For grade 10 RCM, they expect you to sight read grade 7 music. In a music festival, I would "assume" that they would have the same expectation? My teachers have never told me about sight reading competitions, so when I heard about this, I signed up one of my students and myself (seperate classes of course). If anyone has had any experience sight reading at a grade 10 competition (reading grade 7 music) let me know I'm on next week. Not sure if I'm going to breeze through it like its nobody's business or if I'm in for some shock where they somehow meant I have to sight read grade 10 music. I think to sit down and casually sight read grade 10 music at a decent speed with full dynamics would be quite challenging. Is it ever required at any RCM level such as ARCT or beyond?
It's 3am, time to run through my chopin etude before bed

I'm not sure what are the requirements for RCM or ARCT, but what we look for in my state's piano teacher organization is for a student to fluidly sight read repertoire a few levels beneath their current level- like your example, grade 10 would be given grade 7or 8. An adjudicator may listen for:

•balance of melody/accompaniment.

•understanding of form- cadences. 

•smooth transitions to a new key (marked or unmarked key changes)

•Dynamics (at least those marked at the start/finish of a section)

Hope this gives you some insight what to expect and best to you in your sight reading event!

~mstrongpianist  

Thank you
I spoke to an adjudicator today after my student finished her grade 4 sight reading class. The festival director got up and told me I wasn't allowed to talk to the adjudicator. But the adjudicator said it was ok. I just wanted to know what I should expect to read for my class next week. lol, we wound up talking about that, plus my students class, and her background, everything, thought we were about to head out for drinks. Thought it might not be a good idea considering she might be my adjudicator for 1, maybe 2 classes next week.
But I learned a lot tonight talking to her. I know this is supposed to be a learning experience for my students, but I thought I got a lot out of tonight's encounter.

Although my student did a grade 6 sight reading class and mine will be a grade 10, the adjudicator mentioned that she was more focused on the flow of the piece more so than note accuracy and dynamics. She said that my test piece will be significantly longer, more key signature changes, lots of focus on articulation, etc...its gonna be a hoot!

If the Festival Director told you "No" you should have listened and so should the adjudicator - it wasn't her personal opinion she expressed, it was the rules.

In conducting adjudication situations, the adjudicator is not approached by anyone other than the co:ordinator/facilitator of the event. Parents, students, teachers do not get to "chat up" the adjudicator while the event is in progress.

If this is the same adjudicator for your event next week and you spent abundant time with her, someone, another teacher, might register an "ethics" complaint against either of you if the conversation occured during time she was being paid to adjudicate students.

You should really direct your questions to the co:ordinator/facilitator of the event. Usually the sponsoring group has a "guidelines" or "directory" to help first time teachers through their first event.

Perhaps in your area, the "rules" are not so important. What you describe seems like a very casual opportunity that you created for yourself. Perhaps the adjudicator you met is new to adjudicating.

Do some networking with other teachers and find out how everyone proceeds in this activity. You don't want to bring the wrong kind of attention to yourself in your enthusiam. You may have some repair work to do.

I offer this advice through similar experiences while a president of my local music teaching chapter these things fell under my attention and responsibility; like wise as a member of the chapter I know that everyone abides by the established rules. The rules come from the organizers of the entire program at a higher level. One does not mess with the rules.

Betty Patnude

We spoke after the final class of the day was completed. I looked up my adjudicator for next week and its another person. I don't think this was an opportunity. There is no advantage that will change tonight's or next weeks outcome. She was telling me about how everyone was so quiet and no one was saying anything all day. I could understand if I was questioning the marking of my student in any way, but she was telling me what she was looking for. It changes nothing in tonight's class, except helps me improve my students sight reading for the future. I don't see how that could be a problem in any way. I've yet to see another teacher show up for their students festival, but if they did, whats the harm so long as they aren't harassing the adjudicator in any way?

And although rules are rules, I could have skipped my question to her about my test piece next week. I asked the festival director the same question, no response. I posted my question here, 1 response, so I did try other avenues before asking her. If I bomb next week for some strange reason, I wouldn't want my adjudicator to say "why didn't you ask one of us what exactly was expected?".

No, no, no. You are not getting the picture.

The process is explicit. All interactions in adjudication are timed and the number of people in the room is restricted as per rules.

You went outside decorum. Somewhere you have missed getting the rules of operation. That is a huge disadvantage to you. I don't think you will get away with saying "I didn't know". It's your job to find out from the "powers" that be.

This is far more structured than one imagines.

I've adjudicated for festivals for 5 straight years and I adjudicated for the PTA "Reflections" program at the Washington State final adjudication for the same 5 years. Adjudication is a process conducted with decorum if there is an award or a certificate given with an evaluation.

You need to be better prepared as to what to expect as you are entering students as well as yourself. You just can't rely on your conversational ability to mend your fences once they are broken down.

Each teacher in this event must be treated fairly with no advantages being given to any one teacher. In MTNA, for instance, there is a "Code of Ethics" that must be respected.

I think this is a more serious situation that you think.

Spoken with good intentions to your postings, Dark Dragon.

Betty Patnude

Betty

It's no wonder tonight's adjudicator said that everyone at the festival was so quiet. No one said anything to her, no one asked questions or talked amongst themselves. I said that their probably worried because its such a formal atmosphere and that they probably don't want to get in trouble for saying anything when they weren't supposed to.
At the end of our talk, I said I was worried that I might get some grief for talking to the adjudicator. I was told not to worry about it.
So I thought tonight went well, I learned a lot and was pretty happy to report the news here. Now that I have, I feel like crap.
But in all fairness, the rules are the rules and I should not have talked to the adjudicator and instead just walked away.

Dark Dragon - don't feel bad. I am adjudicator (in another field, not music, to be fair) but I've always encouraged parents, students and teachers to approach me after a days judging to discuss what I'm looking for and how the process works.

How can anyone learn or improve if they don't know what the adjudicators are looking for and what technical aspects we are interested in and focusing on.

In my field there has been much debate about the public perception of 'cheating' or 'gaining advantage' by the people talking to adjudicators - but in the end - if the public get to know the adjudicators and the process - then they will be more willing to trust in the professionalism of the adjudicators.

Just my thoughts - and my experience as an adjudicator and judge.

From what the adjudicator said to you, it is very likely that nothing will come from your communications. This is especially true since you expressed reservations about it and you're quite new to the event. I'd think that she would be the one getting any grief if there is any. Usually it says in the festival program the clause about no communications allowed with the adjudicator. It'd be wise to pay attention to that in the future, especially if it's a more competitive festival with money prizes attached. These rules are there for a good reason - some highly competitive parents or teachers could get shirty with the adjudicators if they're not in place.

That said, I don't think you were cheating by chatting a bit with the adjudicator after the marks had been decided for your student. I've participated in some festivals where my teacher was one of the adjudicators or knew the organizers very well. I think students in that situation would have a greater advantage, but evidently no ethics complaints would be launched against them. You were off to an uneven footing to start with because you didn't even know the level of sight-reading ability required. The adjudicator didn't tell you anything that the other competitors didn't already know, I'd wager. It'd be very surprising if there's any one petty enough to launch an ethics complaint against you. Good luck on your sight-reading competition!

Yes, I've just been adjudicating, and I was a bit upset that *I* wasn't allowed to talk to the students and their parents!!! But I got to give one special award today (most promising under 12) so I got to have a quick conversation while I handed over the trophy and we posed for pictures!!

But it is quite important that the adjudicator not have any personal connection to maintain strict objectivity (as much as anyone can really be objective).

But back to the topic of sight reading - it's definitely all about making a convincing performance of MUSIC (not notes). Rhythmic flow is the most important aspect, and then I would say your phrasing and dynamic shaping comes next. Pitch accuracy is the least important aspect - which is completely counterintuitive - but all wrong notes can still make a brilliant performance if all the other aspects are secure. 100% accurate pitch with no rhythmic flow ≠ music.

Is it possible to cheat at sight reading competition?

Note that I'm not recommending it, nor would I ever do it.

But if there is a finite list of the grade 7 repertoire, you (or an unethical student) could read through it all. Yes, possibly a monster task, but potentially doable.

Years ago I studied for an amateur radio license. When I knew the theory well enough to be sure I'd pass, I looked at the test questions, all 600 of which were public. Only 600? no big deal, I memorized them. Well, I was younger then, and had the weekend off.

Such a monster task in fact, that you'd be an amazing sight reader before you were even 5% of the way through it. There are over 100 pieces on the AMEB Grade 7 current syllabus, then add in past syllabus choices, then add in Grade 7 choices for all the UK exam boards since say 1900... And then - composers get commissioned to compose works for exactly this situation - just to be certain!

Oh please please PLEASE let the answer be yes, and please someone tell me how to cheat at sight reading. Tell me NOW. I will love you forever. I will shower you with gifts and sing your praises for all time.

I suspect that like most secrets, this one is hidden in books.

(I love that line.)

By cheating I meant avoiding having to read something new by preparing it beforehand. I do that in the choir I sing with. I'm known as a good sight reader there. But in fact I am sight reading only at the first rehearsal of the year. I take the music list home and work on all of it. Of course that's a small list of relatively simple music.

Only 100 pieces on the repertoire list? Doesn't sound that bad. Hee, hee.

Going back to the original post, it appears that Dark Dragon is asking about how this particular competition works.

Since he's given no details as to what competition it is, there's really no way for us to know. He'd need to contact the organizers and read the rules.

All we can say for sure is that the goal of sight-reading is the same as the goal for all performance: to make music. To that end, the rhythmic flow is by far the most important aspect, but everything matters: notes, articulation, tempo, etc...

Working on sight-reading means working on everything. Sight-reading is not one skill, it's a combination of many. A good internal rhythmic sense is essential, strong theory skills are very helpful, and a comfortable and relaxed technique makes it all possible. Performance skills are also important - you have to be able to remain focused on stage (under pressure.)

And as a friend of mine often says (about performance and sight-reading), your preparation isn't about making sure nothing goes wrong. It's about how you handle yourself *when* something goes wrong.