ABRSM Examiner training (part 2)

Individual training days: a steep learning curve

Process

The process of training to become an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music is a thorough and intense experience. I have taken many music exams myself, I organise exam sessions on a regular basis, and I accompany many pupils taking exams so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what was involved in the exam experience.

However, the examiner training process has been quite a surprise.

After an initial interview, I was invited to attend a three day training course to establish the fundamental principles of method, manner and marking. I have written about this experience in more detail in a previous blog post, ABRSM Examiner Training. Suffice to say that it was not a walk in the park!

Following that weekend I was invited to do four more training sessions, this time with examiners marking candidates taking their actual exams. An initial observation day was also organised when I could attend a session and simply watch the exams take place, making notes and marking if I wished.

Observations

I found this observation day interesting in the variety of exams that took place and the differences in age of candidates. The large proportion of exams I saw were early grades and so candidates were young on the whole, but I saw a whole range of ages, including some adult learners. What struck me as I watched was how the process for learning to play a musical instrument requires such commitment and perseverance. The dedication required to progress in standard was clear to see when the different grades were observed in such close proximity.

Observation day was interesting.

Then the training days started.

New Experiences

I had been given my first two days in a town that required an overnight stay. For me the experience of booking a hotel and staying on my own was a new experience in itself. As a mum to four children, I don’t get the opportunity for overnight stays by myself very often. I felt I had achieved something here before I even started my training day!

The first training day was gentle in many ways, requiring me to take only a handful of exams. There were still a lot of opportunities to watch the trainer deliver the sessions and then time for some discussion around marks and protocol.

The intensity of the day was a shock.

To write coherent comments at speed, reflecting exactly what was heard and giving insight into the mark given, when you sometimes have less than a minute, is not easy. To keep this up for an entire day when there can be over twenty exams is exhausting! And each candidate deserves to have the very best of the examiner in terms of his or her welcome and general ability to put them at ease within the exam, so there can be no outward sign of any fatigue from the examiner.

I travelled home in a daze.

Insecurities

The second day was even tougher for me. I was responsible for taking half of the exams in their entirety. I found my brain felt slow and sluggish by the afternoon, and I had to work hard at focusing my thoughts enough to articulate my comments at speed while still maintaining a jovial and welcoming outward appearance as well as taking on board the recommendations for personal improvement. I’ll admit that I was beginning to question whether or not I actually wanted to pursue this after all. I began to wonder whether I had the necessary skills and ability to cope with the pressure.

However, despite the effort, there was something in the intensity of it all, and the combination of skills that were required that was appealing and I did not want to give up yet.

Feeling more comfortable

I had a week off in between day two and day three. I used this time to practise and make myself even more familiar with the aural tests used in the exams, and to listen to recordings of the different instruments I would be examining. I wanted to be absolutely confident that I could deliver the material successfully despite my own nerves. I also re-read my feedback from day two and tried to assimilate it as securely as possible.

The final two days were closer to home and did not require an overnight stay. On day three I had to take three quarters of the exams and on day four all of the exams.

The practise was definitely worth it. I found that I was able to focus more on the candidate and less on myself and how I was doing, to the point that I actually began to enjoy the interaction with the candidates and feel more in control of my own experience. This continued into day four when I took all the exams scheduled and, despite feeling tired by the end of the day, I somehow also felt energised.

Multi-tasking

To examine consistently, fairly and appropriately, involves multi-tasking on a huge scale. It requires the examiner to use simultaneously the skills of intense listening, detailed analysis and articulate recording so that the marks given are understood and can be used to further musical development. The exam environment should be as relaxed as possible to put candidates at their ease, and the aural tests delivered accurately and helpfully. All this in a precise time limit and repeated many times during the exam day.

Insights

The training process has been an incredibly enlightening experience, one in which I have had to overcome self-doubt and insecurity. I have been amazed at the effortless ease with which my trainers seemed to deliver exams, and I am also full of respect for the candidates who had to try so hard to deliver their best in circumstances that were pressurised.

Altogether it has been a unique experience which has taught me new skills and also, perhaps more unexpectedly, a lot about myself.

Photo credit:

Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash