Grade 1 Singing - anyone's child doing this ?

[MaryAnnSingleton]

Just interested to know whether anyone else's dc is doing the ABRSM Grade 1 ?

Is you dd/ds doing it soon MAS? I'm going to be an exam steward next week for music exams, so I'm hoping for a nice friendly examiner & no tears!

hi snorkle, no,not until autumn term...probably Christmas. Was just interested in which pieces other dcs might be doing and how they're getting on ! Hope your stewarding goes well

bumping in case...

No, DD started singing lessons at school this year, but I have no idea if they are intended to lead to grade exams or not. She is unhappy with them too, so I think she may not restart in September. I think she would like to do grades though.

am hoping ds will stick with it - it's hard being one of the few boys who do singing..

Yes, I imagine it is, MAS. Good for him if he does. At DD's school singing lessons are in groups of four, but I don't know if any boys do them, there are none in DD's group. It's a very sporty school and I think difficult for non-sporty boys to carve a niche for themselves.

ds has a lesson with another girl - there is an older boy who has grade 8 or something and I'm always holding him up as a shining inspiration !

Dh teaches it, though he has started to use Trinity Guildhall for Grades as he finds their repertoire better, especially for older beginners.

that's interesting islandofsodor..ds is 12 btw. A squillion years ago I do grade 2 treble recorder at Trinity !

A lot of the Grade 1 set songs are "childrens songs" like Bessie the Black Cat and The Ladybird. Also there is more musical theatre in Trinity. However ABRSM have just published an updated syllabus which is better than before.

Trinity used to be seen as the poor relaTION OF ABRSM but they have really got their act together recently and are now just as well regarded.

think ds must have the new syllabus as the songs, though mostly traditional don'tpartcularly seem to be children's ones or at least especially for children..Am really hoping he'll get to do 'Where is Love' which I think would be lovely !!

Mine did it last year if I csn help at all. Doing grade 3 soon in two weeks, I think [bad forgetful mother emoticon]

hi seeker - thanks ! just curious really, no probs yet, ds seems happy to practice,usually Good luck with grade 3 (boy or girl btw ?) am struck by how few boys sing at school..

Girl - and the practice was conspicuous by its absence. Still is. I despair!

trouble is, I played the "Look, if you don't practice you'll make an idiot of yourself and that will be awful - nothing worse than standing up in public and forgetting your words" She ignored me - and got a distinction. Not sure grade 3 will be that easy - comeuppance on its way, I fear!

Went to the summer concert at ds's school yesterday and made a point of praising the only boy who sang a solo (he was good fortunately) - ds is in the choir - Practice is a bit of a slog and ds prefers singing his own 'compositions' - but we'll keep at it I hope, without it becoming too much of a chore. I never practiced when I had music lessons - regret it now.

just bumping this

My daughter aged 9 is doing grade 1 singing in December - so far OK as she's motivated, but it is a bit like learning an instrument. Songs mainly traditional - but they've just been chosen by her teacher. Good luck!

which songs is she doing ? ds seems to be doing The Crocodile,The Miller of Dee and Grandfather Clock,Aupres de Ma Blonde and something else so far - I know them all by heart !!

Something a bit tedious about a nightingale singing. A lullaby. Favourite Things (or 'Fave-right things') and What shall we do with a drunken sailor (that's the unaccompanied one). Haven't heard them so frequently I'm grinding my teeth...yet

!! must be a different exam board ?(ours is ABRSM)
The unaccompanied one ds is doing is something about ivy

Just checked the syllabus - there's loads of songs on there and these are indeed included. I think dd was just given the songs of which they happened to have spare photocopies!

we had to buy a book !! with cds ! so just have a selection of songs to pick...am secretly hoping for 'where is love' from Oliver !

[wallows in nostalgia]

iirc I sang 'The Friendly Cow', 'A Carrion Crow' and 'Grasshopper Green'

Ladybirds and nightingales were involved in later grades but the repertoire only evened out by about grade 5 when you started getting little arias.

I'd have killed for 'Where is love?'

My dd did it last year. Can I help - or do you just want people to share the pain. I can do that - she's doing grade 3 soon!

Sorry... bit of a thread hijack coming on. It's just that I've been thinking about singing lessons recently....

My daughter (aged 9) loves singing and sings very nicely at home (well, I would think so, wouldn't I?).

When she's at school, however, she sings very very quietly because she feels "embarassed". All the same, she is very frustrated by this and desperately wants to join the school's senior choir (entry by audition only).

Her school does offer private singing lessons - does anyone think they might help to develop confidence in this area? I'm looking it more as a confidence-building sort of thing - anyone think this might work? She has suggested it herself - but I'm wondering whether the teachers will be looking for someone who is happy to sing in public already and wants to get better, rather than someone who isn't bad at singing, but is too nervous to sing in public.

Thoughts? (and further apologies for the hijack)