March Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Welcome to the new thread for March! I am typing this from home rather than having to go to work - snow days all round. We currently have 1cm, but there are red warnings for wind and for snow later today, so it's going to be horrendous.

This is a place to talk about all things musical, whether you or your DCs are learning. We have lots of followers, from beginners to advanced, and everyone is welcome!

I am a teacher of recorder, clarinet, flute and saxophone, and have two DDs. Goo is 12 and having a fabulous time at secondary. She is Grade 8+ on the flute but not taking the exam until braces are off (and I think her teacher is holding out until she thinks Goo can get full marks or something) and around Grade 5 piano - no performances or exams yet and terrified of anyone hearing her, so that's getting to be a slight problem. Rara is 9 and between Grades 3 and 4 on both cello and clarinet. She's taking Grade 3 Clarinet this term so that when she goes off to the NCO in the summer, she doesn't have to tell other children that's she's only done Grade 1!

[Mendingfences]

Thanks for the new thread waffle

Quick recap, i've got 3 musical kids, dd1 is 12 and plays violin and piano, dd2 is 10 and plays flute and double bass and ds is 7 and plays drums and piano.

Dd1 har just started a piece which i hadnt heard before but if anyone is looking for imho gorgeous violin piece i can recomend humoresk by tor aulin 😍

[se22mother]

Thanks for the new thread, waffle, I hope you aren't too cut off with the snow. My sister says it is coming thick and fast.

I have dd(9) who plays violin and Clarinet. Unexpectedly we have ended up with exams in both this term. Will be glad when March is over.

[folkmamma]

Hello! Folk checking in with DD1 (10) on violin & piano and DD2 (7) on cello and piano. I play violin, recorder and whistles in a folk band and also sing a bit.

Both girls preparing for JD auditions at RWCMD in a couple of months time.

Also trying to get through the dreaded G5 theory with DD1.

As for me, I'm moonlighting with DD1's future secondary school this month by singing in their community choir (we are doing Faure Requiem) and hiding at the back of 2nd violins in the Senior Orchestra (in which DD1 already plays) to help out in the spring concert.

[Pradaqueen]

Thank you Waffle!

I have one DD (11) who is a music scholar at secondary school. She is studying for G8 violin and G7 piano. Likely piano decision to do the exam is to be made next month - or defer to the autumn term and waiting for the madness of y7 to settle down before entering for violin. Lots of concerts this month and a trip to see Hamilton so looking forward to a music extravaganza!

[ILovePandas]

Hello can I join? DD13 plays violin, grade 4 exam due in April, plays in the school first orchestra as one of the second violins, plays piano for fun at the moment but may do grade 1 later in the year and sings in the school choir. Also doing music GCSE. I on the other hand am completely non musical and I’m not a lot of help with anything other than moral support so hoping this thread might prove useful. Thanks

[Mendingfences]

Welcome pandas

Im not particularly helpful to my kids, i play brass (not well) and they have chosen strings, woodwind, percussion and piano..... clearly my playing did NOT inspired them 😂

[LooseAtTheSeams]

Hello and thanks again to Waffle for these threads! And I hope you're keeping warm and staying inside!
DS1 (16) loves bass guitar and is working towards a music performance diploma. He also loves drums and plays in a marching band/drum line and a concert band and jams with his friends. He's doing GCSE music and really enjoying it.
DS2 has just turned 13. He is doing his G5 cello exam very soon, working on G5 piano and is much better at it than I am! (I'm also working on G5 piano but I think he may take the exam before I do!)

[TaggieOHara]

Thanks to Waffle for starting the thread and welcome Pandas!

I am mum to two DSs. DS1 (12) plays the piano. DS2 (9) plays violin and piano. He will be in the NCO this summer and he is going to pro Corda this Easter, he will do his grade 2 piano next term. He isn't doing violin exams at the moment. He is also a chorister.

[Kutik73]

Thank you Waffle for the new thread. And hello to Pandas!

DS (10) plays piano and violin. Grade 7 piano exam is due next week. No much practice is happening mainly because our violin hunting is taking up so much of our time, but also there are school visits, concerts (almost every week...), footy matches (going to semi-final!), etc.

We have to make a big decision on his violin shopping (nearly coming to the end, finally) as well as senior school this weekend. So basically we don't have time to worry about his exam! This second half term happens to be crazily busy...

He is doing alright so no panic needed. But some shaping up prior to the exam should happen, especially for scales!!

[Wafflenose]

We went sledging earlier, and there wasn't quite enough snow. We now have 19 cm and there will be far more in the morning!

[Kutik73]

Do you have enough dried foods and lots of tins? Just in case!!

[Wafflenose]

We have enough food for 3-4 days, a little shop across the road, and Tesco delivery booked for Sunday.

[folkmamma]

I don't think we'll be NCO'ing on Sunday Waffle!!!!

[Kutik73]

Oh no, folk. Is it because of snow?

Waffle, thank you for the report back. I'm relieved to know you seem to have plenty food. I hope the Tesco driver can make his way on Sunday!

[Paulweller11]

Loving the snow- but then it’s not too bad up North (surprisingly)
2 dds, violinist 10yrs old, and percussionist in training 8yrs old, both in NCO this yr.
No exams this term except gr3 piano for violinist. No violin exams as teacher and dd not keen- which is great.
Dd 8, just did gr3 theory, and set for gr3 piano in June- catching up with her sister : )
Went to see my name sake tonight- Mr Paul Weller- he was amazing.
Dd 8 was thrilled to see that he had a drummer and a percussionist!!!
She was also lucky enough to watch/meet Evelyn Glennie in half term.

[Trumpetboysmum]

Hi everyone sorry I kind of fell off the last thread - a busy couple of weeks .
I'm on my third snow day here - mostly an ice problem round here now but the dcs are off school for the third day running so even though my work has reopened no work for me !! Ds must be getting a bit bored he's even done some theory
I've got a Ds 13 who plays trumpet - around grade 8 and is in NCO under 13s as well as being a member of AYM and numerous local and school bands and orchestras . No exams or performances planned soon just lots of playing and enjoyment ( it's really nice) He also plays piano and sings
I'm also mum to dd 10 who sings and plays piano and cornet with grade 1 planned for the latter 2 this year ( cornet this month) .
Stay warm and safe everyone- especially you Waffle

[Emerencealwayshopeful]

Hi everyone. I’m in Melbourne and we were sooky yesterday because it was grey and 18ish all day and at least you guys got snow. Half envious of that and half relieved that we aren’t considering a move to the northern hemisphere at the moment.

DS1 (primo) is 11 and plays cello, and has just added violin and keyboard. DS2 (secundus) is 11 and plays flute seriously, percussion a bit and is a musical theatre geek. Girlchild is 8 and we are limping along with violin. Lastborn is just 6 and a decision about which instrument and when will likely occur this year.

Drummer asked in the last thread where I found a Yiddish drama class in Melbourne. Funnily enough we have one of the only schools in the world that focuses on Yiddish right around the corner from us. I tell myself we are equipping them for a career in klezmer.

Primo is in the final year of primary school. We narrowed our school choices for next year down to 6 and he’s just done scholarship exams for academic scholarships to 2 of them. We’re being pushed to know by may what he wants and that’s when the state school select entry streams tests. And the music school. The only good thing about looking at the schools now is that we might be beforehand with secundus.

March should be a good music month.

[ilovesushi]

Hello! My DCs are primary age. DS has been playing the trumpet for a couple of years. He has severe dyslexia and although he can read music, he plays mostly by ear. No exams yet, but he is the kind of kid who is motivated by certificates etc. He has a music festival coming up in a couple of weeks, but has been off school with flu for over a week, so no practice at all recently. I am beginning to stress a little as we still haven't practiced with the accompanist. He's totally calm about though which is good - maybe!
DD started the clarinet in September. She is progressing really quickly and as she grows physically I can see how much easier it is for her to hold the instrument and cover the keys/ holes! Her teacher put her on Vandoren strength 2 reed which I think she is struggling with at bit, but my clarinet playing days were 20 years ago. I was very attached to my rico royal reeds.
Loving the snow but with two poorly kids at home we can only really admire it out the window. Poor DH was stuck overnight in his vehicle for 11 hours. He got home at 6am and is still muttering about going into work today. I shall hide his keys!

[TRL]

sushi - 11 hours stuck in his car overnight - poor man

We have 5 kids: DS1 (15) - bassoon and cello; DS2 (13) - violin and oboe; DD1 (11) - harp; DS3 (7) - cello; and DD2 (5) - kodaly class! The eldest three are choristers and DS1's now singing 1st bass!!

March is a comparatively quiet month for us musically - DS1 has a concert on Sunday evening, DS2 & DD1 are playing in two school concerts (one for soloists and one for ensembles - DS1 is leader of school orchestra AND fronts a band singing Blur! and DD1 is in an a cappella group), then DD1 has a concert with a national harp group.

We've had the scourge of internal school exams going - it feels - for weeks so practice has been more erratic than usual.

Soon we'll find out if DD2 is being offered a place to carry on next year with an instrument from her kodaly course. I'm in two minds about her learning an instrument which we already have (cost effective, I understand how to tune the things and we have all the beginner music etc) but am a bit concerned about her learning the same instrument as, for example, her sister who's v talented - DS3 doesn't compare himself unfavourably with DS1 re: cello but I do wonder about sisters. She could learn brass which no-one else in the family does?? She doesn't seem to care much - think she'd like to play several instruments as she likes viola, trumpet, Fr horn and harp. Any thoughts?

[folkmamma]

TRL how on earth do you fit in all their practice, I barely cope with 2 DC's on 2 instruments! I am in awe....

[Wafflenose]

TRL brass I reckon! You can get very inexpensive first trumpets and trombones. What fun!

We've been sledging but were back by 10.30 because Rara is poorly. Her behaviour yesterday was beyond the pale and she has spent this morning crying. I guess we now know why. All her swimming training has been cancelled for the weekend, but I wouldn't have braved it anyway. Goo's SWMS residential has just been cancelled too. There's no way we could have managed rural Devon this weekend. She will now get to go to her friend's birthday sleepover, and we'll go to the NCO on Sunday afternoon IF the snow has melted and it's actually still happening.

[TRL]

folk, it's actually ok with the spread of age.

DS1 is away at boarding school and his practice is not in-line with the keenest ... he averages 45 mins on each instrument/day in between debating (his main passion) and rowing (his housemaster's enthusiasm!).

DS2 only plays his oboe for about 20 mins max and violin up to an hour but he's entirely self-sufficient so I don't get involved at all. Once a week I go to hear how he's getting on but otherwise I leave him alone.

DD1 is a pleasure to listen to so whilst she's self-sufficient as well, she normally has a parent hanging around relaxing while she plays.

DS3 and I make a list after his lesson of what's to be practised that week and in what order, and he ticks it off as he goes (he's only Gde 2 so we're not talking mega-exercises or anything) whilst I roar intermittently "bow hold", "left elbow up", "elastic right elbow" or "feet flat"! Those things are actually more important than what he's playing right now and I can do that from the oven or from DD2's reading book or wherever I find myself!! Not sure what will happen when DD2 starts though.

[TRL]

Thanks waffle, that's what we are edging towards. We had to fill in a form to say if we had any preference between brass and strings so we quite honestly said, NO, but I'm thinking if DD2 picked harp, she'd have a hard time following in DD1's footsteps (which are quite boldly placed all over the locality, JD, NCO etc). And brass is such a cheery sound. Let's see if she gets picked.

[LooseAtTheSeams]

TRL I think brass sounds fun, too!
Sushi your poor DH -definitely hide the keys!
Waffle I hope Rara feels better very soon! I'm not surprised so much has been cancelled. DS2's piano teacher asked me if we could cancel today's lesson and to be honest it was a relief. I really didn't want the pair of us to freeze at the bus stop! It's not so much the snow that's the issue here but the icy wind.

[Wafflenose]

NCO this Sunday has been cancelled.