As the new term gets underway, many will be preparing for music exams at the end of the year. The aim of this post is to provide a few extra pointers and ideas for last-minute preparations

Once the pieces have been learned, scales, arpeggios and technical work is all in place, how can students feel motivated? The dreaded sight-reading and aural tests have finally been understood. How can students keep improving right up until the last moment?

Here are a few suggestions for the final four weeks before a piano exam.

1.

Start by knowing all about your piano pieces. Understand their background. Learn about the context in which they were written and that of the composer. You might be surprised by how this knowledge affects the way you play a piece.

2.

Ensure you can play the left hand of each piece alone preferably from memory. Left hand practice will significantly improve continuity. It will hopefully prevent the dreaded curse of the ‘stumble’ or hesitation.

3.

When secure, play each piece through at least once a day. Play from the beginning to the end without stopping. This helps eliminate errors. Start the day by playing through under tempo with a metronome. Then, later in the day, play through at the expected speed. When playing under tempo, I would play without the sustaining pedal. This practice tunes our ears to what fingers are actually doing.

4.

A week or so before your exam, arrange two or three play-throughs. These don’t need to be formal. Perhaps have one at your teacher’s studio in front of other students. Another can be amongst family or friends. They need to make you feel ‘on edge’ and slightly out of your comfort zone, but they shouldn’t feel terrifying.

5.

Before you play any piece through, take a few seconds to think about how you are going to begin. Set the tempo. Consider how the piece makes you feel. Also, think about the sound you are aiming to produce. This will contribute to making a confident, secure impression as opposed to a shaky, unsure opening.

6.

Aural tests can take a while to sink in and become comfortable. Listen to every genre of classical music, so that you are well aware of stylistic trends. This will be especially useful for the last test in ABRSM exams. It will also help to distinguish the pulse and be aware of the beat, that is, clapping. Additionally, it enables you to sing the musical lines. You should ideally be able to hear the lines before you can sing them. So, perpetual listening will be crucial.

7.

Scales and arpeggios, or technical work, are much more fun and palatable if you can find a piano playing friend. Perhaps your piano teacher has students who are of a similar level to you. However, you don’t have to be the same level. Test each other on scales and arpeggios. If you have two keyboards or pianos, play the same (or different) keys one after another as a quick fire test. You could even play them together slowly. I used to do this and really enjoyed it. It’s amazing how effective this kind of focus can be.

8.

Ensure ample sight-reading material. There are many books available for various grades. Piano anthologies can be useful, too. Make sure you manage at least 10 minutes a day depending on your level. After you’ve prepared the piece in your mind, looked at the key, fingering, hand position changes and rhythm etc., set the metronome on a very slow beat. Play along to it. Resist the urge to stop and correct yourself.

9.

Define the order of your exam. Most boards allow you to start with either scales or pieces. It can help if you make a firm decision before you enter the exam room. I advise pupils to begin with scales. They are great for a warm-up and allow you to become acquainted with the instrument.

10.

The day before, test yourself by doing a mock exam. You could do it on your own or invite a crowd. Play the pieces. Practice all the scales. Try a piece of sight-reading that you haven’t seen before. Go through the Aural tests using the many apps or audio versions available. This should help settle nerves and provide a feeling of security.