Autumn Term Music and Music Exams Thread

[Wafflenose]

Hello everyone. My children went back to school today, so I decided it was time for an Autumn Term thread. Please jump right in!

I have DD1 (MiniWaffle) aged 8, who loves music but knows her own mind!! She is currently playing Grade 6 and 7 Recorder pieces and trying to get her Treble up to scratch. Her second instrument is Flute and she's been hovering around Grade 4 for a while. I have no idea when her next exams will be, or what grade, but none this term that I'm aware of. She is auditioning for the NCO in October though. DD1 also sings, tinkers with piano and ukulele, and has just started the Grade 3 Theory book. I tend to find this one the biggest jump, and if you can do this one, you can manage Grade 4 and 5 easily. Usually. I hope.

DD2 (BabyWaffle) is 6, enjoys music and is going at a completely average pace. I can say this with some confidence, as I have about 120 pupils of my own. She's been playing the recorder for about 18 months and the cello since March. She wants to do Grade 1 Recorder and Initial Grade Cello this term.

Looking forward to hearing about how everyone else is getting on.

Ealing,

His whole piano personality has changed in the last year, used to be really classically oriented now comes in playing "music of the popular idiom".

Thanks Julie. Awake worrying so have come back to this and looked at KCL. Course looks amazing- I'll show her. I think I remember you saying once before how many opportunities were available to you there? I do think University might suit her better.

Viewofthehills - have you considered going for an advice audition? I know RNCM do one so presume that the other conservatoires do too. I'm pretty sure that's what we'll do the year before applications go in so DS has a clue whether he's wasting his time applying (he has an embrouchure issue, the question is how much of an issue). Part of the fee is refunded if you apply within a year.

DS was gutted to "only" get a merit in his G8, this was the one exam where he'd put a decent amount of work in and he thought he deserved more. We said that if he ever found he had a need for the distinction then he could take the exam again.

KCL in particular has strong links to the RAM - especially for performance - and also to SOAS (for those interested in ethnomusicology). Our instrumental lessons were at RAM taught by postgrad students (e.g. if you were me) or by staff if someone was fantastic and focusing on performance (chiefly those admitted to Advanced Performance in the third year - there is also a regular Performance III option). I think the advanced classes also came out with RAM or ABRSM quals when I was there, can't remember.

It also depends a bit on instruments/voices - e.g. I have friends who went to KCL with me, then on to opera or early music courses at conservatoire now that their voices have matured. I have another friend from Kings who is a pianist, but wanted to specialise in accompaniment - which is only offered as a postgrad course.

I also remember that I only applied to RAM, RCM and RNCM - and got a waiting-list place at the latter. So maybe if I'd applied to more places things would have been different, but that was already two sets of flights plus hostel and flying on my own to London at 17... plus nerves so bad that I was physically sick on the day of my London auditions! I didn't even have to do an interview for uni. ;-)

What lovely results especially for the mini/baby waffles and waffle pupils!

Viewfromthehills have you tried any strategies for performance anxiety? DS had a session of NLP paid for by grandma that seemed to help a lot (he went through a couple of bad auditions etc eg for the senior orchestra when he was on roaccutane and his lip split and bled into his horn and he didn't even mention that was why it sounded odd). It all seems a bit "woo" to me but might be an investment DC wants a musical career.

Don't resit a merit. It wont make any difference and the psychology of doing the same stuff again and maybe getting less marks would be crushing. Better to spend the time doing repertoire and maybe even a performance diploma?

Oh and don't forget ( I assume he's doing A level music) that AS/A2 performances will be looking for standards well below grade 8 (AS 6, A2 7) so prep some easier but immaculate pieces with well researched interpretations for these too.

ChessParents this is impressive, what age your ds2 started music lessons?

Worriedandlost: He started piano right after his 5th birthday and then violin 6 months later.

Theas; I have wondered about hypnotherapy which is probably more woo than NLP. I am generally on the skeptical side, but would consider anything that works even if it's mainly for the placebo effect! Your poor DS- bleeding into his instrument. The nerves here started after being rushed into grade 7, 15 minutes early and not ready.
Have been to RNCM for the open day and will request an advice audition and planning to look at Birmingham after Christmas. Thanks. x

I should be weaving- gutted is the word here too, but expected after the disaster in the exam. Effectively heard the piece go back two months in time- not sure it's good to be able to hear from outside the room!

ChessParents, thanks for answering, this is amazing-such a quick progress. Dd also doing piano and violin and started early so I know what it is all about! :)) Where is he with violin if you do not mind me asking?

Worriedandlost, he spent double the time practice violin. Violin is his first instrument even he started it later. He has not taken any exam of violin so far. What about you DD1? I understand she got a very good violin teacher and has a great progress. I am struggling to find DS2 a suitable violin teacher. He's only had three lessons in the last two months.

ChessParents, same here, violin is now leading instrument, thanks to the teacher's personality :) Just found out that she got distinction for her violin exam (grade 2), I can relax till June now :))))

Just belatedly catching up with thread and wanted to send congratulations to all the successful candidates! I was thinking of Babywaffle and her initial cello and that was a fantastic result! DS2 doing his cello exam tomorrow, then that's it for this term! I think there's only a drum kit exam next term for DS1, although he now informs me he wants to take up bass guitar in addition to all his other musical activities. Just as well he's not interested in sport as well!

Looks like I might be joining the next of these thread sooner than I thought! My dd has only ben learning since September but we have been advised to purchase a grade 1 book over the Christmas period so she can start preparing for it after then. I know it varies but how long should we expect to be working on the book for?

She has her first public appearance playing tomorrow, at a care home with some of her school friends!

Varies with teacher, I will start some grade one work next term for summer exams. But I start with scales and sightreading.

Definitely varies. Older children can whizz through initial grades and be ready within a few weeks - and come out with merits and distinctions. So can young, well motivated students who may make better use of their practise time. So how long's a piece of string..?
Or you may skip grades altogether.

I agree that starting with scales is the best way to go.

Thanks, she is practicing two of the three scales she needs to do already. Sorry to be ignorant, what is sightreading? The whole music lesson thing is new to us.

Hi all,please could I have a hand hold today? My son (8 and a half) is doing his grade 1 violin today.
He is definitely nervous but he's keeping it all in. It's not till late afternoon so it will be a day of chilling.
What could people advise with regard to practice today,should he bother?
I'm feeling really nervous as although his teacher is very confident he does have co-ordination issues (possible dyspraxia) so time keeping can be Anna issue. He plays in the school orchestra and instrumental group and our local council run music academy orchestra and the local young people's orchestra so he is on the right path!

Thanks,please send positive vibes!

With my 8 year old and a late afternoon exam, she did a very short practise in the morning. Definitely do NOT run through whole pieces. Maybe one scale, one arpeggio, and start each piece only playing 3-4 bars. That keeps them fresh for later.
Good luck.

Sight reading is playing a piece that the child hasn't seen before. It's a crucial skill as a musican. They get thirty seconds to look through and play any parts they like before the official playing. It's really easy in the early grades so not some thing to worry about - but definitely some thing to practise as they are easy marks to get!

if a child work on new piece on her/his own before he practice same piece with teacher ( for correction etc.), wouldn't it take care of sight reading ? I always encourage my child to play new songs before he shows it to teacher. I want expert opinion whether its recommended or not ? Though we don't touch pieces which involves some new technique ( slurs etc.).

When I taught instrument lessons, I would encourage children to read new pieces during the lessons and do fresh duets weekly. However a lot of children, and adults are filled with dread at on-the-spot sight reading. Examiners are looking for fluency, musicality, accuracy. And there's only one chance. I ensure my children do a bit of sight reading every day - and yet they still haven't achieved perfect marks for sight reading yet. One day sigh

Getting transfer students (or older beginners) to sight-read is the bane of my life. My littles are much better at it (though occasionally play things a fifth out, i.e. on wrong violin string).