Music grades

lincroft1710

Cakeguts wrote: »

Candidates should have is different to candidates must have passed grade 8.

"Should" is the past participle of "shall". One of the meanings of "shall" according to Chambers Dictionary is "must".

Cakeguts

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2017/music.pdf This university runs one of the top music courses in the UK you will notice that they are not bothered whether you have taken grade 8. They may consider grade 8 theory if you haven't taken music A level.

They have separate criteria to choose between candidates by looking at the personal statement. The bit about team work is what you get if you play in a music ensemble. Top universities are not interested in grades. They want people to have played in ensembles. It requires much higher skill levels to play in an ensemble than it does to pass any grades.

If you are applying to one of the very top universities in the country you will not be more likely to be offered a place by how many grades you have passed. These universities are not interested in grades what they want are students who have extensive ensemble experience.

Cakeguts

http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/music/auditions/undergraduate_audition_requirements/ This is how you get into The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. No mention of grades. Audition only and you have to play the repertoire set for the audition.

missbiggles1

Cakeguts wrote: »

Candidates should have is different to candidates must have passed grade 8. As I said before you get a reference from your teacher. Working towards doesn't mean have passed. Working towards could be interpreted as learning the pieces from the syllabus it doesn't say please provide the date of the exam. Demonstrate means in the audition it doesn't mean that you have to have taken the exam. Grade 8 or equivalent standard means an equivalent standard provided in a reference is just as good it doesn't say you have to take grade 8.

The date of the exam is on the certificate but the date of someone giving up playing after grade 8 isn't going to be noted anywhere if someone could get onto a course based purely on having passed grade 8 or getting a distinction in grade 8 which is why there are auditions.

Before you ask people do take grade 8 get a distinction and then give up.

No it isn't.

Cakeguts

Caroline_a wrote: »

Adult learners apart, I don't see any reason at all why you would not let youngsters do grades. At best it will look good on their UCAS form, whether they do music in their tertiary education or not, at worst it will cost their parents a small amount of money (in the grand scheme of things).

Obviously the OP has a big chip about grades, and nothing that anyone else says will alter that. However, the rest of us appear to agree that they are a good thing, including those of us who have been through them.

Not sure if the OP has children of his/her own who are learning an instrument, but if you had, why would you potentially disadvantage that child by refusing to put them through the grades because of what is quite a paltry sum of money, and often is paid for by schools?

I don't consider £87 a paltry sum of money for a piece of paper that no one needs to have.

Caroline_a

Cakeguts wrote: »

I don't consider £87 a paltry sum of money for a piece of paper that no one needs to have.

On this forum you're the only one who thinks no one needs to have it, including some who appear to be experienced musicians. I have to say that if a music teacher had said I won't teach your child grades as I think they are unnecessary I would have been finding another teacher!

peachyprice

Cakeguts wrote: »

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2017/music.pdf This university runs one of the top music courses in the UK you will notice that they are not bothered whether you have taken grade 8. They may consider grade 8 theory if you haven't taken music A level.

They have separate criteria to choose between candidates by looking at the personal statement. The bit about team work is what you get if you play in a music ensemble. Top universities are not interested in grades. They want people to have played in ensembles. It requires much higher skill levels to play in an ensemble than it does to pass any grades.

If you are applying to one of the very top universities in the country you will not be more likely to be offered a place by how many grades you have passed. These universities are not interested in grades what they want are students who have extensive ensemble experience.

So you've found a course that doesn't require grades, I have found courses that do.

You are saying that grades are totally worthless, that you can get on ANY course without them, which clearly is not true. So unless a candidate has a crystal ball as a child and knows exactly which institution is going to guarantee them a place without bothering with grades the prudent thing to do is pay a relatively small amount to take the grade exams to give the widest choice possible when it comes to applying for music courses.

Of course, people could follow your advice, take no grades, not get accepted on a course and fall flat on their faces with their dreams in tatters.

Which do you think is the best course of action? Takes grades to give yourself the best choice possible or not take grades and be restricted to those places that don't require them? I know which path I would rather my child take.

Tigsteroonie

I cannot believe this thread is still going on ... OP, why do you have a particular axe to grind on this subject? I think you've well achieved your outcome of raising awareness that Grade exams are not the be-all-and-end-all. Is there anything further to be gained from endless repetition?

missbiggles1

Cakeguts wrote: »

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2017/music.pdf This university runs one of the top music courses in the UK you will notice that they are not bothered whether you have taken grade 8. They may consider grade 8 theory if you haven't taken music A level.

They have separate criteria to choose between candidates by looking at the personal statement. The bit about team work is what you get if you play in a music ensemble. Top universities are not interested in grades. They want people to have played in ensembles. It requires much higher skill levels to play in an ensemble than it does to pass any grades.

If you are applying to one of the very top universities in the country you will not be more likely to be offered a place by how many grades you have passed. These universities are not interested in grades what they want are students who have extensive ensemble experience.

That's a very misleading statement.

The information you've linked to says " we would consider Grade 8 in Music Theory at Merit or Distinction as a suitable alternative qualification." which is very different from saying they "may consider it" as you have paraphrased it. It is also a great exaggeration to say "that they are not bothered whether you have taken grade 8." when the university states that "All applicants should state any music qualifications clearly in the qualifications section of their application."

You obviously have a bee in your bonnet about this issue but you make a worst case by twisting the information that you provide.

peachyprice

missbiggles1 wrote: »

That's a very misleading statement.

The information you've linked to says " we would consider Grade 8 in Music Theory at Merit or Distinction as a suitable alternative qualification." which is very different from saying they "may consider it" as you have paraphrased it. It is also a great exaggeration to say "that they are not bothered whether you have taken grade 8." when the university states that "All applicants should state any music qualifications clearly in the qualifications section of their application."

You obviously have a bee in your bonnet about this issue but you make a worst case by twisting the information that you provide.

Exactly. Having those grade exams could make a huge difference if you've narrowly missed out on the required academic criteria. Why wouldn't anybody not take a belt and braces approach to achieving their dreams.

I can't really understand why the OP is still insisting that they are worthless, nobody believes her because it's been proven she is wrong, very wrong.

Oh, and I think Bath, who state "Applicants must have, or be working towards Grade 8 Music Practical before joining our undergraduate programme" which ranks 11th out of 127 is quite a highly ranked uni

And for clarification OP, most sane people would consider 'working towards' to mean that the person has passed grade 7 and is currently working on grade 8 with a view to taking the exam in the not too distant future.