DD and her violin exams - any music teachers here please?

[R202020]

Hello ladies,

 DD (11) has just had her grade3 result (ABRSM). She has AGAIN only passed. This has happened 3 years in a row :( 

Last year (Grade2), she got 110/150. She was determined and worked harder on grade 3. She loves violin and she might want to pursue it professionally. She plays at 2 orchestras. I attend all the lessons with her and the teacher seems good. At all her lessons, her teacher said she was doing really well. DD practiced A LOT through out and before the exam. She ended up with 110/150 AGAIN!! She is soo disappointed, and has started thinking about leaving the instrument. She said "mum, if it takes all that effort for me to just pass, may be its not for me"

What does it take to get a merit or a distinction? She is willing to put in all the effort she needs to, to become a musician. Whats going wrong?

How good is her teacher?
How much does she practice?
Where is she losing marks?

Where is she losing marks in the exam? Not that I think there is anything wrong with a pass though.

Not a teacher but have a violin playing daughter. I think it’s maybe about her relaxing and you backing off from fretting about scores too much at lower grades. Even consider skipping grades and learning to play for pleasure again.
She passed. She doesn’t need distinction at Grade three. Let her love her music, discourage competition about a couple of marks. If she wants to take it up professionally she’ll need to understand that it’s usually an ‘add on’ job and poorly paid.
She can aim for her distinction at Grades 6-8 in a couple of years time. Are her orchestras training orchestras for county youth orchestra? Do youngsters go on to NYO?

Also -afterthought- have you upgraded her violin? It shouldn’t make a difference but it does. A better violin gives a much improved sound so tends to improve score.

@Hollowvictory: thanks for responding. Her marks were:

Pieces: 24, 21, 21

Scales: 13
Sight reading : 17
Aural Tests: 14

The teacher seems good. How do you know if a teacher is good?

Would suzuki method help her master key elements?

Im not a Strings player but I’m skilled on another instrument. Could she simply be crumbling under the pressure of it all?

Maybe take a step back from all the worrying about her scores. Try and take the pressure off. All the chat about scores and professional musicianship and go back to the love of playing. Performing in front of your teacher and and as an ensemble is different to playing solo in the nerves department. How did she feel she done on the day?

What we're the marks out of though (I'm not a music teacher)

@CherryPavlova : I dont push her at all. Violin is her choice. She plays because she loves it. She thinks she is really musically talented and is now beginning to doubt that. It'll be a shame if she gives it up becuase she thinks she isnt good enough.

DH and I have zero understanding of music. Its all totally blind trust in the teacher.

Her instrument - she has a Gliga. So I dont think its the instrument.

Pieces: 24/30 ; 21/30 ; 21/30

Scales: 13/21
Sight reading : 17/21
Aural Tests: 14/18

110/150 in total.

120+ = Merit
130+ = Distinction

@2019hereicome : Scores, exams, professional musicianship etc are all coming from her. DH and I are health care professionals with zero musical ability or talent or exposure. If we were to push her, won't we choose something we know more about!!

I'd focus on the scales and pieces then she's losing plenty marks there. Is she fully ready before she enters the exams? How much does she practice? Is she racing through the grades?

The scales are an easy place to pick up some marks, kids hate practicing them, but it does make a difference. Both to score and playing.

What did the feedback say about her pieces?

Oh and NO! Avoid the Suzuki stuff.

@Hollowvictory

1 year between grades ! She practices for at least 30 mins a day. Sometimes twice a day (if she is ready for school sooner). Just before the exam, she did one piece 30 times because she was going wrong at one particular point all the time. She is quite determined sometimes.

She plays in a local county youth orchestra and the school orchestra.

With scales, you either get them right or wrong. Has she done lots of practice in exam style format with teacher? Does she stop and start? She needs to know them inside out.

What size violin is she playing? (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, full) & is she ready to go up? If she is, then really look at the quality of the violin. When you replace it, go to a specialist place, not your local generic music shop. You can get a much better one for much the same money. It makes a huge difference.

Is it her scales and arpeggios then? Are there any notes from the examiner on the mark sheet (I'm not a teacher, have a violin playing DD).

In terms of playing one piece 30 times - it’s not the whole piece you need to do if she’s getting one little bit muddled, it’s just that little bit over and over and over and over, and then the whole line over and over, then the piece.

How is she with dynamics and following all of the markings?

Sorry OP I didn’t mean that in any criticism towards you. I’m sorry it came off that way. I just meant try and move the focus in her own head. But really the main point of my post was nerves can have a lot to answer for. I once had a piano exam were the examiner stopped me 4 bars into the piece because I had started with both hands in the wrong octave . I was just so nervous!

Also I never did grades below 5, teacher didn’t feel there was much point. Then did 5, 6, 7 and 8 when I was older and more confident. Once you’ve done the next grade up it doesn’t really matter if you’ve done the ones below or not.

It sounds rather stressful and laborious I'm afraid, perhaps she just isn't a natural on the violin?

@IncrediblySadToo : Teacher's feedback and her marks have no correlation ! At home, she is always playing pieces. I have'nt seen her practicing scales very much. The teacher always said "all good - she will do very well". so I thought she was doing well in scales etc too.

IncrediblySadToo What’s wrong with Suzuki? I did that and learnt so much better by ear first, and without stress of exams. But mind you I had a fantastic teacher and think he would have been great whatever method!

I don’t doubt it’s her choice but do think focusing on the pleasures of playing might be better in longer term. Nobody is interested in lower grade results later on. Violinists tend (in my experience) to be twitchy knickers rather than chilled personalities. Focussing on marks reinforces that. We pulled our daughter out of a few grades as she got so beside herself (She’d played since she was four so was doing them in primary); it just wasn’t worth the pain. She started again at grade 6. Not doing exams didn’t stop achievement and she still progressed through the various levels or orchestra. She plays still at 26 but as a destressor and social orchestra.

So from what you’ve said it appears she is failing her scales so that is an area to look at.

One of her pieces is merit standard the other two pass. Is she tending to have a favourite piece she focuses on?

It might be that the pressure of an exam situation rather than the enjoyment of performing for an audience is causing nerves. What are the comments on the pieces. Does she need to develop her musicality?

Maybe a year of exploring repertoire and a break from exams will help.