there is still a month (if im unlucky) or two (if im lucky) until my diploma exam. i feel so unprepared.
my last exam was a year and a half before, and, this is my program:

Mozart K573 nine variations in D on the minuet by Duport (spent nine months on this)
Brahms op118 no3 ballade (only had two months time spent on this)
Debussy La plus que lente (probably had 7 months on this one)
Prokofiev op22 no 8, 14, 19, 20. vision fugitives. (4 months?)

i know most people spend nearly 2 years preparing for this exam. do you think it is rushing things a little to go to an exam with this little time to prepare my peices? or do people just improve their technique and prepare their program for less than a year before the exam like i did?

do you guys think my program's balanced? but, to be quite honest, i wouldn't try changing anything at this stage, with just a month or so until my exam. hmm..maybe excuses to why it's unbalanced would help be bettter (if, by any chance, it IS unbalanced and dont meet the requirements )

im actually still finding some notes to the prokofiev and debussy, but i completely memorised mozart and brahms (my fav peices) and im practising full on during the school holidays. i also think im short in time too. my teacher told me to repeat some variations in mozart, and not the others, which i find quite weird. do you think i should repeat all that's written, or just some, or not at all? (but im short in time)

It is impossible to give you advice based on time spent/time left in this situation, because what counts is what you have done with your time, not how much of it you've had. I'm not sure which dip it is you're attempting - there have been forum members who've been ready to tackle a next one only a term or two later, and others who have had the idea of their dips some years before actually going for them. For my LGSMD I had to change my programme before it was accepted by Trinity, and then started work on one of my pieces only about three months before the exam, having started learning one of the others some eighteen months previously, so that is how varied preparation times can be. Have an idea of where the work needs to be put in, focus on that, keep what is already going well just coasting along, and make sure that programme notes are done soon if you haven't done them already and your dip requires them. I'd not give equal attention to all pieces, but rather dole it out in order of need - it isn't a great idea to rely on favourite and well-studied pieces to haul the weaker ones out of the danger zone, because it can show up weaker spots more clearly than if your programme is reasonably evenly balanced. I can't comment on the specifics of your programme's balance as I'm not knowledgeable enough. On repeats/timing I'd say - play the whole programme through, as if doing your exam, and time it. Then time individual items. I'm not really clear if your programme is looking too long or too short - yes, you can tweak it by fiddling around with repeats, but be sure that you could justify that musically too. I'd be inclined to be consistent with whatever adjusting you do that way, if at all possible.

A month is still a good chunk of time....providing that time is well used. Very best of luck .

Don't panic, Bella! As you're short on time, if you already know a short Baroque piece which you could polish, your programme might benefit from the addition. However, this needs to be carefully discussed with your teacher, and I agree that with only a month or two to go you shouldn't alter the rest of your current programme.

You need to trust your teacher a little more on the Mozart, too, I think; it's fine to repeat some things and not others - you need to have a good musical reason for it though, so talk to your teacher and find out why (s)he has suggested it. If you know you have a viva voce where you will be asked to justify what you've done, it will be important that you have a reason.

I hope you do well in your exam. Do post and let us know how it goes.

yes, i get what you mean by a month could be used productively. but, i seriously have no idea what weak points i need to polish up before the exam. maybe i should talk to my teacher about it
is it really neccessary to add a baroque in there? mozart=classical brahms=romantic debussy=late romantic prokofiev= modern. so...brahms and debussy are seperate groups right?
yes, i should need to explain in the viva, which im dreading. i am bad with talks and sight reading. my voice breaks when im nervous...any tips?

No, it's not necessary - I thought you said your programme was a little short, so I just suggested it as a filler.

I think you should talk to your teacher about all your worries - that's what (s)he's there for!

Hi Bella, with this actually I reply more to myself in term of brainstorming than to you.

So, I also just have 2 weeks left, am feeling so unprepared, haven't started the first sentence for the VivaVoce yet, am suddenly and unexpectedly so much busier with my non-musical life; and I must say that if the exam is held right now, then for sure I fail. That's it, plain and simple.

But I still have 2 more weeks to turn around my failure & to save the $270 fee; as for you, you have 4 weeks.

So, I divide my 10-pieces program into 4 independent units that I practice individually. I do practice performing each of them, not just practice playing it. I do it 3 times each day and each is 2 hours. Our total program is 35m, so in 2 hours I can repeat the program twice. Do sit down, forget anything else and 'perform'.

I play your instrument, the piano, and I do think my instrument (the guitar) is more meticulous than the piano. There are simply more ways to strike the guitar strings for producing so many kinds of timbres than to hit the piano tuts. The phrasal memorization is a bit of problem too for me right now. So, I note down which is which and what is what. That way, if I make a mistake in this performing practice, I at least can avoid the same mistake in the next performing practice. In each of this performing practice, if you make any mistake, don't stop! Continue playing like in a real performance. This way you can also learn how to manage your real performance when disaster happens on the stage. Do learn to forget about that mistake as you go on playing the piece; and do not show any facial grimace or frustrated body language after the mistake. It's really a bad thing on stage.

Then, for your viva-voce, use the technology. Talk and record your own voice as you explain about the pieces you play. We can pretty much anticipate the kinds of questions that will storm us, right? So, think about the answer, then record your own voice. This way you'll start to remember catchy phrases to say, or to learn about your public-speaking problem.

If we've done this all and still fail, it's all right. At least we fail gloriously.

No?

wow, thanks for the advice. performing practise i must try. also i think the recording is pretty cool too. to be honest, i havent actually thought what questions they might shoot at me

thanks a lot for your advice JD and best wishes for your exam.

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thanks a lot for your advice JD and best wishes for your exam.
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Thanks bella. Here are some more few general notes from practicing like that. [Again, writing to you also helps to remind my self and to get clear ]

1. Think about the transition from one piece to the other. Say (on the piano) you play Schubert impromptu no 3 then Rachmaninoff prelude no5 in Gm right after that. Meaning the whole texture changes from arpeggios to practically banging the piano. I notice that kind of transition somehow stiffens my finger on the guitar. It's like after whispering you must yell out. I overcome this with learning to 'switch my mindset' quickly during that minute pause;

2. I notice that 'actively & consciously thinking about the phrases and the pieces' when I'm at work or without the guitar helps a lot! I suddenly realize that before I used to just practice then 'forget' about what I practiced when I did other things. No wonder I always 'forget' and repeat the same mistake all the time! It's like reading a novel, that you put it down for work and forget about it while working. Now, when you get back to reading it again, don't you somehow feel alienated from the story and kinda forced to get involved again with the book, no? Now imagine if at work you keep on thinking or remembering about the story in that novel. Then when you get back to your reading again later on, you can then really "continue" reading! Or in our case, "continue" practicing. So, the sequence is like "practice-remember-practice" .. and not "practice - drop it - practice the same mistakes again". Now, what I 'remember' or 'think' is the parts that I've been practicing repetitively earlier.

3. Practicing for 2 hours 3 times a day is indeed good! I learn that this method actually allows the muscle to start memorizing the repeated movement that we do. As such that when I practice again later, the problem just mysteriously 'disappear'! My muscle has absorbed the movement, internalized it and memorized it.

4. I'm now trying to make sense of the VivaVoce though! I copied and pasted some text into Word and made it 1100 words. All I get is just 1 page if there is only one paragraph! If mine has 4 sections, then that means each will only have 275 words. What exactly shall put in there? I'm still trying to figure this out now. Maybe you have something to share?

yes, working/thinking about our peices when we're off the instrument is great help, i've found out too lately. and, i also found a new way of memorising. memorising for pianists just seems to be expected, and unprofessional if the score is used. most other instruments, clarinet, oboe etc, seems to be an alright thing if the score is used. memorising could be a trouble for some (like me), but, ii found that memorising each hand seperately helps. also, writing down the whole peice of music on a blank score without ay kinda help from the original helps you remember the structural and notes of that peice. And, to the point where you could close your eyes and play most, if not all, of the peice, then, you hve truely memorised it. (some parts, hand-crossing, position jumping etc is kind of hard to do with eyes closed)

about the written program notes:

yes, it is actually a VERY breif summary of your program. all you'll need to include is: a sentences or two explaining his/her lifetime and style of composing. a sentences or two about why/when they composed the peice, and whom it was for etc. a small paragraph on the analysis of the peice. structural, emotional stuff, key/time sig. add a sentence or two other interesting facts you want to add. Then, an ending sentence of that peice/linking sentence to the next peice.

and, repeat this however amount of peices you are writing on. please note that if you only have 2-3 peices, you may want to lengthen each peice's notes by adding more info, esp in the analysis of the peice. adding sentences about teh composer, their style, interesting facts is ok, but, you may want to write more in the analysis of the peice, as that's actually what the program notes are about: description of the peice.
quotes from books, internet sites are good to include, but, remember to add footnotes and bibliography, or else you may be accused of copying others works.

It is too close to the exam to change your program. Anyway, it is a nice program, with four distinct eras and styles.

It is too close to even change things like details of fingering or the tempos you normally play - unless they are dreadfully wrong.

And it is irrelevant whether or nopt you have allowed enough time to prepare since your previous exam - you are already entered for it! So stop worrying and just use your time between now and the exam sensibly. There is still a lot you can do to deepen your understanding of the music and become more fluent and more polished.

If there are any tricky bits that are still technically insecure they obviously need intensive work until they become comfortable and can be slotted back into place.

Apart from that ...

As well as practicing your sight reading and revising your pieces at the keyboard, it helps a lot to read over the scores of your pieces away from the piano, and to play through your pieces mentally - imagining the movements and the sound, both with and without the score. This helps you to remember and to act on indications of all kinds of detail of phrasing, dynamics, tempo and touch as well as making your performance more secure.

And don't forget to swot up for the Viva Voce on the lives and works of Mozart/Brahms/Debussy/Prokofiev, their contemporaries, their times, their importance, and especially the four pieces you are playing.

Probably even more important is to look after your health and fitness with sound, regular sleep and modest amounts of your favourite exercise so that you are functioning at your best on the day itself.

Have you played the program in public?

If not, the single most helpful thing would be at least one or two low pressure public performances - they will tell you exactly where you stand.

I never play anything for the first time under circumstances that really matter to me...it's too much pressure.

Find an audience anywhere...friends, neighbors, retirement home, church...whatever - and play the program to see what happens under pressure. Some parts of the program will probably fall apart and that will tell you where to practice. .

Probably 80+% of the program is fine. Once you identify the 3-5 minutes of music that poses the greatest risk you can focus on those passages. Maybe spend half you practice time doing the whole program and the other half hitting the difficult passages 10 times each. You can have a huge impact in one week if you triage the program that way.

That is a very good tip - and it doesn't need to be a huge public or anything, but just putting yourself in the position of playing it as a co-ordinated programme really does help to pull a diploma performance together. I did this for my last one, after my husband scooped up some loyal friends for me, one of my offspring recorded it, and I was able to go into my exam with a sense of familiarity with the process, even though the venue and audience was different....and I played better on the day of the exam, too .

performing to a low-pressure audience was just what i've dont this morning! what a coincidence.
anyways. i performed my mozart, which, in my books, was the best out of them all (as in memory, emotion, pace etc) and i actually stopped at places. at one point where i had to restart the more variation about 5 times until i got the continuation of the rest of the peice. it's looking bad right now. but at least i know where i need practise in! which is good. and, i played at the correct pace, which was surpising. i usually speed up under pressure. but i have to admit, i was very jumpy and nervous...but the phrasing was done better than usual, and all the dynamics etc.

oh yeah! one point to be mentioned:

get ready before you touch the piano. warm up your fingers by some scales, and if playing scales before the performance is inappropriate at the time, you could place your hands under your thighs to warm them up on a cold day.
do NOT start until you are mentally ready either. if you are not mentally ready, the first few bars will be stuffed, and your nervousness will come through the music and sound shaky. try thinking about the composer of the peice, and travel back to their time. pretend you are that composer, getting ready to perform your peice. take deeps breaths. if that doesnt work, just concentrate on taking deep breaths and relaxing, and think about where you usually practise piano on. the most comfortable place you play piano in, and pretend you are there.

these two methods usually work for me. it doesnt entirely calm me down to a peaceful floating on clouds mood, but, at least it brings you out of the nervousness and shakiness you felt when you felt all the eyes on your back when you neared the piano.

and, usually, ignoring the staring silence around you and imagining the first few bars being played perfectly sometime helps.

note: it sounds easy when said. it's really hard to do. you may want to practise performing using this method to calm yourself down a few times to get the hang of it.