Flute - Grade 3?

[LoveBlueCheese]

Hello! My son who is in Y4 began learning the flute about a year ago. He loves it and enjoys it (compared to the piano which he has given up). He's made good progress and even did a summer camp at the RAM earlier this year. The teacher planned for him to do the Grade 2 exam and he's done 2 of his pieces, but she's now saying she thinks he'll be fine to sit the Grade 3 exam in December next year.

I should add that i'm not all about exams, it's fine for him not to sit one every year as there is that element of killing the joy of music to some children. But I would like him to at least go through one exam before the pressure starts for the 11plus. He is a chorister and is a musical child, but I'm just worried about whether he has the right technique and if this is too big a jump. What if he fails if he sits the Grade 3 next December? Would be a massive knock to confidence. However at the same time, I'm told flute is fairly easy to advance in compared to the cello etc. Sorry for the ramble, but appreciate thoughts on this. I dont play the flute myself but played piano to Grade 8 and hence slightly wary about all these "jumps" suggested by music teachers.

Flute teacher here.
If he’s already had experience of piano or singing exams, I’d say missing the early grades on flute shouldn’t be a problem.
He sounds like he has lots of musical experience, so things like sight reading and aural should be fine.

Grade 3 scales are a big jump from beginner level, so if I was teaching him, I would cover all the scales for grades 1 and 2 first; scales are a bit like maths, in that you need solid foundations in order to build your knowledge.

Grade 3 flute really starts to open up the middle into the upper register, so I’d want his middle octave technique to be really secure first - from E an octave and a bit above middle C, upwards.

A year is plenty of time to explore all these areas, and years ago, there was no grade 1 and 2 for wind. That said, I wouldn’t want to spend an entire year on learning only exam repertoire - I use exams as way markers, and teach pupils how to play the flute, NOT how to pass exams.

Years ago Grade 3 was the first woodwind exam you could do. Piano and (I think) strings started at Grade 1 but wind and brass only started at Grade 3.

Thanks so much for all the helpful tips @Alsoplayspiccolo ! I will have a word with flute teacher.

@LoveBlueCheese , my ds is also playing the flute at grade 2, how did you go about the summer camp for your son, would you be able to share a link?