Can piano certification exams (outside of school) count for fine arts credit?

Pre-College Topics High School Life
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<p>As you all have probably experienced, there is always that burden of completing that semester- or year-long class in order to fulfill the fine arts requirement at your high school. It’s a class you don’t want and probably won’t serve useful to you other than graduating, and the art class can even serve as a hindrance to your schedule.</p>

<p>Now, some schools - like mine - allow a waiver for P.E. credits, meaning you don’t have to take P.E. in school if you are training for a sport outside of school. My friend, for example, does figure skating out of school under a credited figure skating coach and is exempt from taking P.E. at school.</p>

<p>If there is a waiver for P.E., why can there not be fine arts? There are so many people out there, including me, who have played an instrument outside of school since we started walking. We have practiced hours and hours for years and years and have developed a passion for music, or rather a sort of art in general, that definitely surpasses that of some “Drawing and Painting” art class at school. </p>

<p>Some of us even take certification exams. My friend, who I mentioned above, takes the MTAC Certificate of Merit for the State of California for piano. She is level 9 out of 10. The exam occurs every March each year, and consists of a practical and theory exam. The practical is where you play scales, arpeggios, and a song from sight-seeing. Also, she must play X pieces from certain time periods by certain composers. I believe she had to play 5, each more than 5 pages long, MEMORIZED. She played one by Chopin, another by Liszt, and I fail to remember the other ones. In addition, she must take a theory exam, which tests your knowledge of cadences, scales, rhythms, etc. When you finish level 10, you are certified to teach piano in the U.S. The CM though is used mainly in California.</p>

<p>I take the ABRSM - Associated British Royal Schools of Music - exam. There are 8 levels instead of 10. It occurs during October/November or April-June of each year (twice each year). The examination consists of a practical part and, instead of a theory, an aural part (sightsinging, listening and analyzing songs). There IS a theory exam, out of 8 levels, but those are not mandatory. However, passing the level 5 theory exam is mandatory if you wish to take any level of the practical exam above level 5 (levels 6-8). You must play scales, arpeggios, a song from sight-seeing as well as 3 other pieces that you prepare beforehand like the CM. For the aural part of the examination, the examiner plays two short songs and asks questions that you must answer, regarding form, number of measures, phrases, rhythm, beats, texture, time period, etc. Also, you must sing a piece raw from a score using solfage (I do not know how to spell it), which is basically do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do. You do this twice; one looking at the score but without the examiner playing it, and the second where the examiner plays it but where you are not allowed to look at it. You receive international creditation upon completion of level 8 and a separate certification exam. Levels 7 and 8 each take two years to complete. The aural is extremely difficult and is comparable to a third year music theory class in college, and the practicaly consists of 3 songs as well - but they are at least 10 pages each.</p>

<p>I must also elaborate on the theory exams of ABRSM. The level 5 theory exam has been compared to a greater difficulty to that of the AP Music Theory exam. It is also far moer difficult than the theory part of the level 10 of the MTAC CM exam. You must memorize all types of scales (major, minor, melodic, chromatic etc.), intervals (augmented, diminished, etc.), clefs, soprano/alto/tenor/bass clefs, and you must transpose your own score. Also, you must recognize all the families for instruments (violins, violas, cellos, etc. flutes, piccolos, etc.) There is a lot more regarding the content of the level 5 theory exam, but I cannot remember right now.</p>

<p>Shouldn’t this be sufficient enough to bypass the fine arts credit at school as long as my friend and I provide evidence (syllabus, music books and sheets, certificates)? If it’s able to be done for P.E., then why not for fine arts? I mean, if I were to make the counselors take the exam, they wouldn’t even be able to do it. Not even level 1. It takes years of preparation to accomplish playing an instrument rather than some drawing class at school, where it’s so simple to just shade some circle or paint random colors.</p>

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<p>You would have to appeal to your school.</p>

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<p>They can count as a fine arts waiver only if the school (or school district) says they can. Take your arguments – which, by the way, I think are quite strong – to the appropriate person in your school’s administration. That might be the chair of the Fine Arts Dept. or the VP for curriculum & instruction or perhaps the principal.</p>

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<p>Okay :o I’m just worried about rocking the boat because my friend had already appealed to them before and was denied; and we have appealed about not only this but also about taking community college classes over the summer to advance to higher-level science and math classes in the upcoming school year, not normal with the typical curriculum that a student would take at my school. There’s also another thing that worries me - what if the administration argues that it wouldn’t be fair to the other students in terms of financially?</p>

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<p>Then how can they use the financial argument? Even if your friend’s coach is not charging her (which I doubt), who’s paying for the ice time? Or the skates and the costumes? Participating in higher-level sports isn’t cheap either!</p>

<p>If you and your friend have already been turned down, is there a higher authority in the chain of command you can go to? (Perhaps the school board?) Turn the tables around and ask how THEY can justify the P.E. waiver when the situation is exactly analogous to other (non-sport) activities where you end up doing more work and/or achieving a higher level of expertise than you would in school.</p>

<p>It does sound like this might be a lost cause and you are not going to change their minds. But if you do decide to pursue this, just remember to ALWAYS BE POLITE AND NOT COCKY! Don’t ever insinuate (much less say) that the counselors couldn’t pass the exam, or that the standard high school art class isn’t any more advanced than what you learned in kindergarten. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Well you can try arguing some more with the school. But if it really isn’t a big deal then I don’t think it’s necessary.</p>

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<p>Haha I didn’t think of that worried_mom! That is a really good loophole which I didn’t see. Thanks for the advice, and I will try not to insinuate such statements.</p>

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<p>Tried that at my school; didn’t succeed. Only difference between your situtation and mine is that I study at a conservatory and play for a regional music group on top of everything else. Still not enough I guess.</p>