I made the logical assumption that once I passed Grade 7 piano I would just continue on to Grade 8.

I am in my mid 40s and although I do not feel under any great pressure of time , I do have children coming up needing lessons too in the next few years. So, as my supply of money to pay for lessons is not endless I felt if I progressed and did Grade 8 now while I am in the mood then in a year or two I would be finished with lessons and then the children would have their lessons and I wouldn't be paying out for us all.

Now my mother said today "of course you won't be starting Grade 8 just yet dear ......surely you want to have a rest first .... "

So was just so mad when she said this !!

Am I making a big mistake just continuing onto grade 8 so soon - I do feel ready for the challenge and would plan to do the exam in about 12 months or so.

Elizabeth

I think if you feel ready for the challenge and have a plan to get there, there's no reason on earth why you shouldn't push on to grade 8.

The only person, other than youself, who can really judge how realistic your plan is, is your teacher. Talk to them and get their view. But in principle I can't see why you don't go for it.


Best of luck

What does your teacher think?
If you've only just done grade 7 then you might need some time playing a varied repertoire before you are really ready.
Also if you really like the piano you could find it hard to see grade 8 as the end...... I saw it as more of a beginning and had no intentions of stopping lessons then.
Maybe your children won't want to learn. I had a similar idea when mine were younger but neither of my two stuck with it.

It depends on the individual and why you're having lessons and whether when you have grade 8 you'll think "OK I have grade 8 I can play the piano I don't really want any more lessons"
I started learning when my youngest was 3 after some 26 years of not playing anything ( I'd given up playing aged 11, having literally scraped grade 3, and been labelled as "useless at playing the piano"). So I restarted lessons, was amazed when my then teacher suggested after some months maybe we do an exam (grade 5); changed teacher & eventually took grade 6. For me the joy was in learning to play music of all styles and eras not just aiming for an exam, and, when I passed grade 8 earlier this year, sure I was overjoyed about it but it never entered my head to stop lessons - the more I've learned the more I realise that I want to know more, and to work to keep improve my playing.
Are you happy to go straight onto working on grade 8 pieces - which just by the length of them take time to work up to exam standard. or do you want to play a variety of music and broaden your knowledge before tackling 3 grade 8 pieces?

I think you are a little bit too old to let a remark like this have much influence on what you choose to do.


Understandable. You may find it valuable to reflect and meditate on why you are so strongly affected by such a comment.

I think you are mistaken if you think that once you reach grade 8 you'll no longer need lessons. While you are working towards Grade 8 it seems to be some monumental achievement that you might reach. When you reach it you realize that you have barely started on the road to pianistic excellence - there is so much more to learn.

I very much doubt it ... but there is no need to think of it as "doing Grade 8". It is more useful to focus on improving as a pianist ... and one day you realize that you are playing well enough to pass a Grade 8 exam, so you p-repare the specific pieces, enter, and take it.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything Tom says here. Grade 8 does not mean "i'm done and I don't have to take lesson's anymore". That is a dangerous attitude.

Absolutely ! Once you've passed Grade 8 you'll realise that you've finally got the foundations under your belt (perhaps) , and that NOW you can start to learn to play.[b] the fun stuff is all ahead.

(I can understand your frustration though).

If you feel ready to just go ahead and get cracking on the pieces. Do'nt forget to practise your scales also !

The first thing my clarinet teacher said to me in the first lesson after my Grade VIII was "Now the hard work really begins". That was over half a life ago and I still think he was right.

It's a wonderful feeling to have completed all of the grade exams for your instrument, but some pieces are far more demanding than Grade VIII.

Thank you all for your replies - they have been most valuable to me. I live in a small town where the attitude is generally that once you have done grade 8 then "you're done" so your insights into what lies beyond grade 8 have been most helpful. I guess when a lot of people here do grade 8 they are in their late teens and then head off to university and their life changes course with music sometimes taking a back seat to other things.

I think I am mad at my mother because every now and then she has a "go" at me by implying that I have taken too much on or am tackling something that is beyond me. I know there is a huge amount of work, I know I have a busy schedule but I truly believe I will be able to achieve it because I am motivated and I have a fab teacher to guide me. I think my mother took the wind out of my sail a bit, that's all, and yes, Tom, I should be way too old to let it bother me !!! Thanks for the wake up call, I will put her comments behind me !!!

When I came out of my Grade 6 exam I honestly felt I could never achieve Grade 8. Now 2 years later, I feel much more able to cope with the demands and expectations and I am excited at starting to prepare for it - looking at different pieces, thinking about what pieces I like, what pieces suit me, what will challenge me, what pieces will help me learn new skills etc.

Elizabeth

I've had similar reactions from my Mother when I announce that I'm about to embark on x, y or z -"Don't you think you are taking on too much, dear?" etc - it drives me crackers - I know exactly how you feel. She doesn't understand the pleasure and satisfaction that I get from tackling difficult stuff and pushing on with exams and so on. Life would be so boring if we never tried to do anything beyond the obvious and mundane. If you want to do grade 8, go for it. I did mine a few years ago and it felt like a big piece of unfinished business was behind me!

I used to think Grade 8 was the pinnacle of musical achievement - after all there was no grade 9 so obviously once you had grade 8 you could play anything, couldn't you? Then last summer, aged 48, I finally took (& passed) grade 8 piano . At my next lesson (September) my teacher said something along the lines of: "Right, now we can start to teach you some technique!"

Pity poor mother.....
she is probably genuinely worried (and I'm talking about all of them, not just Elizabeth's) and doesn't want to see you burdening yourselves with too much hard work for what is, to her, no good reason. (i.e no financial reward or plaudit)

There was a topic in the Parents forum recently about children who take on too much - music in this case. Mothers don't stop being mothers just because you're 46 not 16.

All you can do is smile sweetly and reassure her that this is your idea of relaxation and a good time. Then when she's gone home pour yourself a g+t and get on with some practice.

Here here!!

Lot's of T and not too much G: I don't know about anyone else but even a small amount of alcohol can ruin my playing.

Agree with Rob here. Even half a glass of wine, and I play like Les Dawson
Do grade 8 Elizabeth, and enjoy it.
Beverley.

I get the same comment from mine, with every exam I take, course I embark on, pupil I take on etc. etc
It must just be mothers.
I take on far too much musically - accompanying - weekly church services - development courses. Each time she says exactly the same. But my philosophy is "what else would I be doing???? watching Coronation Street? - no thanks I'd rather practice the piano.

This is so me! I watch very little telly. I came in from Girl guides tonight (Christmas concert) at 10.15pm. Husband is watching part of a dull-as-dishwater documentary so I went into the music room and have just finished 30 mins piano 30 mins harp. Now I am off to bed to revise Italian / Fench / German 6ths before my theory lesson on Thurs!

I do love this musical life I now lead!

By the way - feedback on my teacher was that I will start Grade 8 about Feb/March giving me half a term of playing loads of different things. She has advised me to move to TG as she feels it will suit me better ..... but when she saw me getting twitchy about not starting right away she said I am allowed to start my scales and technical exercises as a compromise!! I can look at the pieces and think about them too. Woo Hoo! I have several pieces out of previous AB Grade 6/7/8 books that I have really liked and will tackle these once I have got my Christmas music out of the way to keep me playing around this level.

Elizabeth

It doesn't look as if your mother's comment will have any long-lasting effect on your decision and the very fact that you're cross and that you're writing on the Forum about this shows there is a part of you who views Grade 8 as an ejoyable - if challenging - thing to do. Listen to your mother or, rather, hear what your mother says ... but listen to that part of you who invites you to carry on ! This is the real you! Go ahead and best of luck.

I'm convinced that for some mothers at least it equates to 'Less time for me, me , ME'.

Hope you enjoy the journey to Grade 8, Elizabeth21. It's been a very long one for me.

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I'm convinced that for some mothers at least it equates to 'Less time for me, me , ME'.

Hope you enjoy the journey to Grade 8, Elizabeth21. It's been a very long one for me.
[/quote]

I disagree. We may all have faulty memories and forget that just a few weeks ago we were drinking tea with same mother and telling her how worried we were that a) we hoped we had done enough for the exam, b) the standard is so high, c) how awful it would be if it was failed, d) we so want to pass.

And then when it's all over we go in for another one! Poor mum! She knows she will be doling out the tea and listening to another moan in a year or so when it happens again.

Oh, quite possibly! But not all mothers are like that.

And I have to say that my own late mother didn't fall into either of the above categories as far as my own exams were concerned. She was proud of me when I passed them, but 'knew' I was going to do well so it would have been a waste of time to tell her of my insecurities.

In terms of finance, why don't you continue to do Grade 8, and afterwards, get a Certificate on Teaching, so that you can teach your kids yourself? You will be able to save some money for your own professional development and your children can also learn to play.

Is this suggestion a bit naive? Ignore me if this doesn't work for you.