love for
harajuku
3moDuDe

Right,

its my district

fashion
welcome to my blog.
if you stumbled upon this you are invited to stay
if you don't want to, click that cute red 'x' in the corner
have a good day.

how.to//piano.diploma

Monday, July 5, 2010

How to get a piano diploma: a 12-step guide.
Step 1: Firstly, you need to actually decide to take the diploma. Seriously. If you have doubts about this, then make sure you are certain before going, cuz once you've started you can't stop.
Step 2: Choose between a chicken and a cow. If you chose the chicken, go for DipATCL. It is sufficient meat, and it is also easy to rear, making it a simple way. If you chose the cow, go for DipABRSM. It is chunky and full of meat, but a tough one -- you need the grass to graze, clean water, comfortable environment...
Step 3: Look at the diplomas available. I know that the DipABRSM has Music Performance, Music Direction and Teaching, and what they are generally about are: music performance, music direction and teaching respectively. I chose Music Performance, so the rest of this guide probably pertains to that the most.
Step 4: Submit the application form. On time. This is probably the most important step, cuz if you don't do this, you probably can't take the diploma.
Step 5: Choose your pieces. Preferably choose one from each period -- Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary -- and get one or two lengthy pieces like a sonata or something. My personal choices were:

  • J.S. Bach: Prelude & Fugue no.16 in G minor, BWV861 (Baroque)
  • W.A. Mozart: Sonata no.7 in C major, K309 (Classical, long piece)
  • Schubert: Impromptu in G-flat major, op.90 no.3, D889/3 (Romantic)
  • Brahms: Rhapsody in G minor, op.79 no.2 (Romantic)
  • Copland: Scherzo Humoristique 'The Cat and the Mouse' (Contemporary)
Step 6: Practise your pieces. Like, a lot. In a diploma, the examiners are not only looking for accuracy in playing, but also expression, dynamics, articulation, phrasing, pedalling ... generally everything you could possibly do with a piano.
Step 7: Love your pieces. Listen to them on the bus. Dream about them. Get to know them really well, perhaps even memorise them. This step may seem superfluous but trust me, it's necessary.
Step 8: Write Type out your programme notes. Handwriting is not accepted. The ABRSM website has instructions and guidelines on how to do this. Basically, for each piece, type a short bio of the composer, then what the composer was messing with when they was writing the piece, then what the piece is about. Here is where Step 7 comes in handy. For the last section, use your own feelings about the pieces. You do not need to be too technical. Also, do NOT plagiarise. The examiners are way too intelligent for their pants/skirts and can smell a copied piece of work from over 9000 kilometres away.
Step 9: Make sure your pieces and prog notes are perfect. Consult a teacher/senior/friend/parent/uncle/cat/dog/umbrella that is proficient in music and has (probably) taken a diploma before. Apart from giving a copy to my piano teacher, I posted my prog notes on Facebook for my friends and schoolmates to comment on. This happens to be a really good method of getting suggestions and improvements to your notes.
Step 10: Prepare for your viva voce, also known as the examiners-asking-you-random-difficult-questions-about-your-pieces part. Again, Step 7 comes in handy. Look a the ABRSM website for sample questions, or ask your teacher/senior/friend...whatever.
Step 11: Anxiously await the arrival of the letter of doom. Nah, not really -- by now you should be prepared and ready for the message detailing the time and place of your examination. Just make sure you get it.
Step 12: Take the diploma examination. Duh. What did you think?

And that's how you get a piano diploma.

Labels:



12:25 AM

profile


i'm alvin.
i come from hwa chong institution in singapore.
i'm in class 2i2. yes, i'm a sparkie.
i'm 14+ years old; celebrated my bdae on feb 12.
my hobbies r simple: reading, piano, com games.
i like animals, especially cats mudkipz.
enjoy my blog.
thx.
style

tag

gifts

gifts....nawt nao i guess. soon. i promise.
this is my footer. layout by aellyniq. all blog content is © cry.out.loud: how.to//piano.diploma