I'm in my final term of sixth form, and I'm unsure of what do do with regards to my diploma.
I've learnt a Bach Prelude and Fugue (not perfectly, but in a month or so it'll be good), and a Nocturne by Chopin. I also have 2 out of 3 of the movements from a Mozart sonata learnt (they need polishing). So, I need to learn one movement and also a couple of Shostakovich Preludes.
I haven't started programme notes yet, but will do if I decide to undertake this.
I do have exams coming up.. but I'm not extremely worried about them - plus the fact that I have 2 weeks after exams have finished without school to really polish off all my pieces.
When I'm off to Uni, I think I'll lose the movtivation to do it..
So.. basically what it boils down to is: should I do it?
Any advice from those who've taken the DipABRSM would be VERY much appreciated.
Thanks
Michael

How long's a piece of string?

So you're looking at sitting the exam in July? You've probably just got time to get programme notes done... You need a good year at LEAST to prepare for the exam I think, and bear in mind it's not grade 9. It's a big leap from grade 8. The quick study is quite a new challenge if you've just done grade-style sightreading.

If you've broken the back of the pieces, think about doing it while at uni - not sure what you're studying, but if you can spend some time really settling into and polishing the pieces after the pain of getting the notes sorted you'll do so much better. It'll be a great respite from uni study too - I did my ATCL as a sanity-keeper in the 3rd year of a physics degree - it wasn't such a tough exam back then it's true, but it was nice to have something else on the go.

I suppose it comes down to whether you'll have a decent instrument to practice on, and where you are - if you're in the UK there are two diploma sessions a year so you can time it away from school/uni exams.

But to be honest, if you are prepared to risk the exam fee, what's the worst that'll happen - you'll fail. Big fat hairy deal. Welcome to a not very exclusive (check out those statistics - made me feel better about failing first time!!), but very understanding club.

My personal experience - I had a chopin Nocturne mostly learnt by Christmas 2003. In January I thought it would be fun to do the Diploma. My teacher reckoned I should go for the July session. So I learnt four other pieces and did my notes, sat the exam and failed. I dropped one piece and fell back to something else from the syllabus that I knew already and resat in December - just passed. If my goal was to get a good diploma result, I would have waited at least a year rather than six months for the resit. As it was, I wanted something to aim for in 2004, and shining result or not, my playing's really improved. To be honest I'd be bored of those pieces now anyway!

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Quite a lot to cram in isn't it? If I remember back to my 'A' levels, I was so glad to get them over and done with and kick back and enjoy the summer for two months or so until the results came out

As a rule of thumb I would advise that if you don't feel confident right now, don't do it. A terribly simplistic view, but why wind yourself up when the main focus right now should probably be the 'A' levels?

As Fen says, Uni is a good place to give it a go since 10-15 hours or whatever lectures a week (plus coursework) will leave you plenty of time to enjoy gearing up for the Dip

My personal experience was the jump from Grade 8 to Dip was not particularly big.. I just did them in subsequent sessions. The program notes can be written in a couple of hours. Quick Study is _easier_ than sight reading IMO, you get to _play_ the piece for a few minutes before you have to perform it.

Best of luck !

QUOTE (mrbouffant @ Apr 15 2005, 10:04 AM)

My personal experience was the jump from Grade 8 to Dip was not particularly big.. I just did them in subsequent sessions. The program notes can be written in a couple of hours. Quick Study is _easier_ than sight reading IMO, you get to _play_ the piece for a few minutes before you have to perform it.  :D Best of luck !

Hmm......not sure I would agree there. You must be much more talented than me!! I found the Dip to be a HUGE jump from grade 8. Most people, (95% according to ABRSMs annual stats) pass grade 8, however only 50% of people who sit the Dip pass. This of course can be partly attributed to people underestimating the standard required but still....

Regarding the programme notes, they CAN be done in a couple of hours but all the background reading for the viva really needs more time (in my experience)

I have failed the Dip twice now ( )

yamaha:

I forgot about the viva so sorry about being seeming a little flippant in my previous post.. You are right, the reading up for the viva can get particularly detailed.. especially so I guess for an instrument like the piano which has a wide and deep history... (I did mine in organ which is a relatively 'obscure' instrument compared to piano, violin etc.)

Even more of a reason then to put off the Dip for a while longer and concentrate on the 'A' levels!

QUOTE (mrbouffant @ Apr 15 2005, 10:30 AM)

yamaha: I forgot about the viva  :o  so sorry about being seeming a little flippant in my previous post..

You weren't

Thank you for the help!
At Uni, I'll be doing Biochemistry... Fen, you said that you did it when you were doing Physics, so I guess that means science and music can mix. I think (if I get the grades ) that I'll be going to Oxford.. so I know that they push people hard there, meaning I may not have enough chance to study as much as I would have liked.
I think I will do it, and as you all have said - if I fail, I fail and it can only give me more pointers on how to succeed next time, right?
Thanks again!
Michael

Science and music definitely go together - music is pretty mathematical when you think about it!

Whatever else, don't overpressure yourself. Number one goal is surely to ace the school work to secure the Uni place!

Fen: you're absolutely spot on... Having a scientific and musical aptitude is not mutually-exclusive. I myself did a Computer Science degree.. I'm a software engineer but what I LOVE to do is music.

When I went to university I really thought hard about doing a music degree. In fact, a friend of mine went that way. She's now a very respected instrumentalist, teacher and composer (R3 broadcasts, Covent Garden performances of her opera, awards etc.) I often think "what might have been" if I had attempted to go that route but chose the scientific/technical path in order to "pay the bills"...

Still, I wonder if I had to "do" music as a career, if all the joy would go out of it? It's great to be able to do both..

malrase: seems to me you have that opportunity too.. have a career and keep developing the musical side ! Good luck with the Dip! (and the 'A' levels)

QUOTE (malrase @ Apr 15 2005, 08:47 PM)

I think (if I get the grades  :P) that I'll be going to Oxford.. so I know that they push people hard there, meaning I may not have enough chance to study as much as I would have liked.

Michael

Take it from me, as an Oxford (maths) graduate, that you will have tons of opportunity at Oxford to explore your musical interests at as high a level as you wish. The attitude is one of developing the whole person, not just academic achievement.

Of course you have to study jolly hard, but it's taken for granted that you'll do other activities too - and that the relaxation from these will help with the effectiveness of your academic study. I certainly spent as much time in choirs and madrigal groups as I did in lectures and tutorials

The musical standards you'll come across will be amazingly high, and you'll discover that most of the musicians in the university orchestras and choirs are not studying music. You will be in the right atmosphere to give your diploma a really good attempt.

And just imagine what a help it will be in writing your programme notes to be able to use the Bodleian .

Cheers

Katyjay

QUOTE

And just imagine what a help it will be in writing your programme notes to be able to use the Bodleian  .

Ohhhh yes... I mean the Barbican library's not bad, but what an advantage!!

Hullo all,
Thanks again for your very useful advice. I've sent off the form, so I'll be taking the dipABRSM in July.
If I fail, I can always re-take at Uni, as like Kateyjay said they're very supportive of extra-curricular stuff.

Cheers, this decision has been made much easier (seeing as only one other person I know has taken any sort of music exam - my teacher )

Michael

QUOTE (malrase @ Apr 24 2005, 01:13 PM)

Hullo all, Thanks again for your very useful advice. I've sent off the form, so I'll be taking the dipABRSM in July. If I fail, I can always re-take at Uni, as like Kateyjay said they're very supportive of extra-curricular stuff. Cheers, this decision has been made much easier (seeing as only one other person I know has taken any sort of music exam - my teacher ) Michael

Good Luck!
I'm taking mine in December (USA)

All the best for July - it's tight, but if you are geared up to treat this as your diploma "taster" exam, you'll be fine

QUOTE

Science and music definitely go together

Absolutely!! The RCM and Imperial College offer a combined degree in physics. A 4 year BSc with adavanced music performance studies.

I can't understand why people think music and science are so far apart. In ancient Greece music was studied as a science - not an arts subject. All this stems from the scientific nature of harmonics, nodes, anti-nodes etc. The human ear has an aversion to discords because the harmony is out of phase in disonant note groups.

By the way - how long does it take for the result to be back? I think I read somewhere 2 months?

Correct - for the London exams held in December we were getting our results late Feb.

QUOTE

Correct - for the London exams held in December we were getting our results late Feb.

Takes far too long IMHO. I did ALCM recently on a Thursday and received the written mark sheet by post the following Monday. Now I appreciate the ABRSM has many, many more diploma candidates but two months seems ridiculous.. What's the typical turnaround on practical graded exams? It was a fortnight when I was a kid.. does this still hold true? If they can do that for Grade 8, why not for DipABRSM ?

Well, my reading has informed me that it has to do with going before the Diploma Board to be ratified - guess like how they do it at University(?). Also, I saw something written about quality assurance? Correct me if I am wrong please.

Hmm.. an examiner of another board I had a chat with about this seemed to suggest that for "quality assurance" we should infer "cover their backsides should a legal challenge ensue over a disputed result" ... That's fair enough, but I don't see what the difference is between someone suing over their Grade 8 result (which arrived in a fortnight without, supposedly, all this "quality assurance") and their DipABRSM which took two months to arrive...

I'm just curious really. Two months is a long time, especially when the examiners have effectively written up their report and given the marks before they've left the examination venue...

Does anyone know the turnaround time for Diploma exam results from other boards? Say, Trinity?

Yes.

Did my ATCL on 14 December. Heard I'd passed on 15 January (moderated and countersigned mark sheet in post). Certificate arrived from calligrapher on 24 March.

Cheers

Katyjay

QUOTE (katyjay @ May 20 2005, 09:54 AM)

Yes. Did my ATCL on 14 December. Heard I'd passed on 15 January (moderated and countersigned mark sheet in post). Certificate arrived from calligrapher on 24 March. Cheers Katyjay

WOW

ATCL -- similar to katyjay.. never received my certiciate tho (the local rep can't send it because it's "too big" for her "normal envelopes" )

ALCM -- three days (practical) two weeks (written)

ARCO -- two weeks (prac and written)

ABRSM -- forever !!!!!

Is there anyone who had to wait for THREE months (and counting) for a result?

I had to wait three months!!!

Took my DipABRSM just before Christmas, results came back middle of March. Thankfully I passed, otherwise I would have been doubly miffed!!

Mrs M

Good grief!!!

Wonder if any of you can help me.
I've just finished year 12, and am currently looking for a suiltable music college to study the BMus course. But i really want to do peripatetic teaching. I want to take a diploma. Should i consider doing the teaching diploma (dipABRSM) and if so when is the best time to take it? Grateful for any replies.

The first thing to consider when asking that question is do you have any teaching experience? The teaching diploma is a test of teaching; it doesn't teach you to do it so you need to get some experience first. If you have the experience or want to get it (and will be 18 years old before you take the diploma, another prerequisite) then you will be able to consider the teaching diploma; otherwise you will have to do the performance one or wait until you are older, I'd guess if you're in year 12 you'd be old enough next year. I'm sure someone who knows more about these things than me will come up with some guidance for you here at soon, but I thought I'd point this out to you now. There is no age limit on the performance diplomas, by the way, just teaching. Also you need grade 6 theory for the teaching diploma, and grade 8 in your instrument for either diploma.