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Post by Dulciana on Dec 9, 2006 11:01:20 GMT
(see above - computer still playing funny b*****s - sorry again!)
As a child my parents didn't want me put under exam pressure (little love) but when I decided as an adult that I wanted to do Grade 8 I had several bouts of concern as to whether or not I'd actually be able to perfect everything, and whether or not I'd have the stamina to hold my concentration well enought to get through everything in one sitting!
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Post by Dulciana on Dec 9, 2006 11:03:48 GMT
(See above - last instalment, I promise!) This is one of the reasons why I don't wait for older pupils to tell me they want to do exams; I tell them they're doing them!
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Post by princessmoose on Dec 9, 2006 11:09:22 GMT
I guess you're not allowed to kick them up the bum yourself nowadays, so maybe an exam failure is the only option. Doesn't look good on me if they fail though.
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Dec 10, 2006 16:15:08 GMT
Having read about everyone else's approach, I'm wondering if I'm too much of a perfectionist! Not with regard to thinking the pass standard for exams is higher than it is, but with regard to perfecting things generally. While I'm not averse to the odd wrong note, I really don't like to see pupils leave something till they've made a reasonable stab at the phrasing, dynamics and articulation. I decide what it is that I want a student to gain from studying a piece. Typical elements are: a new musical concept; developing skill in an existing one; some aspect of technique; early stage literacy. This is what I will concentrate on, and I will ignore even glaring mistakes unless there is a good teaching reason to spend time on them. If I have not offered repertoire for specific purposes, I await the result of my pupil's efforts and then decide the thrust of the lesson. My ability to ignore mistakes could easily make my teaching seem haphazard to other musicians. My rationale makes sense to me. It is that inexperienced players get things wrong; trying to correct all these errors appears to these players to turn a lesson into an unending stream of criticism; they will practise more readily if they are being challenged to develop musically. Not every teacher would be comfortable with my cavalier approach to mistakes. I have developed this approach over many years and was completely different at the start of my career. A colossal benefit I derive from this approach is that kids come for lessons for years, so my turnover is low and my income so much more secure than in my younger, more fiery days. Or maybe they just come for the chocs. ;D
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Post by anacrusis on Dec 10, 2006 18:52:27 GMT
I've seen the absolute opposite to Steve's approach in action, and can say, "Steve I'm with you. 100% of the way!" I think one of the best skills a teacher can have is knowing which mistakes it is safe to ignore, and which matter - and that will vary, depending on what you're trying to get across. My own teacher won't flog a dead horse - if I know how a phrase should go, and he's given me the necessary advice for how to achieve it, he will happily let me go off and work on it, rather than get flustered trying to do that in the lesson. My kids' second piano teacher, on the other hand, would worry and worry and worry at every mistake....and ended up on the receiving end of a stack of mistakes for his trouble, only two of which would happen on a recurring basis at home. And no, he wouldn't know which they were. (No chocs to be seen at either venue, so we can take that out of the equation for reasons why people go back to the same teacher )
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Post by AnotherPianist on Dec 10, 2006 21:14:04 GMT
It's a tricky one, I can see on the one hand that exams slow progress; but on the other it must be more difficult if someone later decides they want to do exams (or need to for entry to some establishment). One has no experience of exams and is thrown in at the deep end not knowing how nerves will take effect. Festivals and performances can be used to get around this though. It can often be very disappointing to people too as often the standard to which one can play in one's house is much above what one can do in an exam under pressure. Both in terms of quality of performance and difficulty of pieces one is capable of playing.
I suffer from the trying to perfect everything problem, as such I don't get through as much repertoire as I'd like as I feel I've failed if I don't get each piece up to a certain standard. It would probably do me a lot of good to go with Steve's method for a while....
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Post by Dulciana on Dec 10, 2006 22:33:31 GMT
I wonder how it would work to have two teachers work alongside each other, sharing pupils and taking it week about? As in a husband and wife team, or similar? One to focus on perfecting the music for exams and performances, and one to work as a trouble-shooter, selecting additional repertoire and working at the pertinent aspects of it, as Steve suggests, which will strengthen certain weaknesses as the student goes along? Teacher A could confer with Teacher B between lessons as to what technicalities were presenting difficulties. Any thoughts on this wild notion, which has only just occurred to me!!??
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Dec 10, 2006 23:53:51 GMT
I suffer from the trying to perfect everything problem, as such I don't get through as much repertoire as I'd like as I feel I've failed if I don't get each piece up to a certain standard. It would probably do me a lot of good to go with Steve's method for a while.... It might. Trouble is, if you came to me I would identify you as a 'perfector' and allow you to spend a long time playing a piece of music. I would eventually move you on, but this would be some while after you had ceased to derive developmental benefit from playing it. This is one of the downsides to my student-centred approach to teaching - students do not always get what they need. Sorry if I appear to be contradicting myself. I just recognise that my approach had disadvantages as well as advantages.
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Post by Dulciana on Dec 12, 2006 22:55:57 GMT
Doomsday is tomorrow. First ever failure approacheth fast. And I've actually decided that he bloody-well deserves it, and that justice will not be done if he passes - which he won't. I spent two hours practising myself today, had four and a half hours of teaching this evening, plus the usual chores associated with four children of my own, and he wanted me to go round to his house at 10pm to go over the questions, having lost the sheet I had written out for him with all possible questions and answers on it. I just wish I wasn't going to be in the waiting room; I said I'd go for the sake of my younger ones who are there tomorrow, and who would like to see me, so I'll be able to hear him... as will they...
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Dec 13, 2006 0:39:28 GMT
Doomsday is tomorrow. First ever failure approacheth fast. Never mind, D. After the first one, they get easier. ;D ;D ;D Remember, the only teachers never to have had failures either: never entered candidates; only ever entered the selected few; lied about their results; have only been teaching for about 5 minutes. Don't count on it. Exams are a funny business and candidates rarely gain the results their efforts deserve. There is a lesson for you to learn here. Don't do this again, ok? If you manage to learn this before about the fifth time around, you will be doing far better than most of the rest of us. ;D
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Post by Dulciana on Dec 13, 2006 10:14:39 GMT
He's in straight after a Step One who hasn't played a duff note or missed a beat for weeks, so the contrast for the examiner should be quite stunning. I'm leaving for the exam centre in about 10 minutes - will report later.
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Post by digby on Dec 13, 2006 13:25:24 GMT
Doomsday is tomorrow. First ever failure approacheth fast. Never mind, D. After the first one, they get easier. ;D ;D ;D Remember, the only teachers never to have had failures either: never entered candidates; only ever entered the selected few; lied about their results; have only been teaching for about 5 minutes. It makes me laugh, there are a couple of local teachers who advertise as 100% abrsm success rate in the local parish mag, I'm waiting for the month when that particular line is removed. ;D
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Post by anacrusis on Dec 13, 2006 21:47:13 GMT
How did it go, Dulci?
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Dec 13, 2006 23:01:54 GMT
He's in straight after a Step One who hasn't played a duff note or missed a beat for weeks, so the contrast for the examiner should be quite stunning. I'm leaving for the exam centre in about 10 minutes - will report later. Are you going to keep is all in suspense until the New Year? How did it go?
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Post by Dulciana on Dec 13, 2006 23:57:28 GMT
Well...I did my best to talk through most of it in order that the others wouldn't hear too much, but I still heard, and it was much as expected. Toe-curling. He never actually fell apart completely, but there were SO many wrong notes and duff rhythms all over the place. The steward had a look of sympathy and consternation on her face, and seemed to be trying to help me keep the conversation going in the waiting room. He had gone deathly white when he realised that the candidates could be heard by the people on the other side of the door, and I actually felt really sorry for him in the end - and guilty, somehow. He had never really believed me that this couldn't be thrown together the night before. Maybe I should have been more forceful about that.
He came early in order to go over likely questions that he might be asked, and I could not, for the life of me, remember what comodo meant, despite having looked it up a few days before. Insult to injury!
Well, at least it's over. Apparently we'll get the results just after Christmas. I hope he's passed now, as I can't face telling him otherwise. But I really doubt it - it would belittle the candidates who sounded like they'd made an effort.
I hope I never get complacent about sitting cringing in the waiting room like that! (Maybe the answer is 'just don't go!')
But I did finish this evening on a positive note! The last pupil of the night has been working for TG Grade 5, and had decided to come for his last lesson before Christmas able to play everything - and he was great! My mum was in the house at the time and she had assumed it was me playing - although the pupil looked doubtful as to whether that was meant to be a compliment or not...
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