Hi,

I have a new pupil, age 8, who has been learning G1 piano since age 6. This child was due to sit G1 exam last autumn but the teacher no longer agreed to teach because the child's parent did not pay (the parent says otherwise!). Consequently the child was not entered for the exam.

I have been asked to start teaching this child G2. I feel that not to sit the exam (G1) would be soul-destroying for this child after all the hard work. I have checked the syllabus and believe with hard work I could successfully put this child through G1 in the summer. Some work needs to be done in terms of rhythms and aural, etc. however.

I was just wondering what anybody thought. To start on G2 (even though the child seems well at G1 standard) would, to my mind, disillusion this child after all the effort to get to G1 stage and not get a certificate. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

If more work needs to be done to pass Grade 1, how could the parent suggest (I presume it is the parent suggesting) you start working on Grade 2? That doesn't sound like a good idea for you or the child! Don't be pushed into a quick decision one way or the other.

There is already a bit of a question mark over this parent with the circumstances surrounding departure from the previous teacher, so I would be doubly cautious about this grade 2 business. Warning lights/bells are ringing - stick to your guns!

Alarm bells are definitely ringing! Has she been working on the Grade One syllabus for two years?

Especially as Grade 2 piano is so much more difficult than Grade 1 with regard to scales and sight reading. Is the parent aware of this, I wonder?

That was the first thing I found myself wondering as I read the original post.

It sounds as though exams might be the only item on the agenda, in which case yes, definitely warning bells.

Anyway, I'd want to work for a half term at least with a new pupil before I would feel confident that I'd formed a realistic picture of her capabilities. I certainly would not be rushed into any decision.

Aren't we allowing this whole Grade thing to become too important here? After all, what are Grade exams really for? Do you take a Grade exam so you can pass the Grade exam, or do you do it to improve your musicianship?

One of the best students I ever inherited had never taken a grade exam in her life! She'd been living and studying violin in France where they don't have grade exams, yet she was and still is a fantastic player - she still hasn't taken a grade exam. I've lost count of the numbers of students I've inherited who are 'grade 1' but can barely play a note. I didn't take a grade exam until grade 5 because my Hungarian teacher didn't have a clue what they were; neither did my mother who is Viennese, yet both of them were in a different ball-park musically speaking to most English people at the time. Sorry and all that but it was true!

One of my most talented little pupils (aged 7) has never shown any interest in exams till now; I've mentioned them to her from time to time but she was unmoved by the idea. Then yesterday she suddenly said: 'Id like to do grades'. 'What makes you say that all of a sudden?' I asked her. 'Cos some of my friends at school have done grades and I want to be the same,' she said. I mentioned it to her dad when he came to pick her up; they're not English and he'd never really heard of grade exams. He shrugged and said 'if she wants to do them, fine - but as long as she keeps enjoying the violin because that's the main thing.'

My sentiments entirely.

It's OK, I'm on the case for this eventuality - she already knows all her Grade 1 scales and arpeggios, she has already learnt one of the pieces (it's in one of the books she's been working on), and she's brilliant at the aural side of things. So all she has to do is practise her sight-reading and learn two more pieces - it doesn't have to become a huge deal, which is how I prefer it, and which is how the enjoyment doesn't get squeezed out...

I love those kind of parents. Must admit I'm getting more like that than I used to - especially since leaving the prep school. If all teachers had the same approach perhaps 'exam madness' would stop.

BusyBee, this is the ideal dad - he's wonderful. He's always interested to know what we've done in the lesson but not in a pushy way - just genuinely...interested. So we play him a little duet or she plays her latest piece and he listens appreciatively and intelligently. If she's struggled with something I've given her to practise he always tells me, and so does she during the lesson because although she's only 8 she wants to learn things properly. She's the best pupil you can possibly imagine and so sweet that whenever any of my other students get to meet her they're utterly charmed.

May she always remain the lovely little person she is, and believe me I'll take her through the whole grade 1 process with the lightest touch imaginable - I don't want anything to come between her and her love of her violin.

I don't think I'm obsessed with exams, but I do think they're important.

My older daughter (10) is very shy and lacks confidence - as I was as a child. Exams are one way in which she can experience stressful situations before it matters.

Lots of people enter music festivals instead. I think they're more stressful and we have never bothered with those, though she does often play in end of term concerts at our local music school. I think exams are a good preparation for university or job interviews in later life. I did piano exams as a child, and never had any problems with nerves, but gave up at 11, and never did anything similar in my teen years. I now cannot play anything by myself in public. I also have problems with nerves at job interviews and with public speaking, which I know hold me back at work. I think if children get used to performing as a young age and carry on with it, this is much less likely to happen.

From the musical side of things, I think exams are a good focus on things other than playing pieces. I'm sure lots of people would never bother with scales, sight-reading and aural if they didn't need them for exams!

What! I can't believe this view of musical education. When I was a child I did the occasional exam when my teacher (my mother) felt some kind of marker post/outside assessment was required. I never even took Grade One. My first exams were Step One and Three LCM, a long gap, then straight in at Grade 2. I did Grade 3 somewhere, missed Grade 4, and caught up with the higher grades when I was much older and mature enough to know what I was playing about.

I never stopped sight-reading because I loved sight-reading. Ok - I was so lucky to have a musical family with loads of music available and two hours a week browsing in the music shop with Mum while she chose repertoire for her pupils. To say that teachers/pupils wouldn't bother with sight-reading without exams is so sad. Scales and aural are part and parcel, the nuts and bolts of music - it's how we teach and communicate with music, through aural and visual means.

Pupils can get lots of practice performing in informal situations and still gain confidence. Exams are a test and that's it - no more!

These were my sentiments entirely upon reading the original post. I also agree with violinia. I think it could be soul-destroying to spend any longer simply working for an exam - any exam, be it Grade One or Two. If it was me, I'd suggest playing lots of fun repertoire at Grade 1-2 level, choosing pieces that would improve whatever you feel is lacking, and work on aural, etc, at the same time. Apart from anything else, it would give you time to get the measure of the pupil, which can take a while when one teacher takes over from another. I'd enter her for Grade 2 when you feel she's ready, and when you feel she needs a goal after having some fun.

Well if they don't they should! About half my pupils, maybe even less than half, take exams. Regardless of that, everyone learns scales, sight reading and aural skills. I wouldn't allow them not to!

I've probably said this somewhere before, but the AB syllabus is not a teaching syllabus!

Having said that, almost all my pupils actually do do exams, but not always every grade, and the syllabus is there as a test and a goal, and is not definitive teaching material.

To go back to the original question... Which I'm not about to answer

I think it might be a good idea to talk to the parents before any decisions are made. explain to them where the child is at, what needs to be done to meet the exam goal. If the child is struggling then the parents will need to understand which bits need working on.

The problem with us parents when our children start on musical journeys, expecially if we haven't been on one ourselves, we have no idea what standard the child is expected to be to pass an exam. Teachers obviously know, those who have had music lessons themselves will have an idea but non-musical parents can easily be fooled into thinking that the child is prepared. Some of us will learn with time but if they have no idea they can hardly be blamed.

You have to give the Parents and pupils a chance to decide for themselves with the facts and evidence if you can provide it.

I wonder if Teachers recorded their pupils just before an exam whether it would help. The other pupils could listen to the recording, without knowing who's playing, to help them understand where they need to be more. It might help to put standards into perspective.

I see what you mean, but schools use exams as practice for future situations all the time: tests prepare for mocks; mocks prepare for SATS; SATS prepare for GCSEs; GCSEs prepare for A-levels - these intermediary stages, while important in themselves, are not the ultimate goal. GCSEs were important when I was 15 - now they're not; they've been superseded.

Personally, I took instrumental exams far too seriously - they were incredibly important to me - and, as a consequence, I was paralysed with nerves and didn't always do as well as I should have done (no, I didn't fail any, but I sometimes got merits when I could probably have had distinctions).

So I shouldn't think Soccermom is proposing to make out this exam isn't worth working for, but it's not Grade VIII and, to an extent, it is a preparation for higher levels.

[quote name='notmusimum' date='Mar 10 2008, 01:57 PM' post='674893'
You have to give the Parents and pupils a chance to decide for themselves with the facts and evidence if you can provide it.
[/quote]


Yes - I think you are right there and most parents just need confident reassurance from teachers that their child is learning and not wasting time every week. Evidence is very important and can be provided by informal end-of-term concerts, demonstrations etc.

However (and a big however), some parents still insist that child A takes Grade One asap because child B down the road passed it six months ago, they need it for their CV (at that age!) and so on. As I said in another post somewhere I am getting more enquiries from parents who are happy to give their child the time and space in which to learn. Actually, I have had one or two Mums agree to lessons on the condition that exams were not to be on the agenda. Those children will be the ones who surprise us in the end with great results! Then there might be a case to persuade the parent to let the child sit an exam

P.S I'm not sure about letting them decide for themselves though - I mean they are paying us for our guidance and advice as well as the teaching

I was very shy and lacking in self-confidence as a child. I took music exams on piano and violin from age 10 and found them increasingly stressful. I am still incapable of playing in public, don't come across well in interviews and have trouble making myself heard at meetings. I don't think the exams were any preparation whatsoever for coping with nerves in later life and I think are largely responsible for my on-going phobia about playing in public.


I was (still am) the same. I also found scales a good stress-reliever when I was in the 6th form and when I came home from work (before I had children who demand my attention).

I obviously didn't put this quite right, but I didn't mean that music exams don't matter or that their primary purpose is to practise coping with stressful situations. And I certainly don't tell the children that. They know I want them to do their best, that they will only do that if they prepare properly, and that when it's all over we'll reflect and discuss the examiners' comments. But I don't treat it as a disaster if they don't always get distinctions, as some parents seem to do. My cello teacher told me the other day that one of her pupils had recently given up. The girl did her grade 3 at the same as my daughter (last Summer) and had passed (with about 113, I think) but neither she or her parents had ever bothered to collect the certificate or mark sheet which I thought was rather sad. Another girl I know insisted on re-taking her G4 violin as she "only" got 128. Rather amusingly, I thought at the time, she got exactly the same mark second time round.

And for the record, I am absolutely not advocating that teachers shouldn't bother with scales, sight-reading and aural, all of which I think are important, but that some seem only to do so when an exam is looming, and as a bit of an afterthought.

I have to admit I was struggling to explain to my 10 yr old just why scales were so important earlier tonight. She quite enjoys playing them on the piano (though gets annoyed that she has to do so many) but but is going through a bad patch with her violin ones which were OK a month ago. This is not good timing as she takes G5 on Friday! We spent about 20 minutes just on G sharp minor this evening, and I think she has finally decided on the fingering she is going to use - and has just about cracked it.

That sadly seems to be true in a lot of cases

What can I say about parents who want something for their kids that someone else has!!! It's just stupid!!!

I think what I was trying to say came across a bit wrong.... In this instance the parent was pushing for the child to take an exam. I meant that it might be good for the Teacher under these circumstances to help the parents understand why their child wasn't ready for the exam. I didn't quite mean to just let them choose without support.

The thing that came to me really was a family we know who has a child learning the Piano, they say they are Grade 2 but haven't taken any exams. I actually think if they heard a G2 Pianist that they would understand things for themselves. Sometimes Parents just need educating and this might be difficult for a second teacher especially.

David I'm sure a s a private teacher you will use all the methods at your disposal to help your students. Those taught through school, especially if music is not high on the schools priority list, will rarely get to hear people playing solo of a similar or higher standard.

I'd take issue with you on festivals here. A good festival will have classes appropriate to the stage the child is at, e.g. grade 1 piano solo. This gives the child a good idea of the sort of standard grade 1 candidates are at, and the atmosphere isn't usually too competitive although there may be medals, certificates, etc. It can be a mistake to enter by age, as there could be some prodigy who makes your child feel terrible, but entering by grade is a good idea.

I think the best things about a festival (if the adjudicator is good) are:

1. Instant feedback. The performance you have just given is commented on while you can still remember it. Good points are highlighted, and you get pointers for improvement.

2. You can learn a lot from listening to what the adjudicator praises in other children's performances, and what he criticises.

3. It's a real performance - people clap at the end, and as most of the audience consists of parents, it's usually a nice experience.

By contrast, an exam is a strange thing. You get no feedback at all on the day, either written or in the form of applause, and it can be quite offputting to have the examiner just say "When you're ready" between pieces! And you have no idea how well you've done, because the only person you hear is yourself.

Why not give a festival a go and see whether you are still as negative about them?

I've actually found pupils to be more stressed by festivals than by exams too. If they are assured by their teacher (me) that they should safely pass an exam, and that that room has been left for unforeseen nervous errors, they are usually happy enough to go through the process; nobody hears the little blunders but the examiner, and they will never see him again! In a festival situation, there is an audience of judgemental parents and teachers, all willing their own entrant to win, and I've had tears to deal with on a couple of occasions from pupils who played well but maybe made one small slip-up that left them feeling that they'd let themselves down. Somehow they don't feel the same pressure at student concerts; I try to keep the atmosphere relaxed and friendly and, while some are nervous, it's still enjoyable.

But I don't think the original poster was really wondering about the pros and cons of exams and their alternatives per se; I think she was just wondering whether or not to put this particular child through Grade 1, given the circumstances.