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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Spring Term Music, Musicians and Music Exams Thread

525 replies

Wafflenose · 04/01/2015 19:04

Hi all, my children go back to school tomorrow, so I thought it was time for a new one. Who's doing what this term, and how is practice going?

Our main focus is the local festival next month - we're all doing loads, as are my pupils! My girls have just started practising for that.

MiniWaffle (9) is doing her well-overdue Grade 4 Flute this term, and hopefully Grade 3 Theory (to keep her on track) in the summer, and Grade 6 Recorder in the autumn. She also has some SWMS and NCO commitments, although not too onerous yet! She plays the trumpet for fun, and dabbles with piano, ukulele and singing.

BabyWaffle (6) will concentrate on repertoire and technique for a while. I think Grade 1 Cello is supposed to be in the summer. She can play a coupe of the pieces and some of the scales. She plays the recorder too, but won't be doing another exam on that for at least a year.

OP posts:
notanotherinstrument · 01/04/2015 07:53

Hand-holding please for DD's ATCL exam this afternoon. I suspect I am more worried about it than she is - just asked if there was anything (even just the odd bar) that she thought she ought to blow through this morning and got 'what for?' well, your exam this afternoon 'oh yes, just remembered about that - no, everything will be fine'.

Ishouldbeweaving · 01/04/2015 09:15

notanotherinstrument, she must know that she's well prepared and ready, you've just got to trust her on this. In six (seven?) hours it will all be over bar the waiting.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 01/04/2015 11:51

Valentine you can appeal, by providing proof of a higher standard (video?), or at least you used to be able to. Or you can appeal on the grounds that the marks don't match the comments. But it's a long, convoluted process, would tie your DD to playing the pieces for another term, and best just to move on. Sometimes there are surprises with marks, but not too many from ABRSM in my experience. Just the odd rogue session. 117 is the mean mark they give out - anything in the 130s is excellent and 140s exceptional. 117 is really very good! They start from the pass mark (100) and add or subtract marks from there, rather than starting at 150 and deducting for errors, which to my mind makes it a lot harder to get very high marks. Well done to your DD - it sounds like a good, solid performance, and she has got quite far for her age.

OP posts:
JulieMichelleRobinson · 01/04/2015 13:16

Not this session but our last session here in Jersey everyone said the marks were lower than expected - not from one particular teacher, but across the board in all subjects and levels. However, you can't really appeal the marks unless the comments and marks don't match, because a lot of marking for music is relatively holistic. If the examiner marked each piece maybe two marks lower, and was stricter on the sightreading, or expected a higher standard of intonation or tone production from a beginner violinist because he'd never tried to play the blooming instrument...

I do wonder, though, if it was the same examiner.

Students have bad days, though, with nerves etc. and my last grade 1 violinist managed to play all of her sightreading perfectly, but a fifth out (wrong string). She knew she'd done it, too, and it lost her a good five or six marks.

JulieMichelleRobinson · 01/04/2015 13:17

Notanotherinstrument,

Good luck to your DD! Sixteen years after my grade 8, I'm intending to attempt mine this year ;-)

JulieMichelleRobinson · 01/04/2015 13:17

(To clarify, coz that seems really bad for a professional, I do have a music degree - just not specialising in performance).

Original poster
Wafflenose · 01/04/2015 16:02

I just checked online (ok so I have been checking every day this week!) and the young man passed his grade

5 theory really well at the second attempt, with a whopping 17 more marks than last time, so almost a merit. He has already started on Grade 6 in both theory and his instrument and will be pleased. Now I can get Mini entered for Grade 3 theory in June, as I no longer need to wait and see if my pupil has to do it again!

OP posts:
KaputKiss · 01/04/2015 16:49

That is great Waffle!

We are waiting for theory results! DD (11) took grade 5 theory and grade 5 cello recently and I am pleased to hear the wait is almost over for one of them! She is due to take grade 7 violin next term too, so is pretty desperate for a theory pass!

KaputKiss · 01/04/2015 17:03

Just spoke to dd's teacher - she got 87%, so high merit and we are pleased!!!

JellybeansInTheSky · 01/04/2015 17:37

Hi Valentine, did you see the mark breakdown for your DD yet?

I was inwardly convinced my DD would get a distinction at her grade 2 violin exam because her pieces sounded really good just before hand (she got a merit) but in the exam she didn't do so well at the sightreading and aural. I think this is quite common.

Oh and she was delighted. She had been worried that she had failed the exam because her sight reading had gone wrong but didn't want to tell me.

And tell your DD not to worry about the children at school. They may not even be telling the truth about their results.

Hopefully your own pleasure and congratulations will send a strong message she should be pleased.

Personally while I want my DD to work hard and achieve I am going to strongly encourage not getting upset about not getting the very highest marks.

I think girls can be too hard on themselves sometimes.

I

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 01/04/2015 17:44

Just debating whether to text DS2s teacher to say results are online, she texted him this morning to tell him they weren't there then, presumably they have gone up since.

Or she is putting off telling him bad news!!!!

Kaputkiss well done to your DD. And Waffle pleased for your pupil.

Next term's exam stuff has already started, DS2 has to be entered for his RSCM Silver award this week, exam in May.

KaputKiss · 01/04/2015 17:50

I phoned dd's teacher at 5pm raspberry and she had just logged on to get the results then. I would text!!!

needaholiday2015 · 01/04/2015 17:59

After a dodgy lead up to the exam and DD saying she didn't want to sit it and her teacher saying you just need to get 66 and thats a pass ! Well that's is what she went and got, 66 and a Pass !! Phew ........i was ready to book it again for next term ...

Original poster
Wafflenose · 01/04/2015 18:01

Well done to mini Kaput and miss needaholiday. They have both done well to get through - clever miss needaholiday for getting exactly what she needed, and Kaput's mark is excellent!

OP posts:
Ishouldbeweaving · 01/04/2015 18:04

RaspberryLemonPavlova I'm waiting too. I know that his teacher is around because she was teaching last night and I don't want to bug her because there's nothing hanging on the result (other than dinner tonight). I will go and walk the dog and hope that celebrations are in progress when I get back.

Well done to Kaputkiss junior, on with the G7 now.

Ishouldbeweaving · 01/04/2015 18:06

Cross posted with needaholiday - congratulations to your DD too. Now I am really out with the dog.

KaputKiss · 01/04/2015 18:07

Yep - no excuses now!

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 01/04/2015 18:19

She texted me first. DS2 managed a Distinction with 92%. Am very proud of him, he is more concerned with getting on the PS3 with a friend he hasn't had time to see for the last month.

His teacher's other entrant also got a Distinction and she reckons her policy of making them stay 2 hours has paid off!

Grade 6 piano beckons next term now.

Congrats to your DD needaholiday, I would truly have been happy with a pass so we didn't have to do it again.

DS1 passed his driving theory this morning, so we are celebrating tonight in the Pavlova household.

notanotherinstrument · 01/04/2015 18:30

Exam is done - and now begins the 6 weeks wait. She came out smiling and enjoyed playing her pieces so can't ask for more than that really!

KaputKiss · 01/04/2015 18:44

Brilliant news raspberry!!!

Ishouldbeweaving · 01/04/2015 19:11

G5 merit here - supposedly one mark off a distinction except that I thought that they didn't mark at the borders. A pass would have done, all those things that need G5 theory don't specify the mark.

Notanotherinstrument - I'm glad that it went well, you will come back and tell us how she gets on, won't you?

notanotherinstrument · 01/04/2015 19:42

I will report back - just seems like such a long time to wait.
DD not bothered, she has NCO course to look forward to next week - there has been so much frantic to-ing and fro-ing of emails about who is sharing with who and what everyone is taking with them that I'm sure they have all completely forgotten that they do actually have to play their instruments as well as fit in all their socialising!!

RunAwayHome · 01/04/2015 19:55

wow, diploma level and still young enough for NCO? Serious high standard some of these children can get to. (Said as an adult beginner on a new instrument who is getting nowhere!! Wishing I'd practised my childhood instruments more intensely).

drummersmum · 01/04/2015 21:06

Congrats everyone. DS (13) sat the theory through the school and it's now easter break... everyone is gone so we may have to wait till after hols! He is taking gr7 drums before summer and gr7 piano in the autumn if theory ok.

Theas18 · 01/04/2015 21:12

Congratulations! Some lovely results. Well done kids - and the parents :)

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