I have been taking lessons for a little over 2 years. I have decided to take the Grade exams and have been studying for my Grade 1 piano. I have applied for the exam which is only a month away and am getting very worried because I do not think I will pass. The aural part of it will let me down badly because I do not know enough of the technical part of it to get through. I am so worried that I am not sleeping properly, not eating and panicking because Grade 1 should be easy and yet I am finding it difficult. If I fail this exam I will be a laughing stock, especially since other people pass and get good pass marks. I have never really been that academic so I am now beginning to think I am kidding myself to think I can pass this exam. To get through the aural part of this exam will take hours and hours of hard slog and I fear I will make myself ill. I also have a full time job and feel like pulling out of the exam... HELP

I asked my piano teacher if she thought I was ready to take the exam and she urged me to take it and get it out of the way now. I dont think i am but she wants me to do it. It was the same with my driving test. I did not feel that I was ready for it, but the instructor urged me to go ahead and take it. I knew I would not pass and I was right... I failed and if it was left up to me, I would never have gone in for it. Its the same with this Grade 1. I dont feel ready and have an opportunity to take it in July rather than March but I am being urged to take it now. I wish my teacher was more honest with me about my technical skills. I would prefer a firm teacher who told me off when needed but my current teacher soft soaps me and pats me on the head which I do not think is good for me. By now I should me more technically advanced than I am, and I need a teacher who will tell me so. Why is she putting me in for an exam now because I am sure she does not feel I am ready and neither do I and she gave me the option of taking it now or taking it in July. It should not be up to me.. She is the teacher and she should be able to tell if I have progressed enough. What she did say is that if I put it off until July I will go mad because I will still be practicing the same three exam pieces over and over again and it will drive me insane so its better to get it out of the way.

Perhaps I should have a word with her and tell her about my fears.

Don't worry about it! I took this grade when I was 8! I was terrified, and didn't know what to expect. I went in, played normally, (and slightly nervously!) and I scored 132 out of 150! Everybody has worries. Do NOT let this interfere with your eating and sleeping patterns! EVER!!!! This is not that much of a big deal! Just do your best, and if you fail, just do it again.
You'll be fine! Honestly!
Pyface

Ditto Pyface - don't stress. Playing music is supposed to relieve stress.

I've been playing 40 years, and I'd probably fail a grade 1 technique test. But I still have fun mutilating Debussy and Stravinsky pieces!

I know exactly how you feel i myself has terrible trouble with the aural part of the exam, just always remember no examiner wants to fail you, just keep calm and listen, thats all you need to do, but seriously the grade one exam is straightfoward you shouldnt have any problems good luck

I just took my grade one exam today and I must have failed miserably. Had a bad attack of nerves, made myself ill and couldn't even do the simplest of things like scales with out making a mistake. My first piece of music I had to skip in the end as I kept hitting the wrong notes and couldn't get back to where I was. My singing was non-existent as my voice just went and now looking at what I had done realised that its not really worth worrying about as I knew I could do these in front of my music teacher and at home with no problems. Just think of this.....you couldn't do as badly as I did even if you tried!!!!

Oh dear!
However, I'm not perfect with grades! I've done 1, 2 and 3 and it went ok! On 1, I passed without trying too hard with 132/150! On 2, however, I got 108/150! Passing by 8 marks. It was my scales! Then on grade 3, I got 120/150 and I hadn't even finished a piece 2 weeks before the exam! You'll be fine!
If I can do it, you can!

I am sorry you had a bad experience in your exam. What annoys me is that when you study for the exam and do scales, you practice really hard with the correct fingering and yet, when it comes to the actual exam, the examine does not look at your fingers when playing so when for instance you do a C major scale, if you do not cross your fingers exactly in the right place, who is going to know? only you, and the examiner sits behind you (well mine did anyway) so he or she does not look at your fingering. I honestly thought they would look closely at your fingers and mark you down if you dont use the correct fingering but all they do is listen and if you can play a scale at the right speed and you hit the keys at the right strength with enough pause between each one, who cares if you dont use the right fingering, because nobody checks.