Congrats Alicia! What a quick result

Well done Alicia!

Thats brilliant Alicia!!! All the best
From
Maggie

Well done!

All done for this term. :-)

Worst moments were recorder scales, piano Bb minor contrary motion scale, making an unintentional tierce de picardy at the end of the piano sight-reading and registering the organ sight-reading (not my usual organ and it took me ages to find the couplers it said to use).
Best moment was organ scales (I didn't play any wrong notes and they were even, so the only things he could mark me down for might be speed or fingering, which weren't bad but could've been better), especially as that was the thing I did worst at in my organ exam last term. Got asked Bb major in both - this time I didn't put my thumb on a black note!
Most surprising moment was organ sight-reading. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared, though it wasn't great. The hassles with registration took my mind off the actual sight-reading a bit. I was expecting a manual change, because both tests in the specimen book had one. The real test actually had two, and I hadn't spotted the second one until I got to it (spent my prep time playing through the whole of the pedal part and then the first line with everything together).

T.

I've just found out that I did pass only just though with 106 marks Hope to do better in grade 5. Hope everyone else passes too

A pass is a pass. :-)
Passing the exam at all is an achievement, even if you didn't get quite what you were hoping for. 106 even gives you a bit of a safety margin. (I've passed an exam with the exact passmark before now!)

Have you got the detailed mark breakdown yet? That will give you a clearer idea of what you need to work on if you want to do better at grade 5. The examiner's comments will also tell you what was good and what could be improved and your teacher will be able to guide you and help you progress in the areas that weren't great this time around.

T.

Congratulations, I never passed any of my flute exams with particularly high scores, (far to nervous and it certainly comes across in a wind instrument) but like the quote before a pass is a pass, no one tends to ask did you get a pass, merit or distinction, and there's always the next exam.

Congatulations on your result. I took my G4 Clarinet exam last Friday, and I don't feel to hopeful. Nerves set in and the squeaks made the pieces sound poor. On the plus side, the examiner seemed nice! I await the result..... R

Congratulations Clarinethopeful. I'm sure you'll do even better for G5 assuming there's no interfering cough again.

I have just taken grade 5 sax exam and feel that I have really messed it up. Started off fine, but nerves set in half way through my first piece and I squeaked a few of the high notes. It went down hill from there on (or so I thought) Mistakes in all pieces other pieces, messed up many of my scales (could not work out how to play low D#!!). My brain turned to mush! But talking it though with my teacher and others later on, I am now thinking that there may be a chance that I have passed.
How do you get out of thinking about the mistakes and where things went wrong and start thinking of the notes you played well and the things you did right?
I am a grown man and I am afraid to admit that I could have cried after the exam!
On the positive side, I have been playing less than 2 years and so for my teacher to think that I can take grade 5 is an achievement in itself, so I shouldn't be too upset if I fail; there's always next time.
Why do we put ourselves through it all?

I don't know how to get away from focussing on what went wrong - I come out of every exam thinking about every single mistake I made and completely overlook all the stuff that went well. My results are usually a lot better than I expect them to be, because the examiner notices the good stuff as well as the bad. Chances are that you'll also do a lot better than you expect.

Grade 5 in two years is good progress and even if you don't pass (and you probably will - I doubt your teacher would have put you in for it if you weren't ready) you'll get useful feedback from it.

T.

Thanks. I am pleased that my teacher thought I was good enough and know that grade 5 in two years is pretty good progress, so I shouldn't be too upset. But I know that, without the nerves, I am good enough to pass. Why focus on the few ###### notes, why not focus on all the good ones?
I know that there is nothing I can do now and that if I fail, I can retake the exam next term if I want to, but I can't help feeling annoyed with myself for not doing better.

Well that's a good question. For me, it took about 2 weeks before I began not to think about the exam at all. For the first 2 weeks after the exam, I had moments during each day where I'd cringe thinking about all the stupid mistakes. Hopefully, it may take less time for you to start thinking about the positive points. I think the main thing is to accept that the examiner can only assess about 20 minutes of playing under abnormal conditions. Your teacher can give you a better assessment of your playing. Indeed, why do we bother with exams?!

Well that's a good question. For me, it took about 2 weeks before I began not to think about the exam at all. For the first 2 weeks after the exam, I had moments during each day where I'd cringe thinking about all the stupid mistakes. Hopefully, it may take less time for you to start thinking about the positive points. I think the main thing is to accept that the examiner can only assess about 20 minutes of playing under abnormal conditions. Your teacher can give you a better assessment of your playing. Indeed, why do we bother with exams?!
[/quote]

I was hoping to forget it much sooner than two weeks. I need to get it out of my mind quickly. I will either take a short break from sax or concentrate on the band music that I have neglected for the last 6 weeks or so. Yes, bring on some rhythm and blues and music that I can decide how and when I play, and playing to people who aren't judging me (the rest of the band usually, who are too busy trying to avoid the ###### notes themselves to listen to me!).

What a relief I'm not the only one whose brain turned to mush in the exam. I was completely unprepared to be so nervous on the day. My nerves made me growl rather than squeak and my heart was pounding so much in the scales that I thought I might actually keel over with fright. Like you I came out of the exam frustrated that I hadn't performed my best. But the examiner took a different view as I heard last week I've passed with a merit so it wasn't the catastrophe I thought it was, and I'm sure you will have done better than you think you have. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for your comments. I've got the markdown sheet this morning and it's comments do help. Mostly it says I should play more confidently, which is a real problem for an old gimmer like me!
good luck to all who have posted about taking their exams believe me I understand about being nervous, wanting to cry when you come out of the exam room as and how hard waiting for the results can be. Again everybody GOODLUCK