the wonders of diploma grades

[Tash]

i'm wondering if it's worth eventually going for my Lmus, or doing some other equivalent- what's the difference between the difference systems and do people really care if you have the letters behind your name or not? because really all i want to do is play, but i dunno if in the future i'm gonna get shunned because i haven't done it, d*mn the pressure to do grades!! half of you are probably like Lmus what, so dmk and other aussies can probably respond to this better...but i'm looking at the qualifications of the staff at the sydney con and i'm seeing very little Lmus's after their names...unless that's just because they all do so it's not worth putting in....oh no i've found one... more uni degrees and some DSCM's- what's that? but really, do i need to stress about getting some qualification from some narky examiners saying i can play the piano? and then it's just such a disappointment if you don't get it...

[galonia]

Tash, I'm really cynical about the whole AMEB diploma exam system.  It could be because I failed my LMusA examination twice.

First time, I thought it was fair enough, I really didn't play that well.  But another of my teacher's students passed even though he played much worse than me.

Second time, I thought it was really unfair, because I was genuinely well prepared, I played very well on the day, and again, other candidates who didn't play as well as I did passed while I failed.

When I compared the reports, the comments from the two reports were conflicting.

It just goes to show, the Pass/Fail decision is so subjective it's effectively arbitrary.  I know music is subjective, but in an examination system, there has to be some level of objectivity in measuring Pass or Fail - you can't just go, "I didn't like it, it's bad."  What should really be said is, "Well, I wouldn't do it that way myself, but it's not wrong."  Instead, I get the impression that the first is being done - each examiner just has their way, and that's the only way.

So for me, the diplomas are worthless for measuring how good a pianist someone is, but they were good as something to aim at.

[dmk]

Hey Tash,

staff @ conservatorium's in Australia will probably have an LMus (or an equivalent from a British board) (unless they are of Russian or Eastern European descent)....they just won't advertise it after there names because they usually have some more high powered stuff!!!! (and they probably got ther LMus it when they were 14!!!)

as for necessary....thats up to you...I did my Licens with TCL and ABRSM and the only reason I did them was because I am/was not studying music or pursuing a musical career so it was a good way to MAKE me really polish work instead of fobbing around and never actually working on something.

i wouldn't say they are worthless as a measure of how good a pianist is...but I am personally no fan of the AMEB system...I much prefer the TCL and ABRSM.  That said, they are certainly not the be all and end all.

it really depends on what you want to do with your career....if you want to be a pianist you are better of hunting down and studying with a good teacher, doing something like an LMus is just a bi-product.

If you want to teach, for some reason, parents in Australia are obsessed with you having @ least an AMus (which you will shortly have!!, how did the exam go??) if not an LMus, god knows why, it is no indicia of being a good teacher....I still have to answer questions from some parents as to why I do not have an LMus but an LTCL and LRSM....like it makes a difference...Australia is a very AMEB obssesed nation (god knows why!!).  Again its not the be all and end all....but you may want to do it as an aside to studying with a really good teacher rather than as a pure goal. 

They can contain a lot of intrinsic value, its what you make of the process rather than the end result I think.

good luck

dmk

[Tash]

woo my 2 fave aussies here! i'm just really over the whole exam experience and i really don't want to do my Amus again because i don't think it's worth wasting another $152- the exam was ok but i did a couple or really dumb mistakes which i think tipped me over the failing edge i'm still waiting for the report, but unless the good bits were really good to the point where they can overlook the bad bits it's not looking good. but looking back i could've worked a lot harder. so now my teacher is like ok when will you go for your Amus again and i'm like jeez i don't know i just want to play stuff for uni now! you can do your Lmus without doing Amus can't you? if i do that, my teacher did suggest going with the ABRSM system, so i dunno, i'd rather just spend the next couple of years really perfecting my technique through uni assessments and then if i think i'm capable of passing it then do my Lmus just for the qualification. i'm just pissed off now because there are 14yr olds who can pass their Amus and i'm almost 20 and still suck! actually i think if i had done it at school it would've been better because i would've practiced more frequently and had other assessments to play for. agh Amus can burn in hell!!

[galonia]

tash, it sounds like you still don't know yet the actual result of your AMus examination, so just sit and wait.

If you have failed, and you decide to do it again, I strongly recommend you don't do it immediately next round.  Everyone gave me that advice after I failed my LMus the first time, but I was convinced by the argument that I was "so close" that I should just put in the little bit extra time - ended up I completely HATED that year (because by then I was probably playing for the wrong reason - to get a sheet of paper), on top of which I failed again, so I was particularly crushed, and it was a year that was totally wasted.

I agree with dmk - AMus and LMus are no measures of what sort of teacher you are, so don't understand why parents are obsessed with getting teachers with a zillion useless letters after their names...

[pianowelsh]

Exams are only as good as the examiners.  They are often patchy at best - I understand your concerns! This is not to say that preparing for them is not of educational value and hey we all have to handle a bad review at some point - and its never nice when it comes.