Anyone taken guzheng exams?

[annk]

I'm going to take the 1st and 2nd grade guzheng exams in about 3 weeks. Not in China, my teacher here is going to have a guest who does exams at the Shanghai Conservatory, and she's gotten permission to give me the exams here.

I'm playing two pieces from each grade, and planning on doing it all in one session.

Anyone here take these exams? What's it like? I was a professional orchestra musician for 12 years, so I wonder if it's like taking an audition (except of course the first round in auditions is behind a screen, which this won't be...).

Thanks in advance!

[yudingbon]

Hi,

Exams are nothing to be worried about. It is much less stressful than an orchestra audition as your future does not depend on your success. They are also much easier because of the lower tension in the room.

I took exams under the Beijing conservatory and if it anything alike, you really have nothing to worry about. Treat the playing portion like a performance and you'll be fine. Just be sure to portray the meaning of the music (ex. difference between dance pieces and those which depict landscapes, etc). My exam also had a sight-singing portion and a theory part, and that required a bit more practicing and studying, but in general, fairly simple.

Since you were an orchestra musician, this should come as no surprise: take your time at the beginning to tune out the guzheng. Also, be sure that your guzheng is tuned to the correct key that the conservatory expects. This may only apply to me but I had marks docked because my guzheng was tuned to C rather than the standard D used by the conservatory. (I learned under the Cantonese school, which tune to C, while most of the other schools tune to D).

All the best,
~Lucian