Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

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

Autumn Term Music and Music Exams Thread

388 replies

Wafflenose · 01/09/2014 11:03

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.

OP posts:
Shakyisles · 06/09/2014 20:33

There is a big step up in aurals at grade 4. A smaller step to grade 5 then another big one at grade 6. I prefer these modern aurals to the old 1980's ones I knew so well. I think the sight singing is very important for musicianship and I like the parallels between gcse and abrsm aural skills.

I also prefer the theory now. They took out some particular nasty stuff and replaced with mire general questions but the feel if the paper is about consistent with gcse level in my opinion.

Grade 8 aurals - we've started doing them weekly as singing the bass line (up in octave) is really hard for my daughter.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 06/09/2014 20:37

I think DD1 got full marks in Trinity Grade 5 Aural (and sight reading). She dropped 8 marks in her last exam, surprisingly - she usually doesn't play her best on the day. But she hasn't tried Grade 4 ABRSM aural yet. I don't think it's harder... just different. But yes, a step up from Grade 3 ABRSM. Come to think of it, she won't have done that either!

OP posts:
Shakyisles · 06/09/2014 23:10

Oh yes - I was only talking about abrsm Aurals. Trinity are way shorter and I think, far easier.

Shakyisles · 06/09/2014 23:18

Ooh. I just read that back and don't want to get into a discussion about trinity or abrsm - I meant personally for me - not for everyone. Smile

xmasplanner · 07/09/2014 07:35

We have been the same Morethan and waffle - my dd has been stuck on grade 5 since she was in y4 and she has just started in y6! Theory will be done in November and then hopefully grade 7 in spring. She still progressed through suzuki books and played grade 6 & 7 pieces at festivals and for NCO audition. Need to give theory a big push now!

Greengrow · 07/09/2014 07:57

With my youngest two I did a gtheory rade a term 1 /2/3 Easter, grade 4 book but not the exam over a summer holiday and grade 5 the next term Christmas(which they both failed), resat next term - one passed, resat term after and the other one passed. They were about ten. The older ones when about the same agedid loads of theory every day with their father (a music teacher) - I remember he took them camping over one summer holiday and they did grade 5 theory every morning for an hour - it got them through it and one got almost full marks. I always liked music theory (and maths) as you can get full marks. I even almost got full marks in grade 8 theory a long time ago.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 07/09/2014 15:13

I reckon we could do a grade a term if we did some every day, but it's hard when she's in school and getting home tired/ grumpy or has activities in the evenings. We're about 20% of the way through this book and will keep plodding along. It'll be worth it in the end! I would hope to be done in another 12-18 months really.

OP posts:
Greengrow · 07/09/2014 15:37

We did it in bed for about 5 or 10 minutes a night before story time (theory) so a routine, every day. Some of it (grade 5 theory) is proving useful now in their GCSE music.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 07/09/2014 15:47

One of my pupils is doing Grade 5 Theory this term. :) It's a 6th former with SEN, and we have taken two years to go from 0-5 (although they did know quite a few scales, Italian terms etc already, from their playing). We could have gone faster, but I haven't set homework due to 6th form and Learning Support commitments. I'm hoping for a good result, because they got 81% on a practice paper over the summer.

OP posts:
LooseAtTheSeams · 08/09/2014 12:23

Best of luck to your 6th former, Wafflenose, they sound fantastic! I am now thinking of getting DS1 to start on theory grade books at half term, just doing some at home to start with, before enrolling on a course. I also have a couple of books aimed specifically at children for DS2 to try while he's sitting with me in the waiting room during DS1's percussion lesson - if nothing else, it might improve his sight reading for piano. He's doing well with cello practice, and the scales are coming along nicely though some way to go, yet.

My piano lessons have resumed. I am focusing on F sharp minor and 'Jack is Sad' this week. I'm supposed to be learning various alternative fingering for the scale but at the moment it's as much as I can do to get one version right!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 08/09/2014 12:47

What a lovely piece, Loose - I just had a listen on Youtube!

DD1 has just done F# minor as well, on her flute. Nasty pig of a scale, that one.

OP posts:
JulieMichelleRobinson · 08/09/2014 12:49

Just a tip for beginner's theory for string players - the lady who wrote the "Hey Presto!" method books has also written a "Music theory for violinists" (etc.) series to go alongside. There are 6 smallish books, and they only go up to around grade 1 theory, but I'm tempted to use them for my fiddlers as a way in because AB theory seems so piano-oriented. There are viola and cello versions.

LooseAtTheSeams · 08/09/2014 13:34

'Jack is Sad' is beautiful, though it's having less of an emotional impact on me at the moment as I'm concentrating on holding down the right keys in the right places! I'm determined to get the scale sorted out this week but I always seem to miss a note out either going up or down, and not necessarily the same note!

Thanks so much for the tip about theory books for string players, Julie, I will definitely have a look at those. Smallish books that can be carried around would be better for DS2, I think.

JulieMichelleRobinson · 08/09/2014 22:58

I think the reason I'm tempted to use them is that they deal with the whole this note is that fingering issue,

morethanpotatoprints · 09/09/2014 17:10

Does anybody have any experience of the jazz grades particularly gr5 and would you recommend.
Pros and Cons compared to normal abrsm exams.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 09/09/2014 17:53

I can offer DD's experience. DD did Trinity Jazz Grade 5 on sax and hated it. Absolutely hated it. BUT she didn't like the improv., despite only losing a mark in the exam. Also there was apparently some singing in the aural which she also hated. She just missed a distinction.

She was much happier doing Grade 6 as a normal exam.

That is just my DD though.

morethanpotatoprints · 09/09/2014 17:59

That's interesting I didn't know Trinity did them.
From what I hear there aren't so many centres that offer it and in some cases you need to travel miles for your nearest centre.
I also heard the books were expensive as had a rhythm section accompaniment cd.
My dh has a pupil who wants to do it and I'm not against our dd doing it if dh changes his mind. He doesn't like the songs on the syllabus and the scales. I'll have a look at it tonight but just wondered if anybody had done it.
Well done to your dd Raspberry. Can I ask if she took it as an alternative to the theory exam, or because she fancied a bit of jazz?

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 09/09/2014 18:14

Jazz exams are very popular at school, the woodwind teacher is an enthusiast, and they get very good results. DD loves playing jazz style music so leapt at the idea, but didn't love the improvisation side of it.

School is its own Trinity centre, and generally only does Trinity exams, though they will enter people at a local centre for ABRSM if they want.

It wasn't a theory avoider, it doesn't count for ABRSM, (only their own jazz does, I think). She is only a fun player, and I have enough difficulty keeping it 'fun'.

It didn't cost us anything because he had all the books etc necessary (50 years teaching!!!)

morethanpotatoprints · 09/09/2014 19:27

Raspberry, that is very good wrt the school being the centre, it must make life a lot easier.
I think it is good as a theory avoider for those who struggle with the written work or answering in the way the papers require.
For us it would be a temporary avoider, theory would still be done but not with the urgency needed to be able to take higher grades.

Waffle
You have my sympathy with the theory, dd has all day to do it but having started quite late and she struggles a bit it is pretty slow going atm.

I would advise anybody starting out to do the relevant grade theory alongside the practical, even if they don't intend taking an exam until grade 5.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 09/09/2014 21:39

Morethan, it was very weird the first time, waving DS1 off to school like normal and him coming home having done it. One year he even had his mark before he came home.

DD doesn't cope very well with it, she would prefer to have me with her beforehand. She has actually done most of the theory up to Grade 5 but doesn't want to do an exam so I'm not going to push it.

Not al lessons are at school so we still use the ABRSM and Trinity centres as well.

DS2 will be doing Grade 5 theory though, hopefully next spring.

morethanpotatoprints · 09/09/2014 21:46

I can't comprehend that feeling at all, I bet it can really help those who don't like a fuss. I don't think my dd would like it as she likes Dad as preference, me if Dh can't make it.
I'm under no illusion that I'm second fiddle. Grin

I'm not sure if dd will manage theory in time as she has set herself a target of grade 6 singing winter 2015, which although sounds ages away she doesn't like anything work related.
I think she is her own worst enemy. So talented and a wonderful gift, but someday eventually everyone has to put in lots of effort.

Don't mind me, just venting.

JulieMichelleRobinson · 09/09/2014 22:05

I've looked at ABRSM jazz piano and I think you need to be a grade 3 pianist to do grade 1 jazz. So it could be a good option for some people, but not a stand-alone subject, IMO. Otoh I like general musicianship, which covers for theory too.

Lcm jazz piano works on its own, but wouldn't give access to abrsm grade 6.

Mistigri · 10/09/2014 08:34

My DD has her first formal music theory class (at French music school) this afternoon, which could be fun as they have put her in the top class. I'm waiting to find out if she has finally bitten off more than she can chew ;)

She had her second piano lesson (previously self-taught) and she was miffed because her teacher remarked that she always picks pieces in her "comfort zone". She thought they were quite hard LOL! (But she thinks anything she can't play perfectly within a couple of hours is hard). He is going to sort out a repertoire for her, it will be interesting to see what he comes up with.

JulieMichelleRobinson · 10/09/2014 13:33

It's hard if it takes more than three months to learn... ;-) But that's for me. For the kids... a month seems reasonable.

Bramshott · 11/09/2014 08:54

Finally got the comments sheet for DD1's Grade 4 singing. I know that a merit is a merit, but can't believe that the examiner gave her a FAIL mark on her unaccompanied folk song! She sang that really nicely at home. Still maybe exam nerves meant the intonation went haywire in the day... She scraped a pass mark in her sight reading and aural, and got good marks on her pieces.