External Piano Lessons S2-4

I have already been doing piano for quite a few years but I have only taken an exam once before and I want to try and push myself to do one again, to improve my skills. I talked to my teacher and she agreed to be the supervisor. We have already chosen the pieces that I will play but I will need to buy some booklets for aural as I really need to improve in that area, as well as sight reading. I am generally okay with scales but I need to practice more at home. Sometimes I forget to practice but sometimes I don’t have time at all. I have piano lessons every Sunday for an hour which is not that much time and I need to increase the number of hours that I practice per week.

I have been trying to practice my exam pieces whenever I can but it has been more and more difficult to do so as homework and assignments have been building up and I’ve been getting busier. This time management is something I need to work on. One way I can improve this is to dedicate 30 mins every other day to practicing piano, I can enforce this by adding slots of 30 mins on my calendar which then sends me reminders so that I won’t be able to forget. Below is evidence of me doing so, the piano practice sessions are in purple.

I have already selected which exam pieces I will be playing for my Grade 7 exam. I just recently order and received my sight reading booklets and need to play at least 3 pieces per practice session to build up my skills as they are not exactly spectacular at this moment. My teacher has been teaching me the aural part of the exam (listening for changes in rhythm, modulation, cadences, etc). However, due to my Kahaani Dance Show rehearsals and actual shows as well as traveling during Chinese New Year break it will be harder for me to find time to practice my piano but I will push myself to find more time to practice once school resumes.

I have been practicing for every week and have been having lessons weekly as well with my teacher. It was planned that I would be taking a piano exam in May to access my skills are so much practice. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the exams have been cancelled. New dates have not been announced yet but will be soon. It is unknown if they will even happen. Because of quarantine, this situation has not negatively impacted by piano practices as I still have access to the piano. The situation has even given me more time to practice.

In July, the exam was said to be either taken online or to be taken at some time next year. I decided to take them online. I registered and continued to practice. It was difficult, especially when filming. The requirments for the exam had changed as scales and exercises were no longer included. It was required that the video submitted was one video of all three main pieces. For me, this being Allegro, Sarah and Etude in one continuous shot. It was rather difficult for me as I have been practicing these pieces for months and I was very nervous and couldn’t concentrate. However, I succeeded and was able to film the best that I could. I later submitted it to the Trinity Portal.

This experience has really test my motivation and my determination in playing piano and continuing to practice the pieces for the exams. I do say that I not have always been able to consistenly do so but I have tried even if for a little. I took the exam because I wanted to be able to assess myself and how I progressed in piano since before as I would usually just play piano for myself.

Below is an attached extract of me completing the exam:

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Just recently, I was able to receive the results for the Grade 7 Trinity Classical Piano Exam. I got a distinction with a score of 88.0. I’m proud that all the hard work was paid off with this score, I’m happy with myself although there always room for improvement. I’ll continue practicing piano to enhance my skills and become a better pianist.

Lo1: This experience has made me aware of my skills in playing piano, some needing improvement and others that need to continue to be maintained. It has made me feel unique as not everyone can simply play a piece on the piano and I am glad for me being able to.

Lo2: Although I have been playing piano for years, I wanted to take the next step and try to take a piano exam, this being an extension of my pre-existing experience. I would usually play only for myself and to only have the knowledge of how to play piano, now I am pushing myself to receive feedback on what I have been practicing and to improve more that I have before.