my daughter aged 11 has just got herself through grade 6 singing with merit with no lessons. Should she risk grade 7 or try to find a teacher (very hard as we live in remote area and will have to travel 100 miles). She plays lots of other instruments and so has a vague inkiling of what she should be doing.

Hi Jacky

Congratulations to your daughter for doing so well in her singing. Grade 6 at age 11 is quite an achievement.

How well did she cope with the requirement to sing one piece in a foreign language? This is one of the areas I in which suspect a teacher could be really helpful. Also the stamina and quality of tone needed for the songs at the higher grades may be a greater demand than she's experienced before, and again could be helped by having a few lessons with a teacher. Not to mention learning how to sing ornaments (which isn't always the same as when they're played).

I take it she's at or above grade 7 in other instruments, so the aural and sight-reading are not going to be a surprise.

It's probably worth the investment - if only for a couple of lessons.

Cheers

Katyjay

Jacky

A few things to consider here:

At 11 years of age the female voice is still being formed and whilst, quite clearly, your daughter must have a promising voice (or she wouldn't have done so well at Grade 6, especially self-taught), the repertoire for grades 7 and 8 is demanding and requires a solid singing technique if it's to be delivered well. Her voice needs to develop naturally at this stage and not be pushed into unsuitable corners to pass exams.

Boy cathedral choristers do sometimes take grade 8 and, with carefully chosen options of songs, often do quite well because the treble voice is at it's best around the age of your daughter and, of course, these boys are professionally trained. I am less convinced a girl of 11 could really do justice to some of the technical requirements of this music and I am wondering why the rush?

Presumably (if she took ABRSM exams) she had help from a musician somewhere to prepare for Grade 5 theory - or did she teach that to herself as well? If she had help, was the teacher someone who might be able to give an informed, generalist view on her voice, if not a specialist one?

In the area where I live most singing teachers will not look at serious singing studies in a female much before 15+ years of age when the voice is more naturally formed and developed. Like a number of people I do plenty of singing with my piano and oboe students and I run youth choirs to encourage good singing technique at its most basic level but I wouldn't want to be entering any 11 year old girl into grade 7 or 8 without a very strong justification of need for doing so (and, for now, I'm struggling to think of one).

If she's really serious about developing her singing then getting professional advice from someone who really knows what they are doing with young voices now looks like being a good investment - even one consultation lesson could tell you much. The last thing you want her to do is risk damaging a potentially excellent voice by teaching herself the songs for grade 7+ with unfocussed technique and no musical guidance either.

My personal view is that it's far to early to be looking at these exams but there are probably specialist singers out there who can give a much better informed judgement on this than I. Again, I just find myself asking why the rush to achieve these very senior exams?

Thanks for replies - main reason is for doing higher exams is to give her something to focus on - living in the middle of nowhere and having 100+ miles to travel for a teacher. I speak German - so learning a song in a foreign language was not too hard! Also she did the pracical musicianship instead of the theory - which was much easier for her ! - it jsut meant staying in the exam room a bit longer to do extra aural (or so she thought!)

Jacky

I do appreciate your problems on the distance to reach a teacher but I think there are many parents (my own in the mid-1970s included) who drive hundreds of miles a week to get their children the right musical tuition. In my case, all those years ago, we went to London on a fortnighly basis for the level of tuition I needed then as a young oboist.

I really feel your daughter needs guidance now from an experienced musician/singing teacher to take her on. You don't say if you are a music teacher yourself or how she's acquired the musical skills she does have to date but I feel a student with talent (however young or old) needs guidance from others to learn and develop. I still go for training and lessons to keep myself in good order (and I'm a seasoned "pro" of many years standing) - we all need to learn and receive guidance, right through life.

An 11-year old who is keen needs to be stimulated and challenged by a good teacher and also needs guidance and training in technique and musicianship too. I really don't believe in such an expressive art form as music you can learn everything from CDs and books. An experienced teacher will also know how to develop/challenge your daughter musically without exams being the only route. Yes, of course, we all know of highly talented 11-year olds who are winning competitions and taking Grade 8 on their instruments but they are guided and taught. Also, the human voice is not like a piano or violin which can be replaced if it doesn't come up to scratch. Treat the human voice wrong at an early age and you may be saddled with the results for ever - you can't go to the music shop and buy a new one. Singing is a wonderfully healthy occupation to be encouraged in all but taking it really seriously needs guidance and patience!

Please consider taking on the mileage occasionally to find a teacher - as I said in my initial reply, if only for a consultation initially. There is so much to explore in music - your daughter needs that stimulation if she's going to flourish. After all, even the "greats" of the music world have had teachers to help them along the way. My encouragement would be to find one for your daughter now and let them take it from there.

Hope you are able to get something sorted but, whatever, all good wishes for your daughter's future success.

Jacky

Me again with a further thought. If your daughter is really talented (does she play any instruments too?) it maybe that she could get herself a place at a specialist music school (or a really musically strong independent school) where she would receive her education and music lessons?

Perhaps the thought of her moving away from home to board at such a school in term-time is totally unacceptable to you but I put it forward as a possible option for solving the travelling problems. I am, by the way, assuming you are in the UK when I write this.

yep - have thought of that -thanks - just nearest one is 7 hours away by train, and although she loves her music, she doesnt want to sacrifice everything else for it. It made me think if music is the be all and end all...?????
Thanks for all your suggestions and keep on singing/playing