Summer Term Music, Musicians and Music Exams thread

[Wafflenose]

Hello again everyone! I know not everyone in the UK has gone back to school yet, and some of you are overseas, but term here starts today, so it's time for a new thread. Please post away about your children, your own musical studies or any questions about music exams/ learning an instrument generally. We have a helpful and experienced bunch of people here to answer queries or reassure you.

I have MiniWaffle, who is 9, and BabyWaffle who is 6. Mini has passed Grade 5 Recorder and Grade 4 Flute, and also plays some trumpet, piano and ukulele. Baby has passed Grade 1 Recorder and Initial Cello, and tinkers with the piano (when it's not in the repair shop...)

This term for exams, we have Grade 3 Theory (Mini) - as a warm-up for Grade 5 which will hopefully take place next year - and Grade 1 Cello (Baby). Both in June. I am doing Grade 2 Xylophone for the NCO Parents' Challenge! We have been challenged to learn an instrument unrelated to our proper ones, and I'm really a clarinettist.

Very big congratulations to both of you, WhereShallWeGo.

I hope everyone else's Theory results were what they hoped for.

Thank you Waffle and congratulations to mini waffle, too!

Has anybody used : Alfred all in one book 5 ? Can somebody please tell which Grade level this books is for ?

Can I ask what books you use for theory? I would like to start looking at some with my dd, I thought we could learn together as I am not musical at all but the ones I have seen do not have any answers in! Thanks x

I use Music Theory in Practice - no answers though. One of my students brought along another set (a bit more dry and dull) with answers in the margins of another page - can't remember the name though. I have been told that the Trinity books are well worth a look, but we are a third of the way through Grade 4 now, so probably not worth changing...

Hi we use e music theory in practice but dd found past papers most useful; I did too as I had no idea if she was right or wrong without the answer books. There is a really good summary book that we got too late to use - will find the title for you.

No results for us yet as I did not do the entry myself so have to wait until music admin lesson logs in...am hoping tomorrow....

Woolleybear - We (my DD) used the AB guide to music theory alongside the workbooks and answer sheets. I am non musical and therefore she taught herself with some testing on the italian phrases from us.

She did it through the xmas holidays and sat G5 that Winter session. Had I known what was involved I would have started her much earlier but she proved to be a crammer and self motivated, though not sure how much of it has stuck 18 months on...

I used to use The AB Guide to Music Theory, until one of my adult pupils borrowed it and then stopped coming! I never got round to buying it again, but probably should.

Really not sure how long it's going to take Mini to do two whole grades worth. If she pulls her finger out, she can do it quickly and take Grade 5 while she remembers the 100 Italian words she had to learn for Grade 3, but I don't want to overdo it during the holidays. Hmm.

I'm now checking the ABRSM site obsessively, waiting for my results from July 9th. My result from the 2nd took 11 days, so I reckon these are due in the next day or two. Then I'll be planning ahead to next term's candidates, although I won't have nearly as many. This term I had 19 exam candidates and 42 Music Medals (of which Mini is number 42 - Platinum on Treble because she likes to do what her friends are doign) and we need to have it done by August 14th.

Good luck with your results, Waffle! Still waiting for result from 6th. Meanwhile, trying to make sure I don't go rusty over the summer and doing my piano practice. Problem is by the time I have waded through scales, sight reading and the pieces I am exhausted! But I can hear the improvement. I just wanted to say congratulations to all the adult students on this thread and I am full of admiration!

Results are just in! Dodgy Grade 2 Piano managed to pass (by a few marks!), two Grade 2 Flutes both got Merits, and a very special little Grade 1 Clarinet got a distinction (I predict great things for her). That makes a total of 19 candidates for me this session - 7 Pass, 9 Merit, 3 Distinction. Plus 41 Music Medals taken, and 41 passed. Just waiting for Mini to pull her finger out, and she will be number 42.

Well done to all your students Waffle.

And a huge well done to all adults and DCs with results.

DS2s piano was on the 8th, so am hopeful for a result fairly soon.

He was awarded a prize in Choir yesterday, a beautifully bound copy of the Messiah, embossed with his name and the date on the front cover! He was really thrilled with it.

Good luck with the theory Waffle, hopefully Mini can do what DS2 did, he seemed to struggle more up to Grade 3 and flew through 4 and 5.

Well done to him, Raspberry. What a lovely prize, and so deserved. I've just had my results from the 9th, so his should be on the way.

Result through at last! dS2 got 118 for grade 2 piano. His teacher was expecting a merit at least but I know he had an attack of nerves and I'm delighted with his result as he obviously managed to get over it! And delighted he'll be learning some new pieces next term!

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look into those for when we get home from holiday and hopefully we can look at grade 1 level stuff over the summer. Well done to all those who have had results. Dd took grade 1 on 7th so hopefully we will get result soon. Praying for a pass, she could have got better if the exam had been a month earlier I think. The next night she played for the first time in a big venue and she came off stage absolutely buzzing, worth way more to us than the exam result.

Woolley- yes that is what is about :)

Waffle - well done (ESP your nco challenge as I assume that result is in there if I missed it??)

Theory passed very safely; never going to be dd's great passion I think but def learnt a lot on the journey.

Well done to Musicgirl1 - that's excellent and now it's all over!!

I got 92% for my Grade 2 Tuned Percussion exam with Trinity. My boss looked at the marks overall, and the average (over 40+ exams) was around 5 marks lower than usual - although it could be that we've been overmarked in the past and nobody would have complained. Anyway, I got the highest mark of the 2 day session, and only made one tiny slip - in the aural, embarrassingly! So I'm pleased... and now have to wait until September for the certificate.

(Not sure if I mentioned it before, but just adding it in because Musicmom1 asked!) I raised about £60 doing it.

DS2 piano teacher just phoned. He got 136 for his Grade 6 piano .

Really pleased for him.

Perfect marks for Aural and one of his pieces, 'Over the Rainbow' which he is totally fed up of. He has been playing that piece all year, he won a cup with it in March at our Festival, and also played it at a piano masterclass we went to just after.

He stopped playing it for a while, then brought it back for the exam, but definitely had enough of it now!

Wooleybear following a recommendation in here I tried the Trinity books, which are much nicer. The recommendation was to use them up to about Grade 4 and then switch to Grade 5 workbooks for ABRSM, but you could do Trinity theory anyway, ABRSM recognise it. We didn't actually use them as long as that though as DS2s teacher was definitely in the ABRSM camp.

super results from everyone - practicals and theory, a good term once again!

Raspberry - big congrats to your DS, what a fantastic result! And Waffle, that was a great xylophone result - are you going to carry on with it now the challenge is over? Or do another challenge?!
Rapidly, embarrassingly, I don't know the answer to either of the cello questions. I now realise we haven't labelled the bow, nor do we have a special stool. dS2 just adjusts the spike! I have noticed very young cello players bringing stools to practice sessions, but not the older kids.

Just got dd's result - an incredible distinction with 144 for grade 7 violin! We are absolutely delighted!

Thanks Loose.

Rapidly, we never labelled anything, (DDs own cello). Nor did DD ever have a special stool. Nor did any other cello player that we came across, but this was all city/county.

She did go through a phase at rehearsals of always accesorising her cello with a scarf or similar!

The Rachel, well done to your DD