Failing Grade 1 piano exam
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i3mum:
[/quote]Yes. It is very subjective to each individual child, but 5 years to fail grade 1 is quite uncommon. Something is amiss there.I see, so it really depends on each individual child.
BigDevil:
[quote=\"i3mum\"]Does anyone knows how long does 1 take to learn in grade 1 to take the exams?
My DD had been taking piano lesson for 3 years. She skipped grade 1 and passed grade 2 last month. One of her schoolmates is also the same...3 years of lessons and passed grade 2 a few weeks ago. -
Funz:
I agree!Did the teacher give your friend the impression that her son was doing well. Was there no feedback or updates?
So many years, was the child with the same teacher throughout? If there have not been any feedback forthcoming, did your friend request for updates from the teacher/school. Was the teacher under the impression that passing the grades were not important to your friend as such did not bother to push the boy nor raise any concerns with your friend.
DD is preparing for her Grade 1 and she is told what are the pieces she needs to prepare. Her teacher is also not very forthcoming but I will ask her a million and one questions to see how DD is faring. I have also made it clear to the teacher what my expectations are and have requested that she works with me along those lines.
In your friend's case, I think all parties have a part to play. All parties not proactive. All parties made assumptions. Changing a teacher may help but I think your friend need to remember that no news does not mean all is well. -
Wow can jump Grade where do not have to take Grade by Grade?
Like that can we take G1 then jum G4 after that straight to G8? :celebrate: -
IJJ:
Yes. It is very subjective to each individual child, but 5 years to fail grade 1 is quite uncommon. Something is amiss there.[/quote]i3mum:
I see, so it really depends on each individual child. [quote=\"BigDevil\"]
My DD had been taking piano lesson for 3 years. She skipped grade 1 and passed grade 2 last month. One of her schoolmates is also the same...3 years of lessons and passed grade 2 a few weeks ago.
My DD started at 7yo and a year+ later the elder boy joined her. Both passed Grade2 together within 2-3 years. The piano teacher herself will get concerned on their progress & consistently update me too........hence for a 11yo to fail G1 after 5 years is rather unusual
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titank:
Who says learning piano must take grade by grade exams? Just like the \"no-arms-pianist\" said: who say we can only use our hands to play the piano?Wow can jump Grade where do not have to take Grade by Grade?
Like that can we take G1 then jum G4 after that straight to G8? :celebrate:
There is no hard and fast rule to learning or playing any instruments. If it is purely for enjoyment, there is really no need for gradings / be so hard on gradings. -
My dd took 1 year of piano lesson when we lived overseas. Upon return, she resume her lessons on a one-on-one basis. Thinking that she may need time to settle into the new education system here, I told her piano teacher that we will go slow n not pressure her for exams (academic comes first mah). She adapted well, and seem ready to take on more challenges, so we told her piano teacher to pace her lessons in preparation for exams. Straight away we noticed that the teacher changed gear, and dd’s lessons became more intensive. teacher expect her to make progress every week, especially the practice on the exam pieces and sight reading.
So, maybe in this case, the teacher’s n parents’ expectation is not in tune? Although I agree that 5 years is a long time to clear grade 1. Just a thought. -
titank:
U do not have to take/ pass any lower grades at all to take G8 practical. The only requirement is u need to pass gr5 theory.Wow can jump Grade where do not have to take Grade by Grade?
Like that can we take G1 then jum G4 after that straight to G8? :celebrate: -
I also think something is not right. Has your friend looked through the examiner’s report? What did it say? From there, she would be able to understand why her ds didn’t do well.
If her ds is still interested in piano, I would suggest changing a teacher/ school. Take a break from taking exams (to build his confidence). Take it when he is ready. He does not have to re-take G1. Just take whichever grade he is ready for then. -
titank:
Why cannot? Not piano, but my ds took G4 and then did G8.Wow can jump Grade where do not have to take Grade by Grade?
Like that can we take G1 then jum G4 after that straight to G8? :celebrate: -
Wow, it must have been very demoralising for the poor boy to have failed grade 1 after 5 years of learning.
It’s difficult to say whose fault it is. But here are some possible reasons.
1. The child has been poorly taught, which may mean that the teacher lacks the knowledge and skill herself/himself. I know that there are quite a few of such teachers that exist.
2. The child is not interested and therefore didn’t practise.
3. The child is not ready. But like what some of you have pointed out, I feel that if the child is not ready, the teacher should have let the parents know and not make him take the exam. On the other hand, I’m wondering if the parents’ insisted on the exam?
Five years may seem a long time to take to reach grade 1. But for some children, this may be the time needed for them to acquire a strong basic foundation. This requires much patience on the part of the child, parent and teacher. My elder daughter took exactly that long (5 years) to do her Grade 1. She was almost 10. It didn’t bother me if she ended up not taking exams, but her friends bothered her and kept remarking "learn so long still grade 0?". So she took her G1 and scored a disctinction. She was very motivated by her results and wanted to skip grade 2. So the next year, she sat for G3, and again scored a distinction (in fact, scored 6 marks higher in G3). I think taking 5 years to develp technique and musicality was worth it for her and has paid off. In the case of KoalaMummy’s friend’s son, it may be that he needs more time. But it’s very possible too that the teacher has not been teaching him correctly.
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