Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I've re-discovered my LJ account and starting reading my blog posts from years ago.
It was such a weird feeling - I've forgotten most of the incidents recorded there, and yet they seemed vaguely familiar.
And the person narrating?
Haha. I was so young then.
PIANO EXAM
Posted on 2004.11.06 at 22:24
Current Mood:
relieved
Current Mood:
relievedheez...had my piano exam on thursday. grade 5. i was really freaking out about it, although it was some time until i could actually galvanise myself into practising like mad.
actually, 'practising like mad' is an overstatement. i did not practise like mad. 1-1.5 hours each time, 3-4 times a week for 2 weeks does not count as 'practising like mad.' still, i was worried. during the 'mini-concert' at Robert's house 2 weeks ago, i did not perfom very well. i mean, it was ok, but it was in the range of the 'barely ok'. decided that it was the piano's fault :p the next day, tried out all the pianos at school i could get my hands on. weird. didn't know that u can play that differently if u switched pianos.
can't even say if i actually felt worried about the exam. i suppose i was, but whenever i thought about it, i managed to push it to the back fo my mind: ahh...2 more weeks...1 more...la di da di da...6 more days...3 days...still have time...1...tomorrow ... ... WHAT????!!!!! TOMORROW???!!!!! yeah, i guess that was what happened.
exam's at 4:30, didn't feel like going to school at first. figured i'd be 2 worried about exams to learn anything anyway. but didn't quite want to stay at home anxiously waiting for time to pass either. so decided to go, but leave at 12. well, it was basically a waste of a day. working lessons all the way. how gay. it's not yet may. ok ok...i'll stop with the rhymin'. sorry if i offended anyone.
yeah, anyway, went home, had lunch, had shower...TRIED TO SLEEP...but failed. really scared then, i was counting on being able to fall asleep. i always feel much refreshed if i manage to get in 20-30 minutes of sleep in the afternoon. i kinda just closed my eyes, laid there, and when i opened my eyes time was up. but i did not fall asleep. sigh...sobz.
went to get some last-minutes practising done. stuffed up scales. oh bother...hope that a bad practice session at home means that i'll do well in the exam. haha...some logic.
nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous.
i was in such a state on the way to the AMEB music studio, the venue of my exam. i closed my eyes and listened to the songs on radio. 'truly madly deeply' came on, and surprisingly i calmed down as i was listening to it. but the calm lasted only as long as the song did. sigh...sobz.
arrived. it was scary. and the weather (drizzling) didn't help any. lots of ppl inside, and i tried to put on as calm and bold a face as possible. tried to appear nonchalant. confident. yeah right. sat in a corner, trying to look bored (i did say nonchalant) but my hands were shaking. and i needed to use the restroom. oh great.
molly came. surprised. thought she had already went in, but then i've lost track of time. she looked lost, and small. (well, she is small, being only half my age). i beckoned to her and she came over to sit by me. neither of us had taken an exam before (mine doesn't count since i don't remember a single thing about it). we're both nervous. but only my hand is shaking. sigh...sobz.
she went in. i mustered enough courage to ask for the way to the restroom. came back, and waited. waited, just waited...
my turn came. someone called out my name, led me to a chair in front of a room. practice room? hmm...i waited. someone playing scales. extremely good too...darn it. made me even more nervous. molly? no, can't be her...nearby a boy, his accompanist, and his cello lay sprawled on the seat. he looked tired.
door opened. molly came out. examiner, a middle-aged lady, popped her head out and asked me to come in. WHAT THE!!!!! what happenend to PRACTICE TIME???? oh great...just great...no warming up. went in, said hi, smiled, tried to put on a cheerful face. the room was really bare, just a piano, and a desk for the examiner. a chair. dismal.
started with scales. could not play properly. she surprised me by asking me to play only 1 hand. never tried that before, muddled my way through. very very scared now.
pieces - courante, my biggest worry. surprisingly, went without a hitch. i was really really really really surprised. i mean really surprised. seldom went so well even during everyday practising. regained my confidence after that, fingers not shaking anymore. surprising how much difference the 1st piece makes. everything else was fine. except...in the middle of epilogue, suddenly remembered that i forgot to take the pink panther book from molly. great.
finished pieces...glanced at the door...molly had slid the book under the door. may i could have sobbed with relief. oral was pretty bad...but then that was expected so no big deal. sight reading was ok. others were ok. i'm ok. ur ok. i think i did fine. maybe a B+.
glad it's over.
actually, 'practising like mad' is an overstatement. i did not practise like mad. 1-1.5 hours each time, 3-4 times a week for 2 weeks does not count as 'practising like mad.' still, i was worried. during the 'mini-concert' at Robert's house 2 weeks ago, i did not perfom very well. i mean, it was ok, but it was in the range of the 'barely ok'. decided that it was the piano's fault :p the next day, tried out all the pianos at school i could get my hands on. weird. didn't know that u can play that differently if u switched pianos.
can't even say if i actually felt worried about the exam. i suppose i was, but whenever i thought about it, i managed to push it to the back fo my mind: ahh...2 more weeks...1 more...la di da di da...6 more days...3 days...still have time...1...tomorrow ... ... WHAT????!!!!! TOMORROW???!!!!! yeah, i guess that was what happened.
exam's at 4:30, didn't feel like going to school at first. figured i'd be 2 worried about exams to learn anything anyway. but didn't quite want to stay at home anxiously waiting for time to pass either. so decided to go, but leave at 12. well, it was basically a waste of a day. working lessons all the way. how gay. it's not yet may. ok ok...i'll stop with the rhymin'. sorry if i offended anyone.
yeah, anyway, went home, had lunch, had shower...TRIED TO SLEEP...but failed. really scared then, i was counting on being able to fall asleep. i always feel much refreshed if i manage to get in 20-30 minutes of sleep in the afternoon. i kinda just closed my eyes, laid there, and when i opened my eyes time was up. but i did not fall asleep. sigh...sobz.
went to get some last-minutes practising done. stuffed up scales. oh bother...hope that a bad practice session at home means that i'll do well in the exam. haha...some logic.
nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous.
i was in such a state on the way to the AMEB music studio, the venue of my exam. i closed my eyes and listened to the songs on radio. 'truly madly deeply' came on, and surprisingly i calmed down as i was listening to it. but the calm lasted only as long as the song did. sigh...sobz.
arrived. it was scary. and the weather (drizzling) didn't help any. lots of ppl inside, and i tried to put on as calm and bold a face as possible. tried to appear nonchalant. confident. yeah right. sat in a corner, trying to look bored (i did say nonchalant) but my hands were shaking. and i needed to use the restroom. oh great.
molly came. surprised. thought she had already went in, but then i've lost track of time. she looked lost, and small. (well, she is small, being only half my age). i beckoned to her and she came over to sit by me. neither of us had taken an exam before (mine doesn't count since i don't remember a single thing about it). we're both nervous. but only my hand is shaking. sigh...sobz.
she went in. i mustered enough courage to ask for the way to the restroom. came back, and waited. waited, just waited...
my turn came. someone called out my name, led me to a chair in front of a room. practice room? hmm...i waited. someone playing scales. extremely good too...darn it. made me even more nervous. molly? no, can't be her...nearby a boy, his accompanist, and his cello lay sprawled on the seat. he looked tired.
door opened. molly came out. examiner, a middle-aged lady, popped her head out and asked me to come in. WHAT THE!!!!! what happenend to PRACTICE TIME???? oh great...just great...no warming up. went in, said hi, smiled, tried to put on a cheerful face. the room was really bare, just a piano, and a desk for the examiner. a chair. dismal.
started with scales. could not play properly. she surprised me by asking me to play only 1 hand. never tried that before, muddled my way through. very very scared now.
pieces - courante, my biggest worry. surprisingly, went without a hitch. i was really really really really surprised. i mean really surprised. seldom went so well even during everyday practising. regained my confidence after that, fingers not shaking anymore. surprising how much difference the 1st piece makes. everything else was fine. except...in the middle of epilogue, suddenly remembered that i forgot to take the pink panther book from molly. great.
finished pieces...glanced at the door...molly had slid the book under the door. may i could have sobbed with relief. oral was pretty bad...but then that was expected so no big deal. sight reading was ok. others were ok. i'm ok. ur ok. i think i did fine. maybe a B+.
glad it's over.