preparing conservatory exams as a self-taught musician

Member

Posts: 11
City: Reggio Calabria

January 26, 2019, 12:27

Hello everyone, I have been following you for a long time and the time has come to ask for a little help; I will briefly describe my situation..

as a former student, I have resumed as a self-taught player several times over the years, only to give up again after a few months for various reasons. I am 38 years old and have always been in contact with music; I have always played the electric guitar, which initially distanced me from the piano, an instrument that I overlooked during adolescence and which I would now like to study to eventually obtain a diploma. I have a degree in DAMS [Arts, Music and Performing Arts], so I would like to aim directly for the two-year program.

When I stopped at age 17, I was playing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Debussy's first Arabesque, and little else. I wasn't studying. I never did Czerny, for that matter (and ideally, I would still avoid it).

In subsequent attempts, I also played some Rachmaninoff preludes but with extreme insecurity, only from memory; if I even tried to follow the score, I would get lost. The same goes for Debussy and Beethoven. I had set the bar too high; I could manage to play things, but without the necessary mental and technical mastery.

Before going to a teacher, I would like to test myself and reach a certain level—the solid level that I should have had.

Looking at conservatory programs, I have considered starting by preparing for a hypothetical third-year exam. This way, I can fill in the gaps I've left behind, including sight-reading and first sight.

As you can imagine, I have many doubts and I pose some questions to you:

1- If for the exam, for example, two studies must be performed out of 5 presented, will I have to study many more or can I concentrate on the 5 I have selected? Or at least a couple from each indicated book?

2- How many sonatinas (like Clementi's op. 36) is it good to study before moving on to more "interesting" material without falling into the limbo of lack of mastery?

3- If there is a piece in the program to be chosen between Prokofiev's op. 65 or Debussy's Children's Corner (perhaps not at the third year), does it mean just one piece or the entire work?

4- I play scales in 1/16 easily at 120 bpm... arpeggios, in triplets, at 110. What minimum speed should a fifth-year student have?

Thank you for your attention!

Thesimon

Administrator

Posts: 4,504
City: Ariccia, RM

January 27, 2019, 13:28

Hi, post the exam syllabus and I'll tell you what you need to bring. It's been quite a while since I got my diploma and honestly I don't remember the syllabi very well. So before advising you on the wrong things, I would like to read the syllabus.

ekberg

Member

Posts: 11
City: Reggio Calabria

January 27, 2019, 15:05

Thanks TheSimon, I didn't specify that it is a pre-academic program; I don't know what changes compared to the V.O., but it seemed like a good starting point for my path. I am attaching the PDF I downloaded from a conservatory website with the entire program. reference to the third year level A.

Thesimon

Administrator

Posts: 4,504
City: Ariccia, RM

January 27, 2019, 23:15

I imagine you have to do the certification. This is what the program states.

1. Major and minor scales in ascending and descending motion over an extension of two octaves; arpeggios over 3 octaves

2. Etudes: a. CZERNYANA, II fascicolo b. CZERNY, op. 849 c. BERTINI, Op. 29 d. BURGMULLER, studies op. 100 e. DUVERNOY, Studies op.120 f. LONGO, Studietti Melodici op.43 g. POZZOLI, 24 Studi di facile meccanismo h. HELLER, op. 47 or studies of equal difficulty

3. Composition in polyphonic style: a. BACH, Anna Magdalena Notebook b. BACH, little preludes and fughettas c. BACH, two-part inventions or a piece of equal difficulty

4. Sonatina from the classical period

5. Piece of free choice

Certification

1. Performance of a scale and an arpeggio

2. Performance of one etude chosen by the candidate and one drawn at random on the spot from four others presented and selected from the studies in the program

3. Performance of a piece by J. S. Bach of your choice and another drawn at random from three presented, selected from Two-Part Inventions and/or Preludes and fughettas

4. Performance of a classical sonatina

5. Performance of a composition from the romantic period, of an appropriate level

6. A composition from the modern or contemporary period (for example Bartok: Mikrokosmos Vol. III; Bartok: Sonatinas; Prokofieff op. 65; Poulenc: Villageoise; Kurtag: Games vol. IV; pieces of equivalent level by other authors).

Based on what is written...

1. You must perform a major scale with its relative minor chosen by the commission (you must know them in all keys), but according to the program, they must be in ascending and descending motion over 2 octaves, not 4 octaves as for completion exams.

2. You must prepare 4 etudes taken from the works listed in point 2 of the program. They will only ask you to play one drawn at random.

3. You must prepare a piece of free choice by J.S. Bach (I recommend going directly to the two-part inventions and studying 4 of them); of the 4 you study, you will choose one to play yourself, and of the remaining 3, you will have to play one drawn at random.

4. A classical sonatina (you could bring Mozart's K. 545)

5. As a composition from the romantic period, for a Chopin Waltz I recommend op. 69 no. 1, which is very easy.

6. On this point you have a wide choice... Bartok's Mikrokosmos is beautiful, but Prokofieff is also good.

Chopin

Member

Posts: 218

January 27, 2019, 23:17

Hi, reading the program everything seems very clear to me... I don't understand the doubts.

The speed of the scale depends on the type of touch, there are no absolutes in music... on paper 120 for the quarter note seems acceptable to me.

The etudes to prepare are 5: you choose one and the commission chooses another from the other 4 that you have prepared.

Same for Bach, you prepare 4 and you choose one and the commission chooses one from the remaining three.

Classical sonatina: Clementi (there are several works) but also Beethoven

Romantic composition: it makes me want to laugh, thinking about the appropriate level. I have doubts here... you should probably ask some conservatory professors because if you were to opt, for example, for Chopin's preludes... how many would you have to prepare?

A piece from the modern and contemporary period... composers from a century ago... sic! (good choice, but what does that have to do with contemporaneity?)

Chopin

Member

Posts: 218

January 27, 2019, 23:19

thesimon wrote:
4 minutes ago, thesimon said:
4. A classical sonatina (you could bring Mozart's K. 545
5. As a composition from the Romantic period, for a Chopin Waltz I recommend op. 69 no. 1, which is very easy.

4. ... it seems too extensive to me compared to sonatinas.

5. ... I hadn't thought of that, certainly, the Waltzes too

Frank

Moderator

Posts: 3,838
City: -

January 27, 2019, 23:24

Among Chopin's waltzes also: opus 69 no. 2, opus 70 no. 2 and opus 34 no. 2

Thesimon

Administrator

Posts: 4,504
City: Ariccia, RM

January 27, 2019, 23:25

Chopin wrote:
5 minutes ago, Chopin said:
4. ... it seems too extended compared to the sonatinas.
5. ... I hadn't thought of that, of course, even the Waltzes

Yes, just to bring something of a slightly higher level.

ekberg

Member

Posts: 11
City: Reggio Calabria

January 27, 2019, 23:43

thesimon wrote:
15 minutes ago, thesimon said:
4. A classical sonatina (you could bring Mozart's K. 545)
5. As a composition from the Romantic period, for a Chopin Waltz I recommend op. 69 no. 1, which is very easy.
6. On this point you have a wide choice... Bartók's Mikrokosmos is beautiful, but Prokofiev as well.

ok, regarding the first 3 points we are on the same page..

4 - I had thought of a Clementi sonatina.. I am also studying Scarlatti's K. 115 because I love it, but I think it will be more useful to me later on.

5 - I was thinking of Beethoven's sonata op. 49 no. 2, which is also considered an easy sonata. But in fact, I don't know if Beethoven goes with the Romantics or the Classicals.. in case of doubt, Chopin.

6 - exactly, Mikrokosmos is nice .. but do you mean a whole volume or a single piece? If it's a piece, isn't it then a bit too simple compared to one from Prokofiev's op. 65? Also here, should all 12 pieces of the work be presented or just one?

ekberg

Member

Posts: 11
City: Reggio Calabria

January 27, 2019, 23:48

Chopin wrote:
34 minutes ago, Chopin said:
Romantic composition: it makes me want to laugh, thinking about the appropriate level. I have some doubts here... you should probably ask some conservatory professors because if you were to opt, for example, for Chopin's preludes... how many would you have to prepare?

do you mean that romantic compositions in general are at a much higher level than the third year? and that makes sense..

si, in effect the timing is another factor to consider..

maybe also something from Schumann's Kinderszenen .. or the whole work? I am a bit confused about this aspect..

ekberg

Member

Posts: 11
City: Reggio Calabria

January 27, 2019, 23:57

Chopin wrote:
37 minutes ago, Chopin said:
The speed of the scale depends on the type of touch, there are no absolutes in music...on paper 120 per quarter note seems acceptable to me.

thanks, I'm asking to be sure that I'm not doing too badly. the idea is to lighten the touch as the speed increases. but for this I will wait to consult with a teacher..