All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers

[Dreamaurora]

jedamum:

sleepy:

If your ds is ready, just prep for grade 5 right away, need not be sync with his practical piano grade. However, knowledge from grade 1 to 4 is still necessary.
.

sleepy,
how do i do this (above)?
dont group theory classes have their own curriculum?
will commercial schools prefer to teach slower (more fee)?
to get teacher to recommend? (ours is with cristofori).
i do hope to get him clear theory now that he has lesser commitment.
he has a good memory (wrt to terms and definition) and so far theory is ok (he will attempt extra theory exercises on his own when his teacher has no time to teach/assign theory work).

i got a shock the day before the exam to learn that there is a 'required speed' for playing the pieces and the scales. do you think should get metronome? (or is there one in iphone version). teacher had feedback that son was rushing through the pieces, while son protested that he had already slowed down. i have no clue as they sounded similar to me.

There are teachers who specialize in prepping grade 5 theory without any theory background; all that is required is ability to read music comfortably, preferably piano music. I am one such teacher and my students never sat for grade 1-4 theory; the first theory exam they took was grade 5 (yes, even the young ones). 17-20 hours are roughly what is needed to complete the syllabus and go through the past year papers. Unlike practical, theory can be taken in larger dosage. Just for the sake of an experiment last year, I attempted to crash course a sec 3 girl for grade 5 theory (no theory background, but she had passed grade 7 practical Trinity under me) last year within a span of 3 weeks, I think we spent roughly 16 hours in total together and the girl managed to get a merit. It was very much possible to cram the lessons into short amount of time, though personally I won't recommend it as it was really stressful.

I've successfully prepared 7 and 8 year olds for grade 5 theory, though the preparation was longer (around 8 months of lessons about half hour each per week). I think 8 year old is the sweet spot as the kids would be more proficient with the mathematical calculations needed to tackle some of the questions (yes, need to be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide comfortably).

As for the required speed, in general the ABRSM books will recommend a speed for the pieces. They are not be taken as absolute and teachers should exercise judgement to choose a tempo that is more suitable for the music as examiners examine the end musical result, and not whether the written markings are followed slavishly. A good example is 2011-2012 Gillock's Carnival in Rio that was set for grade 4. The recommended speed in the ABRSM book is on the slow side and does not suit the music. A more lively speed suits the music much better (even the pianist who played the CD for the book agrees and plays it faster accordingly).

For scales, there is a required minimum speed as stated in the ABRSM scale books. In exam, students can play at the specified speed or faster, but playing slower will incur penalty.

Use of metronome will depend on teacher. For me, it is indispensable for practice. But there are well known teachers who are against it as they believe it promotes mechanical playing and inhibit musicality. I think the general consensus is that metronome is useful in making sure the playing is even in tempo, but the moment the notes are mastered, usage of metronome should be limited.

[Dreamaurora]

micollh:

thanks sleepy !


btw, to prevent grading during psle year.. any path advise for 6 yo till then ?

The end goal would be to achieve grade 8 by P5 July (yes, some of my students' parents actually request this to be achieved). So let's say start as beginner at 6 year old. Can try this plan (assuming your child starts this month):

Age 7 - July/August 2014 (Grade 2 practical exam)
Age 8 - October 2015 (Grade 5 theory)
Age 9 - February 2016 (Grade 5 practical exam)
Age 10 - July/August 2017 (optional Grade 7 practical exam)
Age 11 - July/August 2018 (Grade 8 practical exam)

Of course, this will depend on your child's natural ability and teacher's teaching skill. I have to stress that this is assuming that your child is reasonably 'gifted', the teacher is very skilled and experienced in preparing this kind of progression, and you are providing the necessary support and help in practicing.

[jedamum]

Thanks everyone for sharing.

[phankao]

Dreamaurora:

micollh:

thanks sleepy !


btw, to prevent grading during psle year.. any path advise for 6 yo till then ?

The end goal would be to achieve grade 8 by P5 July (yes, some of my students' parents actually request this to be achieved). So let's say start as beginner at 6 year old. Can try this plan (assuming your child starts this month):

Age 7 - July/August 2014 (Grade 2 practical exam)
Age 8 - October 2015 (Grade 5 theory)
Age 9 - February 2016 (Grade 5 practical exam)
Age 10 - July/August 2017 (optional Grade 7 practical exam)
Age 11 - July/August 2018 (Grade 8 practical exam)

Of course, this will depend on your child's natural ability and teacher's teaching skill. I have to stress that this is assuming that your child is reasonably 'gifted', the teacher is very skilled and experienced in preparing this kind of progression, and you are providing the necessary support and help in practicing.

How come not Diploma at Age 11? haha.

[Dreamaurora]

phankao:

Dreamaurora:

[quote=\"micollh\"]thanks sleepy !


btw, to prevent grading during psle year.. any path advise for 6 yo till then ?

The end goal would be to achieve grade 8 by P5 July (yes, some of my students' parents actually request this to be achieved). So let's say start as beginner at 6 year old. Can try this plan (assuming your child starts this month):

Age 7 - July/August 2014 (Grade 2 practical exam)
Age 8 - October 2015 (Grade 5 theory)
Age 9 - February 2016 (Grade 5 practical exam)
Age 10 - July/August 2017 (optional Grade 7 practical exam)
Age 11 - July/August 2018 (Grade 8 practical exam)

Of course, this will depend on your child's natural ability and teacher's teaching skill. I have to stress that this is assuming that your child is reasonably 'gifted', the teacher is very skilled and experienced in preparing this kind of progression, and you are providing the necessary support and help in practicing.

How come not Diploma at Age 11? haha.[/quote]Haha, I think for that to happen has to start lesson at 4 years old, or father/mother is a piano teacher.

[sleepy]

phankao:

How come not Diploma at Age 11? haha.

There is indeed a p4 girl in dd's piano class pursuing diploma

[phankao]

Dreamaurora:

phankao:

How come not Diploma at Age 11? haha.

Haha, I think for that to happen has to start lesson at 4 years old, or fatherther is a piano teacher.

I know a few who did ATCL diploma at 10 or 11. Parents don't play instrument leh. I think they started around 5 or 6.

[phankao]

Dreamaurora:

phankao:

How come not Diploma at Age 11? haha.

Haha, I think for that to happen has to start lesson at 4 years old, or fatherther is a piano teacher.

I know a few who did ATCL diploma at 10 or 11. Parents don't play instrument leh. I think they started around 5 or 6.

[Dreamaurora]

phankao:

Dreamaurora:

[quote=\"phankao\"]

How come not Diploma at Age 11? haha.

Haha, I think for that to happen has to start lesson at 4 years old, or fatherther is a piano teacher.

I know a few who did ATCL diploma at 10 or 11. Parents don't play instrument leh. I think they started around 5 or 6.[/quote]Yeah, actually quite common, especially for strings because quite a few string players attempted their grade 8 when they are 8 or 9 as instrument is less an issue compared to pianists. Piano I am aware a few also, though rarer.

To be honest, I really see no point in attempting ATCL at such a young age. I believe when a student is at diploma level, he/she must be well-versed in musical knowledge and be familiar with different musical styles. That is why I believe DipABRSM/ALCM assesses a student more accurately. That being said, preparing for ATCL at age 11 could be useful as a guideline to acquire some performing repertoire for other purposes such as competition.

And I do feel it's kind of tragic that one of the most common discussions about learning music in Singapore (and similar Asian countries) is about exams and grades. I think more constructive topics such as exposing children to different types of music, music making in a group, inspiring children to practice and perform, will be more relevant to music making.

[micollh]

Dreamaurora:

micollh:

thanks sleepy !


btw, to prevent grading during psle year.. any path advise for 6 yo till then ?

The end goal would be to achieve grade 8 by P5 July (yes, some of my students' parents actually request this to be achieved). So let's say start as beginner at 6 year old. Can try this plan (assuming your child starts this month):

Age 7 - July/August 2014 (Grade 2 practical exam)
Age 8 - October 2015 (Grade 5 theory)
Age 9 - February 2016 (Grade 5 practical exam)
Age 10 - July/August 2017 (optional Grade 7 practical exam)
Age 11 - July/August 2018 (Grade 8 practical exam)

Of course, this will depend on your child's natural ability and teacher's teaching skill. I have to stress that this is assuming that your child is reasonably 'gifted', the teacher is very skilled and experienced in preparing this kind of progression, and you are providing the necessary support and help in practicing.

Thanks !! shall take this as my gal's piano journey's guideline.. i wont stick strictly to it.. but will refer to it to avoid the PSLE/piano grading..