Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Ug, I think I will have to start taking some graded music exams

I just got an email back from a university I applied to, asking what graded music exams I had taken - I replied with none (and it didn't say in the prospectus that you required them, ug) but I would be able to if necessary - oops. I can do the pieces, and possibly the scales, but I keep on hearing about all this other stuff, like singing (!!!) and clapping rhythms. What kind of stuff is there?

(fortunatly 2 of the ones I applied to definatly don't need graded music exams because they are more academic courses, but you can choose modules in performing each year anyway)

Commiserations: the singing and clapping arejust plain humiliating once you are past eight years old!

I'm 33 and I still sing and clap.

Max, If you're going to take abrsm exam (or rcm) whatever it is, im assuming you're taking the highest level exam. And for that, i dont think there will be any clapping and the "conducting" (drawing triangles in midair to 3/4 time music).
There will be sight singing- not awfully difficult if you can sing from score quite accurately. And singing the bass line of whatever short piece the examiner plays.. (or so for abrsm)
Good luck to you for your applications!

In piano pedagogy class, our dignity was robbed ruthlessly. the 'prof' had us on our hands and knees singing "Where is thumbkin, where is thumbkin" as part of the module on teaching little kids.

I stopped participating in the class at that point. Although being a babysitter MAY be a necessary part of teaching very young students, its certainly not what I signed on for in pursuing a piano performance degree. Humiliating!!!

Sorry i must admit i literally laughed into the screen... but the the image of that is... I can understand the dignity part of that, been there done that (was teaching music at a kindie) but i got over (have to) it after sometime.

I am totally ECSTATIC! I got this email today:

Dear Mr Wellenkamp,

Thanks for your reply. I have referred your application to the Admissions tutor in the Music department and she has said that in light of your ensemble work you would not be required to take the ABRSM exams.

Best wishes,
Debby

THIS IS UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME! PANIC OVER!

Doing Senior Choir for 5 years, and a few bits of chamber music in recital has done me a huge favour (finally).

WOOHOO! wow! thats really good to hear. Ive heard your recording, you deserve this.

regardless... i still recommend getting into solfege, dictation, ear training, and sight reading practise regularly. The school will probably put you in classes for all this anyways so you shouldn't have to worry about it. They are all important aspects of general musicianship.

what's wrong with exams? i took them until being a music major took over my life! aural training is the most important part of being a music major, i think...even more than the piano part...

This is why I would've been disapointed if I would've had to do the exams; the Music A-level includes basically all of the things found in graded exams like performance and music theory, and as well as all the aural work we do(dictation, sight singing, harmonising melodies, etc), we also do a lot of analysis work. I think the fact that I have been singing (albeit not brilliantly!) for 5 years probably tipped the balance a bit as I have a good amount of aural training from that.

Nevertheless, I still might take the exam anyway - I might even try and do it on the next date which is the 18th of December as the pieces are pretty forgiving...