March Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Here you are - a new thread for March! I can't believe we are now up to 700+ posts each month. Thank you all.

I am Waffle, Mum to two girls. I have Goo (11), short for Kajagoogoo, which is 'short' for Kaj, which means... well, that would be telling! Her younger sister is Rara (8) - Rara is what she used to call herself when she was learning to speak. Goo plays the flute, recorder and piano. Rara plays the cello, recorder and clarinet. We have Grade 7 Flute and Grade 1 Clarinet booked for the end of this month. I think we might have Grade 3 Cello and Grade 4 Piano coming up next term. Goo is off to secondary in a few months, and I really don't know if she will ever manage to fit in her last couple of recorder exams. I'm all for saving money though.

I will try my best to read everything and follow this month. Last month's thread moved so fast!!

irvine It's the difference between practice and performance. If you're practicing you can spend the whole time on a few bars. A performance (which the exam is) is different. What mistake? It never happened. You keep on playing and don't draw attention to it. If you are performing to an audience they don't know what it should sound like and if you keep on with enough confidence and musicality you can blag your way through it. Obviously the examiner knows precisely what it should sound like but the idea is the same. When you are playing in an ensemble the others are going to keep on playing so you don't have the option of stopping.

I don't know how pianists learn to do this because my son is a brass player, he plays duets with his teacher which means there can be no stopping, no do-overs and no slowing down.

Marking scheme: 100 marks are required for a Pass, 120 for a Merit and 130 for a Distinction.
A Pass in each individual section is not required to pass overall. See pp. 40–41 for the marking
criteria used by examiners.

(from the pdf here)
gb.abrsm.org/fileadmin/user_upload/syllabuses/pianoSyllabusComplete17.pdf

Petra: oh wonderful news, can I have a glass to cheers for the double g5 next time we meet please !

Kutik: oh no, hope he is feeling better soon. Fingers crossed for the best out come.

Irvine: reading Waffle thread I realised how much I miss out on what is happening with her music development/exam/going out because I am absolutely non-musical. We could start learning too(Loose, you are a star). Your teacher can roughly tell what result he would get, this depends on many things on the day though. We thought we could get a distinction if everything is right on the day then the chance we get a merit is highest, chance of a pass is usually (roughly)guaranteed.

Prada !

Oh I'm losing track thread moving too fast!

So congrats on theory exams Petra and minipetra!

Kutik sorry to hear you DS wasn't feeling well for the audition today.

Irvine there is a grade 1 exam video on YouTube I recommend you watch it with your DS so he knows what to expect. The pass/merit/distinction is hard to explain in my view, more so at grade 1 as there is a fine line. I'd say music played with dynamics and confidence, rhythm correct and confident answers in aural, known scales and good sight reading should bring a distinction. Just partially playing the dynamics, not confident answers (but correct) not confident scales (but correct) wobbly sight reading is probably a merit. No dynamics, poor sight reading and a few mistakes here and there in aural and scales would be a pass. That's how I see it anyway.

Panic over! Goo got a distinction - in fact, she scored exactly the same mark for Grades 5, 6 and now 7 - 93% with Trinity! So she's pretty consistent, and her teacher is awesome. She lost 1 mark in the Bozza and 1 in the aural, 2 in the Handel (so her tension/ nerves/ loss of embouchure didn't detract from the performance too much... I wondered if they would be forced to fail her on that piece), -3 for the Stamitz, and full marks for sight reading and scales. We are all very happy!

I promised a picture of our (not so nightmare tonight) piece. She got it note right tonight by circling the voices in the second part herself as she kept forgetting to hold them. She's more optimistic now. Let the fun begin polishing it.

Waffle, tiny sips of water on a frequent basis is the advice I've been given before too. Hope Rara bounces back soon and that it doesn't go round the family.

In yesterday's exam DD1 had to do the sight singing 2 or 3 times as she wasn't loud enough. This was after the examiner had asked to look at the music for her study as she hadn't come across it before. Never heard of that happening.....

Cross post! Waffle that's a fantastic news! Well done Goo!!

Great news about goo's exam waffle

I forgot to say, I enjoyed your stories about small tights and underwear. In fact DH often puts dd's knickers in my drawer, the Disney princesses and other characters should give it away so he does put those in dd's drawer but the plain polka dot ones end up in my drawer. I take it as a compliment.

Icouldbeknitting , thank you for your help. That was very helpful.
He can play pretty well , but he can press wrong key sometimes and that's when he seems to stop.I will make sure he keeps on playing even if he makes mistakes. Thanks!

Green, the teacher said he would pass if he practice hard, but he has been practicing too long without proper teacher(6 months), it's so difficult to change his posture,etc., before his exam this time.
Also he is a natural musician imo, but he doesn't do things he meant to do, he has too much of his own style.

Oh this thread moves quickly!

Congrats to Goo! So wish that ABRSM could get their results put that quickly. What made you go with Trinity Waffle? DD2 is switching to Trinity due to her shyness at having to sing in front of people in the aural. Seems to be a strong emphasis on 'oral' within ABRSM aural.

Congrats too to Petra and minipetra and anyone else I have missed.

Hope everyone gets well in time for the Easter hols!

Thank you, Fleurdelise
From your description, he may pass, or on a good day, maybe merit.
But we have to wait and see, and hope for best! Thanks!

Well done to Goo - I've managed to miss nearly an entire thread!

Congratulations to Goo

Thanks all! I didn't want to switch to Trinity, especially after teaching her the bloody Theory for two years, but the new teacher she moved to in January 2016 is married to the Trinity area rep, so they are big fans. Goo did grade 5 last March, 6 in June and 7 today. If I'd known then what I know now, I never would have forked out for Grade 5.

Well done Goo (and Waffle!) - and a year from g5 to g7 and to maintain very good distinctions is amazing :)

Oh well done Goo! That's marvellous news!
Am smiling at princess knickers and tiny tights!
Fabulous theory results, too!

Well done Goo - that's a fantastic result!

Wow well done Goo- amazing
Well done Mummy too x

Sorry we're really busy up and down and with work deadline, missing most of thread but yay Goo and the Petras !!
To all the ill children, here's to a quick recovery
I promise to come back soon.
Hang in there, Prada do not panic

Great result Waffle, Goo was very well done!

Irvine, Prada: keep calm and keep practising !

Fleur: i have no idea, just could see that there are much less personal note than mine. We exchanged email with our teacher tonight on what is the plan this year too. Thinking of Autumn term exam in Y5.

Congrats Petras too, and anyone else I may have missed- can't keep up

Fleur My DD is doing that piece and actually performed it this term in a school music competition. Her teacher said it's very hard and few students have chosen it but I simply ADORE it. It really is the most sublime piece. My DD listened to this many times to get the rhythm right.

I will never get bored of hearing it!

MidLife I guess it is a good thing not many pupils are choosing it, the examiner won't be sick of it. I do love it and we listened to the same clip a few times to get the rhythm right in the first half. I love it as well but as you said it is very difficult. Dd wanted the Sostenuto as it is a page long but her teacher wanted a challenging piece for her. How did your dd do in the music competition? Has she taken the exam yet?