MUSIC EXAMINATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17269, 19 September 1919, Page 4

MUSIC EXAMINATIONS.

HINTS FOR THE STUDENT.

* THE WAY TO SUCCESS.

BY DR. J. W. O. HATHAWAY.

There is always a sad side to a list of successful candidates, and that is the thought of those who do not find their names written therein. Examiners are thought by some to have hard hearts, but that is not necessarily so, for in fairness to those who do pass, he must endeavour to be just. It is no credit to pass an examination that anyone can deal with comfortably. The harder the examination the greater the credit due to those who pans. There are many reasons why candidates fail in the examinations of the Associated Board, and it may be of interest to liK>k at some of these from the point of view of the examiner.

The candidate who adopts the "gu slow" policy will find, in company with those of different aims, that slackness and inefficiency will bring its own reward. i There may be those who manage to scrape j through an examination with such tac- • tics, and so apparently justify then- policy, jbut eventually they will suffer. To pass an examination that will be oi any advantage to them they must work, and work thoroughly and systematically. An examination scheme, such as the Associated Board, aims at a fair equipment up to the standard for which the syllabus is set, and candidates who seek to show in ,any particular the requirements set forth, deserve failure even though they may have the luck not to get it. It is the examiner's business to see that they get it, and as he has a good deal of experience in knowing what candidates should be capable of, it is not to be wondered at if he sees through the superficial attainments, and diving under the surface, arrives at a proper estimate of the true position. For such candidates an examiner has no sympathy. Nothing is attained i without work, and this, should be impressed upon the candidate from the very beginning. The Ambitious Pupil. But there are candidates who work, but fail because they are too ambitious. In a series of progressive examinations, such as the Associated Board, it is-a great temptation to over-estimate capabilities, and enter for a higher grade than qualifications or experience justify. It is better to pass a lower grade well than to aim at too high a grade and court the possibility of failure. A candidate who succeeds in passing a lower grade well is often better grounded than one who manages to just scrape through a higher. It is well to allow some margin in order to eliminate the possibility of being disappointed. The responsibility for this trend of failure rests sometimes with the teacher, but more often with the parent or guardian. By a process of pushing they seek to affect a status that is not within the legitimate range of the candidate. Sometimes great tilings are acquired by aiming higher than is properly justifiable, and the teacher should be the principal judge of what a candidate is really capable of. An experienced teacher knows, or should know, what a talented or untalented aspirant can attain with the time available, and other conditions considered. An examiner quickly estimates the true position, and knows that the grade was unwisely chosen, and that the candidate should have entered for perhaps one, or even two grades lower. It is his duty then to fail the candidate, and leave him to try again. By passing such candidates he puts them, however good they might be in a lower grade, and however well grounded, in a false position. He gives them a certificate they are not entitled to, and is reallv valueless, for it guarantees them to do •what he knows ,they cannot. Working on Wrong Lines. Then there are candidates who. though they have worked, have done so on wrong lines. These are types that ijrieve an examiner, and who make a claim on his sympathy, if not to his judgment. They have neglected the obvious methods of success by aiming only at the showy side of the tests, and not sufficiently grasping the importance of the fundamentals. With perhaps only a few scales and arpeggios to play, they neglect to acquire any certainty either of knowledge or execution. Fingering is slovenly or neglected, and they have muscles of iron. Stiff muscles are, perhaps, the cause of more failures in this class than anything else. With a stiff forearm and wrist, and cramped finger movement, it is impossible to play quick passages with any certainty. Phrasing becomes! cramped, and uninteresting. The touch is hard and sound* unmusical, though the pupil may not he \ really unmusical. Smudges, blurs, failure > to achieve what they obviously wish to ; do, and often complete breakdowns come, ; even when candidates clearly know the notes thoroughly. Freedom of muscular ] movement is essential, finger drill is the i basis of all good playing. Any player of ! games knows the value nf looseness iif muscles. Balls do not travel that are i thrown by stiff arms. Golfers learn the ! value of freedom of limb in, their first lessons. It is so in instrumental playing. ; Nothing can be achieved with anv" cer- ' tainty unless this fault is completely eradicated. There are many ways and means of doing this, and there are many good books on the subject. Time spent in overcoming this defect is quickly and amply { rewarded.

Importance of Sight Reading

Finallv. a word on sight reading. Surely the object of all musical examinations must be. not merely playing a few test pieces, _ but in acquiring facility of general musical usefulness up to a certain point. Good sight reading is the proof of this. Sight reading is a test of musical I intelligence. It widens the musical outlook, helps to make music more interesting to the student, and increases his powers of perception. As children develop they soon grow tired of. and forget. the Diec.es of their student days, and search for new fields. Wider horizons are open to those who can read at sight, and their pleasure in music remains with them .311 their da vs. as a lasting source of eninvment. It is given to few to gain distinction as public, or even private, solo performer?, but even one of theni who past into the higher grades should have sufficient knowledge to enable them to read simple music it sight, to accompany a song. or. it may be, to play the popular tones of the day for their own or their friends' amusement. From th" very earliest stages sight r»ndine should he taught pvstemat'call'-. Further, in the scheme of examination* marks gained by sight reading ,-■ re a* useful as mark» gained elsewher". and many p candidate has been pulled out of r> difficult place bv showing facility in this v?av. and the scale has been turned from an otherwise certain fa-lure.