im so going to fail my alevel. weve been doing these weird stupid aural papers and i cant do them. i got 37/84 for the 1st one haha what a joke. i might as well give up now before it gets even worse

Don't worry - I know the feeling, but remember you got an A for AS so that will lift your mark! They are horrid and i remember hating music dictation!

it was only just an A so it wont bring the marks up that much. im totally going to fail the written paper so great woohoo lets have a party, im going to end up working in a shop yipeeeeeeeee *sarcasm intended*

At risk of having something thrown at me, Natalie, that's not that bad. I mean, you were pretty close to 50% and presuambly you're doing plenty of these so that you get better. Certianly 50% is a good start (and isn't that a reasonable improment on what you got last time ypou did one of these?)

Try not to be too disheartened. You are much stronger in other areas (such as performance~ which would kill me, mind you, so would the listening...) so the marks will still be made up. And if you get a B. that won't affect you getting into uni will it? And you certianly aren't going to fail.


<ducks>

Hey Nat, we did some. On one of them I got 2/25, and the other one I got 1/25, and the others we've done aren't much better!! But to quote my teacher "You should be alright at this question Isobel because it requires no aural skills whatsoever!" Was funny though. But there is a question that doesn't need aural skills. And it's not as big a part of the paper as you think! Apparently...... I'm having this debate at the mo! It's getting easier though :

Don't give up Nat, you can do it! And if you practice then it will certainly get better

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Feb 3 2005, 04:20 PM)

it was only just an A

Only just an A! This is starting to sound like only just a distinction (I suggest that you begin ducking now before you have to come and tell yourself off!).

NAT! Most people in my music class are getting D's at the moment! And they were getting D's this time last year! (In our last mock there was one B, an E and two failures!) And they all got high grades in their AS levels. Seriously, everyone gets Es sometimes. DON'T worry about it. Practice will make it better.

QUOTE (AnotherPianist @ Feb 3 2005, 06:34 PM)

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Feb 3 2005, 04:20 PM) it was only just an A Only just an A! This is starting to sound like only just a distinction (I suggest that you begin ducking now before you have to come and tell yourself off!).

Nat, PLEASE don't turn into Mr X.

AND, take that last line off your signature. *sigh*

*throws anything she can get her hands on at tamsin*

i cant do stuff like this an i want to be a music teacher ha thats one of the funniest things ive ever heard. Nat wants to be a music teacher haha whatever


elmo- there is actally a question that doesnt require aural skills wow *jumps up and down* what is it? or is it the Stravinsky essay- which im equally going to fail

Nat sweetie,

This is a warning, and I'm only going to say it once. If you carry on being this negative then I will have no alternative but to send you all my soup, and write a note to your parents getting them to force you to drink it.

You have been warned.



Evil Scary Amber
x

im not being negative, im being honest and realistic!

*runs away from Amber and her soup army*

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ Feb 3 2005, 04:20 PM)

it was only just an A

I hope Rhapsidoodle isn't going to sue me for copyright over this but, what the heck........

PURLEEEEEEEEEZE !

QUOTE (Amber @ Feb 3 2005, 09:32 PM)

Evil Scary Amber x

is it me or does "evil scary" just not go with "amber"...?

QUOTE

I hope Rhapsidoodle isn't going to sue me for copyright over this but, what the heck........ PURLEEEEEEEEEZE !

oooh what colour?

it's OK if he threatens to sue we'll throw lots of etcs at him, apparently they're quite spiky!

QUOTE (sarah-flute @ Feb 3 2005, 09:44 PM)

QUOTE (Amber @ Feb 3 2005, 09:32 PM) Evil Scary Amber x is it me or does "evil scary" just not go with "amber"...? QUOTE I hope Rhapsidoodle isn't going to sue me for copyright over this but, what the heck........ PURLEEEEEEEEEZE ! oooh what colour? it's OK if he threatens to sue we'll throw lots of etcs at him, apparently they're quite spiky!

Yes, but if you change the letters in Amber around, you get BREAM, which is a type of fish.

So I'm like an Evil Scary Fish.

Geddit?

[opens and shuts mouth fish-style at computer screen to prove her point]

QUOTE

have no alternative but to send you all my soup, and write a note to your parents getting them to force you to drink it.

plus a cat to hold you down till it's all finished

M
so there.

oh dear im going to get drowned in soup

QUOTE (maggiemay @ Feb 3 2005, 09:52 PM)

QUOTE have no alternative but to send you all my soup, and write a note to your parents getting them to force you to drink it. plus a cat to hold you down till it's all finished M so there.

Maggie dear,

Please don't mention Cats when I am being a fish. Even an Evil Scary Fish stands no chance against a cat.

you could be a catfish.......dear me bad joke

QUOTE (Amber @ Feb 3 2005, 09:52 PM)

Yes, but if you change the letters in Amber around, you get BREAM, which is a type of fish. So I'm like an Evil Scary Fish. Geddit? [opens and shuts mouth fish-style at computer screen to prove her point]

*runs away from the newly scary Amber...*

QUOTE

Please don't mention Cats when I am being a fish. Even an Evil Scary Fish stands no chance against a cat.

bbbbbbut - the cat was to see that Nat drinks her soup, not to frighten you ...


M

i refuse to drink any soup unless its a chocolate woohoo soup. humph

QUOTE (maggiemay @ Feb 3 2005, 09:58 PM)

the cat was to see that Nat drinks her soup

I may just be feeling thick... but... I'm still trying to work out how the cat helps with that one...?

Gosh, I feel ALL POWERFUL.

Think I'll try my fish impression on Jason when he comes over all teenage-spots-and-testosterone towards me!

QUOTE (Amber @ Feb 3 2005, 10:00 PM)

Gosh, I feel ALL POWERFUL. Think I'll try my fish impression on Jason when he comes over all teenage-spots-and-testosterone towards me!

You know, I think that might really work, and probably would scare him... maybe not for the reasons that thing are usually scary though...

(argh, losing my grip on English grammar.....)

can we stop talking about soup and cats now its driving me craaaaazy!

QUOTE

I may just be feeling thick... but... I'm still trying to work out how the cat helps with that one...?

not at all - it was a bit obscure, but I thought of sending over a cat because Nat said on another thread that she wasn't keen on pets, so .... never mind

it made sense once

M

Only when you give up and admit that you are actually a Clever Little Bunny who is going to do just fine in her A Levels.

The choice is yours, give in now gracefully or it's cats, soup and fish impressions forever until you admit defeat.

[the very scary] Amber
x

PS. On second thoughts, delete the kiss after the signature, it makes me less scary.

QUOTE (maggiemay @ Feb 3 2005, 10:08 PM)

it made sense once

ahhh I'm with you now, Maggie. I think. That's kind of worrying really...

Amber retracted her kiss???! gosh... that must be serious... Nat, you'd better watch out...

QUOTE (Amber @ Feb 3 2005, 10:08 PM)

Only when you give up and admit that you are actually a Clever Little Bunny who is going to do just fine in her A Levels. The choice is yours, give in now gracefully or it's cats, soup and fish impressions forever until you admit defeat.

hard decision.......will take a bit of thought

Well I'll leave you to ponder it overnight.

Better go, got to get ready for work tomorrow.

Nite nite, sweet dreams.

Its something about identifying the decade of a pop song, and giving charcteristics.

sounds like something I would be really bad at

erm great,i cant do this music period and decade thing, im hopeless at it. ooh yay another aural paper 26/84....such a joke

Steal your school's aural Matters book at weekends and work through the exercises, and play them back millions of times. Make a grid with all the key words for melody, rhythm and meter, tonality etc to remind you of things you should be listening for, coz that really does help. And try and think a bit more positive!!!
seriously, I'm probably just as bad as you at aural tests, especially as I can't hear any bass parts or any parts below about and E-C below middle C. All the notes sound the same after that!! But my teacher gave me the book and has given me pointers in lessons when Katet's not been there, and now I feel like I'm getting somewhere.
ok, so you're in a dip now, but it'll get easier, and the more you practice by yourself, the easier it is in class!

Aww come on Nat, most people in my class are getting Es and Ds for their written papers at the moment and they're all predicted As and Bs in the end- you won't fail, and anyway, that's only one section!

Sorry for the expression but Calm your Spam!!!!!!!!!!
As long as you try and improve you'll definately pass, it would be worse if you got a really good grade cause then you wouldn't work so hard and would be under the illusion that you didn't need to. The consequences can be dire... (yep, speaking from experience)

I was predicted (3000 years ago when I did A Level) Ds Es and Ns on everything except the history paper (less modular than it is these days) where they predicted me B-C I think - and the history paper I came out of going "Oh dear, well I've failed music then..." because questions came up on stuff I had no idea on - one of the essays I wrote 3/4 of a side of A4, about 2 sentences of which were directly relevant and the other stuff was vaguely not-too-far-away-from-the-topic (heaven knows what the examiner marking it must have thought) and two of the other questions I didn't actually even understand the questions... and I got a B. So don't despair!

How about doing practise and homework instead of spending all evening on the message boards?

Come on Nat, universities don't make offers if they think you won't pass the exams (unless they really don't want you). You've already done well in exams, but in the unlikely event of it all going belly up, there are plenty of jobs for which I'm sure you're qualified. Better still, most of these don't involve asking people if they want fries with their order.

And if you do have to go out to work at 18 rather than 21, when you get to 21 you'll have three years' experience and £30000 less debt.

QUOTE (Deborah @ Feb 4 2005, 08:55 PM)

How about doing practise and homework instead of spending all evening on the message boards?

erm i dont spend all evening on message boards. i do practice and i do do my homework. its the aural stuff i cant do how am i supposed to pracitce listening to bass lines, hearing chords, wrting down the melody etc

QUOTE (Deborah @ Feb 4 2005, 08:55 PM)

And if you do have to go out to work at 18 rather than 21, when you get to 21 you'll have three years' experience and £30000 less debt.

very good point... student debt is not fun...

i wont be having a student loan so i won't be in that much debt

at all???! lucky you...

no im not having one at all!

So it's just aural that's the problem. Again, practice.

Listen to lots of music, and follow the score, in particular the bass line. Bach is excellent for this, but any composer will do just as well. Figured bass realisation really helps with getting the hang of hearing chords. Go for broke with interval recognition - if you can identify intervals, dictation becomes much easier. Bully Sally into giving you as much help and practice as she can spare. The more you do, the easier it becomes, even though it might not seem it at the time.

What percentage of your A level result does the aural comprise? When I did my A levels it was 28% (count 'em, 28!!!). I still can't do four-part dictation, but blew a metaphorical (sorry, no, a REAL) raspberry to the exam board when I graduated. Today's hiccup will help you be a stronger better person tomorrow.

The fact that you already have AS levels means that you're already overqualified to stack shelves. As has already been said here, you got an A at AS, and they can't take that away, even if you score a negative number of points in the A level aural paper.

Sorry if my previous post seems a bit harsh, but I'm sure you can pass, with all colours flying. I just don't want "I'm going to fail" to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Believe in yourself. Everyone else does.

If it's really only the aural you have serious problems with nat, then you're going to be fine - that will come with practice... and you do already have half your qualification down already!

you can practice writing down melodies... you can even listen to the radio and see if you can get down the basic melodies of the choruses of pop songs... why not? it's all good practice.

(Deborah - mine was 28% aural too )

QUOTE

Believe in yourself. Everyone else does.

Including your teacher - and she should know.

QUOTE (Deborah @ Feb 4 2005, 09:27 PM)

So it's just aural that's the problem. Again, practice. What percentage of your A level result does the aural comprise?

yep big problem!

i dont know but the exam seems to have loads of it in!

Hi Natalie - I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest something that I've banged on about before here. I really think you should go all out for some Kodaly lessons. There must be a teacher within 20 miles of where you are, and you would get so, so much out of it.

I just find it strange when people say they can't stand aural - music is aural!!! Don't keep separating the two - sort your aural skills out - you will need them if you're going to pursue a career in music. You may not need to score particularly highly for the A-level, but you'll need them if you're going to teach music and you'll need them if you're going to be a performer, and I know how passionate you are about music, so it seems likely that you will be pursuing some sort of musical career, which is great.

Now please don't react to this by saying "oh god if aural's important then I'm just hopeless and so should give up.." - that's the last thing you should say!!!

But I'm not going to pat you on the head and say "there there, aural doesn't matter" - because in the long term it does. But, and this is a very important but - you can do something about it - you really, really can.

Am I right that you're in Nottingham? I think you've mentioned it before - well, if you like I'll find out where the nearest Kodaly teacher is and get you their address!!! Just go for it - do it - you'll be amazed - firstly by how it all fits into place, and then how your aural skills will blossom. It'll be like a new part of your consciousness will suddenly open up and you'll understand all these things that you were blocked from before for whatever reason.

Just go for it Natalie!!! You can do it - you can develop your aural abilities as well as the next person - you just need the key. Kodaly can do it.

All the best

Violinia

QUOTE

Yes, but if you change the letters in Amber around, you get BREAM, which is a type of fish.

Oh dear, the world is going mad

It has been a few days since I have actually had time to come on here.

Right, Nat, I have been having some problem with aural tests, so I asked my Music teacher how I could improve and she suggested that I looked on Google for a site (www.good-ear.com). I didn't find that, that helpful, but if you go here, and scroll down there are a lot of sites which can help you with aural skills. Also, I downloaded this this 21 day trial of "Earmaster" and it helps you with:
Interval comparison
Interval identification
Chord identification
Chord inversion identification
Chord progression
Scale identification
Rhythm reading
Rhythm imitation
Rhythm correction
Melody dictate

Hope this helps, don't give up Nat, I really believe in you