The importance of a distinction Options

[FullofWind]

Should you only sit grade 8 when you know there is a very high chance that a distinction will be achieved? There will be musicians for whom this would be a mammoth task but if a child was capable of getting a comfortable pass, would it be better to wait up to two years until they were beyond distinction level? How are resits viewed by conservatoires if a child wishes to gain a distinction at a later date?

[Ayshah]

Looking at your queries I would say if the application to a conservatoire is the goal, then you should be focussing your energy on finding a teacher who will prepare him for a successsful audition to same. the question that you should ask the potential teacher, "can you assist with preparing my son for successful entry to a conservatoire?"

However taking a Grade 8 exam can be quite a good experience and gaining a distinction is very good for moral. No one wants to be playing the same pieces over a lengthy period of time, so I am not in favor of delaying entry just to et the distinition. In my case the girls got the distictions in G8, but they practised like mad in the last month knowing thats what they wanted.

But do remember the conservatoire auditions ask for Grade 8 standard not a Grace 8 distintion on paper.

[Seer_Green]

Looking at your queries I would say if the application to a conservatoire is the goal, then you should be focussing your energy on finding a teacher who will prepare him for a successsful audition to same.

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I'm sorry to hear you're having teacher trouble at the moment, but I think that getting the right teacher now is probably more important than any considerations about standards, exams, distinctions etc. My experience is that these days, most conservatoire entrants are playing easily beyond Grade 8 distinction standard anyway.