Should I Let Her Start The Next Grade? Options

[allegretto4]

Hi,

I have a young pupil doing the transfer test in school this autumn. She is going well in her preparation for her G3 piano exam (would probably get a merit at this stage) but still needs a spurt of hard work between now and the exam if she is going to achieve the Distinction which her mum is very keen for her to get!

Mum asked if she could postpone sitting the exam till next Spring because of the transfer test but wants me to start work meanwhile on Grade 4. I prefer not to start her on the next grade before she gets this one! (I have already skipped her over G2 to do G3). I also explained that its not just about exams, etc. but mum is very keen for her to go up the grades asap! I also feel that the child has 'peaked' as far as G3 goes and to keep going till Spring is too much!

Having said all that, the last thing I want is to put this child under too much pressure (she seem to take most things in her stride!).

I would be interested to know what other teachers would have done in this situation.

Many thanks in advance.

[Dulciana]

As soon as I start to hear that the transfer test is going to be an issue with regard to piano practice and/or progress, alarm bells start to ring in my head. Can a child really be putting so much time into this that 20 minutes practice per day is no longer possible? What will the scenario be when GCSEs come along - or even 'big' school, with all the extra activities and homeworks and travelling time that that can entail?

My response has always been, "Don't be daft; if you want to do the exam and are ready to do it, then do it now." The only question is in the wanting to.

The other issue here, if the exam is not to be done now, is whether it's more beneficial to wait or to move on, and there is really no argument. An exam is a piece of paper. Progress comes from learning/dabbling at/perfecting/picking bits out of...as much music as possible; in my experience holding a ready child back to take an exam at a later date because of the transfer test only spells disaster - they lose their zest and interest. Do it now or forget it, and get on with teaching. Exams are a tool and at times a useful goal in the long learning process. Many people need that goal. But be careful that in this scenario the exam does not instead become a negative factor in learning to play. A short time on down the line, Grade 3/4/5 will not be relevant. A Grade 8 pianist can be a Grade 8 pianist whether or not all the grades have been passed along the way - and, in fact, it's often those who haven't done them all who will be best equipped with the experience to do justice to Grade 8 - if we consider that to be the ultimate achievement of most of our pupils.