Music Solo Exam Discussion

[memka]

So how'd did everybody (anybody?) find it?

I thought theory was pretty good but fucked the melodic transcription hardcore (forgot it changed time signature).
Section B I thought was really good but ran out of time on Section C and had to rush.

[HKJ]

I thought it was okay, except for, yeah, melodic transcription. Didn't know what those last two bars were on about... 

Problems with finishing it on time (what the hell, 1 1/2 hours?? Evil...), but at least I answered all the questions. The written qs. were actually all right. Not so much "describe how the rhythm works with the articulation to create the melody of an instrument other than the voice to create meaning MKAY, THNKS!!" like in previous years. 

And I LOVED part b, just for playing a classical piece.

[memka]

Omg a reply! I'm not alone, Wooooo!
Welcome to VN! 

Anyway I totally agree about Section B. I was so excited when I saw that in reading time.
I wish they played the first version more times. I  love classical music.

Btw what instrument do you play and  how was your Solo Performance? 

[eilatan]

how was the solo exam? i do group and i must say it was so much longer than i anticipated and not only did i run out of time to finish but our exam supervisors screw up our papers and audio and wasted even more of our writing time. so not fair.

i wished there was more theory on the group exam cos I'm good at theory...

[humph]

Anyone got a copy of the exam? I'd be interested to see what it was like... What were the songs, at least?

The exam is always ridiculous for time - I was the only one in my class that finished the exam in my year (admittedly there were only 5 of us). But I managed to only drop a mark or two

Pity about the B for my performance exam...

[HKJ]

Thanks for the welcome! 

Btw what instrument do you play and  how was your Solo Performance?

I play flute. It was all right -- I had really nice examiners, and I don't think I screwed up anything too badly, just little things here and there. And I think I put expression in. I'll probably get an A... but I'm really hoping for A+...

Like the written. I think I got B+, but am really hoping for A. I need a high mark for performance since my others get marked down so much. *grr*

How about you, memka? What do you play?

[memka]

Anyone got a copy of the exam? I'd be interested to see what it was like... What were the songs, at least?

Hmm the unheard analysis was a Symphony or Something by Shostakovich.
First version played by Leingrad Orchestra thing, 2nd by the Klaus Susonsari(?) Quintet (some sorta jazz like group).
Best part was no lyrics.

How about you, memka? What do you play?

I play flute too 
I'm really hoping I can manage an A for the performance exam.
Exam went pretty well but I had a few issues with my choosen pieces.

On the day of the exam I went to write in my pieces and discovered I learnt one of the wrong movements from Acht Stucke.  :idiot2:
So coz I didn't wanna waste the 2 movements I did learn right I spent the morning learning the other part. Then I decided 18 minutes of playing was a little on the short side so I randomly dug out a piece I learnt last yr (Telemann's Fantasia in E minor) and chucked that in.   

Motto of the story: check these things before the day of the exam.

[HKJ]

On the day of the exam I went to write in my pieces and discovered I learnt one of the wrong movements

Oh my god, that would be my worst nightmare. I'm so sorry for you. But what was your teacher thinking, not checking?? Teacher = Evil.

And hey, I learnt Acht Stucke last year! Would have done it this year except I found Drifts in Sand a much easier unaccompanied.

[memka]

But what was your teacher thinking, not checking?? Teacher = Evil.

Well, um it wasn't exactly my teacher's fault. 
See I went to the Victorian Flute Guild's VCE day thingy in Feb where they played through a lot of the VCE pieces. They gave us a copy of a modified prescribed list and on it they crossed out which Acht Stucke numbers you had to do and wrote any. They said that it was gonna change to that so mine teacher based my pieces on their list.

So I went off I learnt 3 movements but then on exam day I thought I should check and discovered it never changed.
So  mostly VFG and mine fault for not checking earlier. 
 

[HKJ]

Oh, okay then. VFG = evil.

And, um, VCE day in feb? Fintona, boiling hot, a really loooong day with heaps of examiners, teachers and a few students? If so, I was there.

[memka]

Oh, okay then. VFG = evil.

And, um, VCE day in feb? Fintona, boiling hot, a really loooong day with heaps of examiners, teachers and a few students? If so, I was there.

That's the one. It's a small world lol.

[memka]

It turned out our teacher was teaching us Somewhere - the version from the movie, which was SOO Different, e.g the broadway version had a solo female, the movie version was male and female, completely different arrangement. By the time I worked this out, we only had 2 45min classes left with him. The best feeling in the world!!!

 ......you'd think VCASS would be pro teachers at that stuff.

[cobby]

my singing teacher is a vcaa assessor for music solo! woooooo!!!!
wanna hear a story? my other solo teacher (for the written and aural side) is our head of music (I'm at the Vic College of the Arts Secondary School).

SOOOO for our semester 2 piece from the prescribed list was Somewhere - versions from the original broadway cast on stage AND from Tom Waits!

So he hardly taught us anything, we actually had about 1 page of dot points of terrible, irrelevant points. So in september, with about a 6 weeks before the exam, and 2 weeks of classes left (we only get 2 periods a week for written and aural) I decided to do some hardcore study for the exam. So I had these notes from a friend who did the same piece (somewhere) fr her year 12 last year. The notes she gave me and mine clashed horribly! Little did I know, her notes were the right notes and mine were wrong. It turned out our teacher was teaching us Somewhere - the version from the movie, which was SOO Different, e.g the broadway version had a solo female, the movie version was male and female, completely different arrangement. By the time I worked this out, we only had 2 45min classes left with him. The best feeling in the world!!!

dam thats gotta suck
as if he could get it wrong? :S ...movie..broadway..movie...broadway hmmmmmm (N)