How to tell your level?

[Bob]

Is there any way to tell what level your at?

I'm wondering if there's a some kind of checklist or maybe we could whip one up quickly on here.

I'm looking for something you could use tell...
- your basic technical abilities
- how well you play certain types of pieces.  You would have to have something contrapuntal, something homophonic

And then I suppose it would depend how much you understand about the piece and how much you play beyond notes and rhyhtms, if the lines are connected and balanced, if the entire piece is shaped...


Does anything like this already exist?


I guess I'm looking for my own level and for a repertoire list that describes more than Easy/Medium/Difficult. 

[pianonut]

ABRSM and MTNA have a list of requirements/repertoire for each level for students.

for teachers, i think you have to start building your own book from the basic building blocks of those.  i am thinking of starting a notebook for each level and adding repertoire as i find it at west chester uni.

to find out your own level (even if you can't do lessons all the time) take one or two lessons from a teacher in your area that you know is professional and can take time to go over your 'weak spots' in playing AND teaching.  i've learned so much the last couple of years because times do change and so do teaching styles.  MTNA has these summer workshops that are helpful, too.  you might want to check them out - by hooking up with a teacher who is part of mtna and joining them at the convention. 

finding a good library or music bookstore that you can browse really helps. 

[pianonut]

i thought about one other thing, too...

as long as you are a level or two above your fastest student, you're ok.  when you see the space diminishing, it's time to pass them on.  i've been very happy to do this, but i know some teachers try to hang on too long.  this only hinders the student, and really does nothing for the teacher but bring them extra money they could easily get from new students.

[kilini]

Ugh. My first teacher was horrible like that. She didn't know how ignorant she was and gave me so many bad habits. I realized her incompetence when I tried to learn the Moonlight Sonata with her. I believe she was not even ABRSM level 8. Thankfully, I now have a professional teacher who is years and years and years ahead of me.

[kelly_kelly]

Yeah, I know how you feel. Right now I'm playing Fantasie-Impromptu with a teacher who has admitted that she can't play it herself (I don't know how she  can be a professonal pianins at this level). Luckily, she's moving soon, so I'm going to switch teachers anyway.