Message posted by Melissa from Birmingham on 02/09/2003:

I am 12 years old and have just done my grade 7 piano exam, but I failed by 4 marks. I was really disappointed and I am going to retake it, but I am thinking of giving up playing because I really don't feel confident any more. My teacher thinks I shouldn't but I really feel like I can't play any more. Any suggestions?

12 is very young to do Grade 7. What specifically did you lose marks on? Or was it just general?

Music should be fun. When it stops being fun, something is wrong. Perhaps you should just concentrate on having fun with your piano playing for a while. Tell your teacher that you want to hold off on doing grades for a bit and work on some stuff that YOU want to play. Work on playing for playing's sake, not just on playing to pass exams. As you start to enjoy your playing, your confidence will grow.

I failed my Grade 6 violin at 13 by about 3 marks also. I promptly gave up and started piano instead!!

If you have reached grade 7 at 12 you are good
I think that it would be good for you to take a break from the exam system and play some things for fun
Maybe explore some new styles of music and expand sideways rather than upwards for a while....... though one will lead to thew other .

don't give up playing just because you fail one exam. i'm about to sit my first exam and even if i fail i'll carry on playing because i love playing and the only time you really need to consider giving up is if you no longer enjoy playing.

you may find that you would be better off taking a break from the exams because sitting your grade one exam at the age 12 is pretty young. if you take a break from the exams and return to doing them in about a year you can spend your time working on pieces of music that you enjoy and you can spend longer working up to grade 7 standard and don't think about even sitting the exam till you feel confident enough playing pieces which are closer to grade 8 than 7. you can also spend your time where you take a break from the exams working on areas of your music which are weak and which you gained the least number of points in. I

you only need to think about giving up if you no longer ejoy playing. to be able to say that you have sat the garde 7 exam and failed at the age of 12 is a great. . i'm 18 and i'm only just sitting my grade 1. it is always better to try and fail than to pass everything first time. you may find that you need to do more work on certain areas such as aural for example. if you wnat take a break from doing exam work and just play other peices of music that you enjoy even if they are below grade 7. if it helps to build your confidence in your ability to play it is time well spent.

if you give up now, give it a few years and you may wish that you never had given it up. if you are going to give up because of one disappointment just think back to how you felt when you passed your very first piano exam and hold on to it. Your teacher would never of put you in for the exam if s/he didn't think you were ready for it. You may of failed because you were just having a bad day when it comes to music. i know that after only playing for 8 months, i've learnt that all musicians have off days and they can't play asw well as the normally do and it may just be you had an off day on the day of your exam.

just keep smiling and remember its a major achievement to reach grade 7 standard by the time you are 12. it's taken some of my friends 3 or 4 attempts to pass their grades 7 and 8 exams but they kept at it and are glad they did.

you may also wish to forget about sitting any exams for a while and just learn tp play pieces which are somewhere from grade 6 and not thingk about sitting the examuntil you can play pieces which are fairly close to grade 8 standard. it should result in you going into the exam for the second time with far more confidence.

if you can't believe in your self at the moment cling to your teacher's belief in you and you will hopegfully soon feel more confident in your playing again.

Amelia

what on earth are you talking about! Just take a moment to look at the situation. You're 12 years old. You've done Grade 7 piano, and only just failed it. The fact that you're at that level at that age just shows how talented you really are. It's amazing that you're at that level already. Don't give up! You only narrowly missed the pass mark and 4 marks is nothing! Just go for the exam again, or just take a break from the exams, build up your confidence again, then have another crack at it You'll sail through it!

When i was at school back in 1988 it was the norm to have achieved grade 5 at 16, grade 6 if you were really good. So grade 7 at age 12? Maybe its time to chill for a bit and have a sence of perspective about your present ability. I know it can be dissapointing to fail but it gives you an opportunity to take stock and address weak areas that need polishing, i never failed a grade and passed grade 8 in 3 subjects but recently failed the DipABRSM by 4 or so points. It just means a resit thats all! Its not the end of the world.

At the risk of sounding cliché, I have to say that sitting grade 7 at 12 years is amazing! Even sitting grade 5 at 12 years is very good, and grade 7's two very, very big steps up from grade 5. Tell anyone you're a grade 7 pianist and your age and they'll be amazed.

Relax, take a break, if you want even take a break from piano for two weeks. Give it a while, learn a piece you like, or one that you've always wanted to learn, or a slightly easier one. After a while, try again, change your pieces if you want.

Whatever you do, don't give up, you're doing so well.

You can do it!

I'm also 12 now and doing Grade 7 piano!

be brave...you must be a hardworker...such a young age for grade 7...i remembered i did my grade 8 when i was 13.... please don't give up

hey
yeah, you should try taking a break from trying to play the piano just to pass exams...
i stopped doing exams for 4 years, and just tried exploring something different, ive just done my grade 6, and im 15...so you have many more chances ahead of you

To be at grade seven at 12 is one thing but to lose just 3 marks of passing, i expect, can be extremely annoying and disppointing. I think you need a break. Have fun with your friends and family, and now summers here, have plenty of barbecues, play all those well known pieces everyody wants you to play, play that new pop record or rock piece you've always wanted to learn and just enjoy your music, and let it sit in the background for a while. Giving up is the worst soloution, it is like being ten and going out with this really gorgeous guy with really nice hair then when you reach 40 you realised how ugly he was and what dreadful hair he really had! Quitting always leads to regret.

And explain to your piano teacher every emotion you have, and if she/he is anythign like mine with dogs adn cats roaming loose and big fat pidgeons sitting on unfinished conservatories and plenty of fun jokes, they will understand and let you relax. Your only a child after all! Perhaps you could just have a few songs in lessons where you can sing!

Not meaning to sound very PSE teachrish but at 12, hormones are going to start kicking in, making you stressed and tired, but if you remember the feeling you had when you first started, the reason you kept up your piano, i'm sure, after a break, you can easily retake your exam and keep enjoying your music.

Grade 7 at 12 and wanting to give up just cos u failed an exam. Sound inhuman to me. I am 14 and are taking grade 5 clarinet on monday I know I going to fail because I just can't get my head round the scales. Grad 7 at 12 is fab, keep it up gal/guy??? If at first u don't suceed try and try again thats what my friends say for me. If your so worried take ur fav ted to the exam I done that in the past tell me about it. I started playing when I want ur age and in my life its the best thing ever. Music is a talent and to be musical u have to be talented. keep going and goodluck for ya resit.