I was completely shocked recently by the experience of one of my students in an ABRSM exam. I am interested to know whether anyone else has had a similar experience or whether anyone can shed any light on the incident.

I teach the student piano, however this exam was Grade 4 Clarinet. She was entered by another teacher but she told me of her experience. The problem occurred in the sight-singing part of the aural tests. She started singing and was instantly told to stop because she was singing in sol-fa. “Don’t sing in sol-fa,” she was told (or words to that effect). This was no problem for the student, since sol-fa provides such a strong foundation, and she was able to carry out the test perfectly well. However I was surprised by the reaction of the examiner.

As a Hungarian by birth, I was brought up using the principles of Kodály, and I had solfège lessons every week from a very early age. I get all my piano students to sing sol-fa when they are ready. It provides such a good musical foundation. All my students have used it up to now in exams with no problem. Why forbid its use in an exam? I can see no reason for it. I looked in the regulations and I could find nothing to suggest it could not be used. It says “... responses may be sung with a vowel (or consonant followed by a vowel) ...” So why can’t you use sol-fa? I actually think this sends out the wrong message to the student. My student was also very surprised by the examiners attitude since she knows how useful sol-fa is.

Why do you think singing sol-fa should evoke such a response?

I sung using sol-fa at the grades when sight singing was unaccompanied so probably did it at grade 4 - only in recent years i haven't done it because i'm more used to sight singing in choir and it comes naturally.
My sister took grade 4 piano last week and sung in sol-fa...examiner had no problem with this.

What on earth is 'Sol-fa'?


Steve

It's been my understanding that you can sing in solfa, no problem...hmmm...

For grade exams in singing, the syllabus makes it clear that sol-fa is allowed in the sight-singing part of the exams. It would seem a bit illogical if it wasn't also allowed in the sight singing element of the aural tests.

Yes, I have always understood that you can sing absolutely any syllable(s) you like.

So that has to include sol-fa.

I've not got the Aural Training in Practice book to hand but I thought that they introduce the sight singing section by suggesting that students use sol-fa.

Lucid

I'm sorry, but this is a load of rubbish. I have always used solfa in my own exams and no examiner batted an eyelid. I find it the most helpful method of sight singing. Some of my pupils don't, but we're all different.

A candidate can blow the sight-singing test in raspberries so long as the pitch is right

Bx

I am inclined to ask what the examiner would have said to my French students. The nomenclature for fixed pitch here uses the syllables used for tonic solfa elsewhere. My Grade 4 and 5 pupils always sing the sight reading in the aural test using the fixed note names. I don't think that is necessarily the best way but it seems to be what they find easiest.

I think this examiner was well wide of the mark.

Ooer - so once again it comes round to the fact that the means of pitching notes in aural tests requires oral facility.....

One kid who I accompanied dared asked the examiner if he could whistle for his aural and the examiner had no problem with it at all. Sounded rather amused by it!

It's using the syllables do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti to name the notes. So If the sight-reading test is in the key of F and the first three notes are C - A - F, that would be so-mi-do. People who have learned sol-fa find it easier to read in this way - it helps with grasping the melody and harmony, and also with pitching.

Have a look at this: Here Tune was a bit 'murdered' but you will get the general idea! I like the 'beat boxing' bit, plus they are having fun.

If it was my pupil I would be very tempted to complain about the way the aural test was conducted - surely 'any vowel/consonant combination' means just that. I would have been less upset if the examiner had ticked off a child for singing 'p** p** p**' - which one of mine did when a very truculent 9- year old.

However, as it wasn't your exam entry there's nothing you can really do, other than to suggest that maybe on this occasion the examiner got it wrong, and that in real life, that does sometimes happen.

Thank you very much for your replies. I appreciate your time. I was worried that perhaps this was a policy change within ABRSM, but hopefully it was just an aberration.

I am still rather upset. My student said that because this experience was so unpleasant for her and since she can manage without she will never use sol-fa in an exam again.

From the ABRSM publication " Aural Training in Practice Book 3":

" Candidates may, of course, use the sol-fa names in the examination if they find it helpful to do so..."

Looks like the examiner got it wrong!