Was wondering if anyone knows when this comes out for instruments that have a syllabus extending from 2008-13?

Thanks.

Probably July 2013. The current syllabus is valid in UK until Spring 2014. New syllabi are usually available during the summer preceeding the 1st session when it can be used. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

You're planning ahead!

Thanks for this. My son is beginning a grade 8 piece and it's going to be a long, hard slog by the sounds of things so I was wondering if he'd get it perfect and then it wouldnt be valid! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I don't know whether to say this or not, but surely, if he's needing to start learning Grade 8 pieces now in preparation for an exam possibly in 2014 or beyond, he's not ready to be learning them? In the long run, he will get infinitely more value from learning pieces at a standard where he's at now, slowing increasing these towards Grade 8 level, so that when he does get there, there won't be any issues of it being a 'hard slog'? The Grade 8 pieces then will be a natural progression from those already being worked on.

I don't know...maybe I just teach and see learning in a totally different way to everyone else? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

In answer to your original question, it's worth remembering that a lot of the higher grade pieces remain the same; there are usually the same 'standards' that have been on their for years (excepting piano).

Me too SG! Think we're on the same track! My average student takes about a year to prepare for grade 8, not just the exam requirements but several repertoire pieces too. As SG says, moving towards grade 8 should be a natural progression. I am concerned by your description of this as a 'long, hard slog'. Has he struggled with previous grades?

No, I don't think so!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) with what you say.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

My real concern is that anything which becomes are 'hard slog' will more than likely simply remove, bit by bit, the enjoyment of the music itself. Regardless of exams, auditions, teachers etc. etc., the music must always be at the heart of learning an instrument: it's so easy to lose sight of that.

If your average student takes a year to prepare for grade 8 then isn't that what my son is also doing? He was given his first grade 8 piece this week, which is for an audition not an exam, and the teacher thought he would have more than enough time to get it - 5 months. However, to my ears, it sounded painful today (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) and I'm just assuming it takes a long time to get to grade 8 as I'm always hearing it's not just about playing the pieces. He's not sat an exam for a while but has reached approx grade 7 standard in three years but I'm sure he will slow down now. I've also read on here of students spending a year on their grade 8 pieces so I'm assuming that will be the case. I have no idea if it will or not and he's continuing with a range of repertoire which ranges from above grade 6 to just above grade 7 standard. So if a student is ready to sit grade 8, is the consensus that they could be handed any grade 8 piece and master it in a few weeks? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

True for some, but not all, and not only at grade 8 level. A lot of students are capable of learning a new piece at their grade level in a few weeks, and some do learn new exam pieces in the immediate run-up to an exam, in order not to go stale on their pieces. It's not everybody's way of doing things, and there are some who slog away at three pieces for as long as it takes, but I try to avoid that situation - too grim for all concerned..

There's also something to be said for having a go at pieces that are currently too difficult and doing what you can with them, then putting them away for a while and revisiting them later - good to see what progress has been made in the meantime, and very motivating if handled well. Graded pieces do vary in their complexity and demands, so it is possible to select the ones that best suit the individual at that point in their development. Work done on pieces that subsequently become time-expired syllabus wise isn't wasted - lessons learned can be applied to other repertoire, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks Scooby Doo. Interesting comment about the complexity of different pieces. There is one grade 8 piece that my son can play to an okay standard but this other piece is touching on areas he's never come across before. He's also beginning to make a lot of mistakes on some over-played grade 7ish level pieces so it is time to move on but it just seems like a bit of a jump. That said he has been working on progressive studies so the jump has always seemed very small and maybe it's good for him to have some difficulty. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

Ideally he should have a range of difficulties on the go - some pieces that he can easily learn in a few weeks, others with some challenge that he can master with some concentrated effort, and perhaps one or two that really stretch him. I'd not get too hung up on grade levels - what one person finds easy may be very tricky for another. It's more to do with what each individual needs to learn. There's no one 'right way of doing things'. He plays an instrument with a relatively restricted repertoire, so he'll eventually get round to it all, anyway!

I find grade 7 and 8 pieces are interchangeable, so with enough pratice at grade 7, a lot of material for grade 8 pieces are already covered

I'm a few years past grade 8 but I wouldn't expect a piece of that level (or even 'easier') to sound anything like after only a week or even after a month! It's quite likely that after a week I might have the notes of a few bars under my fingers. I tend to mostly start at the top (with maybe the occasional crash through to start to get the overall picture) and add a little at a time. Sometimes that's a page, half a page or even a couple of bars at a time.
Some people are able to get notes under fingers a lot faster than I do but my teachers assure me that I'm not a particularly slow learner.
As music becomes longer and more complex I think that there's a new skill of being able to stick with a piece for longer.
As has been said above the bottom line should be is it still enjoyable? My very experienced teachers remind me regularly that this is the important thing.

He loves his music and is really enjoying this new piece and thinks he's doing quite well at it. Maybe I'm over-critical... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I don't know. Any of my students starting grade 8 now will have it done before 2014! A student being handed a grade 8 piece may not necessarilymaster it in a few weeks. A lot would depend on how good their sight reading was! Am pleased your son is enjoying his new music am sure he will do his best!