DS sits grade 5 singing this term. He only has a lesson every two weeks, sometimes less, and it's shared so I'm not really expecting miracles. I think his blase attitude will mean he'll probably do less well on this than the bassoon exam and that really shouldn't be the case. Still, this is definitely one instrument where I can offer no help and he has no intention of practicing!

Hope to see Violamum on here soon.

I have a term off- no music exams for my DDs! Yippee!!!! Just an audition next term for a scholarship for DD2 and Gr 3 piano, and maybe a Gr8 for DD1 next term....
but for this term..... no stress (apart from my own pupils!)

Baboon girl might have grade 3. Just had a couple of lessons with the new teacher, so not sure if she's entering her. I think the previous teacher was intending to.

I wonder if it's actually a positive thing to have an exam in the run up to Christmas because:

a) takes your mind off of Christmas stress

b) don't have to stress about pending exams coming after Christmas and therefore no practice in the holidays!

As for grade 3 already!!! I better tell baboon boy to get his skates on!

First time in 6 years that it looks unlikly there will be an exam taken.

Partly because of transition to college and adapting to a new routine. Short term there is only one exam that could be doable but the pieces haven't been started so not expecting it to happen.

DD will be going for her Grade 2 piano...1st piano exam, she's never played piano in public before, could be interesting!!

No exams for us this term - first time we haven't had any for as long as I can remember! Daughter and teacher in no hurry for G8, just having a wonderful time exploring repertoire and enjoying without exam stress! Long may it continue!

BUT.... NCO audition soon for daughter, and son is auditioning for the conservatoires Nov/Dec- so plenty to keep us occupied!

I'm here!!

Not sure whether I'll be staying though!!! Will wait to see what new Teacher decides!

When I was in Furious Mum mode yesterday I phoned the Trust (anonymously - but I bet they work out who it was), to ask about getting my money back!!! When I phoned back in calm mode this morning they asked if I was **** (name of teacher), so it would seem something has been said to her already!

I bet I won't be staying long! Old teacher offered to enter DS for Session C, but with NCO and Tiffin we can't risk him being spread too thin at once, so it could be Session A for DS!

Older daughter has Grade 8 piano, provided I can get her to do more than 20 minutes practice every other day or so.

Younger daughter is excused exams for the next couple of terms (unless she does a singing one, which won't take much effort). Two reasons: 1) she can't do anything more on piano and cello until we get G5 Theory sorted out and I haven't got the heart to make her do that this term because 2) she has just started secondary school and is very tired.

Tiffin has got to be the priority!

Fraid so! That may be a good thing - DS went to do a practise a couple of hours ago. After silent Viola playing for half an hour (OK so he got distracted - again ), he went on to play a few bars of one piece moved straight into the 2nd piece for a few bars, then 3rd piece.....all out of tune! When I went to tune his Viola (which was in tune!) he got stroppy with me. I seem to have then thrown petrol on the fire by telling him if he wasn't going to practise properly then he may as well pack away and do some homework instead! That was followed by door slamming! DH has now taken both DSs to swimming so we'll see what mood DS is in when he gets home!

Just what I need after my emotional turmoil of the last 26 hours! Ho Hum!!! Why do we try to do the best for our kids?!!! I bet new teacher will come back and say he's useless after all! Just as the Head of Strings at the Trust had given me a bit of hope that he may get in to do G5 in December!

Grade 3 singing (Daughter) is probably going to be our only commitment this session.

Daughter was originally planning on Grade 5 theory but we decided that she was spreading herself a little thinly since starting at the new school so she's going for March instead.

Grade 1 piano for Son is still a possibility but they were unable (unwilling?) to fit him in on 'The Visit.' We have a serious family issue going on at the moment and so I'm reluctant to enter him for a date in Session C which we might then be unable to keep. He's still learning the pieces (and practising the correct level of sight reading and aural) which he seems quite happy with. He just wants to be able to tell people that he is 'Grade One' - but he's not certificate driven like his sister. (yet?)

I forgot! Son is supposed to be doing grade 7 horn too.

MNW: Don't forget daughter has played piano (came in clutching grade 7 book today, teacher had sent it via school, so much face pulling about that) and flute before, so initial progress was quite fast, but she will slow down soon, I have no doubt.

Claudia has grade 5 piano. Pieces were started briefly in May, then put away by the teacher who has said not to touch them until October with exam in the first week of November, eek!

At least she can read the left hand notes now which is a first and should help with the sightreading part of the exam!

FURIOUS MUM! Geek boy has been entered for grade 5 flute. He is not ready and will scrape a pass. He's only ever got high passes but he doesn't practice and is not ready. I specifically told him he wasn't doing it until the summer term but at his boarding school they seem to do what they want. I've already had an argument when they entered him for grade 3 and I didn't feel he was ready and he didn't want to do it. Guess how I'll be spending half term!!!

So if you didn't agree before they did it you don't pay.

I've already had this argument with them before and got my wrists slapped by the Headmaster and the director of music have a terrible relationship now. I'm going to email him but it's not going to go down well.

Do it- email the director of music and/or the head. It's going against GB's wishes, this entry, and, as a woodwind teacher, I would never act in such a fashion : it's wrong.

The problem with GB is that he is too scared to speak up so just says ok to everything. Have sent emails to both and am now waiting for the fall out. It's a new Head and GB's last year and I was hoping for a peaceful and happy year. Now I'll just feel awkward. But why a school thinks it can put kids in for exams without asking the paying parent is beyond me!

Hope all works out...

Hi MNW - you seem to have wrestled the Furious Mum baton from Notmusimum!

What a cheek - how can they just do that when you don't want him to enter and he doesn't want to enter!! Have you heard anything back yet? Also how can they slap your wrist - you are the parent!! I'd be furious too. What good will it do his self-esteem if he scrapes a pass rather than waiting a term or 2 and doing really well? I don't understand their attitude!

She can have it for now though I might need it back tomorrow.

Daughter has got her G8 Euphonium this term and it's her first graded exam since her G8 trombone in Spring 2009. Having done her ATCL in March and only needing to do a recital (i.e. no scales and aural etc) I can already hear considerably more of the pieces than the technical stuff! That's when she does practice the Euph...

Have a feeling she will be winging this one!

When do you normally find out when you exam date is?

Many Thanks

I think that this depends on how you were entered. DS has always done his exams with our Music Trust so it has to come back through them and can take upto a month.

Not sure about the open sessions. One friend's DD recently took a Trinity exam and got the result as she came out of the exam.

Were you looking for information on when you find out about the exam or the results Mopsey? If it's about when the exam will be that normally gets sent to the person who put the entry in about 2 or 3 weeks before the exam

Oops sorry - mis-read that didn't I

I finally got back the results for BB's grade 5 bassoon exam:

A 25
B 27
C 27
Sight-reading 18
Scales 19 he also had one restart so could have got close to full marks!
Aural 14 - all correct except the singing part!

So not bad on the sections we were worried most about and I'm not surprised about the A piece as it was the hardest and the first thing he did.

(sorry)

Good all round results. I hope you're all very pleased.

That was the exact comment written down minus the !

Great results - He did really well

DD doing Grade 8 Drumkit. Coursework and 2 AS module resits taking priority over practice at the moment, so no great expectations. She tends to pull something out of the bag at the last minute, so I am remaining CALM

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