/2014 01:45

Hope you don't mind me dropping in on the discussion. My DS who is 10, received his gr 7 clarinet results today and was upset and disappointed with his mark Sad He managed 131 which although is a distinction is not what he or his teacher were expecting. His past marks were gr1 136 ,gr 3 142, gr 5 141. It seems to have been the aural which has cost him the most marks even though extra lessons were had and it was not his teacher accompanying him.
I am not too sure on how to handle his disappointment even thought I am as proud as punch.
Any ideas? Confused

Noteventhebestdrummer · 02/04/2014 06:53

It will just be that he doesn't have the emotional maturity at his age to play the pieces in the way they deserve to ensure appropriate communication.
Wait 5 years before Grade 8!

Noteventhebestdrummer · 02/04/2014 06:55

And the aural will take care of itself in that time too. If he needs extra aural lessons that's a sign that his all round musicality needs time to develop naturally rather than being forced IMHO

Bramshott · 02/04/2014 10:56

Well done to your DS motheroftwo. I think the maturity and detail needed to get the higher marks increases as they go up through the grades. 10 is very young to be taking Grade 7, so the fact that your DS got a distinction at all is amazing - he's clearly a very talented musician who'll go far!

Soveryupset · 02/04/2014 11:08

Grade 3 Violin for DD1 this Sunday.....DS1 has just done grade 1 piano but we have no idea how it went.

Fingers crossed for all those still waiting for theirs and well done to the others - cannot get over how good g7 is at 10 years old...I thought DD1 was doing well with Grade 3 violin at 9!!!

mothertotwoo · 02/04/2014 11:14

Thank you Bramshott.

The extra lessons for aural training were only because it wasn't covered in his weekly lessons and as for the pieces he managed 27,28 and 28 with sight reading coming in at 19! After speaking to him earlier today he has told me that he knows when he made mistake he made and it left him a little flustered/annoyed for the remaining questions. So like you say, maybe maturity will make a difference.

LilyBolero · 02/04/2014 11:51

Well done for a distinction, fantastic result!

I notice that he missed out grade 6 - there's really quite a big jump between grade 5-6, 6-7 and 7-8, especially in terms of musicianship, and it would definitely be worth waiting a while for grade 8, because there really is no hurry! I did grade 8 piano v young, and although got a really high mark (139), in some ways I slightly regret not waiting a bit, because I played the pieces 'as I was taught', whereas a bit older and it would have been my own musicianship that was tested iyswim!

I hope your ds can get over his (unjustified imo) disappointment and be pleased with his result. Grade 7 aural is very hard, and is very different from grade 5 - you need to be taught cadences, modulations, and a bit of stylistic analysis whereas grade 5 is more 'use your ears and your musicianship'.

ealingwestmum · 02/04/2014 12:19

Hi - just a quick comment (my first ever) to say I love this thread, how long it's been going and the support it provides. The insight to music exam nerves perspective from all sides, children, parents and teachers really helps, especially for a non-musical mum like myself. Thank you.

I shall revert back to patiently waiting for my daughter's first theory result (G5). Due this evening for any others waiting..

mothertotwoo · 02/04/2014 12:29

Thats the thing, he can normally tell you all the cadences modulations etc and is very good at it. Think it was just the nerves getting the better of him Sad

OldBeanbagz · 02/04/2014 13:49

Well done to mothertotwoo's DS for the distinction. He should be really proud of that, not disappointed in his mark.

JaneinReading · 02/04/2014 14:33

131 is very good particularly for higher grades. Mine got 101 in his recent grade 7 which he thought the perfect mark as he'd passed with the minimum of effort (more fool him).

Ishouldbeweaving · 02/04/2014 16:43

The ABRSM theory results are out today, DS got a distinction at G3. Next stop G5 and then I've promised him that he can stop theory lessons altogether unless he wants to continue to get a further grade than his father did. He doesn't find the extra homework that appealing so I suspect that he'll stop at G5.

boogiewoogie · 02/04/2014 18:36

Motheroftwo He does need to put things in perspective. A distinction is the highest grade one can get for a music exam. He should be infinitely proud of getting distinctions for every one of them so far let alone grade 7 at the age of 10. Most students in his position would be glad to have passed and treated a merit or distinction as a bonus. He's clearly very exceptional so just keep encouraging him.

JaneinReading · 02/04/2014 18:49

Ishould, that's very good. One of mine got distinction in gd 5 theory but all the others just passed (and I liked theory - I got almost full marks in grade 8 as a teenager which I accept is an unusual hobby). All 5 of my children stopped theory after gd 5.

CURIOUSMIND · 02/04/2014 21:27

My little cheeky monkey surprised us once again with 94 for grade 5 theory. Need to buy him a big chocolate bar tomorrow as promised. So pleased.

singinggirl · 03/04/2014 08:12

DS1 got a merit for his grade 5 theory, I'm not sure whether to be delighted or furious, given that he did no work till two weeks beforehand! My other student, who had worked consistently, got a pass. Horrendous exam session for me, one of my students on Tuesday went to the wrong centre, where she had taken her singing exam, so missed her exam completely. Another (very experienced, sixth exam) walked out halfway through when her first piece went wrong. What a nightmare! Just crossing my fingers that the others went as well as they thought.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 03/04/2014 09:38

Oh dear singinggirl, was that the end of the exam for the one who walked out?

Congratulations on everyone's theory results.

DD1 has done all her recorder exams with TG, so I was feeling a bit smug about how many years we had before we needed to sort the theory. She started the flute just under two years ago and took Grade 2 with AB last November - perfectly normal, and we started a bit of gentle theory. So it was a bit of a shock when she learned about 40 new pieces very fast, and the Grade 3 pieces and scales in a few weeks, and her teacher decided she'd skip it.

We are now looking at Grade 4 Flute with AB in a few months. And she is a lapsed Grade 1 Theory. She doesn't want to pull her finger out. I think I'm going to have to bribe her.

OP posts:
JaneinReading · 03/04/2014 16:02

I think grade 5 theory can be a good discipline for them even if there are ways to avoid doing it.

On exam mistakes my last two children's first grade 5 theory had a huge ABRSM cock up. They were at a massive school, centre and about 50 children who had been entered there were not able to sit it . I cannot now remember the issue and it's never happened to us before. My 2 couldn't sit it. I think there were no papers and no space to sit for 50 of the candidates. I believe we were offered a free re-entry possibly that term at another centre. It was certainly a huge anti climax.