Hello All!

I was wondering if you could help me. The situation is this...

I hope to go to University in 2006 to study music. Minimum requirements is Grade 8 on principal instrument. I have played guitar for about 4 years (although have no grades) and I have grade 4 in piano. I'd hope to be studying guitar there, but only have two years to get up to a grade 8 level. If i were to study full time, ie. all day every day, do you think i could get up to grade 8 level?

hopefully, it's a yes.

thanks a lot

joe

Assuming you have a good teacher and are prepared to put in HOURS of practice and have the ability ....

It's perfectly possible to pass grade 8 in two years from scratch; to actually be grade 8 standard it's highly unlikely that you'd be that good, but since all that you need to do to get in is pass the exam then yes it could be done. If you've been playing for 4 years then you've got a lot more chance than someone who has just started. It depends how good you are now; but I would think that you should be able to at least scrape the exam if that's what matters, you can catch up to actually be that good later.

Yes, I did an instrument from scratch to grade 8 in 2 years (3rd instrument) but in that time scale I knew I wouldn't have the time to learn all the scales (there are so many and it seems impossible when you jump into grade 8) and so I made the conscious decision not to learn them at all! My teacher didn't know that I wasn't bothering - says a lot about her! I thought that I would get enough marks with my pieces, sight-reading and aural to pass and I did. Amazingly I got 12 marks for my scales and I could only play about 2! I wouldn't recommend it though. You are obviously a much better musician to take it more slowly and absorb a lot of repertoire.

Someone I know did grade 8 sax in 3 terms. I don't think he'd been playing that long.

That's what I'm doing. But only so I could finish it all before I go to college. I finished most of my scales, though. BUT I'm going to continue taking lessons after my 8th grade exam, because like AnotherPianist said, passing an exam is easy to do, but reaching the actual 8th grade level is something that takes more than just 2 years.

QUOTE (Yaranak @ Oct 26 2004, 11:56 AM)

but reaching the actual 8th grade level is something that takes more than just 2 years.

yes,agree.

Hi,

I'm going to make an assumption, which may be wrong, that you are currently working towards your A levels?

Trying to do those and reach grade 8 in the time scale is going to seriously overload you. I have a student who did reach the standard in that timescale but he had no other commitments and was extremely dedicated doing hours upon hours a day.

I wish you all the very best, it is possible but a year out may be worth consideration

I'm taking my grade VII in December and have been playng for 3 years, and did grd VII Clarinet after 9 months; if I can do it anybody can!!!
Alex
xxxx

I would also think that it is possible to pass grade 8 in two years if you have already had a fair grounding in musical knowledge (as evidenced by your 4 years experience in guitar playing plus a grade 4 in piano). I think there will always be this tussle between the pursuit of art for art itself and the pursuit of art because of the need for some qualifications. I suppose in this day and age where qualifications do mean a lot we cannot ignore the need for qualifications, even if it may seem to detract from the real objective in making music- to communicate feeling. After all, like what you said, qualifications form the pre-requisite to entry at college and you are running out of time. Under these circumstances, I am sure if you put your heart and mind to it you will definitely be able to do it in two years. This idoes not suggest in any way that the exam would be easy to pass. But i would think that anyone who sincerely wishes to play the pieces and scales stipulated in the grade 8 syllabus would be able to do it if they put in enough time and effort. I wish you all the Best!!

QUOTE

I'm going to make an assumption, which may be wrong, that you are currently working towards your A levels?

yes, you are wrong. :-P I'm working full time and it's just hit me that this is not what i want to be doing. i want a career in music and working where i work aint gonna give me that. i plan to quit my job and study furiously to get my the grade 8 so i can get into university.

thanks a lot for your help everyone!

joe

Depends on what instrument. I'd fall of my chair if anyone achieved this on the violin.

QUOTE

i plan to quit my job and study furiously to get my the grade 8 so i can get into university.

Ahh, thats good, I had awful visions of you trying to do both! Quitting your job, giving you all the spare time and given your musical grounding G8 in two years is definately achievable although very hard work and I wish you all the very best.

I would to!

seems like a very tough job......
u can manage by working like a dog day and night but make sure that u do get to learn something musically in the process and not just practice mechanically.
i just passed my grade 7 and my teacher is advising me to give my grade 8 after 2 yrs and not next yr!
whew!dnt think its all that tough. and i wanna study music from 2006 too.(I`ll be graduating from college next yr)......
by the way.......where r u going to apply and how do u plan to go about doing so?

all the best for ur practice.......work hard and i am sure u`ll make it.

Possible. Just practice correctly. Pretty hard though. You need one good teacher to guide you through

Yes you could do it. I've been playing guitar for 2 years 9 months and I'm working on Grade 7 just now (not done it yet though). If you have taken guitar seriously in your years playing then you will be able to manage as long as you are willing to put in the practice.