Saxophone Grade Two
We have ensembles for pupils of all ages and standards at various venues
right across Berkshire. To find out more, why not contact us?
T: 0118 901 2370
E: admin@berkshiremaestros.org.uk
W: www.berkshiremaestros.org.uk
Ten top tips for practising
1. Practise regularly at all times, but particularly in your exam term. Things
learnt last minutes are much more likely to go wrong on the day
2. Always have a practice plan and decide what you want to achieve in each
practice time. Sometimes, begin with the 'difficult bits' rather than starting at
the beginning of a piece
3. Check your posture – the way you stand or sit and the way you hold your
instrument – using a mirror
4. Practise small sections of music slowly and thoroughly before you speed them
up. Remember – what you can’t play slowly, you can’t play fast!
5. If you make a mistake, correct it immediately. Don’t simply go back to the
beginning for another ‘run up’
6. Be aware of the pulse of the music - it's dangerously easy to slow up for tricky
bits!
7. Practise the whole ‘performance’ experience – play your exam pieces to
friends and family so you experience a few nerves and learn how to cope with
them
8. Listen to your tuning and always aim for a beautiful tone quality
9. Try practising your scales to a different rhythm or, for a change, start at the
top note, descend and finish at the top again
10. Don’t only play your exam pieces and scales, try out some new things every
day; this will help you stop getting bored of the same old pieces and its good
practice for your sight-reading. Remember to try and get the key signature,
rhythm and pulse from the first playing
Ten top tips for exam success
1. Arrive in the waiting room at least 15 minutes before your exam is due to
start. Last-minute panics do not help the playing or singing
2. Use the time before your exam to get your music and instrument ready and
warm up your instrument
3. Feeling nervous before an exam is natural. Try smiling as you go into the
exam room – it will help you relax
4. Make sure you are comfortable before you begin. If the stool or music stand is
the wrong height, don’t be afraid to adjust it or ask for help
5. It’s fine to ask the examiner if you can warm up by playing a scale or a few
bars of a piece
6. Take your time to tune up with the piano
7. You can choose to do your exam in any order, discuss the order of your exam
in advance with your teacher
8. Try to keep going in the exam even if you make a mistake – it probably won’t
be as disastrous as you think
9. Don't worry about pauses between your pieces – the examiner will be writing
and will tell you when to start your next piece
10. Remember – the examiner is on your side and is looking forward to hearing
you perform
Aural Tests Grade 2
1. To clap the pulse of a passage of music in 2 or 3 time played by the examiner. The
examiner will commence playing the passage, and the candidate will be expected
to join in as soon as possible, clapping in time and giving a louder clap on the
strong beats. The candidates will then be asked to state the time signature.
2. To sing as an echo three short phrases. The echoes should follow each phrase in
strict time without an intervening pause. The examiner will first play the key chord
and tonic and then count in two bars.
3. To recognise a change in rhythm or pitch in a two bar phrase played twice by the
examiner, with the change being made in the second playing. Candidates will be
required to recognise and tap, sing or describe the change. The key chord and tonic
will first be sounded and two bars counted in. The examiner will be prepared to
play both versions of the phrase a second time if necessary.
Rhythm = Changes in lengths of notes (some notes
becoming longer or shorter than they
were before)
Pitch = One note being higher or lower
than it was before
4. To answer questions about two features of a piece of music played by the
examiner. The first feature will be confined to contrasted dynamics (p/f),
gradation of tone (crescendo/diminuendo) or articulation (staccato/legato) and
the second feature will be recognition of tempo changes
(rallentando/accelerando). Candidates are encouraged to use Italian terms in their
answers.
Tempo = Changes in the pulse eg. rall. or accel.
(the best way to check for this is by
tapping your foot during the playing.)
Dynamics = The louds and softs in the piece
Articulation = The staccatos and legatos in the piece
Piano = Soft/Quiet
Forte = Loud
Diminuendo = Gradually getting softer
Crescendo = Gradually getting louder
Staccato = Short and detached
Legato = Smooth
Rallentando = Gradually slowing down
Accelerando = Gradually getting faster