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Riam question about dates.

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  • 13-03-2011 6:21pm
    #1
    wonton
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,214 ✭✭✭


    Just decided during the week to give the piano grade exam a bash and then deadline for signing up is tomorrow and was wondering do you just sign up a hope you get a date you can do?

    I'm using the online version and the only thing it asks is inconvenient dates, I assume that would mean one or two specific times that you know you can't attend and not a preference for when in the exam period you want.

    The exams are running from the 7th of april till the 7th of june and would love to be able pick the first week in june as i'll be finish college by then.

    any help appreciated, cheers!


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    #2
    funky penguin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,352 ✭✭✭funky penguin


    Only saw this now man, sorry.

    As far as I know, they're awfully touchy on the subject of picking specific dates, and even more so on you chnging them.

    Did you apply? I'd say see what you get. If it suits, fine, if not, give them a ring.

    I did my Grade 8 in first year in college and the exam was literally the exact same date and time as my college practical. Go figure!

    It was far easier to change the college one, I rang the academy, but they were very hesitant to change a date. I mean, all I did was pay for their overpriced sheet music and even more ridiculously priced exam. Why should I get to change the exam date under special circumstances?

    Sorry, rant.

    In my opinion, people should do the Associated board. Actually, if I'm honest people should steer clear of grades.

    WOW totally off topic.

    Tell us how you get on!


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    #3
    wonton
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,214 ✭✭✭wonton


    funky penguin wrote: »
    Only saw this now man, sorry.

    As far as I know, they're awfully touchy on the subject of picking specific dates, and even more so on you chnging them.

    Did you apply? I'd say see what you get. If it suits, fine, if not, give them a ring.

    I did my Grade 8 in first year in college and the exam was literally the exact same date and time as my college practical. Go figure!

    It was far easier to change the college one, I rang the academy, but they were very hesitant to change a date. I mean, all I did was pay for their overpriced sheet music and even more ridiculously priced exam. Why should I get to change the exam date under special circumstances?

    Sorry, rant.

    In my opinion, people should do the Associated board. Actually, if I'm honest people should steer clear of grades.

    WOW totally off topic.

    Tell us how you get on!



    ye I dont know why, but I just got it into my head that its about bloody time I done some grades and then the dates for signing up was only a few days later and tbh I knew feck all about what I had to do.

    Long story short ended up signing up but application form didnt work or something blah blah blah.

    and the dates for the associate board do actually seem way more handy for me anyway( july/august rather than april/may/june of riam).


    so I think i'll just go for the associate board, could you share any info on the differences between them? I actually remember you back in first year in the intro class asking which the college preferred.

    avoid grades?? as this is my thread I invite you to go as off topic as you like.

    what do you think about sexton being picked over o'gara? ( too far offtopic?)


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    #4
    funky penguin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,352 ✭✭✭funky penguin


    I don't care who he picks so long as Ashton drops the ball during his swan-dive.

    /Massively on-topic

    The old myth goes that ABRSM is far harder than RIAM.

    The Academy used to be far harder, then they lost their balls. I will say, they're beginning to find them again in the later grades, but you really have to look into the extended lists to discover the 'awesome' music.

    Look at the Grade syllabus for teh AB:

    http://www.abrsm.org/exams/gradedMusicExams/latestSyllabuses.html

    Which Grade are you thinking of doing?

    The AB's problems come in it's selection process for pieces imo. Sometimes they favour contemporary and unknown music a little too much, which can be off putting for students. It's also a strength though, as it promotes variety.

    If I'm completely honest, I do think the AB is a little bit more difficult. With regards to scales, they definitely are. RIAM ignores doing both melodic and harmonic minor, as well as whole-tone scales, just to name two.

    Anyways, in a nutshell, I'd advise AB. It's also more widely recognised.


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    #5
    wonton
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,214 ✭✭✭wonton


    funky penguin wrote: »
    I don't care who he picks so long as Ashton drops the ball during his swan-dive.

    /Massively on-topic

    The old myth goes that ABRSM is far harder than RIAM.

    The Academy used to be far harder, then they lost their balls. I will say, they're beginning to find them again in the later grades, but you really have to look into the extended lists to discover the 'awesome' music.

    Look at the Grade syllabus for teh AB:

    http://www.abrsm.org/exams/gradedMusicExams/latestSyllabuses.html

    Which Grade are you thinking of doing?

    The AB's problems come in it's selection process for pieces imo. Sometimes they favour contemporary and unknown music a little too much, which can be off putting for students. It's also a strength though, as it promotes variety.

    If I'm completely honest, I do think the AB is a little bit more difficult. With regards to scales, they definitely are. RIAM ignores doing both melodic and harmonic minor, as well as whole-tone scales, just to name two.

    Anyways, in a nutshell, I'd advise AB. It's also more widely recognised.


    I thought that whole choosing one of the minor scales was a bit strange, and I'd would actually like to be pushed further and have them throw in modes.

    I'm not really sure about what grade to do, cos I can bate them keys out of it, but really haven't consistently had a teacher so probably need to work quite a bit on technique.

    I was planning on doing grade 5 with riam, with the starting date at the 7th of april, i would have been chancing me arm going any higher especially considering its me first time doing them.

    but ye, cheers, i'll have to check the pieces later, possibly 6 since i have june free to practice.


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    #6
    funky penguin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,352 ✭✭✭funky penguin


    I'm doing AB 6 with a student of mine at the moment.

    Some difficult pieces in it, and some lovely ones too. Have a look on you tube first then decide.


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    #7
    The Mad Hatter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    Funky: I think the Academy exams are still harder than the AB. I have a student who's done (or who tells me she's done) Grade 2 ABRSM and I found she had considerable trouble with anything over Grade 1 standard on the Academy syllabus.

    I find the selection of pieces better on the ABRSM. The Academy seems to be under the impression that music stopped in 1917.


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    #8
    Doshea3
    Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭Doshea3


    The Mad Hatter wrote: »
    The Academy seems to be under the impression that music stopped in 1917.

    But didn't it??!

    The RIAM pieces have got much harder in the last few years. I think they were trying to fight back against the idea they were easier than the AB. For example, a few years back there was an RIAM Grade III piece on AB Grade IV. Last year there was an RIAM Grade II piece on AB Grade III. Aha!

    Some of the RIAM pieces since 2009 are ridiculously difficult. That effing Allegro on Grade I this year is too hard.


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    #9
    funky penguin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,352 ✭✭✭funky penguin


    Doshea3 wrote: »
    But didn't it??!

    The RIAM pieces have got much harder in the last few years. I think they were trying to fight back against the idea they were easier than the AB. For example, a few years back there was an RIAM Grade III piece on AB Grade IV. Last year there was an RIAM Grade II piece on AB Grade III. Aha!

    Some of the RIAM pieces since 2009 are ridiculously difficult. That effing Allegro on Grade I this year is too hard.

    This is true, I've had a child literally cry over that piece this year.

    I still think overall the AB is harder, but I suppose it's a moot point since I hate the grade system. :P

    Ah hate is a strong word......I suppose it just needs constant refinement. Then again, every teaching method would be like that. I think it needs more on harmony, like even a few chord progressions or improv progressions over a simple melody. Then again, I suppose that's straying into the theory end too much.

    I also think some students and some teachers tend to over look the musicianship element of it. I get my students to sight-sing every lesson from day one, I feel it's a core skill no matter what instrument you play.

    MAD off topic. Apologies to the Mods. :P


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    #10
    wonton
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,214 ✭✭✭wonton


    funky penguin wrote: »
    This is true, I've had a child literally cry over that piece this year.



    Ah hate is a strong word......I suppose it just needs constant refinement. Then again, every teaching method would be like that. I think it needs more on harmony, like even a few chord progressions or improv progressions over a simple melody. Then again, I suppose that's straying into the theory end too much.

    I also think some students and some teachers tend to over look the musicianship element of it. I get my students to sight-sing every lesson from day one, I feel it's a core skill no matter what instrument you play.

    MAD off topic. Apologies to the Mods. :P


    I bet your piano lessons are just like an episode of glee .




    but Ye I think everyone would have opinions of what the exams should include


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    #11
    The Mad Hatter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    Doshea3 wrote: »
    But didn't it??!

    The RIAM pieces have got much harder in the last few years. I think they were trying to fight back against the idea they were easier than the AB. For example, a few years back there was an RIAM Grade III piece on AB Grade IV. Last year there was an RIAM Grade II piece on AB Grade III. Aha!

    Some of the RIAM pieces since 2009 are ridiculously difficult. That effing Allegro on Grade I this year is too hard.

    I've been noticing a trend in the last couple of years - especially last year - of one piece on each grade being way above the difficulty of that grade, and one being a good bit easier. Remember the Mozart sonata on grade 5 last year, for instance? Or having the last movement of the Pathetique on grade 8?!

    I've been working on the assumption that the harder piece is there (at least in theory) for students who are much stronger than the average, and the easier one for that student who never practices and needs to learn one of their pieces in the last few weeks before the exam.


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    #12
    anamaria
    Registered Users Posts: 198 ✭✭anamaria


    I apologise for resurrecting an older thread but I got a sense of 'ahaaa!!!' when I read this.

    I too have noticed that the Academy seem to have a habit of throwing in one piece in a grade which is at a completely different standard to the others on the grade (the gd 1 allegro perfect example). I seem to have a different experience with the scales however as I had a students who had just done gr 2 AB and couldn't even do gr 1 scales for the academy. Go figure.
    Finding the whole grade structure increasingly frustrating the last few years in the Academy though it must be said.

    Rant over....


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