“If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
The standardised examination is part and parcel of any educational institution. It is a widely accepted part of the system that it has become a norm and in the field of music, it is no different. In the process of learning any skill, it makes sense to have some form of assessment to measure the progress of your mastery.
But, what if this approach is flawed?
Humans, by nature, develop different skills and specialities as they grow up. Of course, that means some people may seem naturally gifted at academic pursuits while others may falter. While in truth, it simply means their talent may lie elsewhere, it may put a dent in their self-esteem; children especially as they are still in a vulnerable stage in their life.
In fact, it is more than common for them to lose interest in music altogether because of music examinations. It doesn’t take a lot to figure out why or how this happens; a child can only take so much pressure and stress from the expectations parents have on them before they give up on this pursuit entirely.
So, it is the responsibility of the parents to ask themselves this question, why do you want your child to be learning music in the first place? Any parent would want the best for their child and learning music seems to be a straightforward approach to it. However, is the added pressure from music examinations really is the “best” for them?
It goes without saying that music itself is highly subjective and there are many aspects to it such as pitch and melody, harmony and chords, rhythm, notations, improvisation and theory. No music examination can possibly cover all these different aspects to assess a child’s mastery of them accurately. Thus, what good do these exams have?
Most of the time, why music examinations are a requirement is because it’s used as a metric tool for entry requirements in certain schools. In the United Kingdom for example, the music exams are graded from 1 to 8, with Grade 1 being the entry-level, and Grade 8 being the standard required for entry to higher study in a music college.
Unless you’re planning to enrol your child into a school that requires a grade in music, music examinations may not be in the child’s best interest. As teachers and parents, we need to re-examine how we are developing these children and if music examinations are important. Above all else, the child’s wellbeing comes first.
There, right from the get go, have clear expectations of the music class and what it’s for. Having an open discussion with your child can help alleviate some of the stress that’s associated with getting high scores in examinations. If they choose to take examinations, inform them what lies ahead. With eyes wide open, you can give your child the support they need.
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