Well hello again! Today I have a rare Saturday off and, as the weather is a bit grey and blustery I thought I'd stay in and get some work done. I checked my email and was very excited to see that a result had come in for a Grade 8 Musical Theatre for Actors one of my 17 year old students had taken last week.
This particular student has done very well in their exams in the past gaining merits for their grades 6 and 7. I was thrilled with those results. A merit is an excellent result, especially for the higher grades, but many of my students feel that less than a distinction is tantamount to failing. Of course I would love all my students to get distinctions but a merit, or even a pass, is still something to be proud of.
This student almost gave up on her singing lessons and the exams when she got her result for her grade 7 exam as she didn't think it was worth it if all she was going to get was another merit. I pointed out to her that she had already come so far and she should really think about finishing what she started. After a bit of nagging from me (and using her mother to help persuade her) she agreed and we set about picking her songs for her final grade.
She worked incredibly hard on her songs, one of which also had to be performed as a monologue, and was ready to do her final musical theatre exam. Today I got the result of all of her hard work and was delighted to send her a message to tell her the decision to carry on had paid off with a distinction.
The distinction for me was the cherry on the top of the cake. I would have been happy had she only got a pass as I would have been so pleased that she had seen the whole exam journey through from start to finish and didn't give up on it. She put in the work, and then some, and reaped the rewards. The reward is not only the distinction but the satisfaction of working through the grades plus it looks great on any university applications to show that she can apply herself and, as I said in the title of this post, finish what she starts!
So perhaps this is something you might like to do. I can help you work through singing exams with the LCM or ABRSM , musical theatre, pop or classical. If you live anywhere near Selsdon, a stones throw from Croydon, get in touch and we can start you off on your exam journey or, if you don't live anywhere near me, get in touch with your local singing teacher and see if they can help.
