How Good Do You Actually Have To Be?, I had my first ABRSM exam today Options

[freda_bloogs]

I successfully failed my Grade V piano exam this afternoon with a number of fluffs, flops and pancakes appearing in my scales and pieces.

But I was wondering, since I have never taken a musical exam before (excluding GCSE), how well does a candidate have to perform in order to gain a pass, merit or distinction? For example, today I had to restart my Eb Minor scale and my A-List piece, Rondo in E by Hook, which, the second time through, was nowhere near perfect. How is this likely to affect my overall mark?

I'd constantly been told that I was a distinction candidate, that I had a "gift" for music yet when I walked into the exam room, the beautiful Boston upright, the environment, the examiner sitting behind me and the general aura threw me. I know you guys all say that the examiners take all this into consideration, but how much lee-way do they actually give?

Excuse my post-exam depression :(

[Car Expert]

Pass = 100
Merit = 120
Distinction = 130

Highest mark possible = 150

[freda_bloogs]

Oh sorry, I didn't really make it clear, rather than the exact mark allocations, I was more interested in how lenient the examiner is in the situations and how well people are generally expected to perform.

[Andy-piano-flute]

I think they do understand about nerves affecting how you play. Just cos it wasn't perfect doesn't mean you'll fail. People do restart scales & still get good marks if overall they were OK. Try not to be too negative (I'm very good at that!) - the marks will probably be a very pleasant surprise :)

[elmo]

I played a diminished 7th starting on the wrong note twice, squeaked through everything, messed up the aural and rewrote the sight reading piece in ymG7 clarinet! And I came out with a merit!

When you do exams though, everyone thinks of the worst things there were instead of the good things. So yeah, you might've made lots of msitakes, but what did you play well? And don't say nothing, coz I know that's what my answer would be!

[freda_bloogs]

B List piece, Study in Ab by Heller kinda went well although I couldn't bring it out as well as I liked because I wasn't used to the piano but I expected that much.

[oboist]

The criteria by which exams are assessed is freely and openly published on this website and in the book of the same name, "These Music Exams".

For anyone unsure how the examiners assess, it is a must to read. Certainly as a teacher I wouldn't be without it and it give it to my exam pupils and, where appropriate, their parents to read too. It's very helpful on all the matters you raise.

There is a brand new edition published (free) this year and Christine Morris has already offered elsewhere on these forums to send it to anyone who wants it. The version on-line seems to be the previous edition but they mostly are the same except the new one contains information on the marking of theory exams, which made fascinating reading for me as a theory teacher.

Cheer up - it seems you can make quite a few mistakes in practical exams and still pass. However, always worth bearing in mind that playing to an examiner "on the day" is very, very different from sitting in your own room or at your teachers and playing to "Distinction" level. Learning to perform under pressure is all part of being a musician but it takes time to acquire the skill. Do you play to a lot of people normally? If not, I'd encourage you to do so to get on top of the "nerves" bit.

I'm sure examiners expect candidates to be nervous - my pupils usually are - but overcoming nerves is all part of the performing business. How much do examiners allow for nerves? Who knows, because they can only assess what they hear on the day. You can't second guess the level of nerves, how somebody might play in a different scenario. Examiners are interested in how you play to them on the day - at least that's what I've always been led to believe for myself, and for my pupils and certainly that was the message we got at the ABRSM Piano Seminar I attended last Autumn.

That's why, even if I have views on the subject, I never tell my students how I think they'll do. Yes, we have "mock" exams to practise playing the programme, scales etc non-stop and I do promise them I won't let them go into the exam room if I don't think they're ready but I don't tell my pupils they are "Merit" or "Distinction" candidates as it may raise hopes falsely and if, on the day, it all goes wrong, what then?

Hope the result is better than you fear when it comes. I'm sure it will be.

[freda_bloogs]

Do you play to a lot of people normally?

Yes. I sing all the time in cabaret shows, I even made my singing debut behind a piano (playing and singing Your Song by Elton John) and that was flawless musically, sorry to appear egotistical, the vocals needed a bit of work though!