hey guys,

my piano exam's (grade 7 =resit) 's on 26th May and my violin exam(grade 6 ) is on 14th June !!!
they're so close now!!!! I 'm so nervous about them!!!!

Hi,

Good luck with the exams. If you're well prepared then i'm sure you'll be fine. Let us know how they go!

Good luck with your exams.

Are you resitting grade 7 piano because you didn't pass it or because you were unhappy with your mark?

I think she's resitting her Grade 7 because she passed it with distinction but didn't quite get full marks. I believe she already has Grade 8 with distinction. And we're supposed to wish her luck??!!

QUOTE (Helen VJ @ May 6 2005, 02:40 PM)

I think she's resitting her Grade 7 because she passed it with distinction but didn't quite get full marks. I believe she already has Grade 8 with distinction. And we're supposed to wish her luck??!!

i know

How ridiculous is that?! I mean some people would be just happy to pass Grade 7!!!! (including me! )

Good Luck!

QUOTE (Helen VJ @ May 6 2005, 01:40 PM)

I think she's resitting her Grade 7 because she passed it with distinction but didn't quite get full marks. I believe she already has Grade 8 with distinction. And we're supposed to wish her luck??!!

Erm....
watch your gender discription please!!
I am not female!!

>>to the ones who don't know: Yes, I'm redoing grade7 because my piano teacher wasn't satisify with 135....not my choice alright??

Thanks

Truely...I still think I have not practised really well.....especially on my violin's scales....they go terrible......

QUOTE (clarinetlover @ May 6 2005, 03:07 PM)

QUOTE (Helen VJ @ May 6 2005, 02:40 PM) I think she's resitting her Grade 7 because she passed it with distinction but didn't quite get full marks.  I believe she already has Grade 8 with distinction.  And we're supposed to wish her luck??!! i know

Are we supposed to be remotely interested? Surely the point of learning an instrument is to progress - like most of the students on these forums. Repeating grade 7 having passed it with 135 and after passing grade 8 with distinction is insane as well as going backwards. I always thought diploma came after grade 8. This is completely senseless, your teacher needs to catch herself on. Actually I'm not surprised you are nervous, 135 is a high target to beat and the chances of you getting a lower mark must be greater than you getting a higher one. Finally, this is a total waste of money and time as well as forum space - we have had this discussion before.

I think it maybe has something to do with his cultural background. There are a few people on here from foreign countries who give themselves high aims, and have to achieve them.

I don't think that matters, self satisfaction is important.

Good luck with your exams pianist 1210, you'll do fine!

QUOTE (pianist_1210 @ May 7 2005, 09:24 AM)

>>to the ones who don't know: Yes, I'm redoing grade7 because my piano teacher wasn't satisify with 135....not my choice alright??

Something is clearly not right here. Either pianist_1210 has laid claim to passing her Grade 7 piano with distinction (135 no less!) "by mistake" or her teacher is absolutely nuts with some warped, grotesque ideology. Imagine the incredible loss of face and embarrassment caused to both teacher and student if the second attempt resulted in a far less satisfactory outcome... Priceless! Just my two-cents' worth...

pianist_1210: assuming you've indeed gotten your facts right, you should have sensed that something is not right with your teacher when he or she asks you to retake an exam when you've clearly done very well for it, not to mention the grade above it. No teacher who insists on your doing something so ludicrous is worth retaining. You should have mustered the guts to confront him or her about it and perhaps consider a change of teacher.

QUOTE (tuba_mirabilis @ May 7 2005, 12:47 PM)

QUOTE (pianist_1210 @ May 7 2005, 09:24 AM) >>to the ones who don't know: Yes, I'm redoing grade7 because my piano teacher wasn't satisify with 135....not my choice alright?? Something is clearly not right here. Either pianist_1210 has laid claim to passing her Grade 7 piano with distinction (135 no less!) "by mistake" or her teacher is absolutely nuts with some warped, grotesque ideology. Imagine the incredible loss of face and embarrassment caused to both teacher and student if the second attempt resulted in a far less satisfactory outcome... Priceless! Just my two-cents' worth... pianist_1210: assuming you've indeed gotten your facts right, you should have sensed that something is not right with your teacher when he or she asks you to retake an exam when you've clearly done very well for it, not to mention the grade above it. No teacher who insists on your doing something so ludicrous is worth retaining. You should have mustered the guts to confront him or her about it and perhaps consider a change of teacher.

Exactly!

QUOTE (pianist_1210 @ May 7 2005, 10:24 AM)

>>to the ones who don't know: Yes, I'm redoing grade7 because my piano teacher wasn't satisify with 135....not my choice alright??

I'm sorry, but it is your choice. You have to pay for it (or your parents) and quite frankly I cannot see the point in it. It doesn't make me feel any better when people say they aren't satisfied with a distinction at grade 7.....when i'd be satisfied with a mere pass.

Anyway I think we should ignore this thread,its pretty pointless if you ask me

This is ridiculous - I agree with Nat, Tuba M, Noodle, Appassionata and others ...


Maggie

Forgive me for being cynical but could this be anything to do with trying to win prizes, scholarships or get to high scorers' concerts? I hate to be negative but I think that it's just as likely, if not more likely, that you'll get a lower mark, rather than a higher one the second time around. I can understand being disapointed with a mark and wanting to retake, but not a distinction if you get a distinction and are disappointed with it then the best thing to do is to move on and try to do better in the next exam, not that there's really any need to....

Incidentally what mark will you be happy with?

Didn't you say in another thread that you'd only been playing for 3 years?

QUOTE (AnotherPianist @ May 7 2005, 07:37 PM)

Didn't you say in another thread that you'd only been playing for 3 years?

True, I have.
But my teacher say a lot can be done in 3 years....
Just because she want me to break my record of 135, that's all.
She's a nice person but only sometimes expects too much...but that's good, isn't better to beat yourself everytime rather than to be satisify with your previous mark??I mean, even if it's a distinction, there's still a long way to perfection (still 15 marks away) so if there's a top mark, why shouldn't we aim for it, or at least we should aim to get better ?? I know no one is perfect....as the Bible says, only the Lord is perfect and we have sin, but we can al least be better than the previous "us", do you guys get me??

To people who disagree: It's not a definition of "right or wrong" in this case, it's different aspects of thinking and goals, I wish all you guys can understand me and know that this decision is not entirely my decision.

PS. now some of you guys might ask me that why do I resit my grade7 not grade 8 ( as I also got 135 for grade8). The entire reason for this is because I was totally annoyed by my grade 7 aural result!! It's totally insulting to get 11/18 for aural !! And this time I do it again, I wish I'll get a better mark for aural as my aural skills has already inproved from grade8.

Finally, thanks to all who wished me good luck, I'll wish everyone who's going to be examined good luck too.Music is a great gift form our Lord, people on earth are just using this gift to get compare about it to others, if I have a choice again, I would not do any grades again and just enjoy my playing.But you guys have to understand, the majoritl of the people in our society still detemine how good you are by your grades, although I'm totally disageeing about it,sad that's how life goes....

our sins....our sins...

QUOTE (pianist_1210 @ May 7 2005, 11:56 PM)

To people who disagree: It's not a definition of "right or wrong" in this case, it's different aspects of thinking and goals, I wish all you guys can understand me and know that this decision is not entirely my decision. PS. now some of you guys might ask me that why do I resit my grade7 not grade 8 ( as I also got 135 for grade8). The entire reason for this is because I was totally annoyed by my grade 7 aural result!! It's totally insulting to get 11/18 for aural !! And this time I do it again, I wish I'll get a better mark for aural as my aural skills has already inproved from grade8. Finally, thanks to all who wished me good luck, I'll wish everyone who's going to be examined good luck too.Music is a great gift form our Lord, people on earth are just using this gift to get compare about it to others, if I have a choice again, I would not do any grades again and just enjoy my playing.But you guys have to understand, the majoritl of the people in our society still detemine how good you are by your grades, although I'm totally disageeing about it,sad that's how life goes.... our sins....our sins...

Hard for me to buy what you have said. If the decision to retake is not entirely yours and you're in total disagreement about society judging people by their grades, then (to quote your own words) you should simply not do any grades again and just enjoy your playing. Yes, you DO have a CHOICE to do so.

For goodness sake, if you claim to have a Grade 8 distinction (and a very good one at that), what you've achieved at Grade 7 - which as far as I know is of a LOWER standard than Grade 8, unless I've been misled all these years - certainly becomes irrelevant even if it's just a bare pass.

If you're so concerned about your musicianship skills such as aural awareness, why not do a Grade 7 Practical Musicianship instead rather than retake a routine Grade 7 piano exam? It makes more sense and provides you with different and more meaningful challenges!!

P.S. since you're a committed Christian (as you've admitted on another thread), shouldn't you be 'strong in your faith' and 'not conform to these worldly standards'? Not being judgmental, merely stating Biblical teachings...

QUOTE (pianist_1210 @ May 8 2005, 12:56 AM)

The entire reason for this is because I was totally annoyed by my grade 7 aural result!! It's totally insulting to get 11/18 for aural !!

*stiffles a laugh*

totally insulting- i'd be made up with an aural mark like that!


IT IS YOUR DECISION!

you are the one who has to do it all. you can't go on about how nervous you are and expect sympathy when you've already passed it with distinction. My piano teacher wanted me to do grade 7 and i said NO, it was MY decision......

QUOTE

If you're so concerned about your musicianship skills such as aural awareness, why not do a Grade 7 Practical Musicianship instead rather than retake a routine Grade 7 piano exam?

I agree with that. It's obviously not your piano playing you are bothered about

QUOTE

I hate to be negative but I think that it's just as likely, if not more likely, that you'll get a lower mark, rather than a higher one

I also agree with this. It's quite possible that you won't get as good a mark as last time. What will your teacher do then..........make you do it again until you get 150?

[QUOTE=clarinetlover,May 7 2005, 04:16 PM]
to the ones who don't know: Yes, I'm redoing grade7 because my piano teacher wasn't satisify with 135....not my choice alright??

Wrong!! It is your choice. Your teacher cannot enter you for an exam without your agreement and your parents' consent. You have to do the work and they presuably have to pay for the exam and the tuition. There is simply no point in repeating grade 7 to improve your aural mark AFTER you have done grade 8. Presumably the aural mark for your grade 8 was satisfactory so whats the point of repeating grade 7 to improve your aural mark when you have done that at grade 8.

I can't imagine a situation where someone asks what milestone you got to with piano exams, and you say you got Grade 8 distinction, and then they say, "Yes, but what did you get for Grade 7, hmm?"

Personally, I think it's a waste of money, but good luck with it. Hope you get the mark you want.

A few of my students have passed all 8 grades with distinction and no-one has ever asked them specifically how they did in their aural tests. Uberzoldat is right. If you say you have passed grade 8 (with distinction or not) nobody is going to ask how you did in grade 7 or grade 3 or whatever.

...and even if they were likely to ask what you got for grade 7, the chances of them saying "so what did you get for your grade 7 aural...?" is absolutely TINY. Take the musicianship exams if you're that worried about proving your aural skills: much more useful than repeating an exam you already passed and have passed a higher grade. I've heard of people repeating grade 8 to get a higher mark, when they have a specific reason (and fyi I think that's a little silly anyway) but to repeat grade 7 when you've already done grade 8? pulleeeeeeeeeeeeeaze... that's getting a touch ridiculous I'm afraid.

QUOTE (sarah-flute @ May 8 2005, 08:43 PM)

that's getting a touch ridiculous I'm afraid.

An understatement. It is completely ludicrous and senseless.

QUOTE (noodle @ May 8 2005, 09:10 PM)

QUOTE (sarah-flute @ May 8 2005, 08:43 PM) that's getting a touch ridiculous I'm afraid. An understatement. It is completely ludicrous and senseless.

yeah... I did tone down my response hugely, I admit...

I find this thread so tiresome, I had determined not to contribute any further to it! But I will endorse what noodle, Sarah and uberzoldat have expressed so clearly. No-one will EVER care what you got for your Grade 7 aural. And how will you feel if you get 134? Or 136? Will it be worth it? Even if you get in the 140s, will you then feel pleased with yourself and expect a load of congratulations?

I'm wondering whether your teacher feels comfortable with teaching outside the prescribed grade repertoire? Some teachers really haven't a clue what to do after Grade 8. But this is the first time I've heard of one encouraging a student to go backwards.

Why don't you look at some Bach suites and partitas, Haydn, Chopin Mazurkas, Beethoven late Bagatelles and all the marvellous post Grade 8 repertoire, and stop chasing exam scores?

A quote to finish with,from William Westney's 'The perfect wrong note':

'When the good student chooses the honest path, free of perfectionism and faking, music study becomes something refreshingly new: a calm oasis of self-acceptance for those who are so used to driving themselves and trying to please others'. Think about it! And possibly change your teacher!

Yeah, I guess so...I was tired from those music exams...
just too tired..so when I finish my grade 8 for for violin, I'll not do anymore exams. They're just pointless.

No! Exams are not pointless. Repeating grade 7 after passing grade 8 with distinction is pointless.

i think people should get a move on....don't look back at things too much....

anyway...my grade 6 organ exam is finally set this term...... after all the incident in the school's chapel.... (i still practice with a horrible feeling that the scaffold might fall down...)

QUOTE (pianist_1210 @ May 7 2005, 11:56 PM)

It's totally insulting to get 11/18 for aural !!

oh dont be so stupid! i get marks like that in all of my exams and im perfectly happy with them!

Whats the point of spending that amount of money just to pick up something like 5 extra marks!!

QUOTE (Saxophonist @ May 10 2005, 07:54 PM)

Whats the point of spending that amount of money just to pick up something like 5 extra marks!!

No point whatsoever. Its not as if an extra five marks are guaranteed. Its possible to improve 11/18 but the pieces etc might get lower marks this time.

fine, fine!!!
I'm convinced ok??
I'll get on to dip exams after this one ok??
I'll still have to do the grade7 exam considering that I already payed for it, shouldn't I??

Pity you didn't think about it sooner, hmm? And why get straight on to Dip exams? What would it be like to do NO exams for at least a year? Could your teacher cope? Music and exams don't really go together , in my view.I find it quite depressing to see how many people here are totally obsessed with them.

QUOTE (pianist_1210 @ May 12 2005, 10:32 AM)

I'll still have to do the grade7 exam considering that I already payed for it, shouldn't I??

The thing you have to think about when deciding that (and this is a very real possibility no matter how good you are given that it's a high target) is how will you feel if you get a worse mark than you did last time?

I agree with HelenVJ too, take a break play some pieces for the reason that you want to play the piano in the first place (presumably enjoyment) rather than just playing for exams.

Well it would seem a waste of money NOT to do it, as long as you are sure that if you get 130 or something you're not going to end up taking it a third time, because that would be really dumb.

So what sort of pieces should I try for a grade 8 level do you reckon??

Thought you'd already done grade 8...?

Thought you'd already DONE Grade 8 ?! Anyway, doesn't your teacher have any suggestions? In the US and in most of the rest of Europe they don't have this ludicrous graded system - pianists play MUSIC - and, because they are well taught technically, by teachers with proper qualifications, the general standard of piano playing, by amateurs, is far superior to that in the UK, on the whole. Yes, I know this is a sweeping generalisation - but here (and clearly elsewhere) we are so obsessed by this wretched system, and jumping through endless hoops of pointless scales, aural, sight reading, that we tend to lose any connection with the joy of discovering MUSIC.

Why don't you do some research of your own, pianist 1210, and find some music you can feel engaged with and would like to play, without any thought of what 'Grade' it is!

Yes, you could do Grade 8 and get an amazing mark in that, but it is the musician that counts. James Galway never did a Grade exam, one of the best flute players I know didn't take one until recently.

QUOTE (nicki_flute @ May 14 2005, 01:08 PM)

James Galway never did a Grade exam, one of the best flute players I know didn't take one until recently.

Oh yes, he's my favourite flautist !!! He have his own way of play and it's totally amazing!! I wish I can be something like him oneday...

Yes, he is a very good flautist, I have been lucky enough to meet him and play in a massed flute choir with him. He is very inspirational, and appraoches some aspects of the flute in a different way to what you would have done.

He's amazing to hear live - though I've only had that chance once!

I am lucky enough to have actually heard him live quite a lot, and it is simply amazing! Jeanne (his wife) is really good too.

QUOTE (pianist_1210 @ May 14 2005, 02:28 AM)

So what sort of pieces should I try for a grade 8 level do you reckon??

Yes! I thought you had already. Is your teacher trying to string your tuition out....Did you not consider another Board? It is pointless.Once you have acheived Grade 8,you have got it. Move on to the Diplomas where you have to play `em better anyway!

Shouldn't this be a question between yourself and your teacher,given you have both decided...whatever the reason...to sit it again? What's the point of asking this here as it's too personal? How do we know as we don't personally know your circumstances?

QUOTE (Helen VJ @ May 14 2005, 08:12 AM)

In the US and in most of the rest of Europe they don't have this ludicrous graded system - pianists play MUSIC - and, because they are well taught technically, by teachers with proper qualifications, the general standard of piano playing, by amateurs, is far superior to that in the UK, on the whole. Yes, I know this is a sweeping generalisation - but here (and clearly elsewhere) we are so obsessed by this wretched system, and jumping through endless hoops of pointless scales, aural, sight reading, that we tend to lose any connection with the joy of discovering MUSIC.

A contradiction in terms me thinks!!! On the one hand you are saying don't bother with qualifications,but on the other, you are stating that to acheive any respectable standard of playing,the teacher needs to be highly qualified!

Why are technical requirements pointless?

Confusing yours,
S!

Umm.. I didn't say qualifications were pointless - only graded exams, which, along with the CTABRSM, are NOT qualifications for anything. Teachers of young musicians need pedagogical qualifications, so that they learn specifically how to TEACH. (Sorry about the Block Capital shouting, but I haven't yet worked out how to do bold or italics) . Many piano teachers in the UK don't seem to have any clue about teaching a loose relaxed technique, but instead equate 'technique' with learning the prescribed AB scales etc - no matter whether the students play them well or badly. This is not the case, as far as I have observed, in Eastern Europe, France, Geermany etc. Apologies to those teachers who DO teach good technique in the early stages - but I've had to work with far too many transfer students , ostensibly on Grade 4 or 5, but with totally rigid wrists, solid fingers etc etc.
Of course technique itself isn't pointless - on the contrary, it's fundamental. But learning over 300 permutations of scales/arps etc as required for Grade 8 (as calculated by a Grade 8 student during a free moment) is, in my view, TOTALLY pointless.
Oh, let's all go off and have a drink..

QUOTE (Helen VJ @ May 15 2005, 06:57 PM)

Umm.. I didn't say qualifications were pointless - only graded exams, which, along with the CTABRSM, are NOT qualifications for anything. Teachers of young musicians need pedagogical qualifications, so that they learn specifically how to TEACH. (Sorry about the Block Capital shouting, but I haven't yet worked out how to do bold or italics) . Many piano teachers in the UK don't seem to have any clue about teaching a loose relaxed technique, but instead equate 'technique' with learning the prescribed AB scales etc - no matter whether the students play them well or badly. This is not the case, as far as I have observed, in Eastern Europe, France, Geermany etc. Apologies to those teachers who DO teach good technique in the early stages - but I've had to work with far too many transfer students , ostensibly on Grade 4 or 5, but with totally rigid wrists, solid fingers etc etc. Of course technique itself isn't pointless - on the contrary, it's fundamental. But learning over 300 permutations of scales/arps etc as required for Grade 8 (as calculated by a Grade 8 student during a free moment) is, in my view, TOTALLY pointless. Oh, let's all go off and have a drink..

Hi Helen

Click on the letters B or I in the grey boxes above white text box for adding Bold and Italics.

Surely the grades should be treated as stepping stones? Isn't it worthwhile to know over 300 permutations given it's accumulative knowledge?

I would be interested to know more of your experience regarding how our european colleagues organise their lessons and how they go about teaching the technicalities.

Off to do some stripping now...the walls

Oh, thank you - guess I could have worked that out myself(re the italicsetc. )What fun!

As for musical education in Europe, this is a topic for a thesis rather than a forum post. But if you are interested, ther's masses of info in recent EPTA Journals and Piano Professional magazine. Do you teach piano? Sorry, can't remember..If so, it's well worth joining EPTA.

Happy stripping.

QUOTE (Helen VJ @ May 16 2005, 10:43 AM)

Happy stripping.

why doesnt that sound right!!??