Usual Time Between Grade Exams? Options

[ViolaMum]

Hi I'm new here so please excuse any mistakes.

My son is about to take his Grade 1 Viola exam. At the start of this term, his teacher (who is at school so we don't get to see him) recommended that my son skip Grade 1 and do Grade 2 at the end of summer term. But my son wanted to do Grade 1 as an introduction to the exams. We asked if this would delay him doing Grade 2 but his teacher said not and that he should also be able to do Grade 2 in July, so we went ahead.

However, my son has been training for the exam for the whole term. Is this usual? We are a bit worried that this means that he won't be able to take his Grade 2 in July, as he hasn't even started the second Viola book. Up to this point our son has been making good progress (completed Viola Time Joggers within a term).

What is the normal time between sitting grades? I know that this depends on the time spent practicing etc, but given the exam entry deadlines and exam dates, we feel that the teacher misled us. We also didn't realise that exam training (ie the 3 pieces, scales, arppegios and aural) would take up a whole term. We don't want to be pushy parents and recognize that playing and enjoyment are the most important things, so would like some idea of realistic exam expectations.

Any information would be great for us newbys.
Thanks. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Banjogirl]

A lot of people have in mind one year between grades as a rougfh guide but it varies wildly. We've had anything between one term and two years betwen grades. I doubt your son's teacher would have spent all this term learning the grade two pieces for the summer if he'd not done grade one. If the teacher thinks he's ready to do grade two next term then i'm sure he is. Scales, aurals etch build up to a great extent through the grades so you're not starting from scratch at every grade. If you're worried that your son just seems to be doing exam stuff all the time then remember that all the things he's learning for the exam are useful and would need to be learnt anyway.

[notmusimum]

There is no set length of time between grades. It will change depending on individual, instrument and previous experience if any.

It's unusual to take grades in consecutive sessions but not impossible. It's slightly easier summer to autumn rather than spring to summer which always seems the shortest gap.

You may find the teacher covers pieces and other work up to grade 2 level but doesn't enter your son for the exam.

Good luck with Grade 1.

[Clari Nicki1]

I suggested to a pupil that they skipped grade 1 and did Gr 2 the next term. The girl said she wanted to do Gr 1 and she did do Gr 2 the next term. She got distinction in both. However- I shelved Gr 1 pieces for the first half of the term and did technique etc and scales for Gr 2. We picked up Gr 1 pieces after 1/2 term in the run up to the exam- and began Grade 2 immediately Gr 1 was over.
It is possible.
A ball park figure is a year a grade. This girl wanted to do all the exams- and after Gr 2 we did an exam every 2 terms. Straight after an exam, she did repertoire building/ fun stuff and technique- until at least the next half term. Then we might begin to look at some exam pieces.
However- she did her Grade 5 and we decided Grade 6 is definitely at least a year away (theory to do next term!) It is a lovely relief- she has been playing soooo many different pieces and we have been able to be so much more relaxed. Keeping on doing exams can be very tiring!


So it is possible to do them a term apart!- but maybe not the best thing to do!

[Claudia's Mum]

We've had one every two terms from beginning the instruments up to grade 4 and then once every year. We had one in consecutive terms once on the piano but it was a mistake for us as Claudia got a lower score than usual but was done to avoid 2 in the same term. If your son has played another instrument before the viola or started at least 3 terms ago then doing grade 2 instead of grade 1 sounds fairly reasonable. I would go along with what the teacher says.

[Fran*Piano]

It really depends upon the individual, some people are motivated to work harder by exams and enjoy the challenge, whilst others might be much happier learning repertoire for that grade without actually taking the exam (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) welcome to the forums, by the way! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Dora]

I think you are asking the wrong question.
Is your son happy with his music, is he making progress?
If the answer to those two questions is yes then you don't have a problem.
The teacher recommended in the first place that you skip Grade 1. You asked for your son to do it anyway for valid reasons and the teacher has gone along with that.
Next term may, or may not bring another exam.
In my experience there is a big difference between passing an exam and getting a merit, or getting a distinction. Your child's teacher will have their own views on that too. There isn't necessarily any right or wrong. So maybe your son would pass Grade 2 if he took it in the summer and get a distinction if he took it in the autumn, or maybe not. Maybe the teacher will want to skip Grade 2 and take Grade 3 next spring or maybe there will be some other plan.

My daughter learns the piano and, through no fault of hers, or mine, she has changed teacher several times. Each teacher has had their own way of doing things and there dooesn't seem to me to be a single right or wrong way. Interestingly her results have been consistently in the low 120s over the first 4 Grades with 3 different teachers. She is now on her fourth teacher and I think would get a similar mark for her Grade 5 were she to take it. She isn't, we are skipping 5 because of exam overload in the summer and will be returning to the third teacher when she returns from maternity leave to move on in the autumn.
We started with a grade a year with the piano but seem to be at a grade every 2 terms right now. I think we will be returning back to a grade a year as she gets further up.
Other instruments have a similar story in terms of timing of exams, fortunately without the number of changes of teachers.
While exams do preoccupy me because they are the things I have to do things about, pay for, get the child to them, get music for and so on, they really are of minimal importance in the grand scheme of things.
I know one outstanding musician who passed her Grade 6 flute at 10 but didn't take her Grade 7 until she was maybe 15 and her Grade 8 at 16. Trust me the years between 10 and 15 were in no way wasted.
My daughter has just taken a year between Grade 5 and 6 for the sax but that is because she has been doing all sorts of great things with her teacher like improvisation which are not on that particular exam syllubus but I'm sure will be very useful to her.

I'm not really suggesting that you take a completely laid back approach to this and for that reason I think that exams results can give some real reassurance about the competence of a teacher but the time between exams seems much less important to me.

I for one am determined to have few exams next year than this year. My daughter is taking 5 exams this academic year but is not doing more than 4 in a year again if I have anything to do with it.

Enjoy the journey

Dora

[Claudia's Mum]

I know one outstanding musician who passed her Grade 6 flute at 10 but didn't take her Grade 7 until she was maybe 15 and her Grade 8 at 16.

This seems to be quite common; the music scholars at my school all waited until 6th form to take grade 8 even though they had long since passed that level. I guess it's because a high distinction is what's needed on one's application form for further studies?

[notmusimum]

I know one outstanding musician who passed her Grade 6 flute at 10 but didn't take her Grade 7 until she was maybe 15 and her Grade 8 at 16.

This seems to be quite common; the music scholars at my school all waited until 6th form to take grade 8 even though they had long since passed that level. I guess it's because a high distinction is what's needed on one's application form for further studies?

I know teachers who like to wait for emotional maturity or who believe a particular type of music should only be played by more adult students.

It doesn't seem uncommon to have a gap between 6 and 8. Problem with waiting until upper sixth is if, you get a rogue examiner, or don't get the result you deserve for some reason. tThen you have to start retaking and may not have time.

I know my daughter is more than capable of playing the Grade 8 Recorder pieces but after last session and an examiner who gave everyone 8 or thereabouts for aural. I wouldn't be suprised by anything.

[ViolaMum]

Thank you for all your comments. They have put our minds at rest. At least now we have more of an idea of where we are heading.

As you suggested, Clari Nicki1, we had thought that the teacher would carry on with his usual work (Grade 2 book) for the first few weeks of term, then he would be training fully for the Grade 1 exam for the rest of term. After feeling very motivated towards the exam at the start of term, our son's enthusiasm has tailed off a bit now. So the problem we have now is that the week before his exam he is kind of fed up with playing the same things over and over. He might have peaked about 3 weeks ago, so we are trying to keep him motivated for these last few days. We've always tried to praise effort rather than results, but it would be such a shame for his standard to drop when he's worked so hard.

We aren't that hung up on the exams and just want him to enjoy the music and playing. It'll be his first ever formal exam (he's 8 years old), which is why we thought it'd be a good start, less pressure etc, but lack of information from his teacher didn't really help. As a family have learned a lot from doing this, for example, we'd never heard of Hofnote before last week, so we have knowledge which will be useful in the future.

Thankfully he still loves playing and is itching to get on with his Grade 2 book. So fingers crossed he'll be OK in the exam situation and will continue to make good progress next term.

Thanks everyone. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Fran*Piano]

We aren't that hung up on the exams and just want him to enjoy the music and playing... Thankfully he still loves playing and is itching to get on with his Grade 2 book.

And THAT'S what's really important about music-enjoying it, which it sounds like your son has spot-on, ViolaMum (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Dora]

Thank you for all your comments. They have put our minds at rest. At least now we have more of an idea of where we are heading.

As you suggested, Clari Nicki1, we had thought that the teacher would carry on with his usual work (Grade 2 book) for the first few weeks of term, then he would be training fully for the Grade 1 exam for the rest of term. After feeling very motivated towards the exam at the start of term, our son's enthusiasm has tailed off a bit now. So the problem we have now is that the week before his exam he is kind of fed up with playing the same things over and over. He might have peaked about 3 weeks ago, so we are trying to keep him motivated for these last few days. We've always tried to praise effort rather than results, but it would be such a shame for his standard to drop when he's worked so hard.

We aren't that hung up on the exams and just want him to enjoy the music and playing. It'll be his first ever formal exam (he's 8 years old), which is why we thought it'd be a good start, less pressure etc, but lack of information from his teacher didn't really help. As a family have learned a lot from doing this, for example, we'd never heard of Hofnote before last week, so we have knowledge which will be useful in the future.

Thankfully he still loves playing and is itching to get on with his Grade 2 book. So fingers crossed he'll be OK in the exam situation and will continue to make good progress next term.

Thanks everyone. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Music exams provide one heck of a steep learning curve for parents in my experience. For example I didn't understand that every exam included an aural test until a week before my daughter's Grade 3 when the teacher cheerfully pointed out that she hadn't done any aural with her.
Hofnote is good and there are many other aural resources which are very useful too.
Good luck to your son for his Grade 1 next week.
Dora

[flutie]

it depends on the person i did grade 1 and a few months later grade 2 but otherwise i should sayh by average a year for the higher leveled ones

[notaclue]

My daughter skipped grade 1 in cello and went straight to grade after a year of playing and has done grade 3 after 2 terms.She is working towards grade 3 piano (did her grade 2 in winter) but the decision when to do the exam is with her teachers.Roughly anywhere between 6-12 months but I have been told that a grade a year is the norm especially when you are doing higher grades. I am the same as you I just want her to enjoy the music ane be able to continue to enjoy it for the rest of her life.

[Equinox]

Depends how quickly you want those certificates displayed on the mantle piece/hallway/piano demonstrating to guests what a wonderful parent you are because little Charlie got his Grade [insert as appropriate] in his/her [insert name of instrument as appropriate].

Let your child's progress determine at what rate (and if at all) s/he should progress through the grades. Remember that exams are a means to an end, not an end in itself. Music - like art, literature and drama were not invented for people to take exams...they are expressions of the human soul and of human emotion.

"If you want to kill a child's passion in anything, set them an exam on it."