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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:
Ishouldbeweaving · 03/04/2014 20:54

JaneinReading I know what you mean about the anticlimax - we had one exam snowed off. He was ready, all pieces as good as they were ever getting, lip flexibility exercises all good, aural passable. Then it snowed and it snowed and it snowed. We weren't surprised when the exam was cancelled because it really wasn't fit to be driving. The next three weeks were miserable, we were all geared up for it to be over and done with and then suddenly it wasn't. Getting him to keep practising was hard work because "I can play it all".

The night before his last exam it snowed and I was a wreck the next morning because I'd been up so often in the night to look out of the window to check on the roads.

Mine took Trinity so didn't need G5 theory (or one of the equivalents) to progress but he's doing it anyway. I doubt he'll ever come across alto clef but at least he knows that it's there.

JaneinReading · 03/04/2014 21:24

Grade 5 theory used to help with O level music which I did without any lessons in the sixth form and got an A which is probably an A today. I am not sure it is helping my two with their GCSE music as I've not really looked at their syllabus but it probably does them no harm with it. They say it is their easiest GCSE by far and the only one the teacher has said they should get an A next year. Having said that who knows - they might both get C......

circular · 03/04/2014 22:21

JaneinReading DD1 tells me that GCSE had very little theory. But G5 did help with composition, as she's not creative but did well for getting it right technically. SEems to be a but more theory in AS music, but still only about G3 standard.

Bramshott · 03/04/2014 22:27

Just heard that DD1 got 91%, which is a distinction for her musical theatre grade 5. Can't wait to tell her in the morning!

Theas18 · 03/04/2014 22:32

Amazingly, after " I think it went really badly" grump grump he has a distinction grade 8 horn ( on almost no practice that I heard!)

maggiethecat · 03/04/2014 22:55

he stealth practises - to wind you up Grin

Theas18 · 03/04/2014 23:01

Maggiethecat stealth practice on a French horn heehee!

Why oh why doesn't he want to do music degree? Think if all the stresses we wouldn't have....

Ishouldbeweaving · 04/04/2014 08:20

I love the idea of stealth practice. I'm sure mine practises with the power of his mind, he thinks about it and goes and does something else. He plays a lot in the week with various ensembles but actual practice is another matter.

circular · 04/04/2014 09:28

Wow - that"s a brilliant result Theas18
Some great G5 theory results too - congrats to all.

Loving all the comments re practising. Lots of virtual practice going on here too. G8 Recorder in July.

Bramshott · 04/04/2014 12:07

Well done to your DS Theas18 - that's no mean feat!

JulieMichelleRobinson · 05/04/2014 19:50

Well, both of my grade 1 pupils seem to have acquitted themselves pretty well today, with only a few minor slips (though musically it could have been more perfect - but it always could). Fingers crossed - now begins the long wait for results! I was probably more nervous than they were.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/04/2014 20:25

I need to help mine a bit more. Now that the novelty of the cello has worn off, DD2 has joined DD1 in only practising when asked to. Neither of them mind doing it in the least; it just never occurs to them! They want to do Initial and Grade 5 on Recorders next term, and these are likely to be on June 9th or 10th (Trinity, special visit at the school I teach in). DD1 made a good start on her pieces and exercises months ago but has lapsed since. DD2 has yet to start.

DD1 was also going to do Grade 3 Flute, but is now going to miss it out. Thankfully - as exams alone would have cost about £120-£130 next term if she'd done it.

I am going to hire a professional accompanist for her Grade 5 exam, too. She is NOT impressed about this at all, but one of her pieces (Mesmeralda) is way beyond me.

OP posts:
JaneinReading · 06/04/2014 17:55

I think it they have a time they do practice every day even if just for 5 minutes it makes it easier, like brushing your teeth.

When I accompanied one of mine at Christmas for grade 8 trumpet it was the first exam for any of the children including other grade 8s when the child was better than my grade 8 standard piano was and the pieces were particularly hard accompaniments. I did okay and I think the advantage of having his mother who always did it was better for him than getting someone else in. What we always end up with is their pieces with accompaniments are better than those unaccompanied as I like playing with them whereas I don't like listening to the unaccompanied piece so that gets done a lot less and it's usually some kind of boring study anyway.

Ishouldbeweaving · 06/04/2014 18:52

JaneinReading I think that there's a huge advantage in playing with an accompanist from an early stage, you probably don't realise how much of a difference it makes if you've always done it. We've used the centre accompanist all the way through, when we were at "Postman Pat" stage my husband hadn't gone back to the piano and then when he did my son's music was too hard for him. Using the centre accompanist meant that my son never heard the other part until a few weeks before the exam. For G8 we had a few rehearsals with a my husband's piano teacher starting several months beforehand and it really helped. With one of the pieces (Varied Mood) it was a jaw dropping moment when we heard the two parts for the first time and found out what happened in the bars where he was resting. We still used the centre accompanist for the exam but it meant that this time round my son started off with a clear idea of what the whole thing was going to do and what he wanted the accompanist to do.

The trick here has always been trying to find three pieces from the list that he liked to play, the ones he liked to play always got more intensive practise than the others. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" from G5 was always the first on the stand as I remember.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 06/04/2014 21:05

Theas well done your DS. Loving the idea of stealth practice on brass!

JaneinReading · 06/04/2014 21:10

I hadn't thought of it like that. Just thought it was bit like cheating - that we just play for fun (now they are on higher grades) rather than picking out the hard bits and playing those a lot (despite having 3 music scholars I don't have particularly hard working musicians - they could be a lot better if they practised more).

Original poster
Wafflenose · 06/04/2014 21:53

I accompanied DD1 for the first four grades, and would dearly love to do this one too... but it's very difficult, and I know my limitations. I have, however, played it VERY slowly, one hand at a time, into the 'record' facility on my electric piano, so she can play both tracks together at whatever speed she likes, to simulate the situation.

There's a very nice lady around the corner, who accompanied me in the last music festival. DD1 was the page turner, so they have met. I will subtly plant the idea in her head that this lady might be a good choice for her.

OP posts:
JulieMichelleRobinson · 06/04/2014 23:02

Thankfully I'm a post-grade 8 pianist and still playing on a regular basis, though I would hesitate to play the accompaniments for some of my violin pieces. I can't do my lovely Brahms ever because even the best local accompanist refuses to re-learn it (he did it for me fifteen years ago, but...). It means that I can accompany my own students, though, and I'll just veto any pieces where I can't play the piano part ;-)

JulieMichelleRobinson · 06/04/2014 23:03

"Post-grade-8" as in "It's my second instrument and I never got around to taking diplomas but I have a music degree so that's okay." I am so doing my theory exam next term.

JaneinReading · 07/04/2014 09:22

I failed a teaching (piano) LRAM twice at university although I passed the theory and aural, a long time ago but my son's grade 8 trumpet accompaniments recently were very difficult even for me but I got through. He did fine. I had to do a lot of practice. I was always better at singing and still am. Mind you I haven't heard any practice at home the week of Easter holiday they have already had. They get to an age when it's up to them and also one of them seems to need an exam in prospect to do work.

Bramshott · 07/04/2014 09:44

DD often comments that it's quite hard to make the leap between singing with a CD (as she does in her normal practice) and singing with the accompanist for the exam. They have a few run-throughs before the day, but it does add an extra element of stress.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 07/04/2014 11:18

I am probably around Grade 7 piano, although an excellent sight-reader. I have accompanied Grade 6 pupils where the piano part was safely within my grasp, but have vetoed this one Grade 5 piece for DD2. She is either going to have to learn another piece, or have a professional accompanist this time! I think she will come round to the idea of the professional, because she is in love with the piece.

OP posts:
Dinosaursareextinct · 07/04/2014 11:23

Has anyone done grade 5 practical musicianship? How did they get on?

JimBobplusasprog · 07/04/2014 20:37

Checking in to this thread for a third time with a third name - ds got 135 in his grade 3 which is a real surprise as I didn't hear many dynamics from outside the exam room and I had thought ds's unaccompanied piece was weak. Clearly I have perfectionist standards!

LilyBolero · 07/04/2014 22:11

For high grades I'd always recommend a professional accompanist, it makes such a difference to the performance.