I am teaching my friend piano and she is very keen to do the grade 1 theory exam and is capeable of it but she is nowhere near grade 1 practical side of things.Do you think i should concentrate on getting her better with the practical first?Did anyone do the theory first or as you went along?

Just IMO, but why would one hold someone's theory back behind their practical any more than one would hold someone back practically if their theory was not strong? The number of people who get to G5 or 6 and have to start from scratch with theory - if she can nail down that theory work early on, and enjoys it, let her get on with it!

A good grasp of theory will surely give her an advantage practically anyway - why not let her do the exam if she is capable of doing well. Would seem silly to delay her just because she's getting on more quickly with theory than with the practical.

Ok i'll do that then .Thanks!

I have an adult student who is grade 2 on piano (her first instrument) and now working towards grade 6 theory. She had distinctions at grades 2 and 4 and has worked through the grade 5 book, finishing with some past papers. She decided to go on to grade 6 and not take the grade 5 exam.

How good is your friend at aural work? I think it is important to make sure that aural skills are in synch with theory skills. It is important to maintain the link between sound at symbol so that say your friend sees a scale she knows what it sounds like. This matters more in the higher grades but you can lay the foundation skills in grade 1.

I've actually always been behind in practical relative to my theory. I did grade 5 theory straight after grade 1 piano, and now that I've got grade 5 piano I've done grade 6 theory....

I don't think it's a problem to be ahead with theory, it helps and there's no reason to hold back if she can already do it. Especially for people who aren't learning as young children, theory often comes quite quickly and easily, more so than playing.

Yes, let her take the theory now! If I'd been made to wait to take my grade 5 theory till after I'd done my grade 5 practical, I'd be taking it this session instead of a year and a half ago!

I did grade 8 theory four years ago and have only just done the practical.

I pretty much agree with what everyone else has said here - let her take the theory exam first, as it will give the basic foundations for music and the fundamental knowledge required to advance. The greater the grasp you have of theory, the more you understand about why certain melodies work, and harmonies, and establish well-known musical patterns, so it really can help with the practical side.

I guess I'm being a tad hypocritical here though, seeing as I didn't do ANY theory up until I had completed my Grade 5 Practical exam. Seeing as my teacher entered me for Grade 5 Theory not too long after I was entered for my Grade 5 Practical, I had about two months to cover 5 whole grades of theory, and then my teacher entered me for my Grade 7 Practical before I had even got my results for my Grade 5 Theory back! I managed to get 93% or so in the end... so it wasn't too bad for two months work!

~Wobby~

Just another thought, if she's finding theory easy maybe grade 1 will be a little too simple for her. It might be worth waiting until next session when she could be up to grade 4 or 5 by then . Depends on your judgement of how quickly she's picking it up though, obviously.

That is a point actually... Grade 1 Theory does tend to be the most basic of musical knowledge, and is generally grasped within a week or two, judging from the people I know - obviously, I've had no teaching experience, so I'm not sure if this applies for everyone...

Maybe Grade 3 Theory would be a suitable step - it shouldn't be too hard, and it will also save money on her behalf if she is able to keep up with the stuff in Grade 3!

I always tried to avoid taking too many exams, so that I could minimise the costs - of course, in this world, money is everything!

~Wobby~

I spoke to her today about this and she said that she wants to do the grade one theory exam so she feels confident with progressing to the higher grades so that shall be what happens then!

I know someone - an adult - who is doing a theory diploma without being able to play a note - and thoroughly enjoying it - and why not?

I would say let her do the theory, especially if she enjoys it ... it will give her some experience of taking an exam - if she does want to take them and also to boost her confidence. It's good to work towards something, even if she doesn't do the exam.