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Thanks, chrissy! Of the pieces that I played, my favorite was Melartin's Sonatina - although it's not the piece that I played the best. Go figure!

Are you taking the exams also? What pieces are you studying?

Hi Linda...yes i do take rcm exams...i'm presently working on grade 8...it's been a real challenge for me to get this far but i keep plugging away...i dug out my grade 4 books but darn! Melartin's sonatina was not listed...my favourite grade 4 piece was Monkeys in the tree...my marks are not nearly as high as yours!...those exams make me so nervous

Peter: I also enjoyed meeting you and all of the wonderful PW members in the DC area! I'm looking forward to the next gathering with great anticipation. I appreciate the vote of confidence, but unless we're going to postpone that next party for another 10-15 years, I don't think I'll be the featured Guest Artist!!!

chrissy: Congratulations on making it to grade 8! I can't imagine how I'm going to get there. If I start looking too far down the road, I get overwhelmed - there is always so much more to learn. Good for you that you've kept plugging away at each grade level - it's a good example for me to follow. Have you read Michael Colgrass' book My Lessons with Kumi? I use some of the exercises in that book to help me mentally prepare for the exams and other public performances. I have good results with those exercises.

Thanks, again, Peter and chrissy!

Hi Linda...thanks for your note...no, i haven't read "my lessons with kumi"...but thanks for the advice...i'm sure a book like that would help me...my teacher says i should be proud of myself that i've reached grade 8 ...believe me,when i was at your level i NEVER thought i'd make it this far...only in my dreams...but here i am and you can do it too!

congratulations! i am an adult RETURN! i played for three years when i was young, and after a 20 year break, i came back full force! i took my daughter to a piano lesson, and was messmerized by the sound i heard from her teacher. i was instantly hooked. i don't know why i ever gave it up. i have been playing for a year now, and am playing clementi, beethoven, and my most recent (like within the last 2 months, i started with the chopin nocturnes. i LOVE chopin! i can play 1 entire nocturne and the first page of 2 others!!! i can't just stick with one song! anyway, i just joined piano world..wow, it's great! i was especially excited to see they had an adult beginner's forum...

anyway, congratulations to you...i know the effort it takes to get where you are now!

excuse my ignorance, but what are the grade levels?
what books are you using? what songs are in grade 8?
i have no idea what grade level i am, i just play what i want (within my limits) that doesn't leave much available. i would like to play from a "level book, like i did when i was a child. my teacher who is VERY good, says we can just go through the classical books i have, and play throught the ones i want to learn....he is a believer in what I want to learn, or what anyone wants to learn, can eventually be achieved, he won't put levels on anything. he doesn't want to put limits on anyone...that can be a good thing, but i would love to WORK UP TO a piece...then maybe the pieces i want to learn won't be seem so hard to learn. anyway, any grade book suggestions?

Hi, totallyclassics:

Welcome to Piano World. We have a great group of adult beginners, (and many who are no longer beginners - but still great!). Some of the members, here, have also returned to their piano studies after a significant interruption. Others started their piano journey as adults.

It sounds like you are doing great - Chopin Nocturnes after just 1 year back at the keyboard! How is your daughter doing with the piano? It's great that both of you are taking lessons. On one of these threads, someone wrote "The family that plays together, stays together!" I'd like to think there is some truth to that.

Regarding grade levels, I'm following the RCM curriculum (one of the standard Canadian programs of music instruction). The curriculum covers grades 1 through 10. There is also a preliminary (pre-grade 1) level and a post-grade 10 for an associate's certificate.

Another commonly referenced curriculum is the ABRSM (this is a standard UK program of music instruction). I believe the curriculum addresses a range of musical development that is equivalent to the RCM program, but the ABRSM divides it up into grades 1 through 8.

So, depending upon which program or source is doing the grading, the same piece could be classified differently. Also, these programs make no attempt to "grade" all of the piano literature. Rather, the syllabus for a particular grade level indicates which pieces (from a limited list of pieces in each stylistic period) are acceptable for purposes of the exam.

Some of the RCM exam pieces are available in the Celebration Series - albums of short piano pieces. Frederick Harris is the publisher. There are actually two sets of Celebration Seriesalbums - one is a set of studies, the other is a set of repertoire pieces. I've enjoyed working with these albums thus far.

If you send me a message with the titles of some pieces in which you are interested, I'll look to see if they are included in any of the RCM grade levels. No guarantees that they will be included, but if they are, I can let you know in which grade level they are referenced.

Again, welcome to Piano World!

Linda,

Could you expound on how the RCM curriculum is taught? For example, what books are used? Where can they be found?

I looked at the ABRSM tests--I would love to get on a program that would be that methodical, focusing on some more technical aspects (scales, arpeggios, some theory) in addition to playing/sight reading.

Thanks.

Linda,

Congratulations!. I am sorry I did not see this thread until just now. I know you work very hard at piano and I hope to get the chance to hear you play one day.

Best wishes,
Steve

Linda,

Do you find that in preparing for exams you only work on 2 or 3 pieces for a very long time?? I'm following a grade 4 curriculum (sort of) but not taking exams..

Boxer,

I guess Linda is off line for a while. She is using the Celebration Series from Frederick Harris Music. I have been using it as well and I think it is great. Make sure you order the CD with the literature. Hopefully when Linda gets back she will expound.

http://www.frederickharrismusic.com/fhmcUS/Frederick.jsp

Have fun,
Steve

I had the pleasure to hear her play. On one hand, she's very inspiring for us ABers. On the other hand, it drives the difference home between talented, hardworking ABers (Linda) and the slackers (me).

Thanks, Steve. Just curious, do you know if these pieces are arrangements, or originals?

Boxer,

I believe they are originals or pieces of originals. You can look at some of their sample pages online and draw your own conclusion. You could also give them a call on the telephone.

Bottom line, they put together a real nice "total package". I use the CD with the literature and I think it is great. I play the CD daily before working on a piece and it helps me a great deal. By the time I am done with a piece I may have my own slight variation but the CD is great for keeping me on the right track. It is amazing how much faster I can learn a piece when I already have an idea of what it should sound like.

I started with Faber's "Adult Piano Adventures" and "Celebration Series" was really quite a jump. I was very frustrated for about a month but then it started to come together. "First get the right hand, then the left hand, etc..".

Gosh, I am stealing Linda's thread. Sorry Linda. Please come back and tell us how you use the "Celebration Series".

Regards,
Steve

The Celebration Series sounds similar to the "Masterwork Classics" series that Alfred puts out, which I recently started using. This is also a graded series (up to level 10, though the levels don't equate with the ABRSM grades) and also a nice total package. You can get the books with a CD. I agree with Steve--this has made a big difference in my ability to learn a piece. Usually it makes me realize how slow I tend to play everything.

For the first 4 or 5 books you can also get an accompanying "Practice and Performance" which helps you analyze each piece, suggests a practice routine for learning the piece, and tells you what to listen for in your playing. I have found this to be a tremendous help.

Masterwork Classics w/CD
http://www.pianolane.com/v2/catalog/searchresults.asp

Practice and Performance
http://www.pianolane.com/v2/catalog/searchresults.asp

Matt

Those links don't seem to work. But anyone who is interested can do a catalog search at their favorite online music store. I bought mine from pianolane.

Hi, All:

I'm back. Sorry for delayed response.

Stevester: Thanks for picking up the slack for me! Feel free to steal my threads anytime.

NAK: Hi! Haven't seen you around PW in a while (of course, I've been offline for a couple of weeks myself). Thanks for the kind words! I hear things are hot and humid in your neck of the woods. Same here - ugh! :b: (this graemlin is "burn" as in sunburn, not "burn" as in angry)

markb: You are no slacker!!! I wish I were as far along with my theory studies as are you. And I thought your solo playing and our duet was just fine! Look forward to another duet in the Fall - but let's coordinate so we can practice in advance. But thanks for the confidence booster - you are a sweetie.

Sandy: No, I play most of the pieces in each grade level, working from one Study Module to the next. I also work on several additional pieces outside of the RCM curriculum. My exam pieces are generally from the last or next to last Study Module, so I'm pretty much ready to move on to the next level by the time I take the exam. What Gr. 4 pieces are you playing right now?

Boxer: I saw your PM and just sent you a rather lengthy reply. The only thing that I'll add here is that for me, the most important aspect of the RCM program is not the Celebration Series albums or CDs. Almost any grade appropriate literature will do just fine - although I do like the pieces in this series (all original). Rather, it is the curriculum, itself - outlined in the Piano Syllabus - with its broad focus on technique, ear training, sight reading, theory, analysis, etc., that I find most useful.

hillhart: I haven't seen the Masterwork Classics series. Do you know if there is their a published curriculum to which the Alfred series corresponds?

. . . Linda

I'm working from Michael Aaron's Grade 4 book. Just finished (sort of <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZNxmk705YYCA' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_1_1.gif' border=0></a>) Moonlight (1st mov.) and Chopin Waltz in B- and Sonatina (3rd mov.) I don't have a new one started yet - thinking about jumping into Nocture (John Field) or Mozart's Sonata in A Major - Have you done either of these?

No, I haven't, but the the Field Nocturne sounds interesting. I heard it performed several months ago and made a mental note to look it once my exam was over. Well, I guess it's time to go check it out. I'm still plugging away with the Grieg Nocturne, but loving every minute of it!

Congrats on getting the 1st movement of Moolight under your belt! That's cause for a celebration. Go have a glass of bubbly and pretend that I'm there applauding you and patting your on the back.