Flautists should also work on one octave if there is errors and when securing the notes, don’t worry about taking extra breaths because you want ACCURACY before fluency. Again, aim for correct playing of a scale/arpeggio THREE times in a row. Can you play just as well slurred as tongued?

I often say to students ‘Aim for the hat trick’ That means playing something correct, correct, correct NOT wrong, wrong, correct, wrong, wrong, correct, wrong, correct because this still means you have played it incorrectly more often than accurately – it will not be secure, this type of practising is ‘gambling’. Too risky. 

2)    Pieces are worth 90 marks (30 marks per piece)  – There are three contrasting pieces to prepare for the exam. At this point, ensure that you are practising in two ways. It is good to ‘play through’ without stopping because this is what you will have to do in your exam. Also play through to family and friends, it is helpful to have a parent video your pieces so you can listen back and see if you have a good posture/hand position (breath control on flute). The examiner will also be typing in the exam so it is good for young musicians to play with some distractions around every so often aswell!

Are you playing expressively? Perhaps your piece has a title that helps you to think of a story or picture that helps to makes your playing interesting and colourful. Practise PERFORMING just as you would for a concert. Is your posture and hand position good? Do you count yourself in your head before you play? Do you END the piece well? Some children play the last note and begin to look around or even stand up before they have finished, make sure you start well and finish well – don’t throw away the ending!

However, it is also important to continue to do SLOW, SEPARATE, SECTION practise where you pay attention to improving any weak sections – I often write on your music which bars or sections need extra work. Check that you have taken on board all the details in your pieces. Pay attention to dynamics, articulation, tempo changes, pauses, ornaments expression marks and any other features of your pieces.  I often ask students to identify the loudest part of the piece and the quietest to help shade the dynamics. Check you a playing at a suitable tempo, pop the metronome on. Be careful not to just race through each piece with no consideration for musicality.

It is helpful to listen to recordings of the pieces to inspire the student and also clarify what the piece should sound like. It is particularly important for flaustists to be familiar with the piano accompaniment so do listen to recordings and play with your accompanist regularly.

If possible, play some or all of your exam piece in a concert to give you valuable experience.

3)    Sight Reading is worth 21 marks and this can be sadly neglected and where this is a weakness, the marks lost can mean that merits and distinctions are just missed out by a couple of marks. Sight reading should be worked on EVERY DAY. I set rhythmic and melodic sight reading work every lesson. In the exam, candidates are given only THIRTY seconds to look at the sight reading test and try it through. Musicians need to hone their sight-reading skills DAILY so that the exam test is manageable. I give a lot of advice to students according to their level so please look at what I write in books. In the exam, the examiner doesn’t expect absolute perfection but you do need to keep going.

Please remember to:

·      Check the key signature and look for accidentals

·      Check the time signature, count yourself in a keep counting

·      Plan your fingerings and look what the highest and lowest notes are, early grades should be looking for steps/skips

·      Grade 3 piano onwards will include changes of hand position, notice the fingerings.

·      When you have 30 seconds to try the piece you cannot just play the first bar 6 times, you need to get an idea of the notes and fingerings.

·      When attempting the test go steady, count yourself in, look ahead of what you are playing (long notes are a gift! They give you time to think and look ahead!) and KEEP GOING. DO NOT STOP. DO NOT GO BACK TO CORRECT NOTES.

Another very important developmental aspect of sight reading is playing LOTS of different music. If students only play the same three exam pieces for months on end, their reading will be very weak. So I regularly set easier pieces that should be learned in a week, to ensure young musicians are regularly reading new notes. Duet and ensemble playing is also very helpful in improving sight reading as when you play with other musicians, you HAVE to keep going. This term, everyone should be learning at least one new Christmas piece each week. These pieces should be easier than the grade pieces but stretch you a bit more than the sight reading examples.

If musicians do not work on the skills of sight reading, they will at some point hit a standstill where they might be able to learn a grade 5 piece, basically by rote, but their reading is so poor, they can’t quickly learn a grade 2 piece.

Being good at sight reading is such a blessing, it means that you can decipher and learn music quickly, wonderful! Developing sight reading skills is a crucial part of being a rounded musician and you will be able to make music with other musicians and enjoy it.