My Violin Teacher is such a F@@ker & the unholy Trinity Part 1

I started learning the violin since March last year, taking a group class at a community centre. I was always very irritated by my teacher, Mr L, spending most of his time on the young kids. While this used to push me to learn more pieces so that I can force him to listen to me play for a longer period, after a while I became very disillusioned and started to rapidly lose interest (I am now the only adult female still in his class at the particular cc. I was definitely the oldest student at the exam today). This was when B1 suggested that I start taking the music exam. 

I wanted to take Grade 1, but Mr L said I can take Grade 3 and registered me as thus. Btw the classes was supposed to using the Suzuki method, which I interpret from my teacher's method is play by ear. No theory is taught, and neither is how to count beats and any other technical skills.

Somehow my stupid teacher missed out my registration for the ABRSM and I ended up registering for the Unholy Trinity this Dec. I started preparing the pieces since early this year. I liked the O mio bambino Caro, and The Lark in the clear Air, but my teacher forced me to learn the latter, Bach's Gavotte, and Mazurka, which turned out every of his students were playing for the exam.

I did not want to play those two because first of all, I have never taken music before and my fingers, face it, are stiff and not very flexible. Typing on a keyboard is no problem, but playing them on a violin is a whole other ball game.

On top of that he only started teaching me the scales and arpeggios two months ago after much begging. He said there is no urgency because most people learn one month before the exam. Well most people would be his group of five to eight year-olds who were taking the exam with me. And how about the piano practice?

I had three half hour sessions with the pianist before the exam. Mr L didn't tell me that the sessions were only that long. I admit it was my fault for not checking, so imagine my shock when I showed up his school and then all the rooms were ringing with Mazurka or Gavotte.All better than mine. The pianist D was very pro, since he had much practice with these two songs and I was so self-conscious that everyone was younger than me that I played extremely badly. At one point, I actually played the first song when I was told to take the second song from the top. I was flabbergasted when I was kicked out after thirty minutes.

I haven't learned any music theory for the sight reading and the aural test yet (it was Sunday, and the exam in on Friday)

And only two sessions left and I only played two songs out of the three during the first session. I was so upset I could not practise the remainder of Sunday.

Continued in Part 2.