Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Anyone that knows anything about the AMEB AMusA (piano)?

Congratulations Tiana!
I have considered sitting the AMusA exam myself, but performance anxiety always holds me back.

Marcus

WOW congrats! .. What are you studying in uni may I ask? I'm planning to do grade 7 sometime next yaer, many more years to prepare till the A mus A. Even so, being good enough to play at A mus A standard is another thing. Congrats again, very happy for you, I can relate to that post exam period.

My grade 8 singing exam last year led me to lie around all day waiting for my teacher to call and give me the damn mark!

Thanks everyone! I'm over the moon =]

Marcus, I was exactly the same up until last year, I had the worst nerves up until last last year. I tried natural sprays and tablets that should've helped, but didn't work.

Go to the doctor and ask them for a prescription for a beta blocker. It lowers your blood pressure for a few hours and they work like magic! I can now perform in front of an audience without lookign like an idiot that can't play.

Rebekah, I'm doing primary school teaching at uni. I'm thinking of adding high school teaching to my degree as well, but I'll see how I go with everything lol.

Have you thought of skipping grade 7 and going straight to grade 8?

Hi Tiana,

I used beta blockers for one of my exams and it controlled the shakes, but the nerves were still there.
I am still in two minds about whether or not I want to put myself through the torture - not of the performance itself, but all the preparation. At present, I am playing things at the AMusA level and enjoying playing them, without the worry that I am not playing them well enough. But we will see..... I am getting a new piano in the next 12 months and that might inspire me to prepare for AMusA.

And to anyone reading this thread - DONT ASK YOUR DOCTOR FOR BETA BLOCKERS IF YOU ARE AN ASTHMATIC. It could be dangerous. Very dangerous.

Marcus

Go into the exam philosophically; I got so worked up for mine, general knowledge was perfect, of course had my programme by memory and I was failed because I played a (that is ONE) wrong note in my Bach (which was printed in the music; not my mistake! It was Schirmer's!). After I tried again a month later, I passed and they said how wonderfully secure I was, with my impressive memory work etc. The AMEB are pathetically inconsistent, so you have no reason to be nervous; most of the examiners only have their Lmus!
Still, it's worth getting Amus so you can go the presenation ceremony and flap around like a bird in the ridiculous gown, whilst the examiners parade around, soaking in their own importance. Very comical pomp; I wondered if I was supposed to kiss their rings or cross myself!

No-one gets failed for one wrong note. The results depend on your performance on the day, which explains why you could fail, then pass a month later. Also, examiners are not marking machines, and have their own opinions and preferences. They do however mark against a set of criteria.
"Most of the examiners only have their LMus!" This is just not true.
You are entitled to think what you like about the "presenation ceremony"(sic) and the attitudes you believe the examiners show, but that doesn't make it an accurate view.
(Oh, and by the way, I'm not an AMEB examiner )

I did actually only make one mistake, and my teacher and I were both outraged that I failed. I played quite well on the day, and would never play in a cold, uninvolved manner which may give an examiner reason to fail me. I was expecting a pass at least!
I was exaggerating about the examiners' ineptness (it is, however, true of some of the examiners), but I'm just trying to calm the guy down!

I guess I'd be amazed if the report actually indicated that you failed solely because of that one mistake. However, if a candidate or teacher think that the result doesn't tie in with what's said on the report (eg "very good playing", result - fail )that's good grounds for lodging an appeal. Actually, maybe that's what you did, as you seem to have been able to resit the exam a month later.
I know, we all exaggerate a little at times. Gosh, I even do it myself. I just happen to know very many extremely competent examiners. Always the odd exception though.

One of my friends failed too, despite being very well prepared. He was not sure why he failed as he felt that he had played well on the day. I saw him perform in a Masterclass and he did well there too. He also performed for me in the lead up to the exam and was very musical and competent. So I was not filled with confidence in the process....

Marcus

Congratulations on your passing Tiana!

Daniel

The report should make it perfectly clear why the candidate failed, and what they can work on for a successful result if they try again. I concede that some examiners are better at doing this than others, but with two examiners for the diploma exams, you have a good chance of getting helpful advice. And, as I mentioned, if the report doesn't tally with the result, you can lodge a protest. But yes, I can see why that may have damaged your confidence! Can I say that I've accompanied a number of instrumentalists/singers who I thought shouldn't have passed, but did. There's encouragement for you!

congrats! I am currenltly orking on my grade 8 piano... then hope to sit the teaching deploma as I want to go in to teaching.

That certainly is encouraging.... However, it takes time, time and then some more time.

I know there is no magic number, but roughly how many hours per week do people need to do to prepare for AMusA. I spent 18 months or there about preparing for my 8th grade. I did about an hour a day 4 days per week and them about 1-2 hours on weekends (if I was not working). In the lead up to the exams I was practicing at least two hours per day and I passed comfortably, but I felt that the step up from Grade 8 to AMusA is huge and I figured I would need a good two solid hours per day to practice if I was going to attempt it. At this stage of my life I really dont have two hours a day to put into it, consequently I spend my time working on pieces that I really like, and I am still having lessons to build my technique so that if in the future I decide to sit AMusA I will be in a much better position technically.

Marcus

Hi Marcus,

You're definitely right in saying that AMusA is a big step up from Eighth Grade- not just because of the repertoire but because fundamentally it is much more focused on the performing aspects; that is, you must show your capabilities as a performer, not just as an ordinary pianist. I certainly agree that finding the hours to put in can be tough; I practised for about 2 hours a day, every day for about 18 months in preparing for my AMusA. I think it's more than just giving yourself time to build the technique and repertoire; you need to give yourself time to hone performance skills and the ability to show your own interpretation through a well-balanced program. It's also important to have a teacher who has experience in leading students through diploma level exams- trust them AND your own instincts to tell you when you're really ready!

You may be aware that AMEB have just revised their piano syllabus and there is now an exam in between Eighth Grade and AMusA, the Certificate of Performance (which was originally only in the Piano for Leisure syllabus). I went to a conference about this earlier in the year, and apparently it has specifically been designed to give people a hand in bridging that gap (or 'stepping up') between the two. This is also because the AMEB is getting very tough about who they award the AMusA to, and the examiner who spoke told me that a lot of candidates go who simply aren't ready- the Certificate is therefore designed to help you step up if you need that.

Regarding the previous poster's comments about a wrong note, I agree with currawong in saying that they don't fail you if you played one wrong note but everything else absolutely perfectly. It may have been to do with interpretative or performance issues, which are important features of AMus. Yes, some of the examiners have been doing it forever and a few can come across as opinionated and elitist- but in the end, they are professionals and there are positive ones out there!

Good luck with your diploma ambitions- give yourself time and if you have the dedication, it's a very worthwhile qualification to have.

Andrew

Well it's a bit late for you but maybe this will help others.
Congratulations by the way.

I am a 'mature' amateur piano student. I took grade 8 at 18 back in the 70's in the UK and have played ever since. I went for the AMusA in September this year (and got it despite having formed some bad technique habits). I had the help of a local professional performer/teacher and would have failed without that.
My friends (some of them piano teachers) really emphasised the importance of the question session. One friend who now has the AMus failed the first time due to inadequate knowledge.

I used scores for everything and a decent page-turner.
She practiced this with me at an extended charity fund-raiser concert I gave for about 40 friends at my home a week before the exam. This concert also got me used to playing under pressure. Careful though: events like this can become a distraction and I spent more time working on a non-exam piece than anything else.

At the exam I made a small number of note errors including completely failing to play the 1st note in the LH of my Bach prelude, due to nerves. It didn't seem to matter. I paid very detailed attention to nuance and rubato, especially in Chopin and gave a lot of thought to Baroque and Classical style and articulation. According to the report these were important for my pass. I was told that 'despite a few reservations (mainly a few harsh moments in my Schubert), the overall standard was good enough' due to mastery of those things mentioned and ALSO due to thorough knowledge of the pieces and their contexts.

I will try for the LMus in 2011, just for the heck of it but I do not expect to get it really. But then I said that of the AMus beforehand.

There are some good analysis notes on many of the AMEB grade and diploma pieces for sale from Ross Hamilton in Sydney. Google will find this.

I am now pasting a summary of the questions I was asked along with the pieces played:

Topics and questions discussed at my AMuA exam in September 2009.

Kats-Chernin
(Russian Rag).

Personal history? What else did she write? Influences, style of writing (Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Minimalist).
What is a Rag? What is Russian about this one?
Name other Australian composers. Was happy with 2, though I could have reeled off up to 10.

Chopin
(Nocturne op 55 no 2).

How many nocturnes? What were the influences on the nocturnes? (Wanted Field and Bellini-Bel Canto style.) What else did he write? (Stopped me about half way through the life’s works.) Focussed on preludes: how many?
Discussed things in all keys with ref to the 48. Difference in organisation between Chopin 24 Preludes and the Bach 48? (Cycle of fifths.)


Schubert
(Sonata in A, op 112, D 664, 1819.)

What are the forms of the 1st and 3rd movement? Trace some keys in the sonata (1st movement).Where is the 2nd subject. (1st movement). Where does the bridge passage finish and 2nd subject start?
I guided the conversation to Schubert’s position at the close of the classical/start romantic and we discussed that a bit.
What else did he write? (Piano and other.) How many sonatas?


Bach
(Prelude and Fugue in F sharp, BWV 858 book 1 no 13.)

Mentioned tonal and asked what it means and whether this fugue is tonal. (Yes.)
Explain why.
How can we tell where the opening of the fugue ends? (Used a different word for opening that I had to have explained.) Wanted answer that 3 parts each introduce the subject in alternating key cycle, followed by first episode.
Discussed counter-subject a little. Discussed possible interpretation of 2nd episode as 2nd CS.
What is meant by Klavier (in Bach’s 48)? What would they have been played on?
What else did he write? What else (other than book 1) in the Coethen period?
Focus on instrumental music and difference from Weimar and the demand for church music there. What did he write in Leipzig? (Book 2 of 48, Mass and Passions—what are they called?)
What enormous body of church music did he write?

Pray to the Lord that I may succeed in my second AmusA exams in 2 months from now, and that I shall improve so much that my mother will actually enjoy listening to my practice.

Amen

For anyone reading this article in the future, please see my post about preparing for an AmusA piano diploma. I recently passed with Distinction and happy to answer any questions you may have about the process via my blog (link below). Good luck!