Hello!

Just something I've been thinking about recently. Of my pupils who wish to do exams, most do one each year. This year my big aim is to solidify my stance that they should do more than 'just' their exam each year. We have been doing fun, varied repertoire since September. Everyone has done at least one piece from last year's list for their next grade, most have made a decent dent in their scales and sight-reading. I'm quite happy so far, although am getting cold feet now as we embark on their exam pieces!

They will do their exams in mid-May. My thinking here is that the ones who practise hard will have their pieces finished in plenty of time to polish them really well and maybe learn another from the syllabus or a fun choice piece as well, while the ones who don't will hopefully have sufficient time to procrastinate and then get their collective acts together!

This year I have also, for the first time, told parents that their children cannot do an exam this year (despite the parents' desire to do so) as their previous result showed they are not up to scratch. The pupils are inherited ones who I think were started on exams too early (probably due to their slightly pushy mums). I hope a year spent working up their standards, learning scales and practising sight-reading will help them to really nail the next one they do. They will have to play at my student recitals though, we did one at Christmas and will do another just before the exams in May.

So my question is: how do you approach exams and the exam treadmill? Would be very interesting to hear your thoughts!

Thanks.

(EDIT just noticed horrendous misuse of apostrophe in the title...how awful!)

This will probably turn into a debate on the benefits or otherwise of exams. Looking forward to it.

But for now I'll just answer the question!
I start beginners on Chesters (if they're young) combined with Schaum and the LCM Pre-Preparatory book (usually just for the pieces rather than the exam), plus anything else that's handy. I have spares of all these and lend them out as appropriate when I think a particular piece would be suitable - whether it's to illustrate a particular skill or just because I'm getting the hang of what type of thing they'll enjoy. We do the odd scale along the way too. (After all I said about scales in the past.... I do think one octave scales are 'good' at this stage.) I don't like exams at this stage, unless I really feel the child needs a goal for motivation. I think exams too soon can hold them back, as too long is inevitably spent on the same pieces at the expense of reading and enjoyment.

But I like everyone to have done an exam by the time they get to about Grade 2 standard - for the sake of drawing a line under things to date, and, yes, for the sake of the certificate - they like to 'get the T-shirt'.

I avoid going straight from one exam to the next from then on. I like to use concerts, Christmas music, Easter hymns, the latest Disney film, new stuff by a composer they've liked before, whatever, as an excuse to play things - not necessarily to perfect, but to gain something from. When they do exams depends, as much as anything, on when the entry date is; it's nice to time it right so that three pieces (plus all the rest) are at a peak at the right time. If this doesn't happen I'm not averse to leaving out a grade rather than have them sitting on the same stuff for too long.

But I have to say I'm pro-exams. I find them a great motivator to perfect things. Otherwise they might not bother to work hard at details/touch/subtleties of expression. They provide a sense of achievement and they tell both pupil and parent that I know what I'm doing!

I have to say I agree with you on all points here Dulciana. My teacher spent most of my teens dragging me from exam to exam, even though I would ask to learn different music. I don't think we EVER finished a piece I had chosen. I really lost interest after a while. I really don't want that for my pupils.

However exams are very motivating, and I am beginning to find that a little healthy competition (seeing other siblings opt for exams, hearing a friend who does exams play) really helps some pupils decide to pull their weight.

My students don't take exams every year, they take them when they are ready to - and only IF they want to take them. I agree that they are great motivators, giving a student a reason to work hard at something and a goal to aim at, but it also depends very much on the individual student. Occasionally one or two might do two exams in a year, but more often it stretches out to 18 months, which gives us time to do lots of other things as well - traditional music or duets or seasonal music - which can be very motivating too.

My students take exams as and when they want to, and as and when I recommend is a suitable point along their musical journey. For some, this is annually, or even more than once a year, but for others, it isn't. It really depends on the individual. Some alternate between practical and theory exams too. There are so many assessments available now, there is something for everyone no matter their ability. For example, the NCM's Certificate of Practical Musicianship which I now use regularly can be entered for at anytime, so we aren't restricted to when the exam sessions are.

David

Mine don't do exams very often - only if they really really want to and are prepared to put the effort in, or if it seems like the best thing to give them a bit of a nudge forward and they're happy to do it. I much prefer to 'drop down' to a grade rather than 'struggle up' to one - it means you don't have to spend so much time on the pieces. The last thing I'd want to do is spend a whole year between exams working on just three pieces - yikes. Or if there's going to be a year between exams, then spend time on other repertoire, otherwise you could get to Grade 8 having only ever learnt 24 pieces over an 8 year period - not good!

Interesting to see that people don't run straight through the grades. Do you ever have parents (or pupils!) who disagree with this approach?

I have some pupils who usually do them, but will not be taking exams this year because they simply need time to reach the standard required, learn more about music and to mature a little. However it was a struggle to convince their mum that this was a good idea...I didn't want them to do exams last year and when I arrived in the house she had bought the books and then insisted. Needless to say they got my lowest marks. This year I basically I had to say, "If they try to go on they will fail." Only when I mentioned the magic F word did she listen to me!

Another pupil I have basically wants to catch up with her friend...she wants to take grade one in April and grade 2 in December. She isn't up to that (and I wouldn't want her to do it anyway!). But herself and her mother really want it! She is a lovely kid and I would love to give her the chance to learn lots of music, and then be in a position to ace any exam she chooses to do.

To what extent do you think that 'he who pays the piper calls the tune'? Do you ALWAYS stick to your professional opinion, or do you find yourself cornered by pushy parents or students with mis-directed enthusiasm?

I gave in to a mum last summer because she suddenly started sending messages that she wanted me to put her daughter in for an exam as she'd never done one. I did think she was ready - she was a good player and had already gone past Grade One standard but I was teaching her with another child who hardly practised and I was sort of avoiding the whole thing because I didn't want to face the nightmare of teaching them both together while trying to get one of them ready for an exam when I knew the other one was unlikely ever to reach the standard.

The child concerned wasn't bothered whether she did an exam or not; she just shrugged and said she didn't mind either way. Finally I said lets go for it, and swapped her round with another child who sort of wanted to go for it too. The first child's learning partner immediately gave up violin altogether as she didn't like her new partner so I was left with a bit of a timetabling nightmare, but as it happened, within six weeks this child learnt the Grade 2 repertoire and all the scales etc and got 128, which she was thrilled about.

Then, a term later, she tells me she's decided to give up violin altogether as she wanted to focus on her dancing and all the other activities in her life. I think if she'd carried on with her original partner they'd both still be playing now, as they used to have such fun in lessons. As it was she got a great mark but now she's put her violin away for good.

However, she did give me a lovely card at Christmas saying lots of really nice things - one of the sweetest cards I've ever had from a pupil. I gave her a very heartfelt card as well - in fact I think we both nearly cried when we gave each other those cards at the last lesson. I'll never know if she'd have given up anyway, so hey ho. It was lovely teaching her anyway, and she'll always have that lovely certificate.

I do have some who go sort of straight from one exam to the next (post Grade 4 or so), but they are also the ones who play the most in-between stuff as well - in-between meaning 'at the same time/alongside' rather than 'exam over, other repertoire, then another exam'. They do well in an exam, rush off for the next Grade book, tuck in enthusiastically, then side-track for a while. The exam pieces are on the back burner, but never really abandoned. Either they'll arrive with something they've bought or I'll think of something they'd like as we go along. These are the ones who always learn the extra something for a concert rather than churn out what's already on the go and the ones who have strong opinions on what they want to do next rather than just wait to be fed. After a certain amount of time has elapsed, and an entry date is imminent, though, we all agree that the exam stuff will become stale if we're half-hearted with it any longer and they work at it in earnest. These are the ones that tend to do a Grade a year.

If they're not playing other repertoire as well, though, a grade a year is too much for them - ironically. I have two that I can think of who are religiously refusing at the minute to play anything ouside their exam stuff, and progress on those three pieces is painfully slow. They think it would be holding things back even more to 'digress' for a while, and refuse to believe that the more you play the easier it all becomes.

Don't beat yourself up about it... dancing was probably just her priority. My daughter has had to give up tap dancing this term. She enjoyed it, but her main priority is gym, and she has had to increase her hours at gym, which means she had to give up tap. Maybe she had to do more dance classes and her parents said "Enough is enough". It would have probably happened anyway and was nothing to do with the exam!!!

As much as I can, I stick to my guns, but sometimes, on rare occasions, I've had to give in. You can advise as much as you like, but in the end they have to make a descision based on your advise. In both cases I can recall, both descisions were bad ones, and both said afterwards that they should have listened to me.

David

I agree. I broadly take the line that any decision regarding exams (youngsters) is a three-way decision between pupil, parent and me. I resist pretty strongly pressure where I feel an exam is not the right next step in a child's musical journey. I have once or twice lost a pupil for that reason but I don't regret not giving in. (I still get Christmas cards from one ex-pupil's family telling me the latest exam success! )

With adults to some extent, if they insist on going ahead (as David suggested) you can only advise. Most will take that advice but sometimes not. I had an adult student a couple of years ago who very much wanted to take the next grade. We were not ready and I advised more time. For various reasons student wanted to go ahead - result - fail. No real surprise, but the first fail I can remember and so slightly galling.

I've only ever been in disagreement once with a pupil - an adult - as to whether or not to enter an exam, and he ended up with a merit when I expected a fail. Egg on the face. His pieces really were pretty poor, in my opinion, but I was forgetting how good he was at the aural tests and the sight-reading. I bit my nails until the results came out, and while I was relieved that he passed, I'd actually have preferred to see him scrape a pass rather than get a merit, as he isn't going to believe me next time round when I say "You're not ready!"