Christmas and January Music Thread *Thread title edited by MNHQ*

[Wafflenose]

Hi all,
Here's a new thread for the festive period - possibly including a bit of January if I'm away and unable to start another one in time. The old thread was making me nauseous.

I am a music teacher, so pretty busy athis the moment. I have just had results for 12 pupils' exams... 3 pass, 7 merit and 2 distinction. My DDs didn't do any this term, but have 9 concerts between them. Goo is 13 and plays the flute and piano. Rara is 10 and plays the cello and clarinet. What are you all up to musically?

[Trumpetboysmum]

Waffle
Being very very busy !! Lots and lots of concerts mostly for ds , though I get to sing once too which will be lovely !!
Also the nursery nativity play to keep me on my toes

[Boyskeepswinging]

Thanks Waffle! I've got DS14 who's mainly a percussionist. Did his G8 today, seemed to go OK so fingers crossed! Will no doubt see some of the MN posse at NCO this weekend.

[Wafflenose]

Wow, great that he has done his grade 8 now. I hope he gets lovely news in time for Christmas. Have fun at the NCO this weekend. I tried to enjoy every moment at South Westerlies in October, because both DDs were playing in the wind section for the first (and probably only) time.

[Knotaknitter]

After many years of making sure concert dress was washed and ready for thirty odd performances (Christmas is a brass band's harvest) I'm having a well deserved rest. DS is now 18, lives away and gets to band practice under his own steam. He had a concert the other week and all I had to do was turn up and clap in the right places. It's all very strange and not at all what I'm used to.

[Mendingfences]

Thank you for the new thread! And hope picolo rescues the broken cello situation.
Musically this week dd1 and ds played a piano violin duet in concert and it went very well (even though the head of the music school tried to remove them from the program because ds was too young )

[Boyskeepswinging]

It's been a long time coming to be fair. Should have done it last year but Real Life got in the way. I wanted it done and dusted before the serious GCSE work gets underway but he's now got his eye on a diploma.

[Boyskeepswinging]

Waffle, you never know what the future holds. The NCO may be part of your life again one day. And if not just treasure the lovely memories. Sounds like Goo may be turning a corner!

[Boyskeepswinging]

I find coordinating the concert outfits a right royal challenge this time of year, particularly when I have work trips away so have to ensure all is washed and ironed before I go. Jealous of Knot.

[se22mother]

Thanks waffle. We found out that dd 10 passed her theory this week. She's trying to decide whether to take g6 violin next term or move on. Also a singing exam next term. But just veeeerry happy that we will not be having wars over theory any more. She also plays clarinet.

[PetraDelphiki]

Carrying over one conversation from earlier thread - dd sounds exactly like your Goo - just won’t practice and delays starting things with “can I just....” plus i have to let her practice alone because she turns into a horror if I’m anywhere near - so I have no way to make her practice properly!!!

On another note if anyone has any gradev3-7 ish players who want to join a little fun orchestra for the first five weeks of term the please look at EDYO.info - desperate for winds at the moment! Website not up to date but co tact the organizer if you are interested! It’s in Thames Ditton (near Hampton court) and is really friendly!!

[hapsburg]

Careful crazy, it is a very expensive road to go down but DD would say defintiely worth it as it is by far the best instrument!

[Trumpetboysmum]

Great news boyskeepswinging I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you hear the result before Christmas
And we’ll done to your dd SE for the theory . I’m just so relieved that one’s over !

[Stringchild]

Hi dropping in during v busy festive season; no exams here just lots of concerts and choral stuff. Will see some of you on Sunday at NCO (watching not playing 😀)

[TaggieOHara]

Well done mini-se !! And thanks waffle for the new Christmassy thread. Nice to have a fresh start, with yet more splendid news on the theory front.

We too are in the big concert season. Two choir concerts tomorrow!

piccolo. I’m bitingly my nails just thinking about your cello situation. DS2 did this with his tiny 1/8 violin (dropped it and snapped the finger board off) before his first ever concert. Horrid memory. It was easily repaired though. It looked much worse than it was. I hope that this is the case for your DS’s cello. for later

[folkmamma]

Thanks for new thread waffle!

Hi everyone! Quick catch up while I wait for our first Christmassy event to start - the end of term show at the girls' theatre school. Only DD2 partaking this time as DD1 took a break this time because of everything else she has going on. She is excited to be watching little sister from the audience and will be getting stuck back in next term.

Tomorrow is a big day for DD2 as it's her first show of a 14 show run in her first professional theatre production. I will miss it as I will be at JD with DD1, but have seen bits already through chaperoning and I'm so proud of her!

DD1 has JD choir concert and final lesson of the term tomorrow. Then we will be watching the senior orchestra end of term concert which will be rather inspiring I think.

[druidsong]

I am having to wash the concert shirt every night this week at 10:30pm. I then hang it and pray it dries before leaving the house the next day at 8am. Trousers will join shirt in the machine tonight then on a radiator for two more performances tomorrow... Can't wait to be you knot. I have no idea how he will manage.

[Trumpetboysmum]

Knot I can only dream !! Though I think I will miss it when I’m finally redundant . And at this rate ds will never manage to sort himself out

[TaggieOHara]

My mum still deals with my clothes given half a chance, and I’m 44. So, you may well be in for the long haul, trumpet.

[hapsburg]

druid I don't know how they will manage! I have come to the conclusion after last weekend that I still pick up the pieces too much and that in the long run this won't do her any favours! In many ways she is pretty self-sufficient as she boards at school, but last weekend we had rather a marathon of Fri pm school pick up, travel to concert, stay in Travelodge on way to drop at JD the next morning, back home Sat eve eventually, then back to school Sun afternoon. When we got to Travelodge (and she finally put down her social diary phone) she came out with 'oh, by the way I haven't brought any socks, pants or pyjamas, I thought you would have those' and I did have them because I know what she is like!!!

[cantkeepawayforever]

Praise be for the multipack of 5 black shirts we bought DS a couple of years ago....

One for every concert of the week...until the county youth orchestra classical one, where he will have to break out one of the multipack of 3 white shirts....

Main issue with trousers, as NBB combines a height and lack of width that trouser manufacturers believe no longer exist in combination. However, having struck lucky with the entire national stock of a particular size of slim black XXL trousers at the beginning of 6th form, he is now wearing them on every possible occasion (school, concerts, work...)

[TaggieOHara]

Ah - yet again we are living eachother’s lives. Empathy cant. And if any of you know a supplier of 26/34 trousers for DS1, let me know!

[MeltingWax]

Hullo all, thank you for the Christmassy thread waffle.

I feel as though we are crawling to the end of term here. I am exhausted and so are the DCs. Ensembles have now finished for the term and concerts done - except the school band which has 2 weeks left.

We've started prepping for a festival though so will need to concentrate on that over Christmas. Exam wise DS may be doing Grade 5 theory next session and DD will prob be doing Grade 5 recorder & possibly Grade 3 cello.

[Wiifitmama]

Gosh Piccolo, what a terrible situation! I really hope it all gets sorted. DS2 keeps his melodeon in it's original case (it is 25 years old - long story!) which is a solid hard case. We did look at a more modern case as they are easier to carry but decided this offers the best protection.

Hats off to all of you with insane christmas schedules. Ours are nothing like that. End of term concerts for two of them and that is mostly it. Ds2 is at a very very big gig tonight - opening for a real folk musician on an album tour in a proper theatre (as against a folk club). I am sad I can't be there as I had to take ds3 to a different event, but ds1 and dh are there for him. One of them sent me a photo of the poster outside the theatre which advertises tonight's show and it actually has ds's name on it! (much smaller than the artist he is opening for of course, but still!). I am home now waiting for news about how it is all going.

[cantkeepawayforever]

Taggie, DS needs 26/36, which are genuinely unobtainable...

Topman or Burton very, very occasionally offer a 28 XL in slim fit trousers, and because they are cut fairly slim anyway, they're OK for 26" waists without a belt AND braces.

Also, praise be for the fashion for turn-up chinos - an extra 3-4 cm of length absolutely free, if you just fold the turn-up down again!