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.

I loved your video! It looks like they all had a great time. I especially enjoyed the trombone solo.

It's gone a bit pear shaped here - DD1 has tonsillitis.

Love the video

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

Go for it! I had (and still have) so many opportunities playing viola that I wouldn't have if I had stuck on the violin. And it's a nicer instrument anyway

I had a viola moment yesterday because one of the members of the course they are on at the moment plays a travel tuba (I refuse to call it a "pocket tuba" because only the Jolly Green Giant has pockets that size). This has turned out to be of immense interest to my son and I had it described to me at great length. Our conversation finished along the lines of "and they're reasonably cheap mum, only about twelve hundred pounds".

Last year's object of affection was a sousaphone and he didn't get one of those either.

Putting my hand up for the furthest from London.

My daughter mainly does her primary study, but she's also working at grade 6 theory and so I'm teaching her a bit of piano to help. She has a wonderful voice, but as she's young, she's not taking exams - just singing in choir and getting some good technique.

There are so many hours in the day.

Anyone else still waiting for summer exam results? DD1 did grade 1 clarinet and Keyboard at the end of last term. Keyboard (Trinity) results arrived within a week, but we're still waiting for the clarinet ones. We filled in a self addressed envelope both times for them to post the results.

Blimey pourme, that's a long wait!!
Is it abrsm results you are waiting on? If so , there are guidelines for how long it takes on the website I think.
Oooh good luck... Hope the result is a good one

What is a good result ? doe's it have to be a distinction to be considered as a good musician with potential or is just passing enough for future/scholarships etc ........

pourme

Are you sure there isn't a problem and they have forgotten you.
DD did her exams in July, the latest was 16th, we had the results back within the fortnight of each exam.

She got Distinction singing. Merit Violin and Merit Saxophone.
As she is a bloody perfectionist though, she will only acknowledge the singing.

Success starts at the pass mark. 12% of exams are awarded distinctions, compared to over 50% with passes. The private school I work at looks at all round musicianship, contribution to school life and the audition, rather than exam marks.

I'd imagine whether a child calls it a success depends on the child and what they are trying to achieve.

DD is not really musical (can't sing in tune) but really enjoyed learning clarinet as part of a whole class wind band in year 5 so decided to carry on with lessons in year 6 and did the grade 1 exam at the end of the year.

Her 3 pieces sounded really good, and she can make a reasonable attempt at sight reading, but will have struggled with the aural.

I'd be really happy with any sort of pass, I guess a merit might be possible, I'm not expecting a distinction.

pourme

how are you expecting the results?

is it from the school, the teacher, the music centre and are you able to contact to chase up.
They could have lost your addressed envelope and have your result waiting for you to collect, maybe?

I hope your dd did well, she sounds really committed to continue after group lessons, I've not known many to tbh, usually just one or maybe 2 out of each class.

I just checked the ABRSM website and it said 4-6 weeks for results. A teenage friend who has done all the grades told us that if you do exams in the last week of term it can take longer to get the results because they close over the summer. Oh well, hope its good news when it comes.

I think Waffle meant that 50% pass with a pass mark, plus the 12% with distinction and the merits.

Congratulations to all those results since I last checked in.

Morethan, whatever you DD thinks those are great results. How is she now?

Wafflenose how is your DD1?

Pourme I hope you hear soon.

Gosh pourme sounds like we were lucky then.
We got 2 results from the website though as dh was the one who entered dd for exams, obviously her teacher asked him to, she works for different authority and it got complicated.
But still results had to have been released.
I hope she gets the mark she deserves after such hard work and long wait.
Please come back and let us know.

Raspberry

Oh, she is exactly the same, I blame dh tbh.
He teaches her saxophone and with his own playing he is a perfectionist.
He has never given her this impression though to his credit and told her she got an amazing result considering she is only 10 and been playing 18 months. But unfortunately he is unable to lead by example.
They are terrible when they get together, I run for cover sometimes.
Anyway, she takes this through to her other instruments so unless its a distinction, or a win in a competition, awarded solos etc, she feels like she has failed or is not good enough.
It used to worry me but now I laugh it off and try reverse psychology and will agree with her and say yes you're rubbish, you should give up, will never be any good etc. She sees how silly it all is then.

My DD is the same, she got merit in her G4 sax after 18 months too at age 10 and couldn't see it as an achievement.

It will never be a career for her, so really I just want her to enjoy it.

She has the same attitude with school exams, am so not looking forward to GCSEs!

Shedding It's >50% Pass, plus 30% Merit, plus 12-13% Distinctions, plus 2% withdrawn/ do not finish/ disqualified (wrong syllabus etc). So around 5% fail. I might be quoting rather old statistics, mind.

ABRSM diplomas are another matter though! 50% of the accomplished players who are light years beyond Grade 8 and prepare thoroughly, research their material, etc, fail the DipABRSM, me included! I passed 2nd time, so have a 50% success rate!

Raspberry she is doing well thanks. She's sorting out her treble (playing longer pieces in different keys), has about 3 pages left of the Grade 2 Theory book, and on descant is learning some studies billed as 'difficult', a Grade 6 piece (ready for a competition) and a piece I've written for her, which is also around Grade 6. I'll make a video when we get better at it!

She can also be so lazy that she didn't bother to get dressed today!

Ha, thanks Raspberry, I thought we were the only ones with a dd like this.
We are lucky though that she doesn't take this to other learning. She really doesn't like academic subjects, but we are evil and make her do maths, Science and English

Do you do the same thing as us, play her at her own game? It does seem to work at that time, although she goes back to it again.
She told somebody today that she scraped a distinction, the merits weren't good enough and certs were being ripped up and put in the bin.
I have hidden them

Certificate and and grade sheet came in the post today, she got a pass with merit. Amazingly, she even got 15/18 for the aural (rhythm and pattern were right, but she pitched it wrong). She's very happy with that result.

pourme

So she should be pleased with it, and you should be very proud of her.
Congratulations little pourme.
Worth the wait, you got there in the end.

Hooray, well done to her. Worth waiting for.

Well done minipourme
Clever girl