I play the flute and am doing grade 7 in March but I want to take a piano or keyboard exam sometime before I go to university (2/3 years, I am in year 11). I have stopped playing the keyboard at around Grade 4 standard (June 04), and took up the piano, where I had started playing grade 3 pieces when I had to stop due to exam revision (October 04). I know 2 years is quite a long time, but would it be better to take a lower grade piano exam (after starting lessons next July, after GCSEs), just to show I can play a second instrument or waiting another year or so, so I could build up to Grade 5 ish. I have never done a piano exam before, although I have done 6 flute exams but just wanted to know what I should do? Would you think working for A Levels (as I would start lessons again after GCSEs) would be too much as well as having piano lessons, doing netball, working towards Grade 8 flute and having band on Saturdays? All opinions welcome

i dont know what u shud do but im in year 9 and im doing grade 6 piano i think u shud take piano further definetlyit is soo good for de-stressing,dont u think?im starting flute lessons soon what advice would u giv?

What do you wish to achieve by taking a piano exam?

A

I had a student who returned to piano lessons after many years (much older than you Nicki!). He had learnt at school, and always played on and off for his own enjoyment, but as far as I know had never taken an exam.

We discussed whether he would like to try, and if so what grade. He was keen, but unsure whether to go for gr3 or gr4. The pieces of either grade would have been do-able. Sight reading wasn't an issue, as his general experience made sure he was already quite a good sight reader.

I listed up the other requirements for the two grades and gave him the list (scales, contrary scales, arpeggios, broken chords etc. The scale keys for gr 4 are quite - erm - nasty, compared with gr3, imho !; grade 5 requires scales in ALL keys). On the basis of this, he decided to go for grade 3, and got a merit, following it up with gr4 the following year.

The pieces aren't the only issue - if you have n't checked out the other requirements for the grades, get hold of a syllabus, check them online, or I will pm them if you like. It might help you decide which you want to go for.
Hope this is useful.

Maggie

It's an awful lot on your plate, probably at a time when you'll end up with other amusing extra-curricular activities like part time jobs and so on!

Why do you need to show you can play a second instrument - is this to get into a music course at university? If you've got two years, I'd be inclined to go for grade 5 towards the end - if you can pick pieces now you can work away at it gradually and afford to have periods (revision for mocks etc) where you put the lot on hold... You could perhaps do one of the performance assessments (I think they're open to most age groups?) midway through as a lower-stress alternative to the grade 4 exam.

Good luck whichever course you choose - esp as your chosen sport is netball... Not a great companion sport for the piano - I've had two or three broken fingers from it!

Hi all.

Sorry that this is a late reply to what you have posted.

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i think u shud take piano further definetlyit is soo good for de-stressing,dont u think

At the moment because I am so much better on the flute, I find playing the piano a bit stressful, as I can hear in my head the tunes and they look so simple compared to my Grade 7 pieces but I can't play them!

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What do you wish to achieve by taking a piano exam?

I think it would be nice to have a grade on the piano (or even keyboard), as I have played for about 5 years (on one or the other). I don't know what I would want to do at university but if I need a second instrument, then it would be piano.

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I listed up the other requirements for the two grades and gave him the list (scales, contrary scales, arpeggios, broken chords etc.

Thanks for your email Maggie. Yes, I was looking at all the scale requirements and they seem so much more than Grade 2 or 3 on the flute. I hardly had to do any scales on the flute at the earlier grades, although it didn't sound like it at the time.

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Good luck whichever course you choose - esp as your chosen sport is netball... Not a great companion sport for the piano - I've had two or three broken fingers from it!

Thanks Fen for your post, it has helped . With me I am lucky, despite the fact I end up falling over most games (I tend to collide with people), it has been my knees which have suffered the most!!

You want to bear in mind the huge stress of working for A-levels and taking music exams simultaneously. I haven't done a music exam since the first term of Year 12 (that was Grade 8 piano, which I had been preparing for for nearly two years). Remember that the spring term and summer term are usually filled with modules, and if you end up doing retakes as well then the pressure is going to increase even more.

If you think you can, I'd say do an exam in the first term of Year 12, and then forget doing piano exams and concentrate on your flute and your A-levels. If you don't think you'll be ready to do an exam then, then I'd forget it.

Or, alternatively, work at the piano for the 2 years of A-levels and take Grade 5 in the summer term of Year 13.

But don't distract yourself from schoolwork just because you want to do a music exam.