Our daughter plays piano, seems to have a flair for it, but has had quite a few long gaps here and there due to illness which have required cannulas and casts at different times, so only sat grade 1 this summer. Did very well and her teacher who has not always been very reliable, cancelling lessons here & there, and ‘forgot’ to book her in for the exam last term, moved her straight onto grade 2. She seems to be flying through the pieces with ease, and it doesn’t seem that dissimilar to grade 1. A lot of the children with the alternative teacher at school, have skipped grade 2 and gone straight to 3, and the consensus seems to be 1,3 then 5...If the child is capable of course. Does anyone know if this is generally advised? Thank you!

There is more to the exams than the pieces. There are scales, sight reading etc. What does the teacher think?

Keep it fun so make sure she plays other pieces as well.

Which board is she taking? My DS on a different instrument did grades 2, 4, 5, 6 then 8 and grade 5 jazz to avoid having to take theory.

My girls have skipped the odd piano grade along the way. I think one of them skipped grade 1 and one grade 2 early on. With second instruments one skipped straight to grade 3, but the teacher got her to work through the grade 1 and 2 pieces. I think it depends on the child. Also music exams can be quite daunting for a child so it depends on confidence as well.

not relevant for UCAS form nowadays, uni's looking for grades passed and predictions now. DoE is also a thing of the past for the form

Thank you, her scales are perfect, and her sight reading is according to her teacher, at least grade 2/3. She recently won a competition where the musicians ranged in grade from 3 to 6, so she was definitely the novice in exam grade regards! Yet her musicality and style of piano playing, really stood out to the judges. She played a number of pieces throughout the competition, and they were mostly previous grade 2 or 3 pieces. She chose them and learned them herself. We just find her piano teacher very negative and quite self absorbed. Likes to talk about her own talents, rather than encourage the talents of others! She was more than ready to take grade 1 well over a year ago, and as the teacher only applies for sittings in certain terms, it all gets dragged out inordinately long. She’s actually suggesting taking the grade 2 for next summer! Our daughter gained a distinction in her exam, and found playing for the exam far less daunting than the competitions and music concerts she has played. We just feel the challenge of grade 3 would be a better step for her, and that this teacher has a strange agenda on pace, and it has little to do with enjoyment. If it is not that unusual to skip a grade early on, I will try and press for this. Thanks for your replies.

I'd strongly consider changing teacher too.

We did have similar issues with 'forgetting' to enter DS for an exam with one teacher [a substitute during the regular teacher's maternity leave] which pushed exams uncomfortably close to GCSE.

It sounds as if she should be aiming for at least grade 3. In fact a friend of DD1's who plays in the national youth orchestra did grade 1, 5 and 8. There is no sense in wading through the grades if they are not challenging or fun and no benefit in taking one after the other unless it benefits the student. Our piano teacher taught theory alongside the piano lessons and having done grade 5 theory it has really benefited them for music, composition and just understanding music.

You don't need to take the grade 5 theory to learn that - grade 5 jazz is equivalent and you learn a lot more than the 'theory' of making music.

You are right grade 5 Jazz is another option. Personally I think Jazz Grade 5 is easier than Grade 5 theory. I don't really understand how it can replace theory, as although some understanding of chord structure is needed it really does not have the depth of musical knowledge needed for grade 5 theory. This is however going off topic. I shouldn't have brought it up even though it was a comment in passing! I am sure that the OP will look at all the options when the time comes and choose the best for their DC.

DD (violin) did grade 2 and then grade 8. The exam schedule never really fitted in with the pace of her learning! She took Trinity grade 8 so didn't actually need grade 5 theory, but does have it.

I think it would be worth looking for a new teacher too