YAY! I'm free! At last, I've gotten through the CM test. The CM test(certificate of merit) is an annually administered piano test where students have to take a theory and playing assessment in order for them to move to the next level. I'm level 8 now, having passed the level 7 test. There are ten levels in total, so I'm almost at the top! The CM test was getting to be a huge PITA(pain in the ....)around February. You see, I broke my hand in November, so I lost a whole month and half of progress. I was really behind and had to do a lot of extra practicing to make up for my missed work. Luckily, I got my act together(or so I thought) around mid-February, until I realized that I still hadn't memorized my Mozart Fantasia and my Chopin Nocturne was a little rusty. Desperately, I was forced to do piano like crazy. In fact, my life pretty much revolved around piano during those weeks before the test. Not only did I have to work on my playing, I also had to worry about the imposing theory test. Yup, I really did have my work cut out.
Well, finally the day came. The day before the test, I was volunteering all day at the CMEA festival in SJSU, so the entire weekend was pretty much devoted to music. So,the day of the test, I got up at 6:30 to 'warm up' my fingers. I played a few scales, wolfed down a quick breakfast, and we headed out. We arrived at Santa Clara University, and I was whisked through registration. I found myself sitting in front of the testing room, shaking with nervousness. Finally, I was admitted in, and the judge was a slightly elderly lady. She was nice, and had me sit down and start with my scales. As soon as I started playing though, this weird buzzing started, coming from the roof. As soon as I finished my scales, the judge explained--the light fixture was kind of loose, so the sound waves were shaking the metal and making a buzzing sound. I was nervous that this would affect my playing later on, but luckily I made through all of my songs without any flaws.
I proceeded down to take the theory and ear training test, which I knew I was prepared for. I whizzed through the questions but checked my answers for an hour. With ear training, I must have replayed the track at least seven times. However, I still think I did pretty well.
Ok people, now you've experienced my version of March Madness...the CM test!
lllatters,
Rohan
