Music Exams and non-standard pieces

[PetraDelphiki]

Calling on the wisdom of the crowd...am I the only person who encourages my DD to look at the ABRSM pieces 4-6 (ie the ones not in the standard book)? And is this a bad idea? There seem to be some lovely pieces but based on recent experience I'm wondering if examiners are marking them down because they don't recognise them so don't know if they are being played correctly or not?

Certainly in her recent G2 exam her C piece which wasn't standard was marked significantly lower than the others (despite being of a comparable playing standard according to her teacher).

Thoughts?

I'm a piano teacher and a mum, and I have often used one of the additional choices for a student (though usually only if it's in a book I like for other stuff too). Two out of six students who took exams before Easter did a piece from another book, one got a mark level with his other pieces and the other got his best mark on that piece.

For one of his instrument I don't think ds2 has ever played the standard pieces and has never got below a merit.

some instruments don't even have a standard book, and the examiners have possibly never heard the pieces before (I'm learning a fairly rare instrument), and it's fine. More problems, perhaps, from them not knowing the instrument all that way, and what its capabilities and foibles are. But on something like piano or violin, where there are tens of thousands of candidates each year, I'm sure the examiners get to know even the non-standard pieces pretty well.

Dd always chooses from the cd not the books and often opts for pieces that the teacher has not worked with before, so presumably neither has the examiner. I have never noticed a significant difference in marks with more typical pieces, and indeed sometimes I wonder if she gets points for being adventurous. Given examiners may not play the instrument in question, I can't imagine the choice is a factor. Maybe just bad luck on how that piece worked out on that particular day?

Dd just took grade 1 piano and two of her pieces (B and C) where from the alternative pieces. She got 137, distinction so I don't think they get marked down. I also think they may get a better mark because the examiner is probably more inclined to listen properly if it is a new piece rather than listening to the same pieces all day.

Ooh which ones? Those are the 2 my DD is doing (Dance of the Hours and Cuckoo)...

Dance of the hours (I LOVE it!) and House on the Hill.

She got 29 for House on the Hills so not marked down at all. Good luck!

All options are marked according to the same marking criteria. Only if you play a piece that is not on the syllabus will you run into trouble.

As a teacher, I usually look at ABRSM and Trinity syllabi, including the alternative pieces (at least some of them). Some of the alternative options may suit particular students, e.g. those with small hands or an interest in early or contemporary music.

We have often gone for pieces not in the book, especially if we already have the music. It's never been a problem.

It's only a handful of the most common instruments which have a standard book. Most instruments don't, so the examiners won't know all the pieces anyway.

I think the AB books have some huge disadvantages. Some teachers are lazy and never explore the other repertoire available. (I do have significant inside knowledge for this!). Also, many of the pieces, particularly in the higher grades, are just part of a whole piece. For example, one movement from a sonata. If the candidate learns from the standard book, they will possibly only ever learn that movement and never study how it is part of a whole longer piece. Therefore the pupil is learning just to pass the exam, not to understand the musical context which is a real shame.

I would hope that all teachers would encourage the pupil to buy the original piece and study it all, but sadly this may not always be the case.

I have actually heard an examiner comment on how boring it can be to hear the same pieces over and over again - this referred to low piano grades - and how refreshing it is when a candidate plays something else.