CM test is behind me!

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