Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Extra-curricular activities

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

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:
ragged · 10/02/2012 14:24

DD got a "Good luck!" card from school staff yesterday, for her violin exam next week. Signed by 5-6 people.
She is in y5 & has been taking violin lessons for 4.5 years and this is her first exam (Trinity, Grade 1). Told that she is the first violin pupil ever at the school to take a Grading exam.
So no pressure there, then...

Please wish her luck :).

Original poster
Wafflenose · 10/02/2012 14:37

What a lovely thing to do! I hope she does well. Good luck, mini ragged!

My DD is doing her piano Prep Test later this term. She has passed Grade 1 recorder and wanted to do Grade 2 at some point, but by next term will have gone way past it, so we will probably wait and do Grade 3 whenever she happens to be ready. She has a couple of concerts to practise for before that, so I will try and do some playing with her over the half term break.

OP posts:
RaspberryLemonPavlova · 10/02/2012 14:42

How lovely. I'm sure she will be fine. Good luck to your DD.

wafflenose I am sorry about your grandmother.

DS and DD were collecting the results for their Grade 5s at lunchtime. DS says his exam went ok and he is sure he has passed. DD had a terrible exam, got herself a bit wound up during it and is quite certain she has failed.

I'm glad we've only had to wait 2 days!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 10/02/2012 15:49

Thanks, Raspberry. She was 93 and very ill, which makes it much easier to bear, but it's still sad - she was tiny but so strong, and it will be very strange not having her around any more.

I hope your kids both passed. Hopefully your DD will be pleasantly surprised. Please let us know!

I forgot to add, I have entered four pupils this term - all very low grades (although last term I had two Grade 5s, a Grade 6 and Grade 7, amongst others!) They are: two Initial Grade recorders (entered through school), a piano Prep Test (DD) and a Grade 1 piano (a private pupil who has already been doing clarinet with me for several years). I don't anticipate so many problems/ panics this term!

OP posts:
CURIOUSMIND · 10/02/2012 22:23

Waf,Glad you are back.You are so much needed here!
I tried to register on ABRSM forum, but seemed it never worked for me.

About the theory exam again ( abrsm) .I got the letter, First page about Dear Applicant, thanks, exam date, venue, entered by(me), candidate number ,candidate name, grade, roon, SN. Second page is Advice for theory candidated-mentioned bring your exam paper label with you.

Does the label mean the first page of this letter? Or anything more like a label which I haven't got one?

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 10/02/2012 23:07

Happy News

DS1 got a distinction (91) for his trombone and is very happy.

DD got 82 and merit for her sax. She is still not happy but is getting there.

We are gearing up for our local music festival next.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 11/02/2012 12:14

Thanks, Curious. It's nice to be appreciated! :o

They are supposed to send you a label with the candidate's name, grade (e.g. Grade 5 Theory) and possibly their DOB and the Applicant Number on. Who applied for the exam? If it's not you, ask the teacher if they have it. If they forgot to send it to you, just ring the Board and ask for another - there is plenty of time. I have had a couple of kids lose them in the past, and have got them to make their own, saying e.g. "Joe Bloggs, 10/10/95, Grade 5 Theory" and my applicant number and the date. It's to stick on the front of their exam paper, and this has been fine.

Raspberry, please congratulate them both for me! They are fab marks. DD got 84 for her latest (and first!) exam, and was over the moon. If she knows she messed up, she was clearly a potential distinction, and what she did on the day is only a snapshot of that particular time. Have they both got some fun music to move on with now?

It's half term here, and I need to get DD to perfect her Prep Test pieces for piano, and try to motivate her with the recorder a bit. It's all slowed down a bit since the excitement of the festival and her exam, but we have plenty of music to do if she will make a bit of effort. She has chances to perform in March and July, so maybe that will help a bit. She is not going to sit the Grade 2 exam, as we would be treading water until July and I feel it's a waste of money, so concerts it is for now.

OP posts:
Original poster
Wafflenose · 11/02/2012 12:15

Curious, just realised you made the entry. Definitely give them a ring.

OP posts:
RaspberryLemonPavlova · 11/02/2012 12:57

Wafflenose thank you.

They have both got individual and group pieces to practise for our festival now, then lots of concerts until the summer, which they both really enjoy.

roisin · 11/02/2012 13:41

Curiousmind - the letter you mention should have enclosed an exam label with it. Check the envelope again and contact the board if you didn't get one.

They are allowed up to 2 hrs for the grade 5 theory exam, but are allowed to leave after 40 mins. I have told ds2 he mustn't leave before 1 hour and I would prefer him to stay in 1 hr 20 or so.

Generally when ds2 does a practice test in 40 mins he gets a high pass (due to a few careless errors and some untidyness), but if he takes a bit more time over it he can get a high merit or maybe distinction.

It's a hoop to jump through and so all he needs is a pass, but he's worked hard and it would be nice for him to get that effort credited in a higher grade.

roisin · 11/02/2012 13:54

Can anyone recommend some good fun performance pieces to bridge grade 4 to 5 piano?

Original poster
Wafflenose · 11/02/2012 14:15

Burgmuller 25 Easy and Progressive Studies (they start easy and end Gr.5)
Jazzin' About
Jazzin' About Styles (possibly a bit easy)
What Else Can I Play - Grade 4 Piano

OP posts:
roisin · 11/02/2012 14:31

thanks

CURIOUSMIND · 11/02/2012 16:20

Thank you guys! I am sure I haven't got the lable, so will ring the board next monday.

ragged · 14/02/2012 20:09

DD passed her Grade 1 violin today, with a distinction too :).
Now all fired up to get cracking on Grade 2 syllabus.

roisin · 14/02/2012 21:45

Congratulations to her! Smile

Original poster
Wafflenose · 14/02/2012 21:51

Wow, that's brilliant! Well done to her! Does she have some nice, fun music to play now? I find that something new and enjoyable usually goes down well with my pupils. DD passed her Grade 1 recorder just before Christmas, so I bought her a book of carols. She loved it and was keen to get on with these, rather than having the break that she might have done otherwise!

OP posts:
ragged · 15/02/2012 12:36

Thanks for replies. Not really sure what she'll do next, wait for teacher input. At current rate she'll be almost 15 before she does next grading, anyway. Grin

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 16/02/2012 00:02

Well done Ragged's DD.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 15/03/2012 12:28

Hi all!

Anyone had any exams/ results for this term?

Two of my pupils did Initial Grade Recorder (TG) on Monday and we are waiting to hear their results. On March 26th, DD is doing her piano Prep Test, and another pupil is doing Grade 1. They are both sounding OK, and DD played one of her pieces in assembly yesterday (and the recorder!) as a warm-up, and did well on an unfamiliar piano. Low stress term for me really! Next term I will probably have 8-10 candidates on recorder, clarinet and flute, as well as half a dozen concerts, so that will be much busier. Enjoying the relative lull at the moment!

OP posts:
Beanbagz · 15/03/2012 15:11

DD (10) is taking Grade 2 Guitar exam on the 24th. It's her first exam but i think she'll be relaxed about it as she's taking it at her piano teacher's house (is this unusual?).

She has music competitions at school next week too but didn't get through on guitar in the Advanced Instrumental class so she'll be competing in Preparatory Piano (only started in Sept) and Recorder.

ImNotaCelebrity · 15/03/2012 23:22

DS (7) is doing grade 3 violin on 28th. He loves doing exams, so is Mr Laid Back. I get nervous on his behalf!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 16/03/2012 10:08

I look forward to hearing how both of them get on!

DD is laid back this time, because she did Grade 1 recorder last term and knows how it all works now. She loves to perform. She could do Grade 3 next term, but balked at the thought of it, so I have backtracked and said that she can do Grade 2 if she really wants to!! (Bit of a waste of money, but at least I'm not paying for her lessons!) Then over the summer I think we should probably get started with the theory.

OP posts:
Original poster
Wafflenose · 22/03/2012 10:53

Just in case anyone still reads this!

My two Initial Recorde 68 and pupils got 72 - both passes. I looked up the marks from their 'mock' exams with me and they were 72 and 76, so each 4 marks higher. However, they are 7 years old and both got very excited and made a few slips, so they still did well. Both are happy and don't really care about the numbers too much :o

DD's piano Prep Test and another pupil's Grade 1 are on Monday, gulp! Both are trying so hard that they're getting in a bit of a tangle, so I hope they can calm down a bit. DD has a fun concert to play in this weekend, which will be a good warm-up for her.

Next term is much busier. I anticipate entering two Initial recorders, three Grade 1s, two Grade 2s, and a Grade 4 flute and clarinet.

OP posts:
RaspberryLemonPavlova · 23/03/2012 01:14

Good luck to your DD and other pupil Wafflenose, and well done to your initial recorders.

We have just had our local music festival and all 3 DC had a great time in lots of classes, individually and with school. They did very well and won/came 2nd in lots of classes so am very proud. But actually just really enjoyed the whole week.