Adult Learner Disillusioned with Grade8, are Grades worth it?

[LostShepherd]

My journey started about 8 years as an adult learner, I have always had an interest in the piano and decided to commit. I got a good piano teacher and stated that my main goal was to be able to sight read easy rock/pop tunes to play for family sing songs or in the pub.

My teacher was convinced that progressing me through the classic grades was the right choice to get me there, now studying for Grade8 (Trinity)I have decided to pull back from the Grades and instead focus on my currently terrible sight reading abilities. To be clear I've always wanted to be decent at sight reading, that was my simple, articulated goal.

My technical playing is at a decent level but I could not fluently sight read a Grade 1 piece, I couldn't recognise nor play chords with any fluency either, that's the reality for me after 8 years.

So I had the choice to spend another couple of years chasing what I now realise to be memorised, mechanical learning of Grade 8 pieces I simply do not enjoy, or start doing what I want to do. I have taken a subscription on sightreadingfactory and am working from the lowest level through, I am planning on doing this for a year and assessing my sight reading progress after that time.

I split my daily practice with this and in learning songs I actually like, starting with Lovecats by The Cure. I am so much happier now as the thought of a multi year grind at Grade 8 was wearing me down. Reflecting on what I've been through so far I believe there is nothing like the emphasis on sight reading that there should be and also that many teachers are reluctant to recommend the Rock school or Trinity Rock and Pop grades, had I been made aware of these they would have been a much better path for me than classical as the tunes are so much more me.

Its not all bad and I am proud of what I've achieved but quite simply if I had the choice to be someone with a Grade 8 certificate who can't play a pop tune from a book, or someone with no certificates who can bang out tunes from an easy book, I'd take the latter every single time.

I plan to return and get my Grade 8 once I have attained a decent level of sight reading ability, but I may well do it in Trinity Rock & Pop.

I'm curious to see if I am alone in this slightly disillusioned place I have reached with classical grades, I can't help feeling it might have been just as useful to spend the past 8 years running through sightreadingfactory or piano marvel for my needs as spending money on weekly lessons?

I'm interested in others experiences and opinions on this.

Many thanks,
LS