New Year Music and Musicians Thread

DS(9.5 yrs old) does 30 mins to 45 mins Piano practice everyday except some days when we are out or really very busy with other things( then 10-15 mins) He also plays Tennis 3-4 days/week and 2 days basketball. He also plays Guitar 10 mins/2-3 times/week only. Once a week drawing for 1.5 hrs. He will be appearing for Grade-1 theory this summer and Grade-2 Piano in Autumn if everything goes ok. As such he is able to play grade 3 pieces on his own but teacher is moving pretty slow so can't progress more. We have lots of academic pressure here because of monthly exams.

Just checking in for moral support.

Dd1 has Grade 1 violin next week (did Grade 1 theory last week). I've completely messed up because she hadn't realised (how? How??) that it's when it is and suddenly looks worried.

Some virtual luck wishes would be appreciated!

green well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating ;) but that sounds fairly good to me tbh.

DD plays guitar most days, anything between 10 mins on the days she gets home late, up to several hours a day at the weekend if she's in the mood. Whether you'd call it "practice" is another question - I don't think she ever works on the pieces she plays in her jazz guitar class, except to learn a vocal. Occasionally she will steal a chord sequence for one of her own songs (that's practice, right? ).

Piano practice is 30-45 mins whenever she can, which is realistically only 3-4 days a week (on a good week she might do between 2 and 3 hours in total, as she sometimes does two sessions a day at weekends - but she doesn't always do that much). It seems to be enough, but at some point I think she will hit a ceiling. She is in her second year of piano and I think in another year she will have reached the stage where further progress is difficult without more work.

DD practises anything around 20 min and 45 min a day depending on her assignments and if exams are coming up. Her bed time is 8,30 and she can read for 10-15 min lights off at 9 the latest.

She does practise every day. Some days she does skip a piece or scales when we are in a rush but other than that she has her routine of 7,30 PM practice session and then getting ready for bed. All her activities are at the weekend and don't need practising at home (as I don't have an ice skating rink in the back garden) and she doesn't do any dancing practice which probably annoys her dancing teacher but she knows dancing is just for fun.

Practice varies here as it depends on what else is happening and fits round other groups. I really know what Fleur and Green mean about listening to the same tunes - they turn into earworms!
DS2 practises cello usually three times a week - we will ramp this up now as he has an exam in May. He plays piano every day but it's not always what's in his practice book! Close to an exam he would do scales before school and then focus on a piece/sight reading after school. He likes to play tennis and do tech or code club as well.
DS1 plays bass guitar every day and rehearses at school. Xylophone is probably 4 times a week for about half an hour. Drum kit has gone a bit quiet (!) although I know he plays at school and practises rhythms.
My own practice is really variable but I aim for four half-hour sessions a week at the moment, although I'm taking part in a concert in May so there may be a panicky increase nearer the time!

For us I think we have to do more as my daughter loves music, love learning to play and does practise, doesnt moan however not so talented(terrible sense of pulse, no perfect pitch etc.) and we are not musical...The only thing is if then she will need to sacrify her time for readings and other stuffs. Last night I told her that we wont going anywhere for Easter and she said" I am glad mom, finally I will have time to read all my books-(she is a book worm) then I realised that the last 5-6 months her evening readings were cut into much less as we needed time to practise(still feel like not enough)...She goes to bed around 8.15 and during the day time there is always smth else: chess, play date, playground....

And Raspberry too. Congrats. Can't keep up.

Congratulations Goo! And thanks for info Waffle. It must've been fun being there.

Raspberry: wonderful results!!!

Can I please ask how much practice do your children do each day on a normal day. Mine is doing 30 mins for piano and 15 mins for violin(however has stopped for couple of weeks as focusing on piano exam). Wondering is it enough for grade 3???

Fleur: i feel your pain, I am also so bored of the pieces. Have to find a way to cope/like them better in the next grade

Well done raspberries! Great results!

I have to say I am sick of the exam prep and I am so ready to see DD move on. I don't even care about the result much now (well I do but I am not bothered of pass/merit/distinction) as I can't stand hearing the three pieces anymore. Beautiful pieces but I stopped hearing them musically, all I can hear is the little mistakes when made.

How do professional pianists (or any professional musicians) bear the length of time of perfecting a piece?

Well done, Goo, on a truly remarkable result! Also, it sounds like a triumph for the raspberries as well - lots of great results there, the DCs must be very pleased.
Great to hear about the double bass success as well - a lovely instrument and a triumph over nerves! I sympathise - my piano teacher recommends a large dish of pasta before a performance or exam but that does assume you don't have an exam in the morning...
Theory homework tonight and theory lesson tomorrow. Must admit I am looking forward to Easter holidays!

Well done to Goo and Five hours DD.

Two days in to our Festival.

DSs school brass ensemble won again, the school has won since 1993. There isn't always competition but there were 3 others this year.

DS1 played one of his best ever pieces and got a distinction but wasn't placed.

There were only 2 in DS2s brass class, he was 1 mark off the winner with a really good performance.

He had a similar result in the piano recital today but got a distinction.

He and a friend won piano duet, and then DS won u17 jazz piano and 13-14 woodwind. All with Distinctions.

Tonight he and DD came joint second in their respective woodwind ensembles.

Well done Goo! Amazing result! She is so talented and I am amazed how well she is doing with all the festivals, theory and practice exams and her braces.

Well done to Goo, that is amazing.

Five: great result, very weldone!

Fleur: tks, will let you know how it goes

Waffle: Goo is truly talented, she might be one of a perfectionist who never see anything less than 100% is good enough, that attitude will help her to be success!!!

Waffle - Very well done Goo - great talent and resilience obviously! How was Strings Day? Did Roos go yo Strings day? - we are booked into the single reed day if DD doesn'thave a concert - are they worth the trek?

fiveHours - great result; I love the double bass!

Waffle - good luck today; we are Tuesday....

Re DD's results -thank you! We had a lot of fun but was seriously tiring.

Suspended -were you in W? Have you looked at Leamington Spa - lots of classes for different genres etc and supposed to be really nice again.

Musicmom1 what an impressive set of results. The more they perform the easier it gets, it's then not just about standing in front of an examiner in a grade exam.

Raspberry - ten festivals? you deserve a medal. I thought I was due a veteran's award for seven year's music school Christmas concerts but clearly I am but a novice.

SuspendedinGaffa I'd look at the requirements for both boards and see which suit your son better. Both of the syllabuses are on line, settle down with a cup of tea and compare and contrast. I remember it as the exam with James Bond in it (Trinity)

Fivehourssleep sometimes they are fine until you put them in front of a stranger. If she thinks RR saved the day then that's what she needs for next time.

Best wishes with the flute exam today Waffle

Well done to your DD Five! Very good results! Dd's teacher told me that one of her other students (which we know as her lesson ends as Dd's begins so sometimes we chat with the mum also) broke down in tears before and during her exam and had to restart a piece multiple times. I felt so sorry as she worked so hard, she couldn't wait to do the exam.

Green thinking of you this weekend, good luck, I am sure she'll do fantastic!

Good luck to all the DCs taking exams or participating in festivals, I hope their hard work pays back with great results.

Very nice result for her, Five. Well done. This will hopefully boost her confidence which will help with nerves.

DD1 got her double bass result from her exam on 27th Feb. Her teacher rang her last night to say she got a high merit ( 127) for her Grade 5.
Everyone is thrilled because she suffers terribly with nerves ( only justpassed G4 and broke down in tears a dozen times).
This time she only cried once and although I put it down to more regular practice, DD thinks it was the entire packet of rescue remedy she necked before the exam. :)