Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., March 28, 2008 Adar2 22, 5768 | | Israel Time: 05:02 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Four strings and five units: Matriculation in music By Or Kashti, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Violin, Music, Israel  Alin Lugasi, 18, of Ashdod, smiles at the two testers in Petah Tikva's municipal conservatory and starts playing Johann Sebastian Bach's First Violin Concerto. She plays without notes, as required for the classical music matriculation exam held Wednesday. Some 900 music students take the Education Ministry's matriculation exams in music every year. Piano and string instruments' students must study their music at least eight years before qualifying to take the exams. Students of jazz, pop and rock music can qualify after only five years of study. Students may also be tested on artistic singing, Arab music and composition. "The exam is a sort of gift to the students, a recognition of their effort and investment," says the head of music education in the Education Ministry, Dr. Yael Shai. Advertisement Lugasi has been studying violin for eight years, two to three lessons a week, some 45 minutes a session. As the exam approached, she stepped up her pace, practicing almost every day. On Tuesday evening, after the last lesson before the exam, she promised herself and her teacher in the Ashdod conservatory not to think too much about the exam. A few days ago she looked for another piece - a violin and piano Mozart sonata - on YouTube, to see how other musicians perform it. "I think how the piece should be heard, then start to play," she says, trying to explain the process. Most conservatory students opt for the classical music exam. The private music students prefer other styles. Some 30 percent of the students play wind instruments, and some 20 percent play the piano. Shai says the demand for violin has increased in recent years. Lugasi's recital has clear procedures: The student must play the central piece of his or her choice by heart in addition to three to four additional sections from different periods, which are played with notes. Every recital lasts some 20 minutes. The testers' grades are based on the performer's skill and musical understanding. The grade is given in numerical form, but the testers explain their decision on an evaluation sheet, where they also assess the student's professional potential to continue. One of the testers, Leonid Rosenberg, says he judges each student according to individual investment, control of the instrument and other standards, rather than by comparing one person to the others. "This is not a competition," he says. But comparison is inevitable. "We are looking for a talent that is special, for musicians that are interesting to hear," says the other tester, Bat-Sheva Savaldi-Kolberg. The grade is also determined by a hierarchy based on the difficulty of the pieces the students choose, from Bach's violin concerti, which are considered relatively easy, to those of Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Sibelius. Students must also submit a theoretical essay, mainly of musical analysis of a certain composition. This makes up 10 percent of the final grade. Lugasi is excited. When she arrives at the Petah Tikva conservatory for the exam, she admits, "I started feeling my heart beat strongly." The testers try not to add to the pressure felt by the students. "We should encourage these students. I wish all teenagers would devote their afternoons to such activity," says Shai. Sonia Reut, also from Ashdod, says that "before the recital your hands tremble and you think what would happen if you fail - if you get confused or play off key or like a robot." But when she begins to play, she says, "I enter a bubble and think of nothing else. It's just me and the notes," she says. Reut started playing the violin at the age of seven. Despite her investment in classical music, she prefers South American music. "It's much more upbeat," she says. Related articles: New calculations raise matriculation eligibility results Colombian singer gives Spanish rendition of Idan Raichel's music First fiddle /A musical Mishna Bookmark to del.icio.us   Graphic footage Israel posts clips on YouTube of Jerusalem yeshiva terror attack. Remembering Gaza Knesset approves bill to commemorate the Jewish settlements of Gush Katif.

Today Online Israel posts clips on YouTube of Jerusalem yeshiva terror attack Responses: 46 Rights group: Deaths in IDF W. Bank raid were apparent executions Responses: 216 Top rabbis: Harvesting organs of the brain dead is `bloodshed` Responses: 64 Defense officials: Hezbollah rockets can reach almost all of Israel Responses: 205 More Headlines 01:57 Hamas smuggles Iranian blueprints into Strip for Qassam upgrades 22:43 Arab FMs re-endorse 2002 Saudi peace initiative 01:15 Rice will discuss final-status talks during Mideast visit 01:30 Dutch MP's anti-Islam film highlights anti-Jewish preaching 01:50 Bulgaria accepts blame for deaths of 11,000 Jews in Shoah 01:29 Lieberman stripped of attorney-client privilege in bribery probe 21:10 Ex-High Court chief: State must bring all Ethiopian Jews to Israel 01:37 Israeli ties to win top prize in prestigious Rubinstein competition 17:40 Defense officials: Hezbollah rockets can reach almost all of Israel 23:08 Druze colonel appointed to be president's next military secretary 14:20 Egypt holds new talks with Hamas, Jihad over truce with Israel 20:29 Treasury official: Economically, Israel is a bi-national state 00:31 Tel Aviv goes dark as part of global 'Earth Hour' campaign Previous Editions Select Day 27 mar 26 mar 25 mar 24 mar 23 mar 21 mar 20 mar 19 mar 18 mar 17 mar 16 mar 14 mar

Special Offers Advertisement NEW! Dan Boutique Jerusalem Hotel Hip Dan Hotel in Jerusalem. Attractive Introductory Rates Pardes Institute Summer Sessions Study Jewish texts and issues in Jerusalem, Co-ed, All Levels FAREWELL ISRAEL New Film The Coming War for Islamic Revival - View Movie Trailer Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Long-term Israel programs MASA is your gateway. More programs. More grants. 7589 rockets fired so far HELP US TO HELP THEM Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved