Music Exams

pavb2

Hi all I have 2 children going through piano grades who also study traditional Irish music.

At a traditional practise session the other day one mother commented that exams in general served no purpose and the music should be for pleasure only without the "pressure" of exams.

This made me think and having gone through piano grades I felt that exams gave me a goal and allowed me to measure progress. I know traditional music is less formal and less theory orientated but still the odd exam or assessment could only benefit.

What do other people out there think of music exams in general,surely the whole grade system has to help & improve learning?

Look forward to hearing comments

OxfordComma

Interesting thread. I've thought about this a lot myself over the years - I finished my Grade VIII piano exams a couple of years ago, and I went as far as Grade V on the violin too.

When I was younger, I really resented having to do the exams - I almost couldn't bear the pressure and anxiety of them, and I used to worry about them for weeks beforehand. But as I progressed, I started to realise that they are quite beneficial in a number of ways. Firstly, they do bring a lot of structure to learning an instrument. I'd imagine a music teacher would find it quite difficult to design a curriculum or whatever for their pupils without having the various grades as a framework. Also, becoming used to this type of exam, where you're put on the spot and have to perform in front of an examiner, is very good preparation for things like oral exams, driving tests, practical exams in college, public speaking and so on. I'm now able to do these kinds of exams without getting particularly nervous.

There are some downsides to the exams too - they can take away a lot of the fun from learning music at times, and they really put some people off learning classical music. As well, they do restrict the amount of music you learn - I'd say the vast majority of people studying classical music only learn pieces for their grade exams, and nothing else.

The Mad Hatter

Speaking as a piano teacher, they're good for some kids, not for others. Many parents need to be reminded of this.

They're a good way of making progress, but they're not the only way.

pinkdiamond

i've done all eight grades. i hated it at the beginning because of the pressure, and having a lot of experience with traditional music, i didn't like the way it was so structured and wasn't free like traditional.

As i approached my 6th grade, i finally began to enjoy classical music and LOVED playing my grade pieces. The songs from each grade are structured so that they are at the standard of the pianist and so your guarenteed to playin pieces of your level.

I'm so glad I've my eight grades done and I know many many people that stopped playing at around the 5th grade, regret not finishing. It's brilliant for your CV aswel. Having your eight grades done PROVES that you have a thorough knowledge of the instrument rather than just being able to say your at a high standard.

dan_d

You're always going to find people who think that kids shouldn't be under pressure etc, etc. For some kids, fair enough it doesn't work. But for most people, exams give the whole learning process a structure and as they get older it teaches them a certain discipline. Most people hate doing them initially - I was one too - but I had my Grade 6 exam done by the time I was 12, and I just kind of realised one day that since I'd got that far, I might as well finish it out. As you get higher up aswell, it pushes you to go out of your comfort zone...I did a diploma a couple of years ago, having given up the piano for 2 years in college...and I was way out of my comfort zone, having to think about what I wore and how I played, and treat it as a performance, but I passed and was so delighted with myself!!!!Many kids don't have the motivation or discipline to practice regularly past a certain age - with the grades, they have a set goal and timeline, which might make it a bit easier for some. I also found that I was used to performing one on one with someone, and being assessed by one other individual - which stood to me in interviews, driving tests etc. You don't realise how rarely you are assessed individually, face to face with one other person until you see people who aren't used to it and how uncomfortable it makes them.
I'm doing the violin at the moment, and due to work pressures, haven't been able to commit to doing a grade exam, so my teacher is using the Suzuki books to keep me going. These are excellent, but it's just not really the same....I'm not really sure what scales I should be doing or studies, and because I can sightread easily, I'm not sure how much I'm getting out of this method. Don't get me wrong - it would be excellent for a child working up through levels of difficulty. I suppose I'm just in a slightly different position.
Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that exams may not suit everyone, but overall they're quite a good system, because they benefit you in more ways than just achieving a pass mark.

Seoid

For me, there are 3 top reasons why I'm in favour of the graded exam system:
1 - I agree with others here that going through the grades gives you something to focus on and a set timeline - this certainly worked for me and pushed me, though I was learning as an adult not a child.
2 - The grading pieces are also carefully set to make sure that different techniques are covered so that by the end you know your instrument well and have a good grasp of the range of techniques etc. available to you.
3 - As well as this, the pressure to perform for the examiner helps to prepare for the pressure of performing for an audience.

I don't know how worthwhile a trad exam would be since
1 - Trad music students have different goals - trad is usually more of a group than a performance activity, especially if we're talking about sessions. So if the main goal is to be able to join in and lead tunes then graded exams don't really help.
2 - you need to know vast amounts of repertoire but not necessarily polish any of them to extremely high standards

I'm think that the way the grading system is taught can be confining though. It shouldn't be just about passing the exams as this can take some of the joy and fun out of music. I think it's worthwhile doing the exams but the music itself should be the goal and as the standard improves you should do other repertoire as well and not focus solely on exam pieces.

pavb2

Agree it's easy to lose sight of the music and it becoming an academic exercise I think that is the advantage of traditional that it is less formal and normally played for pleasure as opposed to qualifications, career etc.

Personally due to time constraints I need a degree of structure,discipline & goals in order to focus and get the most out of practise time and though intense I think the grades do achieve this.

The problem for me was that I only had time for grade pieces & struggled to find time for the more enjoyable pieces, learning pieces you like which also improve technique would be the ideal

From my OP I now think it's all about the right balance & what works for the individual, it's probably more important to have a good teacher, regular lessons and enjoyment rather than treating music as an exercise in passing exams

Fatgoogle

As a grade 7 trumpet player and now have my grade 2 double bass and im 17 i think thier wonderful, i play music i enjoy when i want but that wont always improve you as it can sort of stop at a certain level and found that exams/grades really push me to be a better player and work harder.

pavb2

I think Dan d hit the nail on the head,awkward and stressful as exams may be we do achieve more by getting out of our comfort zone. At least I find this to be true.