Summer Term Music and Music Exams Thread

Results finally arrived! So no more stress here - one merit and one distinction. Some lovely comments on the sheets. And I could read the examiner's handwriting - which always helps!

Hang in there Ishouldbeweaving - we have the overcooked cycle in our house too (G4 piano for my daughter this Friday). I am now resorting to slow motion on all (20 mins practice max but she can play other stuff not related to exam if she wants to) with my fingers x'd that by Friday we are back on track! It's worked so far on the past grades...

Good luck to your husband - I am sure it'll come good for Thursday!

Wafflenose -

It's only, what, twenty years since I took grade 5?!?! (ridiculous, eh?). I left after two hours and my former-accompanist who was invigilating looked at me like I was insane. Since I'm only aiming for a pass, not too worried, and I was feeling a bit sick and didn't want to sit in the exam room for another hour! Should be fine - I went for the grade 6 because I'd have to study for grade 8, I think. Not expecting fantastic mark, 67 will do nicely!

Hope the girl I was tutoring did okay, though - grade 3 and entered by her piano teacher, with less than a term's notice. So yours truly had to teach her everything last minute. Ho hummm.

I have three evenings to survive until DH's piano exam on Thursday morning. I'm not counting tonight because four nights is too many to think about. His pieces sounded much better a month ago, it seems that they have been practised to the stage where they are falling apart. I wish I could come to some sort of happy medium between the son who doesn't practise at all and the husband who lives on the piano stool.

Roll on Thursday lunchtime.

ABRSM theory exams this morning at 10am!

My grade 6 (which I never took... roll on DipABRSM finally!!!) and someone else's piano student for grade 3 - who was entered by her teacher but I've had to coach her in under a term. I should be fine (have music degree after all, just figured that I might need to study for grade 8 and only need that grade 6)... think she finally cracked some of the interval/scale stuff last night.

It was a lovely distraction, thank you. I was ready to start chewing chair legs this afternoon and it took my mind off burying my husband under the rhubarb. When I posted my message I realised the time (14.07) and ran about ironing trousers, collecting clothes and making two packed meals because I was picking my son up at 14.45 and putting him on a coach for the Whit Marches. Where it all went wrong is that my husband was supposed to be getting on the same coach and he didn't get in until 14.35. So much for "I'm just popping out and I'll keep an eye on the time". If it had been my son's usual band (where he's been the band baby and they line up to mother him) I'd have been happy to stick him on the coach on his own but he only knows a couple of people in this band and it wouldn't have been fair on him.

Cooing over recorder players was just what I needed to take my mind off things.

It was, thank you. And yes to getting it deleted, but it was lovely to see her (and you).

Am watching it now. Its lovely. Is that you in the treble ensemble?

They must be.

DS2 got a real telling off on Wednesday from his trombone teacher for not handing over the accompaniment in good time for his solo (Let's Call the Whole thing Off) to the Head teacher who was going to be accompanying him in the concert.

That answers the question that I didn't ask. I was washing the dishes yesterday and thinking about Miniwaffle's audition (no, I don't know why either, it just came into my head) and I wondered whether she had a set piece or could choose. I then told myself to stop being nosey and get on with my own life.

Swannery - its even more impressive than that. Wafflenoses DD has just passed her Grade 5 with Distinction!! She has an audition too.

Ishouldbeweaving thank you. Yes it is engraved. The teacher pointed out DDs name was already on shield when he was presented with it.

The little boy who was awarded Musician (the teachers choice) also had his sister preceding him, very much a family affair this year!

Wafflenose, sorry if I missed this, but did your DD get an audition for SWMS? Grade 4 at age 8 is pretty impressive.

RLP How lovely to have both DC's names on the shield (assuming it is engraved). You must be very proud, it's a lovely feeling when your children get the recognition that they deserve.

It was only recently that I found out that the first thing the engraver does is clean the cup so there's no need to polish silverware before returning it. I would like to have known this sooner in my career as band wife as it would have saved much last minute polishing over the years.

Thank you.

I'm so pleased for him. He is a quirky child that doesn't always mix easily, and it was lovely to see that they realised he can play the way he does at school because he 'works very hard and practices a lot in his spare time' and value that.

Even more deserved when voted by peers - fabulous news Raspberry :)

Back from the concert, it was lovely.

I cried.

DS2 was awarded the Musicians' Musician Shield by his peers. (They all get to vote and have to give a reason.)

DD won it 3 years ago. Very proud Mum.

Congratulations to them both! Still waiting here - but miss 10 has been very down after the high of taking it and realising that she has finished that grade. It gets her chance to get things back in perspective.

Great results Waffle, well done to both of them!