A reader sent in the following question, to which I hope I have given an adequate response. Please feel free to leave comments and let’s start a discussion on the subject!
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Q.
One subject I have always had conflicting feelings about is the preparation before an exam or performance – how do you handle the last week before the performance? The last morning before the performance? Do kids play ALL of their repertoire, or just the challenging parts? Or just warm up all morning with scales? It seems to be something that is an individual thing, but it is not something I can speak with much confidence about to my students.
A.
Thank you very much for the question, which I feel is an extremely good one. You are quite right when you say this is an individual thing, since no two people are alike. Therefore, I would not want to give a one-size-fits-all formula, but I think there is some general advice I can offer.
From my experience, I believe we should all aim to be fully ready two to three weeks before the exam or concert, with everything. Last-minute panic learning is, for most of us, disastrous but then again there are those who seem to thrive on the adrenaline! I gave some of my best playing when I had to stand in for a colleague at very short notice, probably because I didn’t have time to get nervous, or maybe if things didn’t go according to plan I would have a very good reason. This only goes to show that, assuming we know what we are doing and have put in the work at some stage, a lot of this is psychological. But as a general principle, we should be able to give a finished, polished performance two or three weeks before the date.
Just before the two to three week mark, it is necessary to play daily run-throughs of the complete programme for ourself. The pieces need to be in the order we will play them, and there can be absolutely no stopping for corrections, or to take a break. This is an integral part of the daily practising at that stage, and I call this training regimen “practising a performance” (I have written about this in detail in a previous post, To Stop Or Not To Stop?). Briefly, we play through the entire programme, take a break and go back and practise spots (the areas that let us down) before repeating the same process the next day, and every day for a week (give or take). Thereafter, in the couple of weeks that remain, we can ease off very slightly in our practising, safe in the knowledge that we can run the course and are comfortable with our programme. At this juncture, I recommend a mix of playing through with careful work: I am a great believer in continued slow practice, also hands separately. We also need to have played our programme two or three times in front of someone (a teacher, a trusted friend or colleague, family, etc.) and/or a small group. This is a totally different experience from playing for ourselves.
I have spoken with many colleagues over the years about how we each handle concert days, and there is just one thing that stands out as universal, that we touch the instrument at some stage during the day! Some players like to go through their entire programme, but this is usually slowly and somewhat devoid of the full emotional involvement. Perhaps this is a bit like humming under one’s breath rather than singing out full-voiced, because we do need to save ourselves for the audience or for the examiner. I will usually play my entire programme through well under tempo like this in the morning, take a short walk in the early afternoon then sit around doing nothing much. I prefer not to take a nap in the afternoon because I find this alters my biorhythms, but again this SO much depends on the person. I avoid caffeine and sugar on the day, and I eat very lightly, slow release carbs are supposed to be good but I’m no expert on diet.
For the average kid who is taking an exam, I think the most important thing is not to make a big issue of it, let them go into their exam with a sense of enjoyment and an air of lightness. We’ve probably all learned from our mistakes, so they have to go through this too. It is all too easy for us teachers to pass our neuroses on to our students, so I make sure to prepare them extremely thoroughly and allow them to take the exam day in their stride. If they are prepared and have done the work, they have surely earned the right to trust this and to let go and enjoy playing – to present themselves proudly.
For more advanced students, I advise against too much playing on the actual day, and I think warming up in the green room with the programme you are just about to play can be very dangerous! I recall a time when I was going through Beethoven’s C minor concerto in the green room and had a moment of doubt about a passage I knew backwards. I went to the score and checked it, only to have the same doubt on the stage. There are plenty of occasions when there is no piano in the dressing room, and in some ways I prefer it like that.
What a great article! I look forward to discussing this with my students and we will definitely refer back to it as we get closer to our exam, festival and recital dates! Thank you so much again for your insight and articulate way of writing!
Thank you! I hope this will be of some use to your students.
Thanks Graham – great timing with exams coming up in Australia 🙂
Thanks Tim!
Dear Graham
I’m a “hobby piano player”, and your article makes so much sense! Thank you for your most interesting insight.
You are very welcome! I hope it is helpful to you!
A very timely and helpful post, Graham, as exams loom this term. My main focus when supporting students through exams is to make sure they are well-prepared, in all aspects of the exam syllabus. My own experience with my Diploma last winter taught me that when one is well-prepared, in theory, one should have nothing to fear. To go into the exam room knowing you have covered everything, not once, but many times, should ensure a trouble-free performance, and can alleviate anxiety too.
I do mock exams with my students, at least three or four run-throughs before the exam, plus lots of mix-and-match scales/arpeggios (I just spring them on the kids!). I get them to pretend I know nothing about their pieces to get them to think about “story-telling” in the music and how they want to present the music in a performance situation. For older students, I offer advice on dealing with performance anxiety, using a mixture of physical exercises (‘piano pilates’ and breathing exercises) which my teacher advocates, and psychological support (positive thinking, focus, concentration etc).
I also prime the parents, giving them as much notice as possible of the actual exam date and providing plenty of info about the exam centre, exam format etc. Sometimes parents can be more of a cause of anxiety than the kids! I used to go to the exams with them, but I just don’t have time now.
Good luck to everyone who is taking an exam this term! 🙂
I like what you say about being prepared with all aspects of the syllabus, Fran. There is so much to cover apart from the pieces. I always feel that if the scales at the start of the exam haven’t been well prepared, you’re going to feel disheartened about the rest of what you do. Apart from being prepared, it’s all about self confidence. And it is up to the teacher to instil this!
Thank you so much for this article it’s really interesting.
I agree with all what you say! I think that playing a lot the day of an exam can’t be helpful at all.Actually I prefer playing the program once but very very slowly specially the hard parts. What you said about slow release carbs is true I can confirm it!!It’s not good to eat sugar or candies because they are burned very fast and then you will have a hypoglycemia wish affect you level of concentration. Thanks again
Thank you, Iris – yes, sugar is bad news even on non-concert days!
Many thanks Graham for pulling so many relevant ideas together within a more extended timescale than I normally use.
Your article is very timely, a festival in one week. In the more distant past I had no background in the single hand approach to learning, nor in controlled slow playing. Just two days of using both, in addition to my usual performance play throughs, is having a wonderful effect, including on confidence levels and enjoyment. A bit scary initially wondering if I was messing up my schedule (not had much performance experience). Now actually looking forward to your idea of roping in friends for a couple of live performances before the festival, instead of just doing it in my head.
Hi Mary – there are many parallels between piano performance and sports science, what sort of training we need to go through to prepare for “the big day”. The first time you air your programme for others, expect a few mishaps. This is normal, universal, human! Then go back to your practice room, do some work on those spots that let you down then go through the performing process again. There’s no way round this trial by fire!
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