*A dilapidated building, probably suffering from 'sick building syndrome,
*dull, dilapidated and smelling very stale,
*a piano, which has been condemned by it's piano tuner yet it's used for exams up to grade 8
* an unstable piano stool which rocks from side to side when playing scales etc which cover the range of the instrument (noticeable at higher grades)
*several pianos for warming up, at different pitches, none of them being the same as the exam piano

This is one of our local exam centres. Is yours any worse?

Associated Board - A late 20th century church of modern design with a glazed screen separating the entrance from the exam room. As you enter you can watch and hear the current victim as you whisper your arrival to the steward. I was stunned the first time I went there. How could anyone have thought that was acceptable as an venue? The piano is always OK as it's hired. But there's no piano in the warm-up room which is in the building next door.

I try to avoid AB exams for many reasons but that's a big one.

Lots of exam centres don't have a warm-up piano in the waiting room. If you are so dissatisfied with your local centre, why not suggest an alternative venue to your local rep?

That's a very negative comment. Care to enlighten us?

I can think of an excellent one locally I can also think of one which we have nicknamed the 'menagerie' but that's a long story!

The centre near to me has always been great - great piano, warm up room with piano, lovely lady who has been there for years checking everyone in & making the younger children feel relaxed etc.

I do have one question though - I now work at a school where they get a special visit from the ABRSM and the piano they have is a digital. I do teach on a digital at the school (portacabins with extreme temperatures do not lend themselves to 'real' pianos unfortunately .... or teachers sometimes ) but many students practise on accoustic pianos at home and I didn't know they allowed digital pianos. Better than a horrendous piano as mentionned earlier though.

What does anyone else think?

The one we are using at the moment is excellent. Facilities great and the exam room is perfect for singers. Huge waiting room with comfy sofas and overall a positive experience for my pupils. However sadly this centre is only temporary as the main one has been having building work done so has not been available for the past 2 sessions.
I hear that they may be making us go back to the old one after work has been completed. The waiting room there was an old kitchen with high back dining room chairs to sit on all lined up in a row. Cats and dogs around with a note on the door to not let them in the house but the cats were so quick as you open the door they flew past you and were in! My accompanist said the piano there was awful. He took his hands off the piano at the end of a piece and the sound continued - oops! They did hire one in though as there were lots of complaints.
So we have had the two extremes - one super and one not!
Vicki1433

One of the problems here is that we don't have an HLR and haven't had for some time now; it means that all enquiries have to directed to London. Although the exams have settled at one venue now, the owner isn't the HLR. As far as I know, no attempt has been made to find another HLR which is a pity. I'd be quite happy to do it!

Dunno about the worst centre, but for a while we certainly had the worst steward. She would be constantly fussing over the children, suggesting they removed jackets or cardigans( this to teenage girls - with a parent present!); offering unsolicited advice as to whether they played pieces or scales first; and - at which point I wrote to the AB - after asking a young candidate which pieces she was playing , remarked 'Oh, not another Creepy Crawly! Don't you think the examiners get tired of hearing the same pieces all the time?' .

The other 78 stewards I've encountered have been universally pleasant, calming and remarkably unofficious.

I was just about to suggest that, David. You'd think they'd be glad to have someone offering! Presuming you have, of course?

No I haven't offered yet, but maybe I should

My local centre (Scunthorpe) Is a fantastic centre. We are in a modern Methodist Church, where the acoustics are fantastic. The piano and the piano stool are great (they are hired), there is a piano in the waiting room which is a fantastic added bonus, and the steward is the most lovely person you could hope to meet! I have absoloutly no complaints about it at all. Fantastic!

Regards,
Danny

This particular centre has normally a rather large number of candidates each session and can have up to 3 venues/examiners during the exam session. One of the other centres is fantastic and it is so unfair that some candidates can take their practical exams in luxury while others end up in a tip.

You really don't mince your words, do you?
Maybe I'll stick with TG after all...

Matlock is a fairly decent centre IMHO but Derby I try to avoid at all costs!!

With the posts about churches/ church halls being used I started to wonder what happens if a member of a congregation dies & they need to use the church for a funeral during an exam period? (....Sorry - feeling morbid today). Or if the church hall is used for exams & there is something like a funeral & they need to use the hall for catering for the wake afterwards. I mean you can't really plan for funerals, can you and over here there is usually only 2 days (at the most 3 days) between the death & the funeral?

Ours moved from Stourbridge to Netherton. It is very nice, and you can warm up in the theatre, then use the brand new Yamaha for your exam in a bright warm room. Luckily they have brought the same lady steward with the move. A really nice, comforting lady, probably Grandma age group.. Calmed me down a couple of times
Bev

Our exams are a sort of cross between a proper centre and a special visit. The examiner who comes to this part of France does a sort of round trip. When he/she comes here there are only my pupils to be examined. We use the only premises available - the school which kindly houses the Association's piano. We use one classroom for the waiting room and for warm up I provide 2 synthesisers with ear phones. Not a lot of help for practising interpretation but OK for warming up scales etc.

Our local representative brings the examiner and checks out the organisation of the session.
The pupils take the exam on the piano on which they gave been learning. It's a digital and we push it out of the "cupboard" where I teach into the largest and nicest classroom (and the coolest as it is often very hot here in June) I provide cold drinks and quiet games in the waiting room and refreshments for the examiner.


I woufd give anything to have the conditions in which we could use a good acoustic piano - but such conditions don't exist here. We had a very nice Roland digital which served very well for many years and then died a smoky electrical death. This year we have a Kawai which I dislike. I am trying to sell it so we can replace it with a Roland. On the original Roland we went up to Grade 6 and I think that's perfectly feasible. A good digital is a better bet than a poor acoustic - both for pianist candidates and for accompanists.

Our exam centre may not be the best but the atmosphere is always cheerful. It's usually quite a festive occasion.

In one of our local centres there was a funeral and several brass candidates had to be delayed so the sound wouldn't carry through to the church. As for catering afterwards, if our own church hall has been booked for something then unfortunately it is not available. Not sure what happens in the case of catering after funerals and exams though - our church isn't an exam centre .... yet!