October Music and Musicians Thread

Waffle: best of luck this week!

We had ours done today. I think the only good news is I wont have to pay for the expensive week. We were late finding the place and it was pouring and we were lost(so classic). Basically, under prepared. We although definitely will try again next year(hopefully).

Good luck with NCO everyone, it sounds like a great thing. You're all inspiring me to consider it for ds next year - anyone know if they take basses in the training orchestra (don't think he would be a high enough grade for age banded by then). He is just learning to play in a little Saturday orchestra just now, doing lots of pulse work to help him follow the beat. I was also working on recorder grade 2 with him but he has decided he doesn't want to actually sit the grades. I will try to persuade him to do a festival or something instead maybe.

Disorganised - i will pm you re our JD

Waffle - great that you could change it back! i am sure it will go fantastically. fingers crossed for both of ours, it all seems to have come round so quickly!

Wow,that's amazing waffle. We've been told to consider NCO but we've decided to try Guildhall first and go from there. I think this may suit ds better but who knows.
I'm now trying to decide whether we need to upgrade his beginners violin- a Stentor 1? It's a 3/4 size and he's not ready for a full size for a couple of years. We've upgraded his bow and strings and he can get a pretty good sound out of it but very unsure and am trying to get an objective view. Does anyone have any advice?

Waffle apparently so. He showed me someone on YouTube. The Internet has a lot to answer for! If this ever actually comes off I will insist on recording him!
I think Goo is just amazing!

Waffle forgive me for asking but where is you DD auditioning for?

Good luck Waffle

Good luck, Goo! Great idea to just get on and get it done, plus much better not to spend all that time in the car.
Ooh, that's a nice (potentially expensive!) place to go, Drummersmum.
Ds2 managed to get a bit of piano practice done yesterday then was swamped by homework so I didn't nag about the cello. Will nag tonight instead!
Ds1 has hatched some crazy scheme to play a Bach cello concerto on bass guitar. I am trying not to think about it too much.

Good luck Waffle!
We're heading to the Yamaha music store in Soho this evening!

👏 Waffle! Good luck!

Stringchild,its ds's idea of heaven too! I hope he loves it when we look round. It will be an alternative to specialist music school too. They are quite far away from us so ds would have to board which he's not comfortable with at the moment.
Do you mind me asking which JD your DD is at or is that not the done thing? We're going to look round Guildhall on 5th Nov and the very nice chap I've been speaking to said he will email us a timetable nearer the time so quite sure what to expect. The auditions are from Jan-March I think. I'm hoping the very long day won't put ds off.
Thanks everyone for your advice and support.

Ealing, hahaha, 3 hours!

Disorganised: I dont have any experience, just wanted to say very best of luck

Eau de chlorine is my DD's favourite musk drummers. She thinks being immersed in a pool for 3 hours constitutes a bath. I will never be one to imply girls are more hygienic

Can't help disorganisedmummy but very very best of luck in supporting your DS in achieving his goals. There's a few at DD's school who have been learning there on Saturdays and are very talented, with excellent tuition.

oh and she is also 10/yr 6 - so i guess same as your DS

hi Disorganised - DD is at a JD and it is her version of heaven; it is a very long day (but depends on whether you opt for a lighter first year or not so check out the options) as at her's they have to do aural, theory, plus choir, ensembles and individual. DD is a joint first study which def makes the timetable more challenging. So very very tiring, but also blissful for a child that loves to make music. So we/dd would very strongly recommend it but be prepared for a full day. For DD it is a good alternative to a specialist music school, at this stage at least. She is also lucky that she has ensembles/choirs everyday at school.

Hi everyone. I've posted a few times before about my ds (10) and his violin.
Ds is now around grade 5-6 standard. Pretty solid grade 5 and starting to do grade 6 work. He did his grade 1 exam and passed v well with a couple of points off distinction. He hated the whole thing and said never again so we have never bothered. His violin teacher (pro violinist) and teaches at grammar schools said she would take him through the pieces,scales,aural and the rest. Plus does lots of duets. Ds also plays in a county orchestra and our local orchestra as well as attends music school.

His dream is to be in one of the big orchestras like Royal Phil or such like. He wants to go to music college. We are looking at Junior Guildhall in a few weeks for their Saturday school with a view to him going there at 18 full time. If he likes it,we will apply and hope he gets an audition.

We are told that he has perfect pitch and an excellent musical ear. He also has aspergers which may explain it.
If you're still awake after reading all that,has anyone's dc auditioned for any of the junior conservatoires and if so how did they find the experience?

Half term also known as music catch up is next week here.

for Green and all other stressed parents.

It does end and they do learn. DS1 had 2 concerts today at uni and apparently organised getting himself and instrument to both, and had an ironed black shirt! Proud mum emoticon required here.

Ealing I have a Chorister DS, and have seen (heard) how his voice has developed, and how much skill and technique is involved. It was new to me. Amazing, isn't it.

Ealing
snap!
We're also on half term also known as music catch up Word by word
I also had a wow mother moment, mine less nice than your DD's lovely voice. It was discovering the perfume that emanates from a male teenager after three hours of drumming in an overheated attic.

Green never apologise for having a moan - you have to be able to let off steam! and for this evening. Really sympathise on the job front. I only work part time - except I can't get my teaching hours sorted at the moment, which is niggling me - and do research/writing the rest of the time, so in theory I should be able to organise everyone and myself. Instead, I have days when I wish someone else in the house would actually remember where they need to be and pack what they need for it! I love half term for the break from some activities but usually get stressed about what I haven't done in my own work! And my practising went to pot this week!
But having said that I do think MiniGreen will be ready for her exam and she is definitely sparky enough to get through her 11+ in style when the time comes. I think you should pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Thank you,

I am far from the level of having a PA, rather than keeping my job these days. We earn the same so it doesnt make sense if I quit. He lost his job in the past and its getting even harder so the quiting option isnt there for the family as a whole yet. Mothers do so much more not just physically though, simple thing like mentally preparing what's happening for the next day/meal to all the social activities, schoolings, childcare, family financials, investment, planning and many times things are falling apart. Sorry, this is the last moan.

This morning I made a mistake to go to "Costco" the first time with a friend of mine(in hope for wholesale savings). Well, ended up spending so much and lost the whole precious weekend morning with the kids, meaning, no practice as I got home and they were panicking preparing to leave for the usual Sunday Orchestra rehearsal with their toast in the mouth. Seriously, like what Drummers said, we just need to get them(husbands) to do more.(just tired and stressed so such moanings, he is ok, he just really needs me to tell him whats happening next and sometimes I even dont know what we need to do next)