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Practice with your teacher. Start out with small segments first.

To answer your question, I've always had really good ears, so I didn't really need supplement for aural skills myself.

From the Achievement of the Week thread:


There are no testing centers in Maine, so I'm looking at New Hampshire or Massachusetts.

I've picked my classical piece: Beethoven Sonatina in F, first movement.  I'm playing this (both movements) for my teacher's recital tomorrow, so I just need to memorize it (she doesn't require memorization for the recital).  I think my Baroque piece will be Bach Little Prelude in C, BWV 939, as I've learned this already (played it for the Feb. ABF recital).  Need to memorize it and probably up the tempo.  I want to choose a lyrical piece from the Romantic/20thC/21stC list.  Then I need to choose my etudes.

The dominant and diminished seventh chords and the arpeggios are new to me.  My right wrist is susceptible to carpal tunnel from an old bout of it, and I have found RH two-octave arpeggios difficult because of this.  My teacher gave me some technique tips; hopefully they will help.

Good for you for getting the scales up to tempo.  I start to get unsynchronized between the hands at that speed.  I want to make some sort of practice chart to get me progressing through the requirements without neglecting any.

I'm in the same boat as you: first exam, and my teacher isn't familiar with these.

A quick note about aural sections and maybe extending this to theory. A while back a teacher described to me what typically happens, and I could relate to it in the past tense. You've got 30, 45, or 60 minutes of lessons and a lot to cover. Mostly (almost always) you'll be working on pieces, how to play, technique, scales etc. You never get to theory or ear training. Suddenly it's "oops - exam's coming up" and you cram for the ear training and maybe the theory. This isn't real learning. Someone can come out of it as a graduate, having passed everything and say "I passed the tests but I don't really have a handle on this."

There may not be time for it for this exam, but afterward it would be a good idea to get into ear training and such on a daily basis, as much a routine as playing. Get at it gradually, slowly, so you have a real handle on things. Then for the next exam you'll just build on it. That's what I've been thinking.

Thank you, keystring. I have six months until the exam, and am starting ear-training right away.

May I ask you some questions about the sight-reading? Do they specify a certain speed to play it at? Do you get time to look it over? Can you try it out at the piano at all, or is it strictly hands off during any "look over" period?

Hi Peter, I do have a teacher who helped me prep for the exams. Sorry if I mislead anybody in thinking that I did this on my own. I started lessons last June and decided to do the exams on the summer break. I started working on the grade 4 materials in October I believe.

However, yes it provided a very good incremental learning roadmap.

Keystring et al
My teacher and I went through the syllabus requirements step by step this morning. We specifically began work on the aural part. Funny thing is that I have those in my head from singing in choirs for years but never have attached the names to them so now I need to hear a third and think "third". We're also working on sight reading. I sight read for her and she gives me tips on how to read it more efficiently. She's not done these specific exams before but has done graded competitions and can see the similarities in choosing the exam pieces. She chose ones that will demonstrate technique but not be out of my ability (under stress). I wonder if I can go watch an exam....

Hi PianoStudent88 - For my exam I did get time to look the music over. I don't really know how long. Maybe a minute or two. I didn't touch the piano as I assumed you're not allowed as she said take some time to 'look it over'.

My teacher said what they look for is consistent timing through the whole line of music and for accuracy in notes, dynamics, and pedal. So it's better to go slow and keep a consistent rhythm and accuracy. Also, if you mess up a note I was told don't stop/re-start/etc. Just keep going! (I didn't have any dynamic markings, or pedal markings on the music I did).

What you need to look out for is a timing switch that can trip you up in either hand (eg., going from quarter notes to eighth notes), or a spot where you need to move your hand to a new position.

For those considering the exams and are interested in the Aural Part. Here is the name of the book I had picked up that is published from Frederick Harris Music.

It is called Comprehensive Ear Training, Professional Series. It comes with 2 CD's of exercises and a 44 page book. It was $32. I believe you can also get only the book which has only the exercises in it that you or your teacher can play (no CD's). I believe the book only is about $15.

It has 56 Sessions in the book. Each session has 2 rhythm clapback exercises. Six interval identifications, and 3 Melody playback exercises. It is pretty good except I wish the CD would play the interval and then pause, and then identify it. As it doesn't identify it on the CD you have to have the book handy to check if you got it right. Still it is well done.

My teacher had printed me a sheet of the intervals which I did on my own in the keys I needed to know. It is something we started doing at every lesson. I hated it because in the beginning I couldn't get any of them! But then in the last few weeks I started to get more and more right! So it is clearly something you need to practice.

Also, for the melody playback my teacher gave me some exercises that she said I should play through every day. So you play the chord, then the melody. She told me to play the chord, play the melody. Then, close my eyes and play the melody by memory. This seemed silly as I had just played it. But I have to say it really worked. But again, it is something you have to do every day.

Hi WiseBuff - I know for the RCM exam there was a point in the hallway that no parents or teachers were allowed. So I'm pretty sure you won't be able to go in and watch one.

However, I had seen a video of an exam and I'll have to try to remember where/how I had seen it and send you the link.

A funny story and totally off topic. When my son did his first exam, I saw the him, the accompanist, and his teacher down the hall. His teacher was holding the violin up the ceiling and they were all staring at it raptly. I wondered if it was some special ritual, like an incantation for good luck. Nope. A spider had crawled in and they were trying to get it to come out. The world "hallway" triggered the memory.

You probably can't watch an exam because it may set the student off a but it is always worth calling and asking.
It is a bit nerve racking now know what happens behind the door

If it helps I found that the overall atmosphere of an exam is just the same as if you were playing with your teacher beside you.
I failed an exam once because I got myself all worked up thinking that the examiner was going to be snotty and judgemental, I started seeing black and probably could of passed out. This was very irrational of me.

All the exams I have done start out with a little bit of small talk with the examiner then you sit down, I have had the examiner sit a couple ft and beside me and i have had one sit about 9 ft away and behind me. before you go into your exam you will have chosen if you want to play your pieces first or your studies and technique, the only surprise is what technique or scales will be asked of you.
They do like to move from one thing to the next quickly so keep it in mind but don't let it rush you. Don't be worried if they stop you mid song, sometimes they do it for time purposes.

The guide says that noone is allowed in the room except the student and the adjudicator, and also no recording devices are allowed. Also listening outside the door is prohibited.

Thank you keystring for the sight-reading info. ZoeCalgary, I have that book and CD on order that you mentioned.

LizAnne
Some of us are just in love with learning. When I tell my students (not music) that I did the Ph.D. for fun they are incredulous. School seems like work to them. The exams seem like a milestone for me...a way to checkmark my level of accomplishment...that's motivating for me. The other thing is that I'm REALLY learning some pieces in depth to be ready for the exam and that will give me confidence to play a few pieces when asked (I hope)...lifelong learning is what we're about I think...
I've ordered the aural performance book and CD that someone recommended...in the meantime I'll take my stabs at it. Play C and sing the 6th. :-)

So I'm listening to the Perfection Ear CD to practice aural skills and I have some problems.

One problem is the clapback, in which they play a short random melody twice and you have to clapback the rhythm. Is there a strategy for this? Try to establish a beat and count it? Memorize it as a melody and then clap as you hear the melody in your head? Go by gut feel? Something else?

And what is the point of this exercise? The rhythms seems fairly random, and there's no accompaniment to give you any bearings. Ugh ugh ugh.

The other problem is the intervals, where they play a melodic interval once and you have to identify it. I keep mixing up major thirds and fifths, and fifths and octaves. I try humming a major arpeggio to see if the first two notes match for a major third, and "twinkle twinkle" to see if I get a match for a fifth, but I still mess it up. Any tips to learning to hear and identify intervals? Or do I just keep practicing and eventually I'll get better?

PianoStudent88 - I have trouble with this too.

For clapback. I found humming the melody in my head helped immensely. Also, from the CD's I would try to guess the time signature (4/4, 2/4, 6/8). I found I could then more easily picture the music as it was being played. My teacher also suggested using one hand to tap it out. I think after awhile you can recognize patterns in the notes, based on the time signature.

For intervals my teacher gave me a sheet with typical songs that contained those intervals. If you google intervals you will get a list of these. This only works if you know the song of course. I found I had to think through all the songs to see if the interval matched the song. Well, it didn't take long to forget what I'd heard! But, I found if I practiced just the intervals above or below a given note I could concentrate better and then identify those. Over time I did manage to get most of the intervals but it took me awhile. So I started with knowing the intervals below a given note for a week. Then the next week I added the intervals above a given note. Humming them to myself as they were being played really helped me. When I practiced them by playing them myself I hummed them to myself and that really helped. I'm not a singer so I didn't think that would help but it did.

My teacher said I should concentrate on the sound each interval makes (e.g. a minor 3rd can sound sad, relative to a major 3rd). An octave is same tone just higher pitch. Play and listen to the differences between a 3rd, 4th, 5th. When I did that consistently it helped. When I didn't really focus on it day by day I really struggled. I actually found ear training really hard to do.

So, I got part of the results of my exam back! Well I got my mark (81%), and my standing is First Class Honours! I'm so happy I passed. I am waiting for the written comments to come through now too!

Thank you for the suggestions, ZoeCalgary, and congratulations on your exam results.

Zoe or any of you who have taken the exams. What exactly are they looking for when we play the broken chords. I wish I had sheet music so I could see how they expect them played...details details

WiseBuff, what level are you planning to take? I might be able to describe the chords for you. There is also a technical requirements book that you can order, which shows all the technical requirements written out.

Congratulations Zoe! That's an excellent mark! I'm also impressed by how quickly they published your mark .. I hope that means they are getting faster. The wait is awful.

My studies were all through the RCM and I have no regrets about that -- I'm working on an AR in voice and piano currently. My own students have the option of doing exams, but it's not required.

By no means, however, do i believe the RCM system is without flaws. It's certainly dangerous to use this as the only means of progression with a student -- and not every student is motivated by exams. (I love exams -- I'm like Lisa in that Simpsons episode where she gets sent to a unstructured learning school and she has a nervous breakdown and begs everyone she sees "Grade me!!" LOL).