Final Exam Preparation, With two weeks to go what do you do? Options

[Impressionist]

When I was younger and competed in triathlons you'd have a tapering off period before a race so that everything was rested and ready to go and so you were relying on your previous preparation to carry you through on the day. Having said that, as an adolescent preparing for music exams, it was always a real rush in the last two weeks to get everything up to scratch (mostly due to a lack of previous practise!).

I have just under 2 weeks until my grade 8 piano exam and I have worked incredibly hard (harder and longer than when I was 15) but I'm finding that in the last couple of days that errors are creeping in where there previously weren't any and that issues I'd thought I'd resolved have now reappeared. I'm not sure if it's anxiety, over practise, lack of practise or what so was wondering what other people do... do you really work hard in the final couple of weeks, or do you relax off a bit to avoid being stale and overworked?

[corenfa]

I haven't taken a music exam for a while, but I think concert and recital preparation is similar - what I did was to sort of taper off the technical stuff, but keep up to speed with the musical stuff. I kept up hard work on the musical study right till the end - thinking of what to say with the pieces. I also switch into "damage control" mode - not suggesting that you have a lot of damage to control, but sometimes there are things that I know I will not get perfectly, so I work out what I can let slip. If I have done my preparation right, it will be things like not being able to take it up to crotchet=132 so prepare to play it at crotchet=126 instead, etc.

[Scooby Doo]

With 2 weeks to go, perhaps you can afford to have a day off and let everything settle, or just play non- exam stuff.

Going back to very very slow practice for a day or two can be quite helpful in eliminating those silly mistakes that start to creep back in. Also spending some time studying the score away from the piano, and really making sure you have absorbed all the subtleties.

You could also do some related listening to music by the composers, perhaps from a different genre eg orchestral music. It's surprising what can jump out at you.

Above all, relax and try to go and enjoy the exam when it comes, knowing that you are really well prepared. Good luck!

[flobiano]

My approach is to practise playing the pieces all the way through - as I will have to in the exam. This means keeping going if mistakes happen and trying not to be thrown by them. I can still go back and work on bits later but I want to know that I'm comfortable just picking up from mistakes and not being thrown by them.

I'm also trying to set up playing my pieces for other people on their pianos so that I have experience of playing on different instruments. I'm hoping those people will also test me on my scales!

I read somewhere that a useful technique for reducing some of the effects of nerves is to try and reduce the number of things you are doing for the first time in an exam or performance

So, for example, make sure that it isn't the first time you have played the programme through without stopping, that it isn't the first time you've played it on a different piano, it isn't the first time you've played in front of other people. Make sure you practice playing through in the clothes (and especially for pedalling the SHOES) that you are going to wear etc. it isn't possible to replicate everything obviously but it seems like a good idea generally.

[Maizie]

Two weeks before the exam fo rme too (well, two weeks and three days). Final preparation generally consists of forcing myself to play these darn pieces even though I am soooooooooo booooooooored and counting down the hours until I can play anything I want to (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

As flobiano says - playing through regardless is now something I'm doing. Also the scales I'm doing 'pick at random out of a hat (OK plastic tub)' rather than in any order (I have previously found I can play the melodic minor absolutely fine - as long as I can play the harmonic first! This time around I've found that F# minor is possible, but when F# major [usually perfectly fine] follows it I get a bit bemused).

Definitely try to relax because the hard work is done - though I may be relaxing a little too far at the moment (lesson tomorrow, at which I've previously been told we'll be picking up something new to do, rather than spending the time concentrating solely on the exam stuff).

[Littlegem]

Some great advice here, I too have noticed really silly slips creeping in and my brain is somehow turning to "mush", scales I knew last week I now struggle with, but wish me luck, my exam is this Thursday 14th June (grade 4) ...............aghhhh (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

[Impressionist]

but wish me luck, my exam is this Thursday 14th June (grade 4) ...............aghhhh (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

Good luck for tomorrow! 10 days to go for me...

And thanks for the useful advice (as always). I am playing through all the pieces in exam order leaving the worst 'til last, in the hope that my nerves will have settled by then. I'm also asking about for opportunities to play on strange pianos so have asked my daugher's school, the local church and friends if I can come and do "pretend" exams!

Flobiano - when is your exam? Must be soonish. Best wishes to you and Maizie for your exams.

[flobiano]

but wish me luck, my exam is this Thursday 14th June (grade 4) ...............aghhhh (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

Good luck for tomorrow! 10 days to go for me...

And thanks for the useful advice (as always). I am playing through all the pieces in exam order leaving the worst 'til last, in the hope that my nerves will have settled by then. I'm also asking about for opportunities to play on strange pianos so have asked my daugher's school, the local church and friends if I can come and do "pretend" exams!

Flobiano - when is your exam? Must be soonish. Best wishes to you and Maizie for your exams.

Sounds good - I've been in contact with a friend about going to play her my exam pieces on her piano (and hopefully she'll test me on scales too!) , I'll have a go on the church piano on Sunday and hopefully arrange at least one other "pretend exam".

My exam is on 28th June so two weeks tomorrow. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) I wil actually be quite glad to get it out of the way. It has, happily,fallen on the only afternoon of that week that I can easily get off work and is the day before we go away on a long weekend - which I can now enjoy in the knowledge that it's all out of the way. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I was a little worried they'd give me a date on one of the only 2 days of the session I was away or, maybe worse, immediately after I get home!

Good luck with your exam and to Maizie and Littlegem too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/goodLuck.gif)

[Juan Carlos]

Only 2 days to go for my piano Grade 7 exam (Saturday 16th at 14:00 hrs).
I have studied a lot for this exam (as I usually do) and have studied and played my pieces on and off for about one year and a half (and 2 in some cases) so they have been learnt well but ... tension ... uncertainty caused by the emotion of the exam ... etc. may play you up, as everybdy knows.
I now have two free days from work (today and tomorrow) and am wondering how best to use my time. Some say it is best to play the pieces again and again so they feel extremely familiar, others say that it's best to leave them aside and do technical work for fluency, others advise just not playing , etc.
Any advice?

[nicki_flute]

Two weeks today until my diploma (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

This is what I am planning to do on the weekdays (less time):
- go over small bits but in a lot of detail (particularly niggly places)
- listening
- going through score with piano part. For one tricky piece, I got a recording and slowed it down by a lot using Audacity, so I can really hear what goes on between me and the piano

On weekends:
- Full run throughs
- Finalising programme notes
- Buying new shoes/top so I look vaguely smart
- Ensuring my music is photocopied and I have all the information they'll need