hmmm.
It doesn't mean a damn thing. One only takes Grade 5 Theory in order to progress to Grade 6 on instrumental exams. Anyone who takes Grade 6 Theory or above is simply wasting their time. And, to be honest, instrumental exams are a waste of time anyway. You don't need to take them to read music at uni, but just be capable of taking them.

I used to teach music theory, and you don't need to be "bossy and practical", you need to adapt your teaching method to suit the pupil.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Fri 9 Jul 2010, 16:03, 1 reply)

^ Pretty much this.
Before I started my music degree, the only exam I'd ever taken with ABRSM was Grade 5 theory. I didn't do well as they like concise answers, and apparently claiming that a plagal cadence gives the effect of "sounding cautiously optimistic" isn't what they're looking for. ;-)

OP: Strangely enough I was always the one who asked "why" during theory lessons, meaning I always got awful marks... but I now tend to get better marks at a higher level because I never just accept things. It works especially well when you start learning about Schenker and Agawu. ;-) Having an enquiring mind is something that should be encouraged in all topics IMHO. Music theory is a static field; once you start questioning its application it gets fascinating.

EDIT: Why would having power feel different if other people are equivalently qualified? Is knowledge of someone else's hard work somehow detrimental? Because if it's a competition of mad music skillz then Empress would win. ;-)
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Tue 13 Jul 2010, 19:47, closed)