New Year Music and Musicians Thread

Good luck everyone.
Waffle, any idea when BBC young musician will first be televised? I can't find it anywhere.

MusicMom1 very well done to your DD! That's an amazing set of results! I believe DS was at the same festival - and yes, we also really appreciated the immediate and supportive comments from the adjudicators. The other thing that stood out for me was the warm rounds of applause for each competitor at the end of their performance and again once each mark and feedback had been delivered. Even my 10 year old commented on how friendly and helpful the other competitors were. Good luck to your DD for her exam next week - hopefully she is really motivated following that clutch of wins!

Raspberry - 10 festivals - I think it will take quite a few years until I can match that number! DS is entered into one other festival this year, and then we relocate to NZ in September where opportunities to compete and perform, at least in the place to which we are headed, appear to be extremely limited. Mind you, I have two little ones behind DS so plenty of years yet to hone my expertise. (From Festival 1 I have learnt to write the composer's name on the music so that my son doesn't do guppy impersonations when asked for the information).

I am having to enter DS for his G3 Trumpet exam outside the auspices of his school next term since the peripatetic staff have all just been informed that a special AB visit is not being arranged as is previous years. At least this gives us the freedom of choosing between ABRSM and Trinity, which both schedule exams in local venues. Without opening a can of worms concerning the relative merits of the examining boards, does anyone have any views as to which repertoire and technical requirement for the trumpet might be more interesting / fun / better?

Mistigri: inherited from both parents she loves singing however has (terrible)voice... Yes, I will look around for dancing(might be tap dance) in our area at weekends...thank you!

Green I think some people do just find this easier than others (it's not a strong point for me whereas it seems completely natural to my daughter).

I wonder if some "complementary" activities like dance or singing might help? I think my daughter's strong sense of rhythm was partly developed by an intensive period of playing rhythm guitar as an accompaniment to her singing.

Howabout: we know that it has always been an issue with her, a steady pulse, feel it, keep it awwww!!!( I cant even do it and most of the time tell whether it was correct as I am nonmusical so its so hard to help her).

We have the most basic apps on our iphones however we hardly have time with her during her practice so it doesnt help. Her another problem is she memorises all notes, she has a very good memory which helps her to learn the piece real fast now we find it so hard on playing them nicely too...memorising notes also causing issues with sight reading awhhh!!!(her learning is good, she learns music theory so fast)

Green I don't think it is at all unusual to have to work at keeping a steady pulse. DD1 has control freak tendencies and she still shouts at the metronome because it refuses to keep time with her.

We have a proper ancient manual metronome but there are lots of cool free apps with monsters etc to keep time with.

Musicmom: awhh, thank you, just google it and it sounds fun, the only one near us (Richmond) is for 2-7s, she is already 8, might be too old to join

Greenleave have you thought of finding a Dalcroze class - very good (and fun) for developing those sorts of skills.

Well, silly question in some panicking moments, anyway got the tutor text tonight for this question:

"A new piano will not help with the pulse or rhythm. It doesn't depend on an instrument. Sense of pulse is one of the musicianship skills (only developed by listening, rhythmic exercises - clapping the pulse, even dancing to music!). A new piano will certainly help with sound production and piano technique"

Thank you everyone!

Also can I pls ask a question, one of my daughter issues is her "feeling the pulse" isnt good, what would improve it?

Is it anything to do with our old yamaha piano? Will getting a new/good one help? I am thinking only getting a new one once she is learning for g5 however if it helps then we could get her a new one sooner

SuspendedinGaffa I've just worked out this will be my 10th as a parent. The first one was DD in Y2 in Infant Action Songs.

Good luck to everyone with exams on the horizon.

Just wanted to add to the good luck messages - hope the DCs have a good experience in the exams and best of luck to the festival players as well!
I have my piano lesson tonight and have done hardly any practice - too busy chivvying everyone else! Need to go and concoct some scales...

Good luck too to this week's examinees.

DD did a really lovely festival this weekend - 6 classes and a whole day, so v tiring but great judges. We watched a lot of other classes and I think the immediate and do constructive feedback is really helpful. Two 1sts, 3 2nds and a 3rd for DD so she was v happy, and it reflected how much she had worked for it (far more than for next week's exam!!)

Thanks Fleur

Good luck to Howabout's, Woolleybear's and Greenleave's DC - fingers crossed for good exam experiences all round.

Also good luck to Raspberry's DSs - as a new convert to festivals, I hope they both do very well and enjoy their performances.

Greenleave. It involves lots of lists! And as loose says, it is a nightmare whenever things change.

Good luck to those with exams this week.

Festival time here, starting tomorrow. Solo classes for both DSs plus school brass ensemble.

dd did her last one without me as it was at school. This time I have to take her as it is away from school, she has no more music stuff planned til the Summer term but has three performances of the school play the following week so we are having a week off practice. While telling me this she is nagging to learn another instrument...

Loose:))!

Wool, howabout: good luck for this week exam!

Exam week for us this week too, piano grade 3. She isnt ready I can tell, 4 weeks ago the lessons went well and she was ready, after 2 weeks holiday and 1 week having a terrible flu then she just is "different", however we have reached to the point we really wanted it to be over. If it wasnt a pass then We might still move ahead with grade 4( didnt know we could skip grade until joined this board) and try to do better(different approach, practise more and no holiday couple of weeks before the test date.

Hi woolleybear. DD1 has grade 6 piano this week. I think she is at the stage of just wanting to get on with it so I will stop nagging her to practice her scales and aural for a while. She also has a band competition and an orchestra performance this week and a set of school injections and the first rehearsals for the school show. Hopefully she won't have time to get nervous. I am sending her on her own for the first time as I am sure I pass on the nerves to her.

Good luck to everyone else in the same boat.

Music exam week for us here (Clarinet grade 2), anyone else? I'm sure I get more nervous than dd! Its at the "it could go either way" stage with both pieces and scales at the moment so hopefully most of them will go right!

The one thing that can send me a bit mad with music activities for two children is when there's a day change. Just for today, DS2 has piano and cello lessons, both this morning, at school. i can see him accidentally setting off with the cello tomorrow - except he usually manages to leave it at school so perhaps not!

Raspberry: I cant handle more than 2 kids to be honest, let alone 3 musicians, it must be hard and needs a very well organiser!

Fleur: good to hear, being confident is important and even if it wasnt a desirable result we could always do again

Well done to your DS Suspended!

Mock exam of Friday wasn't a good idea, as you said, Friday evening was a hard time to focus. She had another one Saturday morning in lesson and her teacher sounded very satisfied. I think the Friday evening feedback sank in also.

But she seems to be at a very good point now, any work from now in the next two weeks it is only added bonus.