Quick study - no writing? Options

[RoseRodent]

I've heard contradictory reports about the Quick Study. The exam regulations do not say you cannot mark the Quick Study paper, but then I am pretty sure the graded exam regulations don't say so either, but it definitely says it on the sight-reading when you get there. I find that really odd, if I am going to prepare a piece for a short notice performance then the most important thing I am going to do with it is write stuff on it. I'll write technical elements such as position changes and sub-divisions of beats in tricky rhythms but also musical elements, reminders of phrasing, places where I might rit, editorial dynamics if required. It would seem very bizarre to test this skill without letting you do something that surely every musician would do. If you really are not allowed to mark the copy then it favours the person with the quick memory rather than the person who is most able to deliver a musical performance. Are you really required to do this without a pencil? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) I estimate I'd do more than 3 times as well if allowed to make marks on the paper.

[liseypeasy]

Surely the quick study is designed to see what musical impression you can give of a page(?) of music that's of a certain technical standard, in a short time frame? I'd have thought by dip level you should be pretty au fait with notes and (ahem) rhythms, key etc so it's just seeing how you identify and tackle the tricky parts in that time, and manage to make a performance of it rather than just a technical reading.

Maybe, if you're used to writing squiggles on a page that help direct your interpretation (I kind of do that, but it's usually to help focus), it's a good idea to practise not writing them down - see if you can perform the music expressively, whatever your instrument's particlar peculiarities are? Even though you have a preferred way of doing something, you can still teach yourself another way, and you would feel better prepared on the day. Maybe get some grade 6-ish pieces that you don't already know and try performing them without your safety net of writing on them? That will give an idea of how it feels.

I'd have thought post grade 8 you can play with some expression fairly instinctively?