Hello all, Am i been too forward or do we have the right teacher?
My boys aged now 7 and 8 have been taking piano lesson from a teacher for over 2 years now.
We - teacher and I decided not to put them forward for the the prep test after 9 months of study as we wanted them to expand on their repertoire - pardon my spelling and probably let them enjoy playing instead of been exam oriented.
However last year Dec, the tutor said they would be entered for the abrsm grade 1 in june 08, then said they were not ready but will be in Dec 08, last week she now says because we are taking the summer holidays off, they would now have to sit it next year spring. is this teacher holding them back. I have offered to pay for extra lessons before and after the holiday but she is still reluctant.
is it not possible to prepare for this exam in november 08 despite our holiday or should i be looking for another teacher after this.
they have both gone thorugh the level A-D alfred books and Bastien level 1 and now on the Level 2 Alfred book. they have not started the exam pieces
Is she worried that she may not have prepared them enough? - unsure of herself

I'm not a teacher, so I can't say what the "normal" learning rate should be (if there's such a thing) or how the Alfred and Bastien books compared to ABRSM G1. However, if they haven't even start looking at the exam pieces at all, I'd doubt that they could start learning in November and then sit the exam in December...

I'm only a parent so my reply is as a Mother.

I would have to step back and ask myself some questions before deciding as to whether they are being held back.

Do the children have regular lesson?
Are they term time only?
Is practice happening on a regular basis and is it what the Teacher sets them?

My daughters Piano Teacher is quite specific about what he wants her to do between lessons. It actually took her a while to understand that to make progress she must do what he says. Sometimes even if everything is going right they can hang around at the same level for a little while.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge of the music they are being asked to play will come along soon.

to the Forum it's a great place to learn even for Parents.

yes they do have regular lesson - 30 mins every wednesday after school and the times are flexible depending on booked holidays for both teacher and myself. and yes they parctice every day for 15minutes. well the new development now is that they are sitting the exams in november and would start to look into the 3 pieces when they come back from holiday in september. they have been given loads of homework - playing loads of new pieces in the alfred book level 2. i guess i can say thanks to all those who replied to me.

It sounds as though they are now VERY ready if they are able to start on pieces in September for a November exam.

It's not easy as a parent dealing with these sorts of situations.

I'm really pleased that this has been resolved in a way that suits you all.

Good luck when the exam time comes.