Summer Term Music and Music Exams Thread

[Wafflenose]

A new thread for a new term!

If you're a music parent, or music teacher, please introduce yourselves here. It was getting hard to keep track on the old thread.

I am a music teacher (woodwind, 90% recorders these days) and I have:

DD1 (aged 8) who is taking Grade 5 Recorder this term, currently working towards Grade 4 Flute, and also sings, plays the piano and one tune on the ukulele (no lessons on these three). She has completed a video audition for the South West Music School, but we won't hear yet, and quite honestly, I don't think she'll get in this year.

DD2 (aged 5) who is taking Initial Grade Recorder this term, started the cello a month ago, and can play a few tiny, baby tunes on the piano and ukulele (again, no lessons on these).

I only have one pupil doing an exam this term, other than my girls - a Grade 2 Recorder player. I'm doing 11 Music Medals though.

Hi string parents and teachers can you please advise if you would recommend taking your child's violin on holiday or giving them a week off - grade one level exam in December thanks

One week? I think a break is allowed. Not a six week/two month break over the holidays, though!

You could, however, put on lots of top-notch recordings of violin and fiddle music, and bowhold exercises can be practised anywhere with a pencil. We used to listen to the French channel "Musique" and play "Guess the Composer". Or take a not-too-boring theory book such as one from the Lina Ng series or Chester that could be done when bored on the plane or in the evenings.

Child is presumably youngish, and it's only grade 1, and there are a few months to go. If the exam was the week you got back, I might say differently.

OMG DD1's exam is on Friday! We've gone from feeling super-prepared at the start of the week, to not feeling ready at all (that's both me and her!). Only one more night to practise in....

For a weeks hols this far away from an exam, I would def leave it home. I am completely unmusical and thought I ought o take dd's cello ski-ing the week before her grade 1 ....complete waste of time, not least th angst of flying with it!! Never ever again....:) more seriously dd's teacher has pointed out brains need a rest sometimes so a couple of weeks off at this stage may help rather than hinder

Well done, Julie. I did Grade 8 a few years ago, although I did do some preparation (about 6 hours' worth) and did fine. I'm sure you were great! I did clarinet, piano and voice according to the test, too!

downandout I was going to say take it, until I realised the exam isn't until next term! Week off, definitely! My girls had to take their instruments and practise on holiday at May half term, but both had exams a week after we got back. We're off to London for a few days soon, and won't be taking any instruments with us - DD2 has a cello exam next term, but that's ages away!

Golden - we've just started to get some comments from the flute teacher that if Dd2 would only prioritise it she could be really good. She's just passed grade 4 very well, so I'm more than happy with her progress (she's only been learning 2 years). Thing is, it's her 3rd study. She's grade 5 recorder and singing, and more important (to her) than any of those is her dancing and theatre (she does 7 hours of those a week, more when there's a show). She doesn't want to be a flute player. She wants to play the flute but if she decided she wanted to go to conservatoire or uni for that sort of thing (like DD1) then it would be to do MT. And even if she did decide that playing was the way to go, her first study would be recorders.

At the moment she's doing the most practice on piano but that's cos she has an exam next week (having started lessons after Easter). She's also recently started on the harp but that's just for fun deffo no exams on that ever (this is what I said about piano but I mean it this time).

For Dd1, she is serious about her playing and she too gets comments about prioritisation from teachers of her 3rd and 4th studies. She just sucks it up and carries on doing her best.

Well, my student J - who was my only grade entry this term - passed his grade 1 with merit. That means that I've entered 3 students and they've all passed with merit.

I'm trying to talk a couple out of doing grade 1 because learning and polishing some extra pieces will hold them at that level - they're already playing grade 1 stuff from various exam boards, I just didn't tell them that. Both are transfer students so I didn't enter them as wasn't certain of level.

Downandout I would leave it and take a week off. It's grade 1 so pieces are short and the exam is months away. It would be different if the exam was closer or a high grade or diploma.

DD has got her Grade 8 flute result- 125 merit. She is not at all happy and wants to do it again. She has just finished yr 11, doing piano grade 8 in November and wants to do Music at University.

Has anyone got experience of doing this? Or any advice?
The only thing we've definitely decided is that she won't be doing it in November.

I have no advice Viewofthehills but I'll watch to see what answers you get. DS is in the same boat, I told him to wait a few years and then if he still wants to do it again he can. I suspect that he won't, at the time of the results he was gutted with a merit because he thought he deserved better (as did his teacher) but seven months along the road I can't see that it's affecting him much. He wants to do a diploma and if he makes a good show of that then G8 is less important.

By November when the disappointment has faded she may have changed her mind. I have no ideas what universities are looking for, is G8 on two instruments not enough?

Well, dh's friend is an examiner for Trinity. He just had someone for an exam who said, at the end, that she was retaking Grade 8 as she was 3 marks off a distinction in her previous one. Dh's friend thought - oh dear you're 6 marks off a distinction now. He felt really bad for her as she left the room thinking she'll be so disappointed when she gets the results.

I have no idea. Dh has had pupils who got a merit at Grade 8 and gone on to do music at university/music college, so perhaps it doesn't matter that much. I'd press on with improving playing rather than worrying about bettering the mark. But I have a perfectionist ds2 who has just done Grade 7 (waiting for results) and I know that when he does Grade 8 he would not be happy with a merit.

View it won't matter for university. The one I really wanted to go to asked for Grade 8 distinction. Because my teacher was having an insane moment, I took it one term after Grade 7 (distinction) and despite 90 mins practice daily, got 117. Only to be expected really. Anyway, I applied, and put the dates and marks for both exams on my UCAS form. We were all then auditioned in any case, and it was fine. Since she did it in Year 11, she will be Grade 8 + 2 years by the time she goes, which is much further on than I was. Taking it again will hold her back when she could be exploring lots of fun repertoire, moving forwards in terms of difficulty and interpretation, and building a broad base of music from which to select A level and audition pieces.

I often thought about doing it again, but never did. I did my diploma 13 years later instead!

Viewofthehills DD1 is hoping to apply for 2015, so been looking at many different courses and attended open days/campus tours, both University and Conservatoire.
Only come across 1 insisting on grade 8 distinction on application (Leeds BMus). The norm for the Unis seems to be 'working towards' Grade 8 on application. I appreciate many will have far more and it's competitive, but it seems they do look at the bigger picture and grades are not the be all and end all.
The Conservatoires seem to be expecting at least grade 8 distinction level at audition, regardless of whether the exam has even been taken.

Thank you all! She is so hard on herself and responds so badly to any praise she is not in agreement with that I have been scared to even say well done. Which in effect means I end up reinforcing her belief that this is the worst thing that could have happened when really it's a good mark.

waffle That's pretty impressive to pass grade 8 a term after grade 7! (I can say that at the moment being very familiar with all the scales just for starters).

circular That's really interesting too. I've been looking on-line a bit with her, but it's quite slow going and doesn't give as true an impression as visiting- I guess we may be doing the rounds this time next year.

Her teacher has a very clear plan of what she wants her to work on next which includes lots of technique and some truly beautiful music which I am looking forward to living with for the next while!

Ds got 124 on recorder (tears) and 135 on violin (happy). He thought he'd messed up the aural but bizarrely he did better in his g4 aural than his g2 and the exams were one after the other. It was actually the sightreading where he lost the marks. Never mind, he's got over it now and looking forward to playing some fun stuff over the summer. He's having a break from practice until the end of term though.

View thanks - 20 years later I am only starting to see this now. At the time, it seemed like a disaster. I decided to study music late, hence having to start piano at 15, and make fast progress on my clarinet. I did Grade 7 in March of Year 12, so Grade 8 in the November (while applying to university) would have been fine... it was just that my teacher didn't like the venue which was used for the Autumn term in those days, so made me do it in July. Crazy! Anyway, I'm sure most places would rather have someone who'd moved on to newer and better things, than treading water doing retakes. They audition them all anyway!

View I can't comment on the Grade 8 other than to say your DD sounds exactly like mine, but with regard to doing the university rounds, have you thought about starting this year? I hadn't but advice from school was to start with my DS who has also just finished Y11, so we are doing some in the autumn. It might give you a clearer picture too.

Raspberry I hadn't considered that, but I will now you've said it! DD is the first one in the family to want to do music or indeed anything artistic so I feel like I'm starting from scratch. It would help a lot to find out what's actually involved. Thanks.

Jim Well done to your DS!

That's it, please excuse the rant, but never again.
I am so stupid and thought it would work and it hasn't, so there.
So much pressure, rehearsals, auditions, extra rehearsals, competition, 3 grade 4 music exams, not to mention half a dozen concerts.

She loves doing it, she used to thrive on it and now its too much.
Poor love started everybody else's mad last 2 weeks a month ago and she hasn't stopped, neither have me nor dh which just has to coincide with his busy time.
If we ever suggest she stops something or cuts back she won't even consider it, but today she has and we have.

We should have known better, but its such a change for her, maybe she is growing up.

Anyway, just thought I'd give an example of the journey and how exhausting it be.

Ha Ha, I missed 2 summer courses off the list.

Another day, another show (plus all day rehearsing). Perhaps not the best preparation for Dd2's 2 exams tomorrow, but there you go - she hasn't had a weekend off since march. She wouldn't know what to do with herself without 4 or more hours of rehearsal and/or a performance every Sunday. I'm bloody exhausted though! And after tomorrow's exams - she has some more auditions! I believe I've said on here (in the previous threads) at least twice before that 3 exams for one child in one term are too many - but I'm saying it again. Especially considering the Big Show, the little shows and SATs this term. Must have been mad. I'm hoping she will have a proper rest over the holidays. Although knowing her I think she might not...I'm going to have a good old rest anyway. Just watching her and DD1 is exhausting.

Wafflenose Not all the Unis audition. Some say on website they always do, from memory, York, Cardiff, Bath Spa. Remember at Birmingham open day them saying they never audition.
Also a late starter here, DD taking grade 8 soon, but has skipped grade 7 so everything crossed. And delighted to have recently got a merit for Grade 5 piano.

Raspberry We started last Autumn half term, had to as Saturdays difficult in term time and 6th form only allow 3 days off for open days in school time. One problem with going early was that we were over optimistic on possible A level grades, based on GCSE results. DD found AS much harder than expected and expects grades to have plummeted. So stopped visits for now until results through.

Circular - was talking to someone who's at bath spa this evening, at the show (I think I've mentioned him before). He is apparently having a magnificent time.

View, good luck, have fun. There is actually some good advice on secondary ed and higher ed. DS1 is physics rather than music, and had 2 days in Oxford with school last week, loved it, so now has a very high bar to aim for! At least he will start Y12 very focused. We would have done some more just now, but since then he has been away with school band trip for ten days now.

Well done to all people with results.

Morethan your DD sounds exhausted, poor love. Sometimes they have to find out for themselves, I think, and hopefully will learn to prioritise. Is she actually giving anything up or are you re-evaluating over the summer.

Herc good luck to your DD2 tomorrow. I think so too about exams, we are just planning out DS2 year, which sounds really sad, but I don't want him doing exams altogether, and need to liaise with teachers.

We've just finished a reasonably calm series of concerts with school/music service, the record was 3 on less than 24 hours. DS2 did Lion King with school last week which was also lovely. Just DS1s post tour concert next week, and apart from DS1s chorister stuff we are finished for the summer!

Herc.

Your dd really thrives with the pressure.
My dd used to be in her element, she lived for it, but not anymore.
I'm not 100% sure what she'll choose to do, but have my suspicions.

There are 2 new groups on the horizon for September, one will replace an existing one and the other will be new.
So I'm sure she'll say no more exams, I can't see a group or the chance to perform going too soon tbh.

Well done to yours though, hope she gets a good rest.