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.

Singinggirl - where is your theory course??? Dd has been concentrating on 11+ This year, but really needs to pass grade 5 theory in November as she is ready to do grade 7 violin next spring.

Ds (7) is taking grade 2 violin in a few weeks.

DD2's teacher is a bit up on arms over her results too - she thought she should have got about 4 marks more on each exam (she accompanied her for the singing and she could hear the pieces clearly outside the door). But, these things happen all the time. Luckily DD2 is happy with her results so isn't fussed. DD1's piano teacher was surprised at how many marks she got for her grade 5 piano - she thought she would get fewer - so it can work both ways. Annoying and upsetting when it goes wrong though.

In Kent NannyPeach, any use to you? There are criteria, but it is amazing how vaguely they can be interpreted! I am going to comment to the ABRSM about the marking of the sight reading in the preparation time though, since they clearly state that should not be marked.

I'm hoping DD2 will take grade 5 theory at Easter time. We shall see. She has too much on in the autumn term even if you don't consider the whole 'new school' thing. She's agreed to do no more than half an hour a day with me on theory during the holidays (I'm off work for 3 weeks) although she is also having an orthodontic operation under GA in the time, doing a dance course, and having a birthday (with the attendant treat - going to see miss Saigon again, which will knock out a whole day). So managing theory every day will probably not happen.

@Wafflenose -

I totally can't play cello but have been told I'm a natural cellist (haha, guess what instrument I actually asked to learn when I was seven, only the teacher didn't come to my school!). However, it's radically different from playing violin, compared to viola, but similar enough to mess with my head (especially having mucked around on gamba a bit too). I figured I'd start with grade 5 repertoire, though, because I'm a twit. I have a handle on the alternative fingering issue, but the bowhold is just plain weird.

My violinist dd (10) started cello last sept and got a distinction at grade 4 in April! She's 'working' on grade 5 for next term I think.

Well we started the new regime today: theory and 2 instruments for both DDs. I matched them in computer time. Any complaints, tantrums or bad attitude, and computer time will be drastically reduced. It took 1.5 hours to get through it today - and some of this was with both practising at the same time - but we'll get quicker. They've both made lists of books/ pieces/ scales, and agreed on a set number to do each day (e.g. DD1 for flute is doing 6 scales, both tongued and slurred, and a piece from 3 or 4 different books each day) but they can choose which pieces and rotate the books around. DD1 realises this is her last chance to crack on with the theory before getting radically behind. I think she will finish Grade 2 by the time she goes back to school. :)

Hi everyone
You all seem so knowledgable about it all! Dd is waiting on her grade 5 abrsm clarinet exam results.... It seems to be taking longer than previous grades.
I am a musical dimwit so have no idea how she did. I could hear it ( through the floors) and it sounded nice ( lol... I think)
She came out smiling anyway
I thought she would relax on the playing side after the exam but she seems to be playing it like crazy! ( about 2 hours today!) Seems a bit obsessive...she likes making stuff up and playing from a jazz book. We live in a terrace and I feel for my neighbours.Lol.... And it's only day 1 of her school holidays. She goes up to secondary school in September.

I hope she gets a great result, troutsprout.

Day 2, and the girls have clocked up 3 hours between them!! It won't last - I think it has a lot to do with the screen time that they're trying to earn - but I have capped that at a maximum of 1 hour each. Anyway, they are both sounding really good, and ENJOYING their instruments so much. DD1 is on a real mission with the theory now, and asking to get it done. I give her a week before the novelty wears off! In fact, she is going out of her way to be nice at the moment; trying not to pick fights with her sister, being polite to us and even making me a cup of tea this evening. I blitzed their disgusting bedroom today, so hopefully she is learning to appreciate me a bit...

Thanks Waffle

I need to know now!! 3 weeks ago they did their exams. This is the trouble with them being entered at dh's school - they have a special visit to the school and it seems to take so much longer to get the results. Ds2 is twisting himself in knots about it!

Does anyone know when we might find out the actual grades and marking? DS took his grade1 on 4th of July, his teacher let us know he had passed with a merit but didn't have the actual marks at that time.

Hi we expect to get our marks sheet back when lessons resume in sept - we just know the mark so far. You should know whether it was a pass etc from the mark you have been given?

We usually get the marks sheet when we go back to her music centre after summer hols.

In our experience:

If its ABRSM the sheets come with the certificates after the marks have been available on line for the the teacher/person who entered. Usually a week or so after the marks.

Trinity send out the marks via the comments sheets and the certificates separately later.

In both cases it then depends on the teacher.

From ABRSM email received a while back:

For exams in week beginning 2–7 June
results 9–16 June

For exams in week beginning 9–14 June
results 23–28 June

For exams in week beginning 16–21 June
results 30 June – 12 July

For exams in week beginning: 23–28 June
results 7–12 July

For exams in week beginning: 30 June – 5 July
results 14–23 July

For exams in week beginning:7–12 July
results 24–31 July

For exams in week beginning:14–19 July
results 31 July – 8 August

However that's the date when your teacher will have received an email notifying them that the results are live online, not the date that you receive your certificates. So I received the results by email in those weeks and the certificates/mark sheets a bit later - especially because of my location - but the children don't get them yet because of the holidays, though I've notified them/their parents of results. If you think you should have had results by now, you might want to phone the teacher, who'll need to log in to the ABRSM website. However, we only get results that way, not the mark sheet, comments or certificate. I think as teachers we'd usually wait until we have the actual comments from the examiner so we can discuss the why of the marks.

Summer practise........

DS2 has done some grade 4/5 theory most days (he has work set in both books, not sure why!), piano most days and trombone some days.

Clarinet hasn't been touched, however he had an unexpected lesson yesterday and I think its motivated him.

DD hasn't touched her sax. Or the piano.

DS1 procrastinated by giving his trombone its much needed bath but has done a bit.

schilke - cannot imagine what your son is going through with such a long wait...fingers x'd still he gets the result he is aiming for.

Summer update from us - DD really enjoyed Kent Music School (her 1st Music residential) - hard work but lovely school setting and attending kids. May be an annual event in our summer calendar.

Practice stamina improved as a result - enjoying learning Schindler's List right now...hard to listen to her trying to hit the high notes but I am trying not to react as it is a beautiful piece, if she gets it eventually!

We're not onto summer practise yet, last week DS had a five day residential course and went straight off that onto another five day course. I might give him next week off for good behaviour (I can't really moan about him being a slacker when he'd obviously done enough, he got the end chair for the week) then it's the family holidays. After that the six weeks are down to three weeks and it's back to theory and we'll see whether he can remember what to do with a trombone.

At last the results are in. Distinctions for ds2 gr 7 violin and dd2 gr 2 trumpet. Dd2 was particularly happy as she got a merit for gr 1 and was very annoyed when her older sister got a distinction for gr 1 clarinet!

Ds2 celebrated by announcing he'd like a viola....

Ealingwestmum - ds2 was interested in that music course, but it doesn't fit for state schools as he only broke up last Wednesday. He did the Gatton course in Surrey at Easter and loved it. I think that's where he got the viola idea from as they had no violas. Some of the violins had a brief lesson and took it turns to try out playing the viola part. He can't wait for next year's course.

That's an excellent set of results there schilke although I'm not sure how I'd feel about celebrating success with a viola!

Fabulous news schilke that both can celebrate with no sibling angst!

I had never heard of music schools before this year and v pleased we gave it a go, I think it supplements development really well.

Well done schilke household. Worth waiting for.

Our state schools State schools locally finished the previous week, so it would have fitted some, it gets very annoying when its all different.

to the viola!

DD1 was on a 6 day residential last week, came home Saturday afternoon, then set off on Sunday morning for another one. So, she's doing plenty of stuff (one assumes. They had showcases every night last week, it was incredible (I was able to go to one, due to organising my work schedule beneficially, and my sister was able to go to most of them (and ended up with several colleagues and friends we were at school with accompanying her to the last one because it had all been so fabulous))). DD2 only finished school on Friday, she did some playing and singing at church on Sunday bit that's it so far (today we went to see Globe live at our local picturehouse at lunchtime (v long lunch for me!) and I haven't had the arse to make either her or her brother do any practice or theory since we got home). Tomorrow though, they will both do some practice in the morning (their choice what) and some theory with me at lunchtime. To be fair to her DD2 did ask DD1 to dig out her old jazz piano books when she got back on Saturday afternoon, but DD1 declined as she had other things to find (her performing 'uniform' for this week, for a start).

Raspberry - DD1 was given authorised leave to attend her thing last week. Her school broke up on Wednesday. I think, had they refused, I would have made some pointed comments about all the geography and history trips they do in school time (and not, it has to be said, cheaply). Luckily they were absolutely lovely about it all.