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Spectacular! I love hearing about the achievements from folks who are at a more advanced stage than I.

Due to my physical location and other reasons I don't think I will be able to ever participate in any formal exams. Does a teacher have to arrange something like this, or is totally upon the student to do so?

BrianDX What is it about your location that makes you doubt your ability to participate in exams?

Maybe I don't understand the concept of how you "sit" for these exams. Do you have to go to a physical location where a ABSRM representative is located, or can you do it online, or at a teacher's home who is certified to do it?

Any follow-up information would be much appreciated.

I have achievement and near achievement.

1) I hosted Phoenix Piano Club monthly performance! It was a good party. It started at 7:30 and ended 10:30. Many excellent performance. I swear several members (including our own Carey) can play professional. I enjoyed an endearing showmanship of an 85 year old pianist. I had 17 piano performers 1 clarinet and 7 non performing guests. It took a whole day to prepare the site (chairs placed around piano), food and beverage preparation. They liked my piano shaped cake, hehehe.
2) I completed my duet with my ex duet partner. I'm glad that I discharged my responsibility. She is a wonderful person outside of duet. I just cannot deal with people who gets like a micro manager and overly critical. I have my own mother for that. Lesson learned here. In picking a duet partner, personality fit is very important. Also don't rehearse too much. You can practice on your own a lot. In chamber music, you only rehearse once or twice. I think I could have approached duet more professionally. You don't practice duet together. You rehearse. Another lesson learned.
3) near achievement. At college (I practice there when my hubby works from home), a young man named D came to my practice room for a chat. He's been working on Bach Invention #1. He is a relatively young pianist in piano playing career who started piano a few years ago. He wanted me to hear me play the Bach. I said I haven't done the piece. I did 8 inventions in my youth but it wasn't one of them. But I tried to sigh tread for the heck of it. It wasn't bad thing to read and I could play the thing hand together with only minor flub. So I thought "wow, look how far I came!" Told my teacher so. She said "I hate to say this but it's the easiest of all the inventions. Since you are good with Bach, not surprised if you could read. Your sight reading weakness is in big chords. Now get back to work!"

An adult can enter themselves for an exam. I did ABRSM, which is the most common in Europe, but in the US they mainly do RCM. Most people doing exams do work with a teacher on preparation, though it is not required.

The candidate must go to an exam centre for the testing. For ABRSM, all of the examiners come from Britain. There are centres throughout most of the world. Here in Switzerland we have three exam centres - In Zurich, central Switzerland, and Geneva. The tests take about 20 minutes and include playing prepared pieces, playing scales and arpeggios, prima vista sight reading, and an aural exam. For the practical exams, results take about three weeks, but for theory exams they can take up to three months. I did my first practical in May, and found it a very good learning experience. It is a good test in performing under pressure. Preparing for the aural and sight reading really was helpful to me.

Wow, Farmgirl, that is a big crowd to host. You could go through five or six bottles of wine without anybody wearing a lampshade. Sight reading inventions?.....get outta town....I'm sure impressed even if your teacher isn't.

No AOTW for me...I'm still slowly working in my left hand again...but my teacher had a good AOTW to tell me. Alfred Publishing has decided to publish a beginner piano book that she has written. I'll be sure to put up a link when it is out.

I realised after a few brow-furrowed seconds it was just a finger-slip typo, but that was so recognisably how I sometimes feel when sight reading!

Not piano related but I got my college course results, 8 Distinctions!
I also got a special award from the college, one of only 8 students in the whole college to receive one!
And next week I start level 3, a 2 year course.

We'll look forward to hearing more of you. . .sounds very promising. Well done!

Great stuff LarryShore, what are you studying?

Thanks Carlos, it's a bit difficult because she just this month assigned me the 'Expressive Etudes" series and I will need her assessment of course not being very familiar with classical genre.

I hope these books get more advanced as we progress through them; I admit these might help my technique but I sure don't see how it will help my reading because this book (One) is all simple pieces/notes within the staffs and simple rhythms to boot.

Nevertheless, thanks for the kind thoughts.

Wow, congratulations SwissMS that's quite a good achievement. Just for that I'll just pour a glass of red and toast your AOTW.

Sounds like a fun evening FarmGirl. Congrats on a successful party.

That is so awesome, SwissMS.

SwissMS
You are a roll model for many of us.

Good to see so much activity and so many achievements.

BrianDX, 300 pieces in year! OMG dude. A well earned sticker
CarlosCC good to see your pixels and to hear that you are back at the bench.

Farmgirl, a big party, a new job, a plan for the future, a red letter week for you.
LarryShone, congrats on the marks at school.

SwissMS, well done on passing the exam, and a wonderful attitude towards it all too.
Every one else, good going, and keep posting.

Week 129: All my recent free play has me starting a new piece, tentative titles are Menagerie or Mirrors. Separately, I take one of my old pennywhistle tunes and try to play it on the piano. I haven't tried that before with my extensive catalog of songs that I wrote before piano. It sounds thin, and tinny. A basic arrangement muddies the melody line. I don't know if I can find an arrangement that brings out the vibrant and beautiful melody line that the song has on whistle. Thirdly, I go back to poking away at Simple Gifts, such a beautiful melody in that one.

Just realized that I mixed SwissMS with cinnamon roll.
Meant "role model"

My kids got stickers and I always wanted them but my teacher thought adults shouldn't get them. Bummer for me but GREAT for you. When my teacher says "not too bad" that's the verbal equivalent of the sticker.

My teacher is pretty similar to Wisebuff's.
I love his lessons but I confess, (blushing), I'd be thrilled with a sticker.

As a self taught beginner (been playing for about six months), I am enjoying very small things .
I tried to play this piece of music about a month ago, and failed miserably. Last week, I managed to play trough the first minute (not well, but with time I'll make it).
It has been a huge boost in confidence, can't wait learn the rest (I'm going to need a looooot of time)