You might want to consider getting lessons if you are thinking about taking music as one of your subjects as part of the leaving cert program.

Why not take some pressure off and start preparing the songs that they play for the examiner in advance? Allocating sufficient time to practise throughout your final year of school can really help to bump your grade in music up by a few grades.

Learning to play the piano can be unsettling at the beginning, and performing in front of even the smallest of audiences can be an intimidating experience. One of the biggest problems people have when starting out playing an instrument is their confidence.

The most important thing is that you progress, no matter how small the step, moving forward is the goal. To combat any anxiety when you perform you can try making some adjustments to how you practice so that you are more comfortable.

You can try practising in a familiar environment such as your own home. Alternatively, you could also practice with a peer or tutor of similar age. In this article, I will cover a few different methods which you can employ if you are looking to get a better grade in your leaving cert music exam.

Regardless of your own personal goals that you would like to accomplish with music, there is an abundance of material available to you online to help you accomplish just that! With the number of resources available to both students and musicians on the internet, learning has certainly never been so accessible!

different music instruments
Playing music teacher can be rewarding at a professional, creative and personal level. Source Unsplash
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1st lesson free!
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Gabriela
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1st lesson free!
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1st lesson free!
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Deciding to study music at college

If you are coming to the end of your leaving cert education then it is likely that you are already considering the different options that are available to you after you graduate.

There is a common misconception amongst leaving cert students that you need to have taken music as a subject at school if you want to pursue an education in one of Ireland's music colleges.

You might have been playing an instrument or even singing from an early age, though for whatever reason decided not to opt to study the subject at secondary school for whatever reason. Rest assured that if this is the case you certainly haven’t closed any doors on yourself as a result.

If you wish to study music, through theory, history, a particular instrument, sound engineering or as a singer or songwriter then you can still do this.

Ireland has an array of specialised music courses that delve into topics and performance at a much greater level than what could ever be accomplished in two years at school. This is particularly true since you likely had less than 4 hours of music classes each week at secondary school.

Given that if you studied music as a leaving cert subject then you will have likely dedicated less than 4 months of your time throughout the course to learning any given areas of the music syllabus. This is certainly nothing to fear as you will be at little or no disadvantage as some of your peers on your music course.

If you have a genuine interest in music or a passion for singing or with a particular instrument then you shouldn’t let something like this hold you back from pursuing an education in your preferred area.

Explore all of the options that are available to you as a music student in Ireland.

Learning an instrument for the practical exam

In order to improve your grade in leaving cert music, you will need to work on all aspects of the course. Music students need to improve their level of singing or playing an instrument in order to achieve these results. A strong practical exam can work wonders for your music grade and it will help you to boost your points in other subjects in the final year.

During your final year of studying for the music exam, you should focus on getting the results that you deserve. Many music students try to attain a certain grade for their instrument just to help with their performance in the music exam. The study and practice that you need to do for both exams are actually quite similar so your time will be well spent.

Learning an instrument to excel at the leaving cert practical exam is one of the best ways students can bank on picking some crucial marks before they even sit down for their leaving cert music exam. The practical component exam actually takes place in advance of the other assessments.

The more comfortable you are with an instrument by the time you walk into your practical exam the more confident you can be that you will achieve a high grade.

By practising for your leaving cert practical exam and learning an instrument you can improve your grade in the subject while getting a well-deserved break from conventional book learning.

You would be surprised at how many students use the practical component of the music assessment as a means of getting away from what might often seem like endless reading and writing during the lead-up to an exam.

Read up on how learning an instrument can help your performance in the leaving cert music practical exam.

Group of musicians practicing their instruments
Practicing before your exam in a group can be a good idea - Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash

Taking up a new instrument as a hobby

Music is something that is enjoyed by so many of us throughout the world. It often presents us with an avenue to escape the mundane tasks of everyday life and can elevate our mood and even the frequency at which we operate.

Whether you consider music to be an interest, passion or lifestyle then you have probably considered learning to create some music of your own or even playing a cover of some of your favourite existing songs.

You mightn’t necessarily have an image in your head of rocking out a sold-out show in your hometown or abroad. While this might inspire many, it is no secret that many of us pursue an education in music and learn an instrument to play for ourselves or with friends.

Let’s face it playing your favourite song all by yourself from the comfort of your bedroom is a very attainable goal that most of us aspire to when taking up an instrument for the first time. Given that these ambitions mightn’t be as serious as others that take up an instrument, then why should we pretend that our lessons need to be?

If you are taking up a new instrument as a hobby or in order to fill a gap in your schedule by trying something new then your classes should have a more informal tone right?

Take a look at this article that details taking up a new instrument as a hobby in Ireland!

Irish Music
The main difference between the older Irish music and more modern influences is the instruments actually being played behind the singing - Image by Juanita Mulder from Pixabay

What your music lessons will look like

Your grade in other subjects such as maths won’t matter when it comes to leaving certificate music. This is a blank slate where all music students have an equal chance of achieving a high grade or points in their exam, regardless of their ability in other subjects.

In order to achieve this kind of grade in music, students will need to spend just a few hours a week on their study and practice for the leaving cert music exam.

If you are considering splashing out and taking some music lessons in order to progress as a singer or instrumentalist you might first want to have some idea of how your lessons are going to look.

This will give you some idea of what your sessions will entail so that you can arrive at a better understanding of how the structure, as well as the content of the classes, will vary depending on the level. This is particularly important when you are trying to select a tutor to do your lessons with.

For example, if you are an advanced level musician that is beginning to prepare for your grade 8 in piano you don’t want to find yourself paying for group lessons amongst other students who are picking up their instrument for the first time.

The same is true if you are a beginner, wouldn’t it be nice to learn alongside other students who are on the same boat as you so that you can learn at a pace that is appropriate for your learning? You also don’t want to find yourself stuck learning alongside a musical prodigy if you are solely practising to improve your weekend hobby.

Whether you decide to learn in group sessions or in a one-to-one environment with an experienced teaching professional your lessons will likely look a lot different.

Take a look at this article on how music lessons are typically structured across the different levels here!

Make sure to try out a music tutor from the Superprof learning platform so that you get your learning off the ground as soon as possible.

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Samuel

I enjoy reading fiction, playing chess, live music and traveling.