|
Post by Dulciana on Sept 23, 2006 18:52:20 GMT
As yet, I've never had anyone fail an exam, but I can feel it in my bones that it might happen this time...
One is an adult pupil doing Grade 3. He's away a lot on business and doesn't get to practise as he should, but has been on the same pieces for so long that we're both cracking up with them. So I've asked him if he'll really get the finger out over the next two months if we put the entry in. He said yes, but I'm not convinced. Am I wrong to enter him? And how am I going to tell him if he fails?
If I don't enter him, we go nowhere for another six months - and the biggest reason for not entering him is, if I'm honest, is to avoid having to tell him he's failed! He's quite sensitive and trusts me when I say "you can if you really put the time in", but I have the distinct feeling that he won't put the time in, and it will end up my fault!
Thoughts, please! I've put this here rather than TOP as I want some real honest views, without everyone just trying to sound like they're "dead professional" themselves!
|
|
|
Post by caz on Sept 23, 2006 20:43:46 GMT
You have to be completely honest with him from now onwards and say "you realise that if you don't put the work in, you will fail". He needs to know that it is _his_ responsibility to put the work in between now and the exam. Then it will hopefully be clear that the fault doesn't lie with you. You'll be lucky to get through your career without anyone failing - it happens - I've had a couple and obviously it's not fun telling them but that's life unfortunately! Hope it all goes well for you both!
|
|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Sept 23, 2006 21:19:00 GMT
I agree with caz. Enter enough people for exams and some will fail, sooner or later. I think you are on a hiding to nothing here. Your adult has done the pieces to death yet is still in danger of failing. I am blunt in these situations. "You say you want to take this exam, yet you do not put in the work required to pass. Either you want to take it, in which case you must do the work required, or you do not. In that case, say so now and I can stop beating myself up over it." I call it 'tough love'. Didn't make me popular on TOP ;D. I don't blame you for not posting about it there. Good luck. Steve
|
|
|
Post by caz on Sept 23, 2006 21:31:50 GMT
Yay! Steve agrees with me! I am honoured
|
|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Sept 23, 2006 22:35:19 GMT
Yay! Steve agrees with me! I am honoured Hehe. Not so sure about the 'honoured' bit. There are those who would have you hanged, drawn and quartered because I agreed with you. Wouldn't be your fault, but hey, that's life. ;D As an addition to my earlier post: some teachers like to wait until a student is ready to take the exam before making the entry. The plus to that is there are less likely to be nasty surprises in wait - you know the candidate can play the stuff required. The downside is a lack of deadline-inspired urgency can lead to the process being somewhat drawn-out. I used to belong firmly to the school of thought that goes thus: "You are ready to do grade x. Do you want to do it?" When the answer was affirmative, then we went ahead. The downsides here were the candidates who then proceeded to resolutely refuse to do the required work (yes, I know I probably misread their intentions\desires\laziness ;D). These lead to my failures. I say "I used to belong....." because I now belong to a you-can-do-an-exam-if-you-threaten-to-kill-me-if-I-don't-let-you school. This ensures that only those who really want to take exams do so, and saves me a whole heck of a lot of angst. "What about the exam-obsessed parents?" I hear you ask. Ah well. Therein lies a completely different story. Steve
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Sept 23, 2006 23:36:02 GMT
I don't worry too much about exam-obsessed parents. I listen politely and smile and go away and ignore them. But this one's different. He's in control of his own destiny, but hasn't quite got his head round the idea that this is something you can't prepare for the night before. And the only way he's going to learn is to fail the exam! Would you let him toodle on doing the same thing for the foreseeable future, or would you let him fail?
|
|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Sept 24, 2006 0:05:18 GMT
I don't worry too much about exam-obsessed parents. I listen politely and smile and go away and ignore them. But this one's different. He's in control of his own destiny, but hasn't quite got his head round the idea that this is something you can't prepare for the night before. And the only way he's going to learn is to fail the exam! Would you let him toodle on doing the same thing for the foreseeable future, or would you let him fail? My instinct goes against either course of action. How about the middle ground. A more tactful\appropriate version of "You have shown by your lack of preparation that you do not really understand what goes into preparing for these exams. Why bother doing them? You don't need to, after all. You will gain more benefit from........" perhaps? Sorry to say, Patricia, I am not talking from experience here as I have not encountered this situation before - in my experience, adults understand that exams need prep and over prepare for them. I suppose he might be so busy that piano practise comes back to his attention when he is at home, but disappears from it when working away; we can all understand that. Steve
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Sept 24, 2006 11:14:01 GMT
Steve - yep, the last sentence probably sums it up! He was the one who wanted to do the exam in the first place, and I went along with it. I think he wants a sense of achievement. We're too far down the line to say "Let's leave it" now, so I think I'll try just being bruatally but diplomatically frank about his prospects this week and let him decide whether he's prepared to go for it. Thanks for your thoughts - I'll keep you posted on what transpires!
|
|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Sept 24, 2006 11:23:54 GMT
I have been thinking about this, wondering what I would do in the same situation. Your confirmation that the impetus to do the exam confirms my thinking. I would warn him that his playing is not good enough to pass. I would point out that although generous in lower grades, exam boards do have standards below which they will not allow a pass. I would make sure he sees the AB (if it is AB) stats at www.abrsm.org/?page=press/factfile/practicalStats.html. Those might give him some pause for thought. I would show him marking criteria outlined in 'These Music Exams'. I have the equipment to record his playing, make him listen to the playback and show him where he lies in the fail bands and why. That would be a neat trick if you have equipment yourself. Boy oh boy, I am glad he is yours ;D ;D ;D Steve
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Sept 24, 2006 11:54:33 GMT
It's LCM - up until the last sesion but one I felt that LCM grades were easier to pass, so I would have put the less - how shall I put it - virtuostic - candidates there. But last time round one had a very close shave. I've spoken to another teacher with the same experience, and I wonder if they're getting tougher after accreditation and all that. Or maybe it was just a tough examiner. Who knows... But either way, "These Music exams" will be useful for him to read, and I'll tell him to record himself at home; he says he plays better when I'm not there!
|
|
|
Post by AnotherPianist on Sept 28, 2006 17:37:52 GMT
Maybe you could work on convincing him that if he doesn't do the exam now that he's not wasted time learning those pieces and has actually learnt things from them anyway. Make it clear that if he doesn't do the exam he doesn't simply have to work on the same three pieces until the next exam session comes around; he may believe this if you haven't told him otherwise. He can always do a different exam (different grade/different board) at a later date or the same exam with new pieces. Or how about giving him a mock exam now and failing him miserably on that (only if he deserves it of course) this could give him the idea that he may well fail the real one and has a lot of work to do if he still wants to do it. To be honest if I were you, and I'm not a teacher, I'd just say you can't do it yet because you're not ready, I'm sure that's easier said than done though . Steve's tough approach seems to be the right one here .
|
|
|
Post by anacrusis on Sept 28, 2006 20:06:27 GMT
I'll tell him to record himself at home; he says he plays better when I'm not there! Umm, but will he play better with an examiner there, I wonder?
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Sept 29, 2006 10:22:33 GMT
Entry sent off today.....for better or worse. I did explain that he definitely wouldn't pass as it is at the minute, and he seems happy to accept that. I'd love for him to be happy not to do the exam at all, but I think he wants to be able to say he's "got the T-shirt", so to speak. I just hope he does get the T-shirt! On the plus side, his aural tests are very good and his sight-reading's not bad - every little helps. My last LCM candidate who just scraped through did very badly in his aurals; they were always hit and miss, but it was just sod's law that on the occasion that mattered there were too many misses!
I'll keep you posted!
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Dec 7, 2006 23:35:46 GMT
Less than a week to go and I think things have actually got worse instead of better...I have been honest with him, and he's wanting extra lessons now but I don't think it's going to help. I've said it all before, and there's nothing left that I can say.
|
|
|
Post by anacrusis on Dec 7, 2006 23:45:08 GMT
At least he's spending his own money, and is old enough to shoulder the blame. You've done your bit, and he has to have done his bit to get through. Are you going to give him extra lessons? Trouble is, a lesson won't do the practice for him, and without the practice, the lesson will be of less value to him too. You've laid it on the line already - and I don't think you were wrong to enter him for the exam - maybe he needs this as a jolt to bring him back to reality. Music cannot learn itself, it needs work. Will you do a mock exam?
|
|