Grade 2 - The exam

As far as exams go this one was one of the more enjoyable. The venue today was much calmer than that when I took grade 1. Back then there were hundreds of musicians milling around, instruments breaking, people warming up, gossiping, sharing experiences and having a great time. In the Music Gallery, a quiet music shop on the outskirts of Cambridge, there were one or two shop assistants, one or two shoppers, one or two exam candidates, Rohan, Anne and, just after 2.30, me! I started getting my harp out just as Robyn was finishing her exam. Robyn was another Grade-1-a-bee and has continued the harp because she also had a great time learning it. She went for grade 3 today, an impressive jump from grade 1. She felt the pressure a little more than I did but hopefully she's done enough for a good mark. We had a quick chat afterwards and are hoping to get together over the summer with Anne to do some harp trios. When Rohan suggested that my harp might want tuning I looked at her pathetically and said "I thought you might do it" so she sighed and picked up my tuner while Robyn and I kept up the chat.

I did a quick warm up as I'd done quite a bit of playing that morning. I went in right on time and set myself up. The examiner was very friendly and if I didn't already feel at ease would have done with his caring words designed to make nervous candidates feel more at home in the exam room. When Bagpipes Play began well enough and in bar 3 I remembered to lift my right elbow a little higher as Rohan had told me to. I had a funny slip in the last line. Even now I'm not sure what went wrong but I missed a note, or mis-hit one and ended up a string too high for one bar. I bodged the bar and finished with the right last note. I remembered to take Goblin Rustle slightly slower to give myself time to think and this worked really well. I know from my own pupils exams that it is easy to go dashing off, especially when a bit nervous so was glad I thought to hold back. Mountain Stream also went without a hitch but looking back I'm not sure if I really made the most of the dynamic contrasts (louds and softs). Rohan has pointed out playing in an exam room is very different to playing in your front room so there will be differences in the performances. Scales were fine and I at least got the levers the right way round this time. I paused when the examiner asked me to do D major. I know this scale but it's not on the list so I'd not practised it and the examiner ealised something was wrong when I sat staring at the levers with a puzzled look on my face. He said something like "Oops, my mistake, sorry about that. Shall we have C minor instead?" and I happily obliged! For any potential exam candidates out there proof that examiners are only human after all! Sight-reading was very easy and I managed to play it twice within the 30 seconds practise time. I even memorised one bar so that I could look at my fingers. Aural tests also appeared to be very easy so I'm in for a shock if I got any of that lot wrong! I came out smiling and realised I had actually enjoyed it. Robyn did ask me if I got nervous, looking slightly suprised when I said not really but then I am highly used to these conditions regularly entering and accompanying pupils. It is good to see the exam structure from a different angle as it reminds you of what your own pupils have to go through. Next up was one of my own pupils as Sam was doing his grade 4 clarinet. Sam said he played to a few of his friends that lunchtime to get a little bit of last minute practise and such was his dedication he forgot to get anything to eat. I just wish he'd been more dedicated in the last few months but hopefully he's also done enough to scrape through! I might get the harp out and do just a little more playing this evening. I've got a grade 3 piece to look through and it's never too soon to start those scales...