I wonder how long I will have to wait to see if I have passed? The suspense is killing me - almost worse than waiting to go in. N

Thanks for all the kind messages of support. Mine's at 1.55 by the way.
I hope everyone elses exam goes to plan and you all get the result you are hoping for.

Wow, it's tomorrow at last eldatom, oldnotes and ChrisH's son - very best wishes to you all, look forward to hearing how you got on


MARCH
Mon 23 - ChrisH's son, G7 sax, 11.30
Mon 23 - eldatom, G4 piano, 12.44
Mon 23 - oldnotes, G7 piano, 1.55
Mon 23 - ChrisH's son, G5 clarinet, 4.54

Tue 24 - ChrisH's son, G3 piano, am
Tue 24 - smd, G5 Clarinet, 3.53
Tue 24 - taxidriver, G5 Clarinet, 5.00 ish
Fri 27 - Flute diva, G3 flute, 12.10
Fri 27 - echelon, G1 viola
Fri 27 - Fantasia in P Major's son, G6 piano
Fri 27 - amber_piano, G4 Oboe 12.15


APRIL
Wed 1 - lois, G2 piano, 16.02
Sat 4 - Appassionata, G3 flute, 5.04
Mon 6 - Ayshah's daughter, G8, alto sax, 14.17


MAY
12th (TBC) - GregoryP, G1 piano

[quote name='skylark' date='Mar 22 2009, 10:55 PM' post='806317']
Wow, it's tomorrow at last eldatom, oldnotes and ChrisH's son - very best wishes to you all, look forward to hearing how you got on


Thanks Skylark

I am trying very hard not to be nervous, I have written myself a list so that I don't forget what I have to take

1. Both letters as my exam date was changed.

2. Applicant card with number

3. Glasses (most important without them I wont be able to play anything as I can't see!)

4. Shoes (got some lovely high shoes for the pedal work - definitely can't feel the pedal in my boots!)

5. And the music of course!

Can't get it ready yet as I want at least a couple more practises.

Should be having lunch by the time its your exam Oldnotes, I am very lucky to have a lovely friend taking me to the exam and then we will go for lunch.

Good Luck to your son Chris H with both his saxophone and clarinet.

ET

Got the email notification on Saturday 21st. She got 128 - and she was SO nervous...

W

Good luck everyone

Bananas, ET!!!!!!!


What a great result for your pupil, Willobie, well done to both of you!

for everybody taking exams today (23 March)!

I know!! but is there a banana substitute as I am intolerant to them!

ET

Good luck to everyone with exams today.

I'm this morning (well, closer to lunchtime) and have a big mouth ulcer in the worst possible place for flute playing AND a cold. Don't think either of these bode well for the exam...

Good luck everyone!

W

There's something called "Rescue Remedy" by Bach. I've never tried it but it's been talked about several times on the forum so you could do a search for it if you're interested


Good luck to you too Flossie - sorry to hear you're still not very well. If it's any consolation, I was unwell for my G1 exam and all I could think about was getting back to bed so it took my mind off my nerves. Hope you do well

Thanks Skylark

I have actually got this in a form of a spray. Not sure whether it helps or not but I have it ready.

Just been practising my sight singing, so much easier to go up than go down in the minor.

Just pray that I get a timing question that I can spot easily - maybe a waltz? that would be good!

ET

Well - I have now done my first exam.

Didn't play very well (combination of mouth ulcer, cold virus, a very hot room and it just being a strange environment completely wrecked my tone and phrase endings) and my accompanist completely messed up one of my entries. He did something really odd and then decided to try it again just as I was coming in - which comepletely threw me for the rest of the piece. Apparently the piano wasn't responding how he wanted it to and it threw him (so perhaps we need to feel sorry for the piano candidates...).

As long as I'm the right side of 60 (the TG pass mark) then I'll be happy, although I had kind of been hoping before the exam that I might be able to get a merit (which I now think is very, very, very unlikely). But hey, it's my first exam and I've learnt a lot from this morning - and it's all things I wouldn't have learnt if I hadn't done the actual exam. I suspect I would do better in another exam now that it's not totally unfamiliar.

Hope other people get on better...

Well done for doing the exam, Flossie. Coping with an accompanist oops is a toughie, but it sounds like you managed to get back from it.

Here's hoping the result is a nice one

I've never played that piece - how does it go?

It's beyond my level

I see your son's got another exam tomorrow Chris H - give him my best wishes, I haven't heard him play the piano but if it's anything like sax and clarinet, I'm sure he'll do well!

Good luck too to fellow clarinet players smd and taxidriver - hope it goes well for you


Tue 24 - ChrisH's son, G3 piano, am
Tue 24 - smd, G5 Clarinet, 3.53
Tue 24 - taxidriver, G5 Clarinet, 5.00 ish

Fri 27 - Flute diva, G3 flute, 12.10
Fri 27 - echelon, G1 viola
Fri 27 - Fantasia in P Major's son, G6 piano
Fri 27 - amber_piano, G4 Oboe 12.15


APRIL
Wed 1 - lois, G2 piano, 16.02
Sat 4 - Appassionata, G3 flute, 5.04
Mon 6 - Ayshah's daughter, G8, alto sax, 14.17


MAY
12th (TBC) - GregoryP, G1 piano

Good luck for today to:

ChrisH's son, G3 piano, am
smd, G5 Clarinet, 3.53
taxidriver, G5 Clarinet, 5.00 ish

Good luck for people with exams today.

Thank you on behalf of my son to Skylark, Jazzchicken and Flossie. His piano playing isn't as good as sax and clari, Shylark - that's probably why he never plays the piano at the forum concerts!

Good luck to everyone else!

Thanks everyone for your best wishes.

I managed to break my favorite reed after my final practice this morning so I'm hoping thats the last piece of bad news for today.

Good luck to TaxiDriver - I'll be thinking of you as I drive home It an odd coincidence that we've both got the same exam within an hour of each other - it will make me feel less alone in the exam room today.

That sounds a tad unlucky smd but try not to let it put you off. Have you got another reed you like which is already played in?

Hope the exam goes well.

Well - the verdict is ?????

My reed was very well behaved, nice tone and no squeeks.
I didn't feel as nervous as my last exam, and wasn't shaking, but it did go wrong....

Piece 1, good except for 2 critical bars which fell apart, I might still get a pass mark for that piece. (20)
Piece 2, I don't think I got a note right in the first 8-10 bars the same music is repeated later in the piece and I did see the examiner taking particular note of the 2nd playing so I'm kind of hopeful he may let me off for nerves - but in reality I'd only give me about (15) for that piece at the most.
Piece 3, went really well - about the best I can do but based on my teachers comments thats around (25)
Scales went OK but I had to start again on an arpeggio and the dominant 7th. (15)
Sight reading - reasonably good (15)
Aural - Has to be a fail, he asked me if the piece was Baroque, Romantic or 20C - and I had thought it was Classical - I did ask if he'd deliberatly missed out Classical and he said yes - So I guessed Romantic although I now think it was Baroque. I got the singing bit wrong and had the guess the time sig as I'd forgotton to listen out for it. So I'm relying on the 10 marks for trying. although he might reduce that for daring to question him.
Which gives 20+15+25+15+15+10=100=pass - Now I just have to wait a few weeks to see if the examiner says the same as me, whilst hoping that he will make allowances for nerves.

The good news is I still love the Clarinet xxx

Well done smd

Sounds as though you're exam certainly went better then mine!!

Work commitments over the past few weeks have prevented me from practising much at all so I certainly wasn't as prepared as I should have been. However, played my pieces better than ever before in the run through before the exam - then disaster ! My teacher encouraged me to change my reed - a definite mistake - and I thought I wasn't too nervous until I met Paul Harris. It went downhill from there on.

My Fruhlingslied was appalling - so many squeaks and wrong notes - the Burlesque I can barely remember I was shaking so much. I think Scaredy Cat went ok - but's it's all relative!!

I don't think I played a scale correctly, well maybe except for c major - the sight reading was a joke and I made lots of mistakes in the aural. If I pass this one it's a miracle - the only good thing is it's over!

I'm not daunted though - I don't exams to get the certificate only to provide me with a goal and to encourage regular practice.

Time to get some new pieces out - I too still love my clarinet.

Think I'll go and buy some of that rescue remedy though!!

Good luck to everyone who still has their exam to come

Phew, I bet you two are glad to get that over with, smd and taxidriver! Hopefully the result will be better than you think, but good to know you're not daunted

I was concerned about your read because I broke my favourite one a few weeks ago and haven't found another one I like as much yet (need to order some more, but also need to use up the ones i already have...).

smd and taxi-driver - you may well have done better than you think!

I did think of you at 5pm TaxiDriver and I hope you've scraped a pass as well - I know it not normally as bad as you think it is. I agree passing isn't everything - even a near miss gives you good feedback. My teacher did tell me of an adult pupil who was so nervous he squeeked just about every note and then got a distinction!

In my run through just before the exam my A & B pieces also went as good as they've ever gone - including that horrible bit in the last 2 bars of Burlesque. Arrrggghhh But I think that did help settle my nerves a bit.

I used rescue remedy for the 1st time, and a banana after lunch - maybe it did help me, who knows. The lady who was the steward was brilliant thou. and help me settle my nerves a bit.

I've just sorted through my music and have choosen a couple of piece I want to play next. I'm promising myself a few weeks off of scales now to just enjoy some new stuff. As for exams its G5 Theory next for me which I don't view as being as daunting but equally I don't knuckle down to study it as readily either - so I'm guessing my next practicle exam won't be until 2010.

Thanks Flossie and I hope you've passed too - I did have 2 reed broken in ready and I was really really careful with the 2nd one. (Although miraculously I did open a brand new reed when I broke the 1st one and on 1st impressions it seemed to be a really good one) wouldn't have wanted to risk it for an exam straight away thou.

Well done Smd, I hope that you have done better than you think you have too.

ET





Hi Taxi driver

sorry to hear that your exam went badly too, but hopefully you too have done better than you think.

By the way, I used the rescue remedy and it didn't help me at all!

ET

I have my Grade 1 viola this Friday I went today to see where I have to go so that I don't end up panicking about finding the venue. I saw a schoolgirl go into the building with her mum - I feel sooooo old!!! *lol*

My practise is going okay, but I'm still making a few fluff ups. I'm just gonna try and enjoy it - I don't have any pressures on me because I'm just doing it for the challenge and the fun of it.

Are you doing your's at the Sage, Echelon? (Can't remember if you're doing TG or AB - and I know the AB is held more locally). If you're doing TG at the Sage then they're down in the education centre at the bottom of the building.

I decided not to use the waiting room at all before my exam. I took one look at all the nervous parents and children (the parents seemed to be the worst!) and decided I'd probably turn into a nervous wreck if I waited there and wandered round the building then watched the river. Went back at my allocated warm-up time.

Hope your exam goes well.

No, I'm in Durham City. I'm doing AB. There's a little place to stand outside and have a smoke, so I'll be doing that! *lol*

I do my exams at my son's school - it definitely makes me feel old. Best of luck, Echelon.

If that's the only blemish in the aural, you'll have more than 10, and we always dwell on the mistakes in things like the pieces. Good luck for the result.



I'll keep my fingers crossed for you taxidriver. There looks to be positives there, and again we often dwell on the not so good bits. Good luck for the result.

Well, I must share my good news - results arrived today - 143. Still not sure there hasn't been an identity mistake somewhere!
N

Thanks Barri.

I'm glad I came home from the exam and did that summary in writting - as time goes by it gets worse and worse in my head. Still I think I needed not to 'sail through' with no problems to make me think about what I'm doing and what my real goals are i.e. To enjoy playing stuff well and not have a piece of paper with a number on it.

There was a quote in this months CASS magazine that said 'Never play louder than lovely' That statment has a lot of mileage for me with the option to change louder to faster or harder.

I got out some 'fun' music yesterday and played through lots of fun bits that I guess are around G3/4 and was amazed at how good they sounded compared to the last time I looked at them which was about 6 months ago, so I know I have improved and thats what counts.

Well done Nova!

That's brilliant, very well done

That's a fantastic result, really well done, you must be very pleased

Excellent Nova!! Congratulations and you didn't have to wait too long either, under 2 weeks! Friday 13th obviosuly didn't phase you!

Well done.

ET

Thanks to all! Friday 13th did worry me enormously, but perhaps it was just superstition after all. I expected to just scrape through, so I'm pleased (but confused). Best of luck to everyone still waiting for either exams or results.
N

Well done Nova.

What exam did you do?

Well done Nova thats a fantastic mark.

Wow, that's amazing!!! Many congratulations, nova



More exams to come tomorrow - hope they go well for everybody

Well done, Nova

Many congratulations - a wonderful result!



Improvement is good - as is fun.

By the way, thinking of the CASS magazine, have you spotted yourself in the magazine yet?

good luck to everyone who has an exam on the same day as me - tomorrow! Hope they go well!:-)

Good luck flute diva - and everyone else doing exams tomorrow

Thanks!!!:-) Am nervous and yet a little excited!:-)

Good luck to everyone with exams tomorrow.

Good luck everyone!
(what pieces are you playing flutediva?)