Just 3 days away from my exam: I consider this video as gift. I very much appreciate this since it'll make me go with a smile on my face and will feel easier. The hardest part will be to sit and wait with the 5 and 6 year olds and their Moms (ugghh...)
I was quite nervous - the good kind though. I practiced one last time in the morning. Then I went to the gym for a very light workout; just enough to get the blood moving but not so much to get fatigued. Had a very early lunch but didn't eat too much "Never know" I thought "I might get sleepy during the exam". I was extra careful while shaving. Didn't want to meet my examiner with pieces of toilet paper stuck to my face. Before I left home I watched a performance of 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' on UA-cam for some inspiration. While I was driving I debated putting on some classic music to stimulate the synapses but then I thought "Nah, forget it! It might overload my brain." so I turned off the radio. I didn't realize how nervous I was until I had to register at the front desk. My penmanship is typically very good but today my signature was a series of chicken scratches. When I entered the exam room I was impressed with how beautiful it was. The light in the room was subdued - there was a Yamaha upright piano in the middle of the room - I was fascinated with the works of stained glass art along the outside wall. After meeting my examiner I told her that I was likely to be her "oldest and hairiest kid" for today. After the chuckles I sat down at the piano and waited for her to begin. Since I was nervous I dropped a couple notes in one of my pieces, 'Smooth and Crunchy', and made a couple other mistakes here and there during the examination. I was okay with that. My practice was for perfection but I signed up for the examination to make something beautiful. At the end she said she enjoyed hearing me play and appreciated my enthusiasm. Whether her comment was genuine or just a consolation prize - I took it! As I exited the late 19th century church I was literally smiling. Not because I think I did well but because it was a dream come true. I wanted to challenge myself so I did it. I wanted to be evaluated and critiqued - for good or bad - and I got it. I wanted to feel the anxiety and perform under pressure and I got this too. Now, it's time to prepare for my next exam in April. Thanks goes out to Allysia and pianoTV for being a part of my journey.
Thanks so much for sharing this! Every exam centre I've been to is quite lovely as well, and it really adds to the experience. I always comfort myself by thinking, no matter how I do, at least I get the chance to play my pieces on a beautiful piano! Good call on only practicing once through - I think over-practicing the day of the exam just causes unnecessary stress. Kudos and hopefully the marks come back in your favor! Not the true point of doing an exam, perhaps, but a good mark is always a boost. :)
Thanks a lot! for your videos. I feel better about my first exam after watching your videos. Are you British or Canadian? What was your goal for after your completion of the final grade? Are you a music performer or was the RCM like a pre-college training?
If you complete the RCM curriculum and take the test after level 10 then there is a Associate Diploma (ARCT) that you can test for on what ever instrument. Once you do that its like having an Associates degree only in music without the general ED requirements of college Associates. So in essence having a ARCT from RCM and a General ED Associates from a community college would TECHNIQALLY be the equivalent of a Bachelors in Performance
Not necessarily expecting a reply after 3 years lol, and will probably post similar comments on other videos. I've seen 2 different ways of doing the chords portion of the exam (Prep A) - this, and playing each triad going up the C major scale. Are the examiners looking for one of these specifically? Also, is the order in which the pentascales are played important - and if so, will the examiner say which one to play when, or are we supposed to know on our own?
Yes Marchalyn, I was wondering when she said it would take an adult 1 year. How many hours of play would that be. Could this be done well in two months max and then move forward to the next level. Why the delay.
I'm wondering this also. As a brand new piano player (2 weeks!) I feel like I could do Prep A now. Prep B would maybe take another week or two since I haven't learned all those scales yet. I can't imagine an adult taking a year to get to this level. Am I missing something? I consider myself a pretty remedial learner with absolutely zero music background, so I'm not advancing particularly fast or anything. I was planning on working towards Grade 1 as my first actual exam, maybe in 6-8 months. Is this reasonable?
Yes, what you are missing is the repertoire, as well as the other technical requirements including ear training, rhythmic clap backs, melodic playbacks etc. Moreover, I can tell from your comment that you are an older learner, not a 5-7 year old child. :) We are talking about someone starting from scratch, learning all the tools of artistry and musicianship that go into the early stages of piano learning, culminating in a performance exam that includes playing three pieces from memory. By the time a student has completed Prep B, they will be reading music pretty well! Allbeit at a rudimentary level. So it's important to acknowledge just how much really goes into learning how to read and play music, not just parroting a few simple patterns we saw in a video.
I love this reminder that technique is the "Building Blocks" of music making! So much YES!
Just 3 days away from my exam: I consider this video as gift. I very much appreciate this since it'll make me go with a smile on my face and will feel easier. The hardest part will be to sit and wait with the 5 and 6 year olds and their Moms (ugghh...)
Ha ha ha ha it's so true. Even when I did my grade 9 and 10, there were (older) kids in the exam room before me.
Walter B. LOL I’m 24 I just started playing piano and discovered the RCM exams it’s gonna be awkward when the parents are asking where my kid is
@@MultiBooster123 Just tell them that you're someone's kid.
I was quite nervous - the good kind though. I practiced one last time in the morning. Then I went to the gym for a very light workout; just enough to get the blood moving but not so much to get fatigued. Had a very early lunch but didn't eat too much "Never know" I thought "I might get sleepy during the exam". I was extra careful while shaving. Didn't want to meet my examiner with pieces of toilet paper stuck to my face.
Before I left home I watched a performance of 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' on UA-cam for some inspiration. While I was driving I debated putting on some classic music to stimulate the synapses but then I thought "Nah, forget it! It might overload my brain." so I turned off the radio. I didn't realize how nervous I was until I had to register at the front desk. My penmanship is typically very good but today my signature was a series of chicken scratches.
When I entered the exam room I was impressed with how beautiful it was. The light in the room was subdued - there was a Yamaha upright piano in the middle of the room - I was fascinated with the works of stained glass art along the outside wall. After meeting my examiner I told her that I was likely to be her "oldest and hairiest kid" for today. After the chuckles I sat down at the piano and waited for her to begin.
Since I was nervous I dropped a couple notes in one of my pieces, 'Smooth and Crunchy', and made a couple other mistakes here and there during the examination. I was okay with that. My practice was for perfection but I signed up for the examination to make something beautiful. At the end she said she enjoyed hearing me play and appreciated my enthusiasm. Whether her comment was genuine or just a consolation prize - I took it!
As I exited the late 19th century church I was literally smiling. Not because I think I did well but because it was a dream come true. I wanted to challenge myself so I did it. I wanted to be evaluated and critiqued - for good or bad - and I got it. I wanted to feel the anxiety and perform under pressure and I got this too. Now, it's time to prepare for my next exam in April. Thanks goes out to Allysia and pianoTV for being a part of my journey.
Thanks so much for sharing this! Every exam centre I've been to is quite lovely as well, and it really adds to the experience. I always comfort myself by thinking, no matter how I do, at least I get the chance to play my pieces on a beautiful piano!
Good call on only practicing once through - I think over-practicing the day of the exam just causes unnecessary stress.
Kudos and hopefully the marks come back in your favor! Not the true point of doing an exam, perhaps, but a good mark is always a boost. :)
Thanks so much for this!! This will help with exam in April!! Love your videos!!
Good luck!
What level are you on now?
Thanks for posting! I noticed that you have incorrect fingering in the chords with inversions (in LH),
. Could you make a video of your favorite Prep B pieces?
Really love ur videos #Ptv..m learnin so mch abt classical music,history,peopl n pieces..tn.q so mch_×
KeepDoinWatU_Do♡
When playing the staccato scales (prep A), shouldn't the blocked triad at the end also be played staccato?
Can I do ABRSM in Toronto? I cannot find it online. I see Vancouver only.
Can we use a metronome in the exam?
Thanks a lot! for your videos. I feel better about my first exam after watching your videos. Are you British or Canadian? What was your goal for after your completion of the final grade? Are you a music performer or was the RCM like a pre-college training?
If you complete the RCM curriculum and take the test after level 10 then there is a Associate Diploma (ARCT) that you can test for on what ever instrument. Once you do that its like having an Associates degree only in music without the general ED requirements of college Associates. So in essence having a ARCT from RCM and a General ED Associates from a community college would TECHNIQALLY be the equivalent of a Bachelors in Performance
yay piano tv!
Not necessarily expecting a reply after 3 years lol, and will probably post similar comments on other videos.
I've seen 2 different ways of doing the chords portion of the exam (Prep A) - this, and playing each triad going up the C major scale. Are the examiners looking for one of these specifically?
Also, is the order in which the pentascales are played important - and if so, will the examiner say which one to play when, or are we supposed to know on our own?
Any fingering is permissable on the exam. They don't care.
This is way too easy even as a 2 month piano player i can learn all this in 2 days
Yes Marchalyn, I was wondering when she said it would take an adult 1 year. How many hours of play would that be. Could this be done well in two months max and then move forward to the next level. Why the delay.
Have a look at the RCM-Piano Syllabus, it shows what needs to complete each level. 🎼🎹🎶🎵🎵🎵 .
I'm wondering this also. As a brand new piano player (2 weeks!) I feel like I could do Prep A now. Prep B would maybe take another week or two since I haven't learned all those scales yet. I can't imagine an adult taking a year to get to this level. Am I missing something? I consider myself a pretty remedial learner with absolutely zero music background, so I'm not advancing particularly fast or anything. I was planning on working towards Grade 1 as my first actual exam, maybe in 6-8 months. Is this reasonable?
Yes, what you are missing is the repertoire, as well as the other technical requirements including ear training, rhythmic clap backs, melodic playbacks etc. Moreover, I can tell from your comment that you are an older learner, not a 5-7 year old child. :) We are talking about someone starting from scratch, learning all the tools of artistry and musicianship that go into the early stages of piano learning, culminating in a performance exam that includes playing three pieces from memory. By the time a student has completed Prep B, they will be reading music pretty well! Allbeit at a rudimentary level. So it's important to acknowledge just how much really goes into learning how to read and play music, not just parroting a few simple patterns we saw in a video.
So when playing staccato they don't have to do the last note and the triad staccato, right?