Well - I've just sent in my application for my LRSM (piano) this summer!

Just wondering who else has taken the plunge and applied to do a Diploma? (And how panicky you all are!!)

Yes Bing I'm taking th plunge LRSM singing this summer.

I'm reasonably confident about the perfomance, programme notes and viva, but dreading th quick study. But yes I'm panicy.

I failed LRSM in 1993, never re-took the perfomace bit (in those days there was a written aural, theory and instrumental knowledge section which I passed). My programme is better this time and I think the extra maturity helps, however it still fills me with a sense of dread!

I am doing DipABRSM flute eek!!!

Well done all for taking the plunge!

I'm mulling FLCM; the closing date is 1st May but I'm really unsure. Clearly I will have to make a decision by the end of next week at the latest!!

I have my flute lesson tomorrow, so will probably be completing the form then and just confirming with my teacher that she will be able to teach me! Shes usually very busy with all her orchestral playing or teaching elsewhere so its hard to fit me in as her only private pupil at home. Ive only had 6 lessons in the last 7 months!....might need to start having more regular lesson!

I sent off my application for ATCL in piano, a couple of weeks ago, to sit in the summer. It's funny how it now seems soooo real Good luck to all.

I have to talk to my teacher first next Wednesday 25th! If she thinks it's a good idea to go for it again this summer i'll have my application all completed and ready to throw into the post box that day. Might even send it special delivery to be sure it gets there on time for the 27th deadline!

Are you republic of Ireland Matt? If so the deadlines on the 23rd!
I say go for it!

Go for it! I have one of those. Have you run out of other dips to try by now?

Nope, three more to go including FL...
I have a nice programme, it's just that I haven't even learnt the notes yet, let alone the interpretation, so trying to sort it out in three months is rather tight, alongside everything else!
I fear it will be £276.50 badly spent, so may well push it back to December...

FTCL, FRCO?

Any other possibles around? Do VCM (if that's who I'm thinking of) do an F ?

But you have FRSM? Why the FLCM?

Spot-on. I have stuck with institutions I know best, perhaps there comes a point where too many letters from 'peripheral' institutions demeans the ones from the 'mainstream' examination boards.

Saying that, GC has introduced me to the American Guild of Organists examination requirements and I'm not sure I can resist a punt at being a FAGO.


Why not? It's something to aspire to, isn't it? The journey is as important as the arriving, my friend..

Fairy nuff - yeah I kind of thought you'd be sticking to the known and respected ones


Go for it

I was musing on this earlier. Please can someone provide the spark of inspiration I need for my viva resit?

GO AND APPLY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Any good?

missed the LTCL application deadline
*phew*

I can happily fill the form and send it in on your behalf next time!

Go for it, Deborah!

Yes, come on Deborah, you've got almost all the way to Dip nirvana... don't refuse at the last fence!!

Deborah, you are funny, witty and highly articulate. I really couldn't understand why you fell to pieces last time. Imagine they're sitting there naked... on the other hand perhaps not... or something. You know your stuff, go for it girl.

Now fill in form, write cheque, put in envelope, apply stamp and visit post box... you can do it!

Um, I think I'd rather they remained clothed, both in reality and in my imagination. OTOH, if one of the examiners happens to be a favourite silver-haired Siberian baritone...

I'll pay by credit card rather than cheque, as that way I don't have to fund it for another month

If I'm not allowed to put things off then neither are you.

Just a thought, but how about a question and answer session for wpuld-be dip candidates at one of the forum events? It would be a wonderful time to practice and to get rid of any exam nerves on the day itself.

Or it could be enough to put off the dip candidates entirely!

Then you'll get flustered and forget all your stuff again... too busy swooning... nah we can't have that!

D'you want to send them the fee too?

I knew you were going to ask that!

I don't know as soon as I had the money saved and I could download the application form, I'd sent mine off. I suppose it was a case of thinking "now girlie you've got a chance to show them what you really can do", and I wan't going to give that up.

I just I hope I'm not eating my words come results day.

Just a short question about the diploma form..........part 8a says to be sent with submission. For DipABRSM performance, do you just send that off with the application form and then bring 8b with the programme notes on the actual day?
Also, what would date of submission be?

If you reed the notes for DipAbrsm you don't need to fill in 8a as your not sending in a submission, but you do need to pin a copy to your programme notes of the authentication bit.

My application was complicated by one lost Advanced Certificate, and the fact that I now work in my married not maiden name and took the exam 5 years before I married... so had to send in a copy of my marriage certificate. Marriage certificates are not A4... try photocopying one.

I'm Northern Ireland so 27th still applies. My application is filled in and ready to be sent off. If my teacher thinks it's a bad idea though i'll not send it. I don't think I could bare failing it again. Good luck everyone that has applied! The worst part is actually waiting for the result.

How long does it take for the result to come through?

8 weeks. If it's anything like last session, when you get your exam appointment letter, there will be a sentence or two saying "by the way, we won't be sending out results until the week of <date>"...

I've got a lot on - got to pack up a family to attend a wedding in the US in June, also playing in Edinburgh's competitive music festival ( ), plus my teacher is a bit busy with a new family member just now....so maybe it is quite convenient that I missed the deadline . There's no hurry, I'd only done ATCL last summer, and maybe I can keep the pieces I've in mind ticking over whilst I do all this other stuff, and get some much-needed technical improvement in place first.

Argh, just remembered. There's another family wedding in the US in October... .

Meantime, good luck to all those hard-working musicians who are taking the plunge this session .

sent off the form of atcl flute

I'm being cyber-bullied

This cyber-bullying is having a very negative effect on me. I've become very nervy and jumpy, and liable to drop things. In fact, this morning, I dropped my diploma entry form.































Into a postbox.














Oops

Well done Debzie, we are all very proud of you for taking the plunge and finishing it off !!

Well done

I had an accident like that with a certain letter and a postbox Deborah too.

Go for it!

does anyone know if ABRSM write back saying they've got the application? I'm really worried mine might get lost in the post!

You can relax on that one, they do indeed write back and acknowledge receipt of your fees. ABRSM are excellent about that one.

Well done Deborah.

Good luck to you, and to everyone who's applied to take (all or part of) a diploma in the upcoming session.

Well done Deborah! we're all gunning for you - good luck!

Just wondering, if you have to retake a section of a diploma do you still have to pay the full fees?

No but it's still expensive . My retake this year will cost £135 and that's just for the recital and quick study. I only paid £125 to sit the entire exam last year. I was surprised how much the cost of the DipABRSM went up.

As if your retake costs more than the price you paid for the whole lot!

I haven't even started thinking about programme notes yet. Can anyone make me feel better by saying it doesn't take long, or have you all got well underway with yours yet? I'm also still undecided about repeats in my Beethoven. I think it will depend how fast I play it - too fast means my programme will be too short, and I'll have to put them in. Is there any advantage to being at the 40 mins + a bit side rather than the 40 mins minus a bit?

Sorry nope I can't give you that reassurance. I think I may have gone research mad, but its being fruitful. I think I find writing up fairly quick, but there's so much material that my programme has thrown up as reading material, I'll still be researching for awhile. Distilling it down to 1500 words will be the problem this is the LRSM programme note assignment and not the extended essay for FRSM.

According to my copy of the syllabus it is 1800 words for LRSM. I wouldn't want you to find that your programme notes are too short.