Grade 1 Singing - anyone's child doing this ?

[MaryAnnSingleton]

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

if she suggested it I think it is a fab idea

I had singing lessons from 8 or 9, loved them and took lots of exams and did well. I didn't sing solo in public till I was 18. They don't neccessarily go together

DD used to do singing, many years ago, as an out-of-school activity. Her teacher took her through the grades and also entered her for competitions.
The competitions when they are young are lovely - the adjudicators know how scary it is to stand up and be judged so they are very encouraging with their comments. If someone forgets their lines or is overcome with nerves, then the judges are very understanding. They say never mind but 'make' them see it through and conquer the problem (you may even get a mini-masterclass!). It also helps when they see other competitors are in the same boat with their nerves.

seeker - help and sharing the pain in equal measure, I think !!
scarletlilybug - I think singing lessons are excellent idea for the quiet,shy child - having said that I was very shy but loved singing but may well have found the singing in front of anyone excruciatingly difficult - I found instrument playing in front of anyone quite intimidating and never felt comfortable enough to play as well as I could in private.
Ds is very quiet and I suppose shy but loves music - he is quite uncoordinated and finds fine motorskills difficult and we felt he'd find playing an instrument difficult ( he tried recorder and even drumming briefly) He is very keen to be some kind of musician and as he has a good voice I suggested lessons (his school is a music specialist one and they are very encouraging ) He also sings with the school choir but feels not quite ready to audition for the gifted and talented choir (am keen for him to do this but won't push it until he feels he wants to go for it). He has surprised me with his willingness to sing quite unselfconsciously in front of others (possibly not the whole school !!) and although he huffs and puffs sometimes about practicing he does apply himself to it pretty well and sticks at it
He sometimes wobbles about the boys not singing thing as so few do but I am always pointing out the boy in yr 11 who is cool and has grade 8 singing !!

Thanks everyone - I think I'll go for it, then.

Actually the thought of 'Where is Love' - you know the bit that goes Where -ee -eee -eeer EEEEERE IS LOVE with all the breaths in the wrong places isn't something I feel the need for - though appreciated MaryAmericanSmooth's secret hope.

I think it's great they're learning traditional songs. Thanks Seeker of offer of sharing pain. Don't find it to hard. But then I am a grizzled My Children Learned Violin Survivor - and nothing, nothing, can ever be so bad.

MaryAmericanSmooth I think it's fantastic your ds is doing singing - it will be a great skill for him and provides all kinds of benefits beyond being able to hold a tune.

no indeed
dh has already banned the prospect of violin lessons for dd and she's only 2...

Both mine sing - DD did Grade 1 in the summer and DS is preparing Grade 2 now (skipping Grade 1). So my house rings daily to 4 songs for DD, plus 3 for choir, and 4 for DS, plus another 2 for his choir - it's mad and I have now given up trying to learn all the words.

I think it's a brilliant thing to do- amazing for confidence and making them stand up straight!

I find myself singing the pesky things about the house (or worse,in the street !) I am so happy he is doing this though

I refused to let my dd do Where is Love - so she did Moon River instead! Aggggg.

But ds plays the ukelele and the didgeridoo - so I am here to tell you there are worse things than violin practice!

ukelele and digeridoo - yike ! recorders,played by little kids who haven't been taught not to just blow into them is vile though,and screechy violins. Guitars generally sound ok

Ukele and the didgeridoo? That's really, really scary. Suddenly the violin scales don't sound so bad.

Fortunately he hasn't yet mastered playing the ukelele and the didgeridoo at the same time, although he has tried!

I'm a little further down the road with my DC than most of the posters here.

DD has just passed her Grade 8 ABRSM singing - she took grade 1 - 5 then missed out the rest. She has also passed grade 5 theory, grade 8 viola and grade 7 piano over the past couple of years (plus the GCSE music AS and about to take A level!!)

She is intending to study music at uni and wants to be an opera singer if her voice continues to develop.

She regrets taking ABRSM exams as she now feels that the emphasis was on results not repertoire - now she has reached a higher level she has come to realise that a good repertoire and ability to perform well in sight reading are the most important things for continuing with music as a career. Her current singing teacher prefers trinity guildhall for these reasons as well.

It is great though for younger children to have something to aim for - that first Grade 1 result was magical for DD! But it is much better to take things slowly and avoid being forced into taking exams - I think the term is "singing/playing around your grade". I remember the pressure put on me when I was younger to take music exam after music exam - it was very stressful.

DS has also has singing lessons - both sing in choirs at their respective schools (school choir, choral society and chamber choir) and I feel that the singing lessons helped them both with confidence issues when they were much younger.

It's great to sing!

PS: recorders can be good - I still play! & I'd love to play the ukelele

that's interesting Drayford - thanks -and really hope it works out for your dd I think ds will be very happy if he does well in this first exam,will be a huge confidence boost..
I have nothing against the recorder as I can still play the treble pretty well still after all these many years (but I was taught very well )

How's the grade 1 singing posse? I am ready to shoot the nightingale singing in the bloody fir tree and dd has hacking cough.

My son just got grade 8 distinction and daughter grade 8 merit. He teaches piano and will be teaching singing soon. You can pick songs that suit the child and the voice. Need to enjoy it.

Hijack here. Drayford may have disappeared but she has expressed what I've struggled to say for some time. DD plays violin and her teacher wants to put her in for her grade 1 exam in the summer just before she turns 7. I know she'll do well but I cringe at this whole idea of exam focus (think she'll be doing the ABRSM). Her classes seem now to revolve around the preparation for exams altho I know she is learning technique, theory etc as we go along. But I must admit that it becomes tiresome hearing Toodle Pip and Country Chimes a million times. Is it that some teachers find it easier to just stick to an exam schedule rather than working on an interesting and appropriate repertoire for each child.

Not Toodlepip. I am still so traumatised by this, just seeing the word makes me unable to type. Will try again in a little while.

Lol Maggiethcat (thx for your post on the other thread!) I too was tortured by by grade 1 practice - I promise that you'll forget it in the end! I now have the pleasure of listening to DD practicing various leider for her up and coming singing auditions and some interesting (if a bit hard on the ears) Shostakovich Viola pieces! I still find the piano practice (scales!!) hard to put up with though

And I concur with the mighty Drayford (a couple of posts above) One of dcs did a piano grade, then was given 3 pieces with the view of doing the next grade in about a years time - soul destroying. Most of the other instrumental teachers get the kids to play around the grade. Most of the dcs have skipped grades. Eldest, did grade 4 and will next do grade 8.

There was something about dd and Toodlepip though. Its years later and I after reading maggiethecat's post I can't get it out of my head. Again.

Just wanted to say that ds got his grade 1 with merit- is now starting on grade 2 and also starting piano lessons.

Well done MAS to your ds. Grade 2 singing syllabus is great - some fab pieces.

thanks ! -and that's good to know