I'm going to ask my flute pupil if she wants to work for a grade. Thing is, I haven't a clue really when it comes to what is expected to get a decent mark at the early grades. I've only done one flute exam myself and never entered anyone apart from me. I had friends at school who'd done grade 5 and their tone was nothing special even to my then untrained ears, and friends who at grade 1 or 2 were already producing a beautiful sound. There are definitely things she needs to work on, but she has improved and when she practices she can sometimes play really well and sound really nice.

What would you look for in pupils before you entered them for grade 1 or 2?

I am going to be straight with her and her mum that this is a new thing for me. I would like to give Lois something concrete to work towards (if she wants to) with hopefully the pressure of it not being too hard for her.

Hope this makes sense...

Any help appreciated!

Surprisingly, I haven't entered a Grade 1 or 2 for about a year. All my newbies seem to be Grades 4-6 at the moment.

I would look for a reasonable tone, but it's quite difficult for the learner at that stage to maintain a focused tone throughout an exam, so don't get too hung up about it. I would also want them to show a reasonable amount of breath control, but a few extra breaths don't matter too much.

It depends what you're aiming for: a beginner with a slightly fuzzy tone might not get a distinction, but if the pieces are played fluently and the scales are known well, then it's not difficult to get a merit mark.

My husband took Grade 1 after playing for 6 months and got 128. If he'd managed to keep his tone focused right through the exam he would have got a distinction.

Thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to know!

I think she'd pass grade 1 no problems, with a bit of work might get a pretty good mark, and would probably be able to pass grade 2, but I've told her the exams are definitely optional - she's given up exams on the piano because she hated them so much - so it's just something for her to bear in mind. I might suggest it more forcefully next term if I think she needs a kick in the backside to make her work, but we'll see.

Really useful to have an idea anyway. Thank you very much!

Not advice really but I can sympathise with the situation, when YAP entered me for grade 1 he had absolutely no idea how good I had to be to pass. He did grade 1 when he was just 8, so it was a long time ago to remember the standard and I don't think he was particularly introspective when he was 8 to know how 'good' he was . Either way, it worked and I got a distinction, we basically just made sure that I was well overprepared for the exam; it helped that I was paranoid and wanted to have everything well practised though! It's not necessarily good to put your student through overpreparation if they're not that sort of person, but it may be best to go for slightly over what you think (although in YAP and my experience what one thinks is a lot higher than the grade 1 standard).

Perhaps you could introduce the exciting concept of recording her playing to her as a fun game and so she can listen, and you also could send the recordings to andante (or anyone else); or we can put them on the site (either publically or privately) for her to have a listen and see what she thinks .

I'd be happy to listen to recordings if she were agreeable, and if it would help.

Thanks, that's a really kind offer! I think that Lois would run a mile if I suggested recording her at the moment but if it becomes appropriate and I can convince her then I'll take you up on that - thank you so much

Grades 1 and 2 are assessed using similar criteria (see "These Music Exams") but I've always assumed by grade 2 your tone etc needs to have more focus with reliable intonation and, of course, the pieces get longer and there are more scales. On the oboe the range increases at grade 2 so I presume it does on the Flute too?

If she can meet the criteria well enough then I'd go for something that will challenge but not daunt her. If she's a bit hung-up about exams, maybe grade 1 would be best so she can do really well and get enthusiasm to go further. That said, as so many say on these forums, we're not training exam candidates but musicians. If she learns to play beautifully and never takes an exam it doesn't matter unless she needs some level of qualification to get into a band or similar.

I'd go with your own sense of what she can achieve with some effort but not too much stress!

Best of luck to her.

Yes, I just wanted to offer her the possibility. I need to do a bit more research before I considered entering her for an exam! Thanks for your help, guys

Hi! I would definately put her in for a slightly lower grade than she can manage because I think it will inspire her if she gets a good mark.