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

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

Extra-curricular activities

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!!

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Fusegettingshorter · 14/12/2011 21:48

Late joiner just read the thread - so thrilled for my 6 year old, got grade 3 distinction on the piano.

A lot of great results on here, well done all.

CURIOUSMIND · 14/12/2011 22:07

Wow, Fuse, only 6, doing grade 3!When did your child start?Many teachers won't take 5 yr old ,not to say younger.

Fusegettingshorter · 14/12/2011 22:18

Last September so been playing for 15 months now. He did want to start younger, but as you say teachers don't like them too young, so we kept on and on asking at school, and he played on a cheap keyboard we had at home, nothing proper but just messing around.

Finally when he went into year 1, we said give him a half an hour lesson, if too soon, we'll then back off for a year, and try in year 2.

Teacher and ds clicked. He did grade 1 in March, grade 2 in May and now grade 3. He's told the teacher he's not doing exam pieces for now, so they have agreed he'll go for Grade 4 in May.

Wafflenose · 14/12/2011 22:40

Welcome, Fuse and well done to your DS - he sounds really good! My DD was 6 in October, started recorder 8 months ago and is playing Grade 2 level stuff now, and loads of carols etc. I'm not sure what to do about more grades for her - she found the aural for Grade 1 tough, and got 7/10 for that section (Trinity) compared to 10/10 for sight reading and 21/22 and 20/22 for her two accompanied pieces. I think she would easily be able to do Grade 3 by the summer but don't want the aural to upset her, or for her to feel pressurised. I suppose she could do Grade 2 instead, but it seems a bit pointless as she's very nearly there already, and when it came to actually learning the exam pieces, I think she'd be treading water for a while. I also don't want her doing another exam right away, so might end up missing grades out in order to give her a break. She has other ideas though, and wants a full set of certificates! She also started teaching herself piano from a book at half term, and is halfway through Tunes For Ten Fingers Book 2. I sort of supervise, but don't have time to give her proper lessons because I have a 3 year old, work as a music teacher and already do recorder with her every day. I'm pleased she's keen, glad I can help her, but have a feeling it's going to be an expensive hobby in the long run, if she remains as keen as she is now.

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CURIOUSMIND · 14/12/2011 22:44

Fuse,Wow, again!How wonderful!You must be sooooo proud.Many congrats to your Little boy!

CURIOUSMIND · 14/12/2011 22:48

Fuse, you don't have to take all the exams at all,My Ds1 only did two exams so far, grade 3 and 5, and not planning to do grade 6 exam.

FiveHoursSleep · 15/12/2011 08:13

Well done fuses DS. Everyone has done so well :)
There must be some more results now by now?....

Fusegettingshorter · 15/12/2011 18:14

Wafflenose we have the opposite to you, our second instrument is the clarinet, doesn't get as much time spent on it as the piano, due to other areas of life getting in the way.

DS also won't miss any grades out, only because he is so regemented and ordered in life, everything has to be done precisely down the exact path. So he will do Grade 4, but just on his terms.

Due to his age his teacher and I have decided that we will be fully led by him, as don't want to put him off. He's currently spending all his times playing Christmas songs.

Wafflenose · 15/12/2011 21:02

Lots of carols here too at the moment and also American Patrol, her new favourite! We're also doing some duets, and she is learning some dinosaur piece on the piano (?!)

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FiveHoursSleep · 15/12/2011 21:29

One of the upsides of having two learning is listening to them play duets together :)
Although we do get a few arguments about who will play what....

CURIOUSMIND · 15/12/2011 21:51

because he is so regemented and ordered in life, everything has to be done precisely down the exact path.-Born to do this.I predict your Ds will be very good at maths as well.

I have a burning question. I will have another talk with our teacher tomorrow,but see how do you think(We have some teachers here):
My Ds1 just done grade 5 piano. We have been following the exams for 18monhs .Now, he has his strong favourate composers, and he has the ablility to crack those much harder pieces. For the first time, we planned to do these pieces as the major pieces to work on rather than the exam pieces, and we are not planing to do grade 6 exam but will take grade 7 or 8 exam.He will do everything else as usual, scales, sightreading n aural.

The reason why he is doing selfchosen pieces is :He loves these so much, listened for millions of times; Something proper for school performance.

My question is :
Exam pieces always covered key technics for the grade no matter which one you chose, but if we let my Ds1 choose the pieces to play, he will natually choose the similiar pieces(most are from Chopin!), hence ,not all the key technics will be learned.
You see my problem here? How do you think, members?

Fusegettingshorter · 15/12/2011 22:16

MHO CM would be to do an exam a year. I am a serial instrument player, I can play 6 instruments at grade 4. Never took theory. But my problem was I always got bored with the exam pieces.

So I would start an instrument, race through the 4 exams get bored with the pieces, then rather tackling other music etc would move on to a new instrument.

I would do:
Autumn Term - "fun" pieces
Spring Term - exam pieces
Summer Term - exam pieces then fun pieces after the exam.

If not ready at that time for exam I would put exam pieces aside at end of summer term, and repeat pattern:

Autumn Term 2 - "fun" pieces
Spring Term 2 - exam pieces
Summer Term 2 - exam pieces then fun pieces

Wafflenose · 16/12/2011 12:54

Curious, I'm sure the answer is to make sure that whatever is being learned for exams (similar or not) doesn't form the whole 'syllabus', or even the majority of it. I make ALL of my pupils learn hundreds of pieces between grades (far fewer by Grade 6, but still lots of varied stuff for concerts, class performances at school, GCSE music if they are doing it, and so on). We try to cover favourite composers, older stuff, modern stuff, popular/ jazz things (for the rhythms and chord study), duets and so on. Would there be something totally different he'd enjoy too? Something in a popular, modern jazzy or even rock style? Maybe he could have the songbook for a favourite band, or musicals, or Microjazz, or duets for Christmas? It's also a good time of year to do lots of festive music, and again, you can get these in all different styles. My pupils don't go through the grades as fast as some, but their sight reading and ensemble playing are generally good because they have to play something unfamiliar in every lesson.

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CURIOUSMIND · 16/12/2011 13:33

Waf,
I just need somebody can talk to me about this!

For our teacher, my DS1 is just part his income resources, as I never heard any sorts of plan .
Ds1 did microjazz, book1,2. He likes jazz. He is doing Christmas Carol as well.But ,Chopin 's style is in his heart above all.(Debussy the second.)

I definitly got what you mean: Play variety, unfamiliar pieces.

He didn't actually have any problem to choose 3 pieces for exams, so far.May be still choose some pieces from exam book to rest my mind? Doesn't hurt anyway.

Thank you so much Waf, for clearing my mind.

Wafflenose · 16/12/2011 13:35

Yes! It's fine to have a favourite composer, but good to play other things too!

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pugsandseals · 20/12/2011 19:02

CURIOUSMIND there are plenty of other pieces in the syllabus that are not in the exam book! You can find the full syllabus on the boards website, then find youtube clips of them to work out what he likes. If he really likes Chopin & Debussy that suggests that he has quite a mature taste & might like to try some of the proper Bach, Mozart, Beethoven sonatas. I'm not a pianist, but it's all I ever hear my DH play!

BTW - anyone else still awaiting results? DD took hers on the 7th & still waiting!!!

Wafflenose · 20/12/2011 19:49

I'm still waiting for two Grade 5 results (private pupils, not my offspring!) but they were taken very late at a special visit and I might be waiting some time! Others must have had results by now, I should think...

DD has decided she wants a break from exams next term, which makes her sound like a veteran - she's only done the one! It suits me fine because she would have been ready for piano Initial or Prep Test, and Grade 2 recorder, which would have worked out quite expensive. I think we might end up missing them out altogether. I'm going to be guided by her - she LOVES playing both and lives for school orchestra, so until she decides she wants to take another, she won't. Plenty of time for that! She is already thinking about next year's concerts and festival though, as she rather enjoyed those this year.

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Wafflenose · 04/01/2012 11:19

I have just received results from December 13th (finally!) My two Grade 5 clarinets both passed with good marks, one slightly higher and one slightly lower than I was expecting! One of them messed up her first piece, and the other one messed up her scales, so I'm pleased and relieved that they did OK.

Has anyone else had results over the holiday period? Who's taking exams this term? I am probably entering a maximum of four children this term, maybe fewer. DD wants to do her piano Prep Test and is having a rest from recorder exams/ competitions for now.

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CURIOUSMIND · 04/01/2012 11:35

Waf, I just know you will have some news today! Congrats! My Ds1 is planning Grade 5 theory this Marth, the main problem is handwriting. It is so hard to fit so many little things in neatly!

ProfessorSunny · 04/01/2012 11:55

My youngest has just turned 7, they have been doing the piano since May and are about to do grade 1 theory.

Wafflenose · 04/01/2012 12:49

Ah theory! DD is six and started learning in March, and we haven't done any proper theory yet - just some puzzles in her tutor books. If she is still keen in the summer, we might look at some beginner theory books then. She is Grade 2 recorder and Prep Test level on the piano so we probably ought to get started.

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RaspberryLemonPavlova · 04/01/2012 13:26

Congratulations to you and your pupils Wafflenose.

DD has Grade 5 jazz sax and DS1 Grade 5 trombone at the beginning of February. It seemed a long way off before Christmas but reality hitting home now!

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Colleger · 04/01/2012 17:22

That's an early time for exams. My DS won't be sitting any exams until grade 8 now. He did grade 5 bassoon and singing last year so he needs theory and teacher doesn't do any other grades. Quite nice really. :)

Wafflenose · 04/01/2012 19:39

I think they start late in Feb this year. Is it at a centre, or a special visit?

I can't believe that I got the rest of last term's results today, and have to think about entering the next lot already!

DD has changed her tune. Immediately after Grade 1 and the festival, she wanted a break, but now wants to crack on with the next one! She is finding Year 1 so easy (she's one of the eldest) that I think she wants a challenge!

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ProfessorSunny · 04/01/2012 22:46

Wafflenose, it never occurred to me about theory, my oldest has never done theory exams for the violin (do they do them?) but the piano teacher said that my youngest was ready for it, they have done practical and theory right since the start.

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