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Exams

EXAMS LOOM AGAIN

We are all frantically preparing for the practical exams in April and as a result music lessons tend to become more formal and structured than usual. We struggle hard to motivate children to practise scales, arpeggios, chord sequence tests and find time to develop hearing skills - (not to mention theory) as the lesson flashes by whilst working on the pieces. Scales and exercises along with the pieces make up around 75% of the total exam marks so this area of performance obviously needs the most attention. The scales section is usually 15 marks and low marks here often means missing the distinction, merit or pass (85% 75% 65%) sometimes agonisingly by a single mark or two. So we would grateful for all parents to help us by reminding children to practise the dreaded scales!

AN EXAM CHECKLIST

• Don't begin immediately but take a breath and adjust your seating and get as comfortable as possible.

• Assume correct posture.

• Imagine how your first piece should sound in your mind and be careful to begin at the correct tempo.

• Remember, music unfolds like a story and you are trying to communicate this artistically to your audience (in this case, the examiner) Try not to allow mistakes to destroy your continuity and attention to detail.

• In music, poor timing and irregular tempo are worse than wrong notes so be sure never to stop and replay phrases or passages as this will undoubtedly be penalised more than the odd slip. (this is because the problems which are often unnoticed by audiences suddenly become the highlight [or rather lowlight] of the performance)

• When you've reached the end, a true musician, similar to an actor assuming the character of a particular role,  would wait a few seconds (at least as the final note dies away) before returning to reality, which is, in your case the next part of the exam.

• Try to get into the correct 'role'  of your pieces as this will inevitably help you convey the correct mood which is so important in music. Remember if it was only necessary to play the correct notes in the right order then you may as well learn to be a typist.

• DO listen carefully to instructions and be polite, thanking the examiner on leaving.

• DON'T rush out in tears and slam the door.

Mel Stallwood

 

NEW JAZZ EXAM Syllabus (Mel Stallwood)
 
The new Jazz Piano syllabus from the ABRSM is proving very popular and several students have opted for this exciting new course. If you would like to learn to play and improvise spontaneously in traditional styles like blues, swing, latin gospel, ragtime, rock and funk etc. then this syllabus is accessible to all age groups and suitable for pupils at, or beyond grade 1 ability. The syllabus includes scales, arpeggio's sight-reading, aural tests and improvisational studies which all compliment the context of this unique examination. Mel has had considerable and extensive professional experience in the jazz world, even performing at the prestigious 'Ronnie Scott's London and venues throughout Europe.
 
Jazz is no longer considered in some way secondary to classical music and parents can be assured that this popular and highly sophisticated music-form is in no way a 'cop-out' academically, but provides students with unique creative challenges - and lot's of fun too!
NOTE :- Jazz is not, however necessarily suitable for every individual. In the same way that athlete's choose the discipline that suits their physique and temperament, for various emotive reasons, musicians tend to gravitate towards the area they naturally feel at home. Just as there are people who are 'tone-deaf' then others have great difficulty with rhythm and syncopation. For these reasons I would only suggest that a student move toward this type of music, if they demonstrate some natural ability, coupled with the obvious desire and enthusiasm.

So please have a chat with us if you think that this 'genre' might be for you and we will be pleased to explain in full.
The article above was written several years ago and now LCM has launched a jazz piano syllabus covering 8 grades and diplomas. We are currently using both syllabi and I will be reviewing LCM's syllabus and making comparison's with ABRSM when I get a minute. "I'm sure that if the people who controlled the media exposed jazz and all the other arts, the people would go for it. But they don't want to because once people start thinking, they'll do more and more of it. Jazz is a true thing and it's got to be surrounded by truth And they don't want to get into truth- not when they can do something else and make just as much money," -LEE MORGAN 1970

As a former jazz musician myself, I have a special interest is this field and make every effort to encourage others to expand their sphere of musical appreciation. There is now a bottomless well of recorded and published music covering every conceivable style and genre. Whenever 1 detect stylistic desire, or leaning towards any particular mode, 1 try to help cultivate the interest without unnecessarily distracting from the main business of learning to play the piano and music appreciation generally.

Christopher Norton's 'Microstyles'& 'microjazz" publications have often been used in exam syllabuses and I and many of my pupils, have, for several years worked with these books and other publications. They are particularly exciting and effective when used with electronic accompaniments and I often provide students with taped backing for practise purposes, and as a backdrop for spontaneous improvisation, in which 1 have tailored my own teaching system using modal scales and chord patterns.

An old blues piano player once said that, instead of crying, his hands would just tremble over the keyboard, and that's the way his music came out. Unfortunately (or fortunately) certain styles and ways of expressing music cannot be taught, it has to be 'felt', lived, or experienced, and a degree of empathy and understanding of the feelings of the original performers or composers.

RAGTIME, BOOGIE, & BLUES are excellent styles, epitomising era's social conditions, depicting human struggles and joys, reeking of nostalgia and melancholy, and forming important links between musical genre. This type of music is suitable at all levels and just as exciting for today's youngsters as ever.

Fortunately, examination syllabi often include a 'jazzy' piece in section (C). LCM for instance include 'Blue Boogie Bounce' as early as Step 2. which can be used to teach beginners play in a' swingy' style. Other examples are in Grade 2 (In the Pink') and one choice which has always proved popular amongst my Grade 3 pupils is 'Cakewalk' a catchy example of music from the 'Rag' era Even Grades 4 and 5 manages to slot in a nice Jazz/Blues tune from Lazy Days (Brian Chapple) etc. Persistent Rhythm (Grade 4) features the minor blues scale used in rock.
N. B. Youngsters use words like 'cool' frequently today and seem surprised to learn that these expressions and others such as 'hip' 'hot' and 'chill' were Common jazz terms for many years. (Mel).

LCM EXAMS

Below is LCM's description of themselves

LCM Examinations is an international examinations board offering graded and diploma qualifications in music and in speech, drama and communication. Examinations are held at over 250 centres worldwide, and are unique in the graded examinations world in being awarded by a university.

Our range of exam formats and syllabuses is exceptionally wide. We cater for candidates of all levels, from introductory exams through 8 grades to 4 levels of professional diplomas; and our unique range of musical subjects encompasses classical, pop, rock, jazz and traditional music genres.

LCM Examinations are accredited by the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority), which serves as a UK governmental stamp of approval and quality assurance. Furthermore, the resulting mapping of LCM Examinations onto the National Qualifications Framework means that candidates applying to UK universities through the UCAS system can increase their points tariff if they have been awarded a pass or higher at grades 6 - 8.

Visit the LCM Examinations website

 

UCAS Tariff Points

Reproduced from ‘FORTE’ (LCM Examinations Newsletter) Winter 2002

From 2004, Advanced Level music examinations will score UCAS Tariff points.

Following our accreditation by the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (OCA), we have been in correspondence with UCAS, the Universities & Colleges Central Admissions Service. UCAS has recently revised its Tariff - the points scoring system reporting A-level achievements to Higher Education institutions. The new Tariff aims to accommodate a far wider scope of qualifications than the previous system and, in a significant move, UCAS is to incorporate accredited music examinations into the scheme.

In future, students will be awarded UCAS points for attaining Advanced Level LCM qualifications (grades 6, 7 and 8). A sliding scale of points has been allocated to Pass, Merit and Honours at these three grades. The ruling applies to both practical and theory examinations, although fewer points will be available for theory. For example, an Honours pass at grade 8 will attain 75 points, a Merit 70 points and a Pass 55 points, whereas for theory the points would be 30, 25 and 20 respectively. Points awarded for AS-levels range from 20 to 60 depending on the grade achieved, while A-level passes earn between 40 and 120 points. Points for the highest LCM grade the student has attained will be added to those allocated for A-levels and AS-levels. This will come into effect from 2004 entry into Higher Education.

For Higher Education music courses, practical music grades are already, of course, an important factor in the application process. Therefore, this change will probably be most significant for students applying to read non-music courses, as for the First time the values of music education will be recognised across all subject areas. Admissions staff often look favourably on students with practical music exam qualifications, as they indicate motivation, self-discipline and organisational skills.

The allocation of UCAS points to LCM Examinations has been made possible by their incorporation into the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is a result of accreditation by the OCA. We are delighted to have received this significant recognition of our work both from OCA and from UCAS, and are pleased that candidates' achievements will be rewarded in this way.

UCAS intends to incorporate our Speech, Drama & Communication exams into the Tariff. Details will be announced when available.

The table below sets out the points allocated to LCM Examinations. For further information about the UCAS Tariff please see -

www.ucas.ac.uk

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