'older' Grade 8's, Am I mad or what ? Options

[trudihiggins]

45 and attempting to do my grade 8 clarinet in 4 weeks - mad or what ?
Sometimes I wonder what the heck I'm doing. The abrsm grades have kept me studying my instrument, kept me stimulated and encouraged. Then I get to grade 8, feel the pressure and bang - start asking mysefl if I'm mad !! Why not just forget it, I'll never pass anyway.
The examiner will probably have a good laugh when I'm finished and wonder why I bothered !! Stupid middle aged woman !!
Should do flower arranging or something less demanding !!
Oh well I'll have a go, I got grade 7 with merit, but the 8 is such a leap and you have to be PERFECT apparently - I'm far from. My pieces will probably be ok if my nerves stand up to it, if they don't tough, jigsaws are a good time killer !!

[Boo Radley]

I'm sure you will be fine. You must be if you passed grade 7 with merit. Just think that if you practise your pieces hard and get them good there's a guaranteed 80/90 at least, which leaves you only 20 marks to pick up in sight-reading, aurals, etc. No problem! ;)

[Deborah]

trudihiggins, you've been reading far too many of saxlover's "I'm going to fail" posts!!!

Whilst I've never done an exam as an adult, the general feeling is that examiners like it when they have adults rather than children. Take a couple of days off from exam pieces, if not from playing altogether (maybe to arrange some jigsaws, or try a 1500-piece flower), and it'll be far better - and that's a promise! Also, I think examiners actually like the higher grades - real pieces of music played by people making a decent sound, and with a high level of musicality. My last piano teacher also examined for the Board, and said that there was nothing worse than consecutive Grade 1 violinists entered by the the same lazy teacher - the same pieces with the same bad intonation and wrong notes. Certainly in my Grade 8 clarinet, the examiner gave the impression of actually enjoying himself.

It's something that we've all been through. You may remember Amber's thread in the General forum last term about the wheels falling off in the run-up to her Grade 6. She took a couple of days off from music, felt much better when she went back to it, and passed!

Try not to let the bits that go wrong stress you, which I know is easier to say than do, but the more wound up you get over things, the worse they tend to become. Concentrate on the difficult bits - play them slowly, or concentrate on just one part of it (e.g. play the notes to any old rhythm).

Now, I'm going to let you into a secret. You need to be at a high standard to pass, but it doesn't need to be perfect. I'd only had about two rehearsals with my accompanist before my Grade 8 clarinet, but we started together, finished together, and stayed approximately together throughout. I was still stressing about top As even in the exam, and made a complete dog's breakfast of Eb melodic minor, but still managed to get 125.

Oh, and don't forget the obligatory banana to calm your nerves :)

P.S. My flower arranging skills are something along the lines of ram them into any old space in the vase and hope for the best. That's why I stick to music!

[thouston]

Go for it! Don't worry about your age (I was 42 when I did my Grade 8, and there are plenty older than either of us in this forum). Just think about how much more mature, worldly wise, etc, you'll be than some!! Also, even at grade 8 they are not looking for perfection so much as musicality, and with a merit in your grade 7 you have already demonstrated that you have it. Good luck!

[sbhoa]

I'm 49 and am aiming for grade 8 piano in the spring having put it off for as long as I possibly can. :ph34r:
The panic comes and goes already but i suppose I will somehow survive it.. (bananas and rescue remedy :blink: ).

[saxlover]

trudihiggins, you've been reading far too many of saxlover's "I'm going to fail" posts!!!

Deborah!!! :o :o


Anyway!

trudi you are not going to fail! You do not need to be perfect...I was far from perfect when I attempted my grade 8 sax but still managed to pass.

You'll be fine!

[andante_in_c]

Hi! I did Grade 8 treble recorder last session at the grand old age of 48. :) I quite often questioned my sanity during the weeks beforehand, when I was struggling with the scales, but it was worth it in the end. And the banana really worked for me - I can't recommend it too highly.

And you definitely do not have to be perfect to pass. I hit a couple of absolute stinkers in the first line of my first piece, and my accompanist had a mental block about one of the tempo changes in my second piece and we had to restart - twice! I got 28 for the first piece and 27 for the second. :)

Good luck. :D

[katyjay]

Hi Trudihiggins

Nothing new to add - I was 36 when I did mine! Good luck and go for it!

Cheers

Katyjay

[shelton]

Trudi,

I understand your concerns also. I am 34 and doing grade 8 piano at the moment, even though I am taking it at a very relaxed pace (there's no rush).

I often wonder why I am doing it. Why put myself through the stress of another grade? Why not leave it at grade 7 and stop? It has taken alot of effort just to get to grips with the scales and I haven't even started the aural yet!

But, I am going to do it. Yes, okay, it would have been great to start playing before I could walk but it hasn't happened that way. I am committed, passionate and in love with my instrument and I am going to get to grade 8 no matter what.

Thanks for posting your concerns. You make me feel like I am not alone.

Shelton :)

[Suepea]

I was 60 when I did my Grade 8 piano (admittedly I had done it before at 18 and then hardly played for the next 40 years) and I can assure you that you definitely don't have to be perfect to pass! I had a lovely examiner, who made me feel very much at ease and was pleased to see an adult candidate. I was also lucky enough to do it at a special visit at the home of my teacher's friend, whose studio contained two Steinway baby grands!

You did very well at Grade 7 I'm I'm sure you'll do well at Grade 8 too. Good luck!

[SteveHopwood]

My oldest successful grade 8 candidate was 60.

You are a mere stripling by comparison :lol:

Steve :D

[joyjoy]

Trudi,

You will be fine, you have done well to get this far, and once you have done grade 8 I expect you'll be over the moon, so stick with it :D

Good luck

Joy

[trudihiggins]

ooh thankyou joyjoy, steve, suepea, shelton, katyjay, andante_in_c, saxlover, sbhoa, thouston, Debora - you've really helped to give me a boost of confidence ! The flowers can arrange themselves, the jigsaws can stay in the box (in the shop), and grade 8 here I come !!!
I'll try not to cry for an hour after the exam (like I did for my grade 7), hiding at the bottom of my teacher's garden).
I'll eat a banana, study slowly, play other things and the day of my exam (25 days away) I'll play to that examiner with all my heart !
Thankyou all for your support - I'll let you know what happens !
Hey Shelton and sbhoa let me know how you both get on !
WE WILL OVERCOME !! :D

[Edwardo]

ooh thankyou joyjoy, steve, suepea, shelton, katyjay, andante_in_c, saxlover, sbhoa, thouston, Debora -  you've really helped to give me a boost of confidence ! The flowers can arrange themselves, the jigsaws can stay in the box (in the shop), and grade 8 here I come !!!
I'll try not to cry for an hour after the exam (like I did for my grade 7), hiding at the bottom of my teacher's garden).
I'll eat a banana, study slowly, play other things and the day of my exam (25 days away) I'll play to that examiner with all my heart !
Thankyou all for your support - I'll let you know what happens !
Hey Shelton and sbhoa let me know how you both get on !
WE WILL OVERCOME !! :D

I'm 48 and doing my Grade 8 piano on November 28th. Like you, I wonder if I'm completely barking. I mean, do I need this level of stress? But I am haunted by the thought that I should have done this at school, instead of being so lazy. I have real concerns about the exam (my sight-reading is very poor, and the aural tests are a nightmare) but I'll give it my best shot.

Someone somewhere (maybe on this forum) said to pretend that you're someone else when you go in. I'm currently listening to the sublime Angela Hewitt playing the Goldbergs. It's a bit of a stretch (as I'm a man) but I'm going to pretend to be the divine Ms Hewitt. :D

Good luck with your exam - if you got merit at G7 you're one up on me - I bypassed G7 completely (my family couldn't take two more exams!)

[trudihiggins]

hey edwardo, I'm going to pretend to be my teacher, he's not me, and I'm not him (being a woman, bit hard really !), but I'm so proud to have him (he was first clarinet in Saddlers Wells) If I convince the examiner, I'm winning !!!
I know what you mean about the aural, I have pieces of paper stuck all over my office VI I, I IV, V IV AHHH
Working full time doensn't help, finding the time to practise!! I use lunch time, and after work, driving my family mad ! My daughter has done her grade 7 flute/pic, and now has to put up with her mother driving everyone mad !!
Good luck to you edwardo, you taking it when ? I'm in France so I think the dates are different ! :rolleyes: