Spring/ Summer Music and Musicians Thread

Oh God loose I am such a control freak with piano knowing the teacher and communicating frequently (just to clarify, I am not one of those parents, it's just that we have been with her for a long time and she sometimes texts to ask/tell stuff outside lesson) that it didn't dawn on me that I may not even meet the clarinet teacher.

I guess if we go through the music service I'll have to adapt.

Just back from a weekend away to find a new thread! Hi everyone and happy birthday this week to Waffle!
I am learning piano, currently working on grade 4 and this is likely to be the case for a long time! No exams for me this term!
DS1 (14) is taking grade 5 tuned percussion next month; also plays drumkit (think level is around grade 6) and bass guitar, working on Rockschool grade 6. Future plans seem to include learning guitar and piano, not sure how he's planning to finance that, ha! He is music ambassador at school and has unlimited use of practice rooms!
DS2 (11) is just finishing primary school, has grade 3 cello exam in May and likely to do grade 3 piano in July. He plays in a training string orchestra, which he loves.
Fleur We use borough music service for most of the tuition. My advice with clarinet is go for it and rent the instrument for the first term, just to be sure DD is happy with her choice. I suspect she will love it! Also, top tip, find a way to meet the teacher early on, it helps so much!

Waffle: have a wonderful birthday week!

Everyone else and especially Prada, all the best for all exams this term. I wish Prada the best so she will have her head clear for the big 11+/CEM!

I have 2 girls, the baby one and the 8 years old one just had her grade 3 piano done. We dont know if we will take the grade 4 exams, we might skip it however will go through pieces and scales as usual. She also learns violin. She had her grade 1 last December and learning grade 3(just finished grade 2 scales and pieces). Scales seem a big step up while the pieces are not too bad. She loves joining the school Orchestra and has been asking for it, hopefully it will happen soon.

Regarding to exams this term we have grade 5 theory and grade 3 violin.

Similar to Rara she is really into drawings and reading. She is a book worm however still super active.

Next week I am very tight however hopefully I could catch up with everone next weekend. Have a pleasant Sunday evening and a lovely week ahead!

Hi all, I have DD (14) on piano, violin and trumpet and DD (13) on piano, viola and oboe. They are very much hobby musicians but have started doing piano exams over the last 18 months now I have passed the baton on to a proper teacher. I do the strings teaching in a very low key fashion because the trumpet and the oboe are what they both truly love. They both play in the council orchestra but DD1 moans that DD2 gets all the best solos. We are in Scotland so there are loads of sociable fiddling opportunities. We are also very lucky to be in a brass band area so DD1 is introducing me to the World of competitive playing.

Land I second talking to the teacher about aural and sight reading. I think going up the grades it can suddenly become more apparent that a more formal approach is needed. DD1 improved hugely between grades 5 and 6 with just a bit more focus and working through the sight reading exercises. On using the aural app make sure the singing back practice is done out loud at a good volume as confidence is key. I take credit for DD's scales improvements as I have to nag her cos she hates them. The bad news is there are loads for grade 5 but if the foundations are solid then they start to become second nature.

Oh, forgot to say that music service hires - and repairs - instruments too. Their clarinets are usually of the bomb-proof but very beginner-friendly variety - DS moved on to the Buffet one you mention, which we bought him when he reached about Grade 3 (didn't do exams until Grade 4). Similarly he took Grade 4 alt osaxophone on a music service instrument, and his new Yamaha was a series of birthdays and Christmases rolled together.

Fleur - DD started on a plastic Yamaha; moved to a wooden buffet last summer but actually still plays both. Yamaha is an easier play when tired; the the buffet has better sound. Def hire or borrow one first and then the teacher will advise. Yes DD progressed quickly as she loved it and played a lot; I think she is slowing right down now - again all v normal for a second instrument if they have started relatively young on their first.

We are coming to the end of exams (except music AS) as the youngest has his grade 8 trumpet, grade 7 singing (he won't do grade 8 which is a shame as he has a lovely voice) and he doesn't want to do more exams on the guitar but it remains lovely to hear him playing every day and I hope he does for the rest of his life. AS music concerto to be recorded soon early next term and a few other pieces.

Prada my second youngest did grade 5 theory 3 times one term after the other (passed 3rd time. He did do grades 1 2, and 3 as well and had passed those first time).

Oh and good luck to all the dc's exams and projects this term. Ours is to finish Fur Elise to a respectable playing level.

Thank you all! I just wanted to have a vague idea about expenses and what is a good clarinet and what I should stay away from. The Buffet B12 and the Yamaha YCL series seem to be the "must have" ones (attracted by the Yamaha as we have the Yamaha piano, just to keep the trend up LOL). Of course I won't purchase till the lessons are starting and I am talking to an actual teacher to see their requirements. Thank you all, DD decided she will stick to clarinet as there is the Jazz path also.

Fleur you should be able to hire one from the Music Service, you will need to buy reeds. Then if mini fleur likes clarinet, they can advise you about buying one through AIPS, which means you don't pay VAT.

Fleur I'm no help as DS2 uses a borrowed clarinet, which isn't a beginner's one. My friend started him off when he was 7 and used her old books. He actually taught himself quite a lot through orchestra and windband, she only gave him occasional lessons and checked his technique. He did like What else can I play Grade One and Two

Hello all! We have as you all know G5 theory (again!) this term. The Mark sheet revealed miniprada spectacularly cocked up on one question which denied her a pass... We also have G5 violin special visit in May and G5 piano during the summer term. The new (antique) violin is proving to be a massive incentive to practise although her teacher does say it is like driving a Mercedes after a clapped out old banger so no wonder...work to do on sight reading and aural (she hates singing) in both though... Then a break from Sept (assuming a pass achieved in all three) to concentrate on 11+ and CEM.

To the poster asking about theory revision, I made colour coded flash cards for each grade to correspond with the colour of the Eric Taylor books which helped identify words she probably knew previously as opposed to the final G5 words.

Good luck to everyone this term!

Wow musicmom am I right to understand that you DD started clarinet just over two years ago and she is already grade 5?! Amazing, she must be so talented.

wolley thank you for you feedback. Gosh I have to say the thought of spending another £200 on an instrument after getting an upright piano summer last year doesn't appeal to me just yet. I guess I'll have to take the hit and get it before the lessons start. Should I rent one initially until it is established she's happy with clarinet lessons?

Still anxiously awaiting dd1's violin result. It's only Grade 1 but it's her first practical so it's important to me.

She's 8.5 and has been playing the violin for about 18 months. She plays all the time. She also did Grade 1 theory last term and passed that with distinction.

Surely to God we'll find out this week?! Lessons are arranged via the music centre and it's been the holidays.

I'm tempted to phone tomorrow and ask...

Fleur, we started with these two books, Paul Harris's Clarinet Basics and Abracadra Clarinet by Jonathan Rutland. They have got dd through grades 1 and 2 and she will use them a bit in conjunction with the new books she has as she progresses.

Dd started at just turned 8 with a full size clarinet. Many use a sling but dd didn't get on with it so it hasn't really been used. She has a Buffet B12 which was recommended to us as a good beginner instrument, the.

Hi all - DD (yr5; music scholar) plays cello (grade 7 this term), clarinet (awaiting G5 results), jazz sax (no exams) and sings incl in two childrens choruses. Is in the NCO for third year. she is considering whether she wants to be a choirester for secondary school!! V busy term ahead.

Fleur - clarinet is wonderful as it opens up so many playing opps quite quickly - DD still does one jazz group on it and another on sax. She started Christmas of yr3 (is now in yr 5). My only caution is its easy to move quickly on as second instrument but technique needs to watched or else they can hit a bump at G5 or 6. But that's no different to any instrument I guess.

Aural is another area that from a certain level I would expect you need a teacher to explain. For example we used the abrsm app on the side but I had no clue as to how would she know the difference between major and minor key, her teacher explained it so well that DD gets really good marks in that area. For grade 5 I think they need to identify the style of a piece, you difinately need a teacher to explain the different styles.

Can you all clarinet expert people give me some names of the clarinet beginners method books just to get myself an idea of what it involves? Also what is a good clarinet to start with (Yamaha? Or which other brand?) and some advice on size, would a small 9 yo need a different size? Gosh, so many questions going through my head.

Definitely need to look at sight reading thank you. I wish I could help more. Does anybody use the ABRSM aural App? I thought that she seemed to be getting good results but I guess nothing really takes the place of a good teacher!

Thank you for your advice on the second instrument, our county music centre seems to have 1-2-1 lessons in various instruments (including clarinet) from what I can gather from their website. I have sent them an enquiry hopefully they can add DD to the waiting list if there is a long wait.

To quickly reintroduce ourselves, I have 2 DCs, DS is 14 yo and not a musical bone in his body while DD is 8 yo, has played the piano for 2 and a half years since she was 6 and just took her grade 3 exam. No exams planned for her this term.

Landrover Dd's teacher was of the principle that students learn to sight read naturally by being exposed to a lot of new pieces however DD had a poor sight reading result in her grade 3 which now means her teacher made it a focus of her future development. So she practises sight reading in lessons and she also has an exercise a day to practice at home which I know what she has to do.

In Dd's case is the word sight reading that blocks her, she can sight read quite well when learning new pieces. All her new pieces (she started 3 last week) are sight reading but she doesn't realise that is what she is doing. The moment the word sight reading is said she has a mental block because she hates it. So the purpose of sight reading exercises is to show her she can actually do it, and so far she finds them easy. (She started with the grade below to make her feel they are easy).

I would discuss it with her teacher and ask her to address it in lessons but I suspect the teacher will anyway once they have seen the exam result.

Landrover it all depends on the teacher. Now that you've found out that yours doesn't include sight reading training and aural development in lessons you might usefully ask her to do more OR get lessons in just those aspects from someone who loves teaching them.
Unfortunately it seems to be quite common for kids to find themselves in this situation and it's a shame.

It's not quite summer term yet here - our holidays are not for another week - though it feels very spring-like today!

DD actually has an exam of sorts this coming term - she has a piano audition to determine whether she goes into the "second cycle" at her French music school (conservatoire) next year. It is kind of a formality, I think, because she will be expected to play at grade 4/5 standard and she is preparing a Chopin nocturne for her assessment. She says her teacher seems rather vague and relaxed about it ...

Passed with 107 (forgot to say). Pieces were 24, 25 and 26. x

Hi, hoping you lovely lot can help. My 12 year old has just passed her grade 4 piano (phew!) Scored fine on her pieces (thank god), scraped a pass on her scales but scored very badly on her sight reading (I know, I know :-) and her aural. I am not musical at all but a big support and she really practised very hard for her exam. My problem is that her piano teacher only did a couple of sight reading tests with her before the exam (I did loads with her but obviously have no idea if they were right) and again only a couple of aural tests (although she asked us to get the ABRSM app which we did one or two a night from about a month before). My question is, is this what would normally happen? Are piano teachers generally more relaxed about aural and sight? Is it something that can't really be taught?

I really don't want to get to next year and grade 5 without her having more confidence in those areas. Thankyou all xxx

"Has anybody got any experience with the local music centres around the country?"

Our county one is excellent but doesn't do 1:1 lessons - these are done either in school (although the county music service no longer provides teachers, many schools still have relationships with particular teachers) but does do groups at all levels from First Access right through to county-wide selective orchestras / bands.

It is primarily organised around a few geographically-based music centres, which typically meet for a few hours once a week offering a menu of different groups and activities. You can attend as many or as few of the activities as you like, and can attend more than one centre for the same termly fee (IUIRC it's a little more for the county-level selective groups, but not much)

DS - saxophone / clarinet - does 3 hours (jazz, orchestra, senior wind group) at one music centre and 1.5 hours of jazz at another. Several of his friends also do the county wind orchestra, and DS is hoping to audition for the senior county jazz group (Grade 6+, probably higher because he plays common instruments) for the first time this summer after taking his Grade 6. He's off at the NCBF national final-y thing today with the music centre jazz group.