Anyone done/doing/teaching Rock School Grade 8 got any suggestions of suitable Free Choice pieces please?
Second question for teachers out there:
I've got a student who's just passed grade 5 with a merit. His parents want him to do his grade 8 in 9 months time before he starts GCSE's. He's a bright student when he applies himself but he's not a wizard..
Whether he does the Grade Examination or just the Performance Certificate, is there any likelihood of him being able to take the exam and pass within 9 months? (I think they only really care about the UCAS points so my inclination is to say we'll start learning 5 pieces for the performance exam and see how we're doing in a few months time)
Cheers for any suggestions
Comments
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
Something sounds wrong there.. Perhaps miscommunication somewhere between what the school has said and what you've been told bu the parents?
I gather GCSE music requires grade 5 ability to pass, so expecting grade 8 for A level (2 years after finishing GCSE's) is a bit ridiculous? Surely it should be based on theoretical understanding and enthusiasm rather than just physical ability?
I also wonder if his A level teacher has the ability to tell the difference between a grade 5 and a grade 8 player!
In any case, it's sounds like you're having the problem that I'll have in a few months time when he's booked the exam and there no going back! Haha
I got distinction for grade 5 in the first year of college, and then a merit for grade 8 in the second. However, it was a full time music course and I already practiced all day every day in general. Not sure that there would be time to get it as well as revising for GCSEs. Unless he just goes through the book every day for 9 months, but that's incredibly boring.
I saw him for an initial consultation/trial lesson thingy and discovered he couldn't play any of the technical exercises to the grade level at all. As he had already entered we had to commit to the pending exam date which came through the following week in 4 weeks time! So we had to go intensive, doing 2 hours a week to brush up on his technique. I was livid his school teacher put him in on evidence he was good at the performance pieces. There's another 4 sections to the exam which he wasn't good at.
He sat the exam a month later and passed, but barely. We've since switched to RGT as I find this syllabus a lot better structured.
There's a considerable jump between 5 and 8 and it will take a lot more work to get to that standard. 2 key factors will determine if he can do it in 9 months, 1. how regular his lessons are and 2. how often he practices "correctly" in his own time.
As for the free choice piece I'm not sure as I haven't had anyone enter that high yet for a grade exam.
There's also performance based syllabuses as mentioned above, RGT do a solely pre-prepared pieces (as do RSL) which require you to play 3 pieces. No scales, no tests or theory.
A couple of my students have also done the grades til 5 and then learnt songs or whatever as they've got all the key components needed to play music, secure timing, good rhythm and technical ability of chords, scales etc. Not to mention a good ear for hearing chord changes, how long each bar is and holding the beat.
As is :
Peaches En Regalia
Reeling in the years
Crazy Train
The spirit of radio
Sweet Child
The trooper
Super, thanks!
Does Yngwie stuff count?
The songs are pretty much note for note at the higher grades, but lower grades the songs get shorter/edited as students aren't expected to play for as long. They've recently re vamped their syllabus. Black Dog for Grade 7, anyone ?
At GCSE in the performance part of the coursework, playing a Grade 3 piece really well can get you about C+, Grade 4-5 potential for A.
Grades 6,7 and 8 can garnish you with UCAS points depending on the mark.
Thing is with the Yngwie stuff, is that you'd be marked on how well you play the song, regardless of if it's super difficult. Better to play an easier song well ( e.g. sweet child), than a hard song badly. That goes for examiners as well as audiences.
I'm constantly batting with kids who want to play some ridiculously difficult tune for GCSE and getting them to meet expectations. For example, one kid played 'hey Joe ', along to the backing track this term and got the highest mark possible for his coursework as it is in the old grade 7 book.
I'm not affiliated with Trinity, but use the books and grades for my students.
I'm really surprised to hear that A level and GSCE require grades? It seems odd as how could the examining board accept marked content from another system and he sure it was to standard.
When I taught the only link was that the performance pieces should be of a grade 5 (gsce) or grade 8 (a level) standard.
I would record the student, make notes and give a provisional mark which the exam board would then renew.
Grades were always a guide line, never a requirement. We used to push them simply as it would ensure the student reached the required level.
What's the benefit? Is it to help kids who want to do music at college?
Are these things looked for from session players these days?
Supposedly they look good on your CV as well but i'm not convinced anyone gives a crap what exam you've done unless the job you're after is music related.