New Year Music and Musicians Thread

A last minute concert invite has come for me tonight for tomorrow.
My dd has actually asked me to attend a concert, I'm not usually allowed to.
I wouldn't usually pander to her but I wouldn't want to put her off a performance iyswim, so don't usually go. I'm quite chuffed.
If she ever performs in a church and I have to go/ have no choice, she makes me sit at the back, behind a pillar.

Congrats to your Dd Miranda. That is a great result

Miranda

What a brilliant result and tell ds it's not where you start it's where you finish.

Congratulations miranda

And good luck fleur for this weekend (it is tomorrow isn't it?).

We're being treated to very loud vocal exercices tonight - DD doesn't do formal singing lessons but she occasionally takes it on herself to "practice" (rather than just singing, which she does all the time). One of the songs she sings in her jazz class goes above her comfort zone so I think she is trying to extend her range a bit ... I have no idea if this is a good thing to do or not. It's gone 9pm here so maybe I need to go and shut her up for the sake of the neighbours ...

Quillard I just wanted to endorse what you are saying about continuing to run small groups. Our council provision is better than some of the examples here but there was a reorganisation a few years back and dwindling numbers which are only now recovering. The school strings teacher is running a quartet at the moment which will hopefully provide the necessary backbone to integrate the dozen or so pupils she has coming into the school next year.

Good to hear everyone's exam and festival results. And so pleased for your son Schilke to overcome his stage nerves at last with a stunning performance!

Congratulations Miranda, it must be a lovely way to start the day.

Congratulations Miranda great result!

The county music provision where we are is almost non-existent - they simply got rid of all county run groups a few years ago, overnight, to save costs. All that remains is a few extremely expensive once a month groups - costing approx. £400 a year each - which are run privately. Many of the comprehensives have almost no music provision. And by the way it is perfectly possible to run a small orchestra or wind group with a handful of instrumental players, I've seen it done, but they don't want to put in the time/cost. Music is on its last legs in the state system where we are. Private school children have a huge advantage.

Got an email from DDs flute teacher at 6:50 this morning and she passed with distinction . As DS put it "its only grade 1" but still a very nice email to get

Schilke that's a lovely story.

I've just returned from my DCs state school Festival celebration concert. As you know from previous posts all the school ensembles did well and were first or second. Where they were second other state schools were first. The local private school does better at Primary but not so greatcat secondary.

The school employs their own music teachers and offers quality 25 min lessons. The condition is you must play in an appropriate ensemble. Lessons this year are £7.50. One DC is going on to conservatoire this year from this. I think we are very lucky.

In our case it's been the schools the DC have gone to, not our previous experience.

I know a couple of state DC at regional NCO. Our County Youth Orchestra though currently takes all comers Grade 5 and above to try and get numbers up. And the City Youth Orchestra has dwindled to a chamber orchestra which is a shame.

That's like here Mistigirl

There are no schools in the borough that have ensembles beyond beginner and that's only one school.
Children have lessons from the LA music service, these are either at their own school or if this isn't possible after school at a high school that acts as a centre for the music service ensembles. They have groups, bands, ensembles for most instruments and a county orchestra.
One of the bands wins national music competitions quite often.
So it's fair to say there are musical children in schools but not enough in each school to do anything with them.

There's not much music in state schools here but there are a lot of musical opportunities outside school which don't require massive resources or committed parents. Almost every town has its own (subsidised) music school, which often exists primarily to provide musicians for local brass and wind bands. Last year DD did sax lessons in one of these music schools for the grand total of about £30 a term (and that also paid for weekly theory and orchestra classes).

Orchestral instruments are still only played by a small minority of teenagers though, and most of those are girls. In DD's sixth form college I would think guitar players outnumber other musicians by 10 to 1!

I think it will be interesting to see what happens when state become academies, it will be hard for children and teachers/ LA music service.
The county orchestra and senior bands don't finish until 8.45 anyway and as they'll be starting the earlier groups later, to allow for travel, some dc will only be able to make one group and some teachers will lose vital teaching hours, just from the way they have to manage provision.
It's very rare for music to be treated as curriculum in any school but perhaps more opportunities in private schools.
However, i met a parent whose dc had attended Wells for the music and compared to the specialist music schools where the subject is core, they were paying lip service according to him.

Local comp here where the lunchtime music group folded due to lack of players. There are two concerts a year, one is recorded for the GCSE performance element. Fortunately there are plenty of performance opportunities out of school.

DS had three years in a national ensemble and because private schools break up earlier I have had to ask for a week off school every time. Music lessons are expensive and unless you have one parent with some experience it is hard to support them right at the beginning when they need it most.

I do occasionally have a rant about the effect of the national curriculum on arts subjects but that might well just be our school's attitude. They are very keen on league tables and music is very definitely seen as an extra curricular activity, even if you are sitting it as a GCSE.

Schilke that's a lovely story, well done to your DS!
Interesting question about state schools and music festivals/orchestras.
DS1 goes to the local boys' comprehensive where most of the musical boys play piano, guitar or drums - far fewer play orchestral instruments, and I suspect that trend may be typical of many state secondary schools, or at least the boys' ones. Football is a lot more popular than music! It is changing slowly as the school catchment is getting smaller. The primary school DS2 goes to is more relentlessly middle class and there are definitely more classical instruments around! A lot depends on parents and their own musical background. My own unsubstantiated theory is that it's not the type of school so much as the mother's level of musical knowledge that is the biggest factor!
Whatever, one thing I do know is that I have learned so much from the wise people on these threads that I just wouldn't have known otherwise, and my DSs have definitely benefited, so thank you!

Greenleave, yes she is yr5. We have been fortunate with the music teachers outside of school who have provided much encouragement and allowed her to fulfil her individual potential very quickly rather than in a rigid formulaic format. It should be said though that it was this thread and all of the contributors that made me realise that she was being stifled in school music lessons and inspired me to do something about it!

I forgot to add congratulations to schilke! That sounds marvellous!

Hello all. It's been a busy few months for us with family from the Uk out to visit us over here in NZ. We had some more large-ish earthquakes which has damaged the house some more. But the children seem to be just getting on with things.
Miss 11 is well into learning her grade 8 violin scales and has just started her pieces. I'm back running a choir -this time it's SSAA a Capella- to help with those pesky aurals. I do like that the singing part is considerably more important in aurals, but it sure takes a lot of work.
Miss 9 has learnt all her grade 8 scales already and has all pieces chosen but has been ill, so unable to play for a week. Being a saxophonist it will take her a couple of weeks to get back to where she was with breathing, her lip, etc.

I can't decide whether it would be good or bad for both girls to sit in the same exam session, which is looking increasingly likely. I've delayed miss 11's grade 8 theory exam until next year, as when she did her grade 5, she sat the theory and practical in the same session and I vowed NEVER AGAIN.

Those violin scales are taking a lot of practise to get to the minimum speed, whereas sax scales are already there. You can just imagine how well that makes them get on with each other.

Regarding to fee, we pay £65/week for piano and violin too so it isnt cheap

Loose: thank you, she is indeed worst with Stormy coast at the end even we thought she was much better with it at first.
Fleur: breath, breath, only couple days more togo. We are going to a concert this weekend just to lift the motivation up
Prada: is your daughter in yr5? She is very advanced compare to my daughter state primary school too

Schilke: I could totally understand your happiness, I would too. My daughter has never played in front of an audience either. I am dreaming of one day!!!

chica music lessons are expensive! And music is seen as aspirational by some middle class families. I don't think it's much more complicated than that.

Private schools also provide more ensemble playing opportunities.

We live in France and my kids attend ordinary state schools. DD does piano at a "conservatoire" (selective, publicly funded music school). Where we live most of the conservatoire students are from ordinary families, although private school pupils are proportionately overrepresented. Costs are low: about £50 a term for 3 hours of tuition a week, making it very accessible, and many students enter via aptitude tests at age 6 before they have ever touched an instrument.

Waffle, I think your daughters sound very well grounded and a credit to you. I believe wholeheartedly that talent is irrelevant of schooling but private school children do have more exposure to extra curricular activities such as music than most (not all) state counterparts usually as part of their school day so no parental input is required. It is the same with many sports particularly rugby and cricket. Re: secondary private schools affordability, if you think an independent school would suit either child better than the state options available locally, don't forget most have a bursaries fund. Miniprada's violin teacher has this year helped at least five girls achieve music scholarships to various schools (some very prestigious) with 80-100% scholarship/ bursary combinations. Bursaries are private between parents and the bursar and not disclosed to the teaching staff. Just a thought.

Hello
This may be a silly question, but why is it that most of the children in these orchestras and the ones entering the Music Festival that my DS enters, are from private schools?
He is at a State Primary and about to go to a normal comprehensive (although didn't get his preference of school). He has lessons through the local music service and compared to other children at his school or local state schools he is of a high level (particularly as we, his parents have no musical clue), but when up against children from private schools, he seems to be behind.
He applied for the NCO and didn't get a place-we pretty much knew he wouldn't. He did get a place for the Pro Corda residential, but when we were there, he was the only child not from a private school.