grade systems

[BoliverAllmon]

do you think that the different grade systems are a good way to provide a progressive approach to learning piano?

[invictious]

no..it is all just an illusion..

[pianistimo]

invictious is right.  i got A's in all my piano lessons simply because i paid my college bill.  they give F's to people who have delinquent bills.

[ahinton]

invictious is right.  i got A's in all my piano lessons simply because i paid my college bill.  they give F's to people who have delinquent bills.

That's appalling! Whatever kind of college did you attend? I'm not casting aspersions on you, you understand, but upon the "educational establishment" (or rather "investment company") whose academic shortcomings you either suffered, or overcame, or both.

I realise that I used a pair of those dreaded brackets above, but perhaps "Thal" won't read this thread so won't see them...

Best,

Alistair

[gorbee natcase]

invictious is right.  i got A's in all my piano lessons simply because i paid my college bill.  they give F's to people who have delinquent bills.

That sounds about right. So I take it you live in a democracy then

[pianistimo]

well.  i'm half joking.  it's just that i thought i was really good when i entered the system - and then heard a lot of pianists that were much better than myself.  i think my teacher graded us actually on our own personal growth and not some sort of comparison with others.  i did practice a lot and i feel that i learned a tremendous amount.  i am not disparaging the grading system.  after all - who's going to complain when they get an A.  but, it doesn't mean to me that i don't have a lot of room for improvement.  i was reminded of this on my last lesson - but the grade was still nice!  i can't remember A or B  for the last semester - but, it's not the grade ur really after anyway.  it's the knowledge.  once u have it - u can use it to ur advantage and practice more efficiently.

i would attend west chester uni as much as i could - and if i had unlimited funds would progress right now to my grad recital. 

[abell88]

Wait...are we talking about grades as in "marks"...A B C D F...or as in grade levels...like the RCM's Introductory through ARCT?

[BoliverAllmon]

grade levels. like abrsm grades.

[jas]

I think they're a good idea, especially for the earlier grades. When you first start playing it's unlikely that you'll know enough about the repertoire to make completely your own decisions about what to play. Plus, the way they're organised, you have to play music from different periods. I know that if it hadn't been for that I'd probably never have played anything earlier than Beethoven before I went to university.

Why wouldn't they be a good approach?

[brewtality]

I can only speak for myself in this matter, but I really hated the AMEB grade system. My teacher was a "one exam per year" kind of person, so when I was young one year was spend on preliminary, one year on first grade etc. The standard achieved by grade 5 is what most here would term "beginner". Looking back, I think it was a waste of time; even though I perhaps wasn't the most diligent student, I felt I was always playing 'under' my level. If your teacher lets you skip grades then maybe it might be alright. Also I found the repetoire less than inspiring.

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

A "grade" doesn't exist. It's a mindset.

[annoying_airhead]

'I can only speak for myself in this matter, but I really hated the AMEB grade system. My teacher was a "one exam per year" kind of person, so when I was young one year was spend on preliminary, one year on first grade etc. The standard achieved by grade 5 is what most here would term "beginner". Looking back, I think it was a waste of time; even though I perhaps wasn't the most diligent student, I felt I was always playing 'under' my level. If your teacher lets you skip grades then maybe it might be alright. Also I found the repetoire less than inspiring.'

Really I don't mind the AMEB system - the repetoire gets bigger as you approach the harder grades.  Would you term grade 8 (ameb) still beginner?  'cos that's what I still consider myself.  =)

[brewtality]

Really I don't mind the AMEB system - the repetoire gets bigger as you approach the harder grades.  Would you term grade 8 (ameb) still beginner?  'cos that's what I still consider myself.  =)

I only followed AMEB up till 6th grade, then thought bugger this, I'm just gonna play whatever I want. This was the last point where my teacher chose pieces for me. So, I don't know the rep in the 8th grade, the 5th grade beginner thing was a bit of an exaggeration btw. The thing I don't like about the higher grades is the theory requirements.

[annoying_airhead]

'The thing I don't like about the higher grades is the theory requirements.'

Same here - I still need to get my gr4 theory, to get the damn certificate.  Though its a gd idea; people will have a basic understanding of the music they're playing.

[mdkragon]

I think it depends on what test you take...

it could give you confidence if you pass a certain level but some tests like abrsm is more like 40% playing and 60% other stuff (in my opinion)
and sometimes when preparing for the test, you arent exactly practicing piano as much as practicing tricks to pass the test...

i've passed my abrsm grade 8 with, but I know many people who play much better than me and have trouble passing because of the theory requirment...