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Original poster

Violin exam disaster

29 replies

KittyMcKitty · 26/11/2018 17:39

All v miserable here Sad DD had Grade IV violin today. She gets so nervous and for some reason was particularly bad today. Pieces went really well. Scales, arpeggios and chromatic were fine BUT she had a mind blank with the dominant 7th - she knows them so well but froze and only played 4 notes (the right notes). She felt sigh reading (usually a strength) was bad and aural (her weakest element) was OK.

Looking at the mark scheme am I right in thinking that the absolute max she can get for scales is 13 as dominant 7th was incomplete?

Dd is devestated - she should have passed comfortably but it looks like she will fail Sad

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RedSkyLastNight · 26/11/2018 19:36

What exam board was she doing?
On the exam boards I'm familiar with the majority of the marks are for the pieces, so if she's done slightly worse than expected on the scales and sight reading it really won't affect her passing, unless she was only going to scrape through anyway.

I'd look up the mark scheme and show DD how badly she'd have to do to actually fail (at least this helped to calm my DS down when he was convinced there was no real point trying ...).

Original poster
KittyMcKitty · 26/11/2018 19:43

It’s ABRSM so 30 for each piece, 21 each for scales and sight reading and 18 for aural.

The pieces were better then in her grade 3 (which she got a high merit for). The scales (separate & slured were good), as were arpeggios and chromatic it’s just the dominant 7th. Looking at the mark scheme it would appear that if one element was incomplete then she will fail that section (which seems really rough).

Violin exam disaster
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Trumpetboysmum · 26/11/2018 19:47

No I’m sure it won’t mean that at all - she will just drop some marks I think . And you can fail a section of an exam and still pass ( and even in fact do very well ) I’m sure it will turn out fine .

AliceLutherNeeMorgan · 26/11/2018 20:18

I can’t see that it will make the difference between a comfortable pass and a fail! It sounds like she will lose some marks in that section but if her pieces were good I am sure she’ll be fine.

It is awful when they come out and focus just.on the bit that went wrong though. Hope she is ok now

MeltingWax · 26/11/2018 20:25

My DS absolutely bombed the sight-reading part of his Grade 2 piano exam and failed that section. But he still ended up with a merit overall as the other sections made up for it.

And if the other scales were in good shape, she probably won't fail that section for messing up one of them.

MeltingWax · 26/11/2018 20:28

In the marking scheme you included in your post it doesn't say one element incomplete - it says some.

Wafflenose · 26/11/2018 20:28

No, that won't be a fail and she shouldn't fail the scales. I see it all the time - the odd forgotten or incomplete scale - and they just lose a few marks in that section. It's a 'best fit' for all the scales, not a clear fail for forgetting one.

flowery · 26/11/2018 20:32

I had a complete blank for one of my Grade 8 scales and still passed. DH is rubbish at aural and failed the aural section in more than one exam, including I think his Grade 8. He still got distinctions in everything.

It doesn’t sound likely she’s failed.

Original poster
KittyMcKitty · 26/11/2018 20:42

Thank you everyone- all fingers crossed here! The ironic thing is the dominant 7ths are probably her best part of the scales section usually - she knows them so well!

Yes the pieces were great no problems at all - she played the dynamics really well and, I felt (from what I heard) with flair.

The sight reading- well she played something but obviously I haven’t seen the music. Aural can go either way with her - it is her weakest element - she struggles to remember the music to sing back- but she thought it was OK.

We’ll just hope for a kind examiner - it’s going to be a long few weeks!!

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Original poster
KittyMcKitty · 26/11/2018 20:44

flowery it’s good to hear that even Grade 8 musicians can struggle with aural!

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flowery · 26/11/2018 20:54

Oh definitely! I find aural easy while DH is really rubbish at it, but is a far better musician than me.

Didiplanthis · 29/11/2018 17:28

I failed aural in grade 7 and 8 and still got a distinction and a merit !! I think I also failed grade 4, 5 and 6 aural - I was truly rubbish at it. Which is odd as I can sing quite well !!!

Trumpetboysmum · 29/11/2018 17:55

The Abrsm aurals are looking for something quite particular though . Ds did trinity grade 7 it’s all about listening to and discussing a piece of music - he can do this and got full marks (I was quite pleased as I prepped this but with him Smile) grade 8 abrsm is really tricky though all that singing the lowest harmony etc and ds is good at singing .
Anyway he seems to have enlisted his singing teacher and school music teachers help as well as his trumpet teacher - so fingers crossed it will be fine ( and I don’t have to do too much with him !!)Wink
Hopefully when he finally takes the exam it won’t affect his marks too much - as long as the rest of it’s secure - which it should be

recently · 29/11/2018 17:59

I played everything wrong in Grade 7 piano and still somehow passed, so don't give up hope!

DottyDotAgain · 29/11/2018 18:01

Many years ago, I failed my piano grade 8 scales and still got a distinction! I was hugely pleased but my piano teacher was LIVID - gave me a bollocking, as I could have got one of the highest marks etc. This was 32 years ago and she still tells me off about it when I see her Grin

So if the other parts of the exam went well, your dd should be absolutely fine! Good luck and I hope the results come soon Smile

TaggieOHara · 29/11/2018 20:42

About a hundred years ago,I failed grade 8 piano sight reading and got a distinction! DS2 fluffed one his scales in his recent piano exam and got 19/21 for the scales and a high distinction overall. So all is not lost. It sounds like she did fine.

Sorry she feels glum about it though Flowers

Original poster
KittyMcKitty · 29/11/2018 21:08

Thank you everyone we are crossing fingers!

The other scales were all good and the pieces better then in her grade 3 (which she just missed a distinction by 1 mark).

Results are due between the 4th and 21st!

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Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee · 29/11/2018 21:24

Hopefully not too long to wait...

GrannyHaddock · 29/11/2018 21:36

If you can meet with triumph and disaster..it doesn't sound anything like a disaster, OP.

donkeyshrekmom · 30/11/2018 08:27

Don't worry - it's only a small part of one small part. The rest will help pull the result up. For comparison, I failed every single aural section of every exam when I was a kid and still got a really high distinction for my Grade 8. My son did Grade 5 violin last term and his arpeggios were consistently awful to the point where we kind of gave up. He actually giggled in the exam as he still couldn't do them without excessive sliding around. He got a good merit. It's disconcerting, though, I know.

BertrandRussell · 30/11/2018 08:39

As the parent of "music" children (now grown up) can I suggest, if I can do it without sounding like a git, that you work on her perceptions of "disaster". Thinks will always go wrong, in exams and in performance and they have to learn to take them in their stride. Otherwise they are heading for heartbreak.

Original poster
KittyMcKitty · 30/11/2018 08:48

Bertrand you are totally right (and not a git). Disaster is of course a silly word and was my off loading on here. To dd I emhasized tgat of course it was no such thing - it was one element of one thing and it was only a violin exam. Dd struggles greatly with being anything less then perfect and it is something we are working on.

Hopefully she will pass - she deserves to - BUT if she doesn’t she can retake and all will be fine Smile

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BertrandRussell · 30/11/2018 09:38

The only time one of mine got full marks for scales (never her strong point- too much hard work and not enough noodling for her!) was when she got halfway through, realised she had gone wrong, stopped and asked if she could start again. She was convinced she'd failed!

LooseAtTheSeams · 30/11/2018 11:02

DS2's grade 5 cello was like this. Distinctions in all the pieces, scraped through sight reading (normally his strength) very wobbly on aural but had total collapse in scales! He still passed comfortably - better than DS1 in his grade 5 percussion exam where he got so nervous he almost dropped the xylophone sticks and still passed!

Original poster
KittyMcKitty · 07/12/2018 12:04

Hurrah!! Results here - she got a merit Smile so not a disaster at all as everyone wisely predicted. Thank you everyone for your kind words Flowers

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