Intermediate exam

[dancingboy06]

Haven't posted on here before but looking for some advice.

My DS has just gone back to voc school and hes struggling a bit. Mainly because he's very upset about the rad class he's been put in. He took IF in year 7. When the groups were organised for this year he was put into the lower of 2 intermediate classes meaning he prob won't take exam until year 9. Over half of year 8 (including most that took exam same time as him and some he got higher marks than) are in the other intermediate class and will take exam in November or next spring. I spoke to his teacher and apparently he is doing fine, that kids progress at different rates and he needs to up his strength but is this just another way of saying his dancing is not good enough? What age should the intermediate exam be taken?

His confidence now seems very low and I don't know what to say to help him.

Thanks in advance.

[SissonneDoublee]

Could it be to do with physical strength and muscle bulk? There is a big difference between different boys in Year 8, and they might want to give him time to develop more strength in order to do himself justice in his intermediate exam. I’m sure that there will be the possibility of movement between the groups if it isn’t the right decision for him. At vocational school the RAD exams are more a way of accessing the Genee and a route into teaching than anything else, so it shouldn’t hold him back in terms of his training.

[NJH]

1 minute ago, SissonneDoublee said:

Could it be to do with physical strength and muscle bulk? There is a big difference between different boys in Year 8, and they might want to give him time to develop more strength in order to do himself justice in his intermediate exam. I’m sure that there will be the possibility of movement between the groups if it isn’t the right decision for him. At vocational school the RAD exams are more a way of accessing the Genee and a route into teaching than anything else, so it shouldn’t hold him back in terms of his training.

my thoughts exactly

look at a group of secondary school  aged  kids, regardless of settings ... 

yr 7s are all 'kids'

yr 8  is the awkward age for both the boys and girls  and  tipping into year 9 for the boys,   (by  year 9  most of the   young ladies are exactly that )...

 

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Dancingboy06 and welcome to the Forum!

[Peanut68]

I’d also consider what priority is.... just getting the exam or getting it with a high mark as his last bid showed he’s capable of achieving?

Also, vocational schools tend to miss out the (IMO useful) Advanced Foundation & go straight to Advanced 1 which is a huge leap up & really does require added strength (might be another min age band too? Not sure...)

I think it is parents & other kids that put emphasis on comparing dates exams taken & my advice is... it’s his own personal journey & he must see the big picture of it as a step on the route to where he wants to be. Steady progress on the right direction far better than pushing on too quick & maybe risking injuries. 

I’m in no way saying this happens at your school but....

it’s often the same kids & parents who will lie about stages kids are at & blatantly lie about exam results so just put on those blinkers & avoid avoid avoid those who are comparison competitors!!

Good luck! P

(From personal

experience.... not the same I know as I am 50+ but I found it really demoralising getting a much lower mark & wish I’d not rushed now & had another 6 months!) 

[Ruby Foo]

When your son is auditioning for companies, it will not matter one jot that he took his intermediate exam 6 / 9 months later than he could of. What will matter is that he has achieved the technique and strength required to make a decent performer. In fact, it is only in the UK that we are so fixated by exams. Everywhere else in the world seem to manage perfectly well without them. The challenge is, for him to understand the bigger picture, so his motivation and confidence remain intact, despite some of his classmates moving on.

[Lusodancer]

I agree with Valentina. It is not a race to pick up exams it is development slowly and methodically that pays off in the end. Being trained to pass exams has no bearing on stage prescence for a professional in the long run.  It may give him time to do cross training  for whole body strength, speed and flexibility so necessary to the lads or join in outside masterclasses.   Invest in  fees for holiday intensives, national or international, or tickets to the RB or ENB ,not exam fees. Let him see the bigger picture.

[dancingboy06]

Thank you all so much for your replies and good to have other points of view and advice that I can share with him. I agree that 6-9 months wait is nothing and I googled and he couldnt take his next exam until 14 (when he is year 10) so as you all said there's no rush and he can work on making his Intermediate as good as poss. I was really worried that this would slow down his dance training, but as you all said, this might not be a bad thing anyway. 

[Kate_N]

On 15/09/2019 at 11:17, dancingboy06 said:

kids progress at different rates and he needs to up his strength but is this just another way of saying his dancing is not good enough

 

It sounds as though it's strength, not "not good enough." I'd guess he's at the age when boys start to develop the more "manly" bodies and strength that typify the male dancer. Maybe he's just not quite there yet.

 

Slow and steady is really important in ballet training, as the risk of injury is just too great otherwise. 

 

And I really recommend @Peanut68's question: "what is the priority?" Exams are just a means to test how a student is progressing, they are not an end in themselves. Please don't let him do anything that might potentially damage his growing body!

[Kate_N]

19 hours ago, valentina said:

In fact, it is only in the UK that we are so fixated by exams. Everywhere else in the world seem to manage perfectly well without them.

 

Hear hear, Valentina! All the stuff I read about exams sometimes makes me wish we could just get rid of them. 

 

They don't really indicate whether you're going to have a successful career as a dancer or a teacher. I've seen some adult dancers with misalignment and not much control of their turn out, who don't seem to be able to point their toes, who have apparently got Merit or whatever in vocational exams. Hmmmm - sometimes, I wonder (in my harsh moments) whether sometimes it's just about what the Americans call "bragging rights." 

[balletbean]

Just for guidelines. 

ENB along with many others use IF for younger set and 14yrs + for the older set as the split for their SS’s. 

Its only a guide but quite useful to know that that. Using that as a bench mark Yr8 does seem incredibly young for intermediate. It’s more than  just knowing the syllabus. Whilst it’s also  best to remember it’s not a race. My DD took Intermediate at 15yrs (week before her 16th birthday) and just received her results for Adv1 today which she took a few weeks before her 17th Birthday. 

[taxi4ballet]

If he is at vocational school, then 90% of what they are teaching him won't be exam syllabus work anyway. Don't worry.

[Farawaydancer]

Ds is at vocational school where they only have one exam session per year in the autumn term. If they’re starting from IF they take that in y8 and then one grade per year (including AF) from that, so he didn’t take Intermediate until y9. It makes no difference, the rest of their ballet classes are at a higher standard than the RAD class they’re in. If he needs more time then it’s ok, he’s not going to be disadvantaged in any way. 

[annaliesey]

The thing I would pick up on here is that he appears to be upset. He’s obviously got some signals from somewhere. Even when other people say it doesn’t matter, it seems to matter to him so I think it’s important to try and understand why so you can best support him. Is it friendship groups? Is it through feeling that he’s missed out on an opportunity?

 

the RAD app is useful as a learning tool. There’s also a pdf guide on the RAD website. It gives recommended hours too. He could film himself and then watch over it himself. 

 

My 14 yo dd is just about to do adv 1 non vocational school if that helps. She was 11 when she did IF, 13 when she did INT, 14 for Adv F. 

 

We didnt realise that IF and AF were voluntary grades either and the marking is harsher for INT, Adv1 & 2. 

 

The thing we didnt grasp until quite late on was about potential and it’s quite flattering to be kept in a grade all the while there is potential room for improvement. Sometimes people take exams when their potential hasn’t been properly exhausted. You will look back on this and hopefully see that he got the most value out of that grade before tacking 1+2. 

 

I think a lot comes down to trust and communication whether it’s vocational school or non, you need to feel trust in the teacher. He needs to feel confident with his learning, what he’s working on and why. 

 

Could you ask for feedback in a constructive way or will it be poorly received. Is it stamina? Core strength? Balance? All of this is good to know so you can encourage, support etc 

 

good luck