Not doing graded exams, is it going to be a problem?

[Grumpyrobots]

So after a disastrous exam I found a new teacher for DC. She is brilliant and gets lots of kids into Prusell/Menuhin/RCM etc, but she is against exams and being from Russia she is using very different methods. I am very happy with the new teacher, she obviously knows what she is doing, but now I am starting to worry about not having “anything to show” for DC effort, how do I judge progress? Also, when it’s time to apply for music scholarships, how do we prove the level of playing? Is it going to be a problem?

You can prove the level of playing from the difficulty of the pieces he is able to play. Think which you’d be more impressed by - someone waving a music diploma or someone playing beautiful music. That will help you decide what you actually want for your child.

I quite like her attitude, actually playing for the sake of music, not concentrating on exams. She also instructed DC to play lots of scales and concentrating on technique for now. It feels quite liberating not thinking about exams anymore...

I'm fairly sure all entrance to conservatoire and music schools is done solely on audition- there are definitely children that have been through Chet's with no exams prior to attending, and my friend's child is at Trinity having sat only one grade exam previously.

We are not aiming for a music school, just a London day school, but it’s so competitive these days...

Well, we're outside London, but the schools were not particularly concerned about what grade my DC held, I lay how they played and how they answered the questions at scholarship interview. Entry to conservatoire junior department was also purely on performance at audition, as was NCO etc. First time my eldest did NCO, the others on her instrument were G6-G8, whilst she was G2.

"I lay how they played" was "only how they played'"

Great news that you found a good teacher for your DC - she sounds quite different from the previous one who you 'binned' recently.

Don't worry about the grade exams. MY DS auditioned for London jds, NCO and music scholarship at 11+ without any certificate to prove his playing standard for his first instrument yet he was successful for all. If, for a rare occasion, you face to the need of a certificate, such as to apply for a youth/school orchestra or a holiday course, submitting a teacher's letter instead should be sufficient enough to sort the problem.

DS took grade 8 in the end (after all the auditions were done). Perhaps you can do the same - let your DC take the highest one only when she/he is ready. It's the most cost and time effective way to get a certificate at least! Though it hasn't been on any use and we often forget he actually did it. So my thought is, you don't really need it...

I hope your DC enjoys the new learning experience!

I used to play an instrument as a child, wasn't great at it but anyway, I fell out of love with playing because of doing graded exams. My parents told the teacher I didn't want to do them and they were happy with that but the teacher insisted so I gave up in the end. If this teacher can keep the love of playing and teach what needs to be taught then exams are irrelevant. If DC goes on to do music it will all be about ability to perform in auditions from what I gather not certificates.

My daughter has only done one exam on her instrument- it was a lower grade and she is now playing around G8 standard. It's totally not an issue! Seems to be pretty much the norm at JD's and specialist schools, they either do G8 just to tick the box or for UCAS purposes, or simply don't bother, as exams can just get in the way. We've always just put 'G... standard' wherever we need to state her level, and let her playing and the difficulty of the pieces do the rest. A confirmatory letter from the teacher would cover it if totally necessary.

I sometimes think that preparing for exams often detracts from actual progress. Scales need to be learnt studied all the time, not just during exam preparation. My DDs oboe teacher always has her work them out rather than have a book so she actually understands them, then does studies in related keys. If you are just plugging away at 3 pieces for 6 months ( or over a year like you hear of some children on these threads) that sounds soul- destroying for all concerned. It means you miss out on a wider range of music. You could get to grade 8 only playing a few dozen pieces! She hasn't done an oboe one yet but is about grade 5/6 according to her teacher. She needs to do her theory one to open up access to higher exams. They have all done some piano exams though as they chose to do them. The youngest approached grade one ' from above' ie was already easily of the standard for a while before entering, so she got lots of confidence. The eldest approached his first ( grade two) definitely from a more hopeful position, ie a bit touch and go! He needs a bit of pressure to practice so exams help him. We are quite sporadic with them though, too expensive to do many! The new teacher sounds very thorough, hope it goes well after a difficult experience.

You could ask the teacher to have your dc take one particular exam specifically for entry to wherever you need to get into.

It would probably be a good idea to doublecheck with the day schools you are interested, what evidence they will accept on top of an audition. Some state that playing standard is all that will be taken into account but others request that certificates are provided. What matters is that you will be able to provide the evidence to access the places/scholarships.

I've not encountered any opportunities that DD1 has been excluded from because she's not done any recent exams. Her teacher's say so is usually sufficient on paper and when her playing is heard, that speaks for itself.

DC is doing much better on a second instrument, so I am thinking maybe it’s ok to only do grades on one instrument, but not the other? It is very reassuring to hear that so many DC did well without sitting any exams.

Definitely fine to take different approaches with two instruments if it works for you. DD has done none on oboe, grade 2 and 4 on piano, will probably do 6 on both when she gets theory to same level.( And 1 on recorder, may do another on that later, she is playing it more recently as it is easier than her oboe when unwell) Personally I feel if done young at least one exam gives them a feeling of slightly being under pressure and coping with it ( assuming they are well prepared!) which helps when they are older with academic exams as they have been through it and realised it's fine. Although plenty of children do fine without it.

Another consideration for doing grades that you get UCAS Tariff Points for grades 6 - 8. G8 Distinction (practical) is worth 30 points, not too shabby when you consider a C at A level gets you 32 points. Grade 8 Distinction in Theory is only worth 10 points (not even equivalent to an E at A level ...). Not sure how I feel about this as I think G8 Theory is actually pretty hard!