May Music Thread

Dd uses earplugs at nco but not for the regionals. They have them there on the residentials) for anyone who asks (free!)

Thanks all, definitely no ear infection as she never gets them and never complains of ear pain, it just started a few days ago straight after playing one of her pieces which has quite a few high notes and after she does that piece she says her ears hurt. I wonder if her blowing technique is wrong and she builds pressure by locking the reed or something, I'll ask her teacher also and if it becomes regular will take her to the gp.

Sorry cannot add any knowledge to the ear plugs or devices to mute the violin. My neighbour suffers from hearing problems but this was after many years playing brass for LSO. I've not noticed anyone wearing plugs at any orchestras DD has been part of...yet, but I may not have been that observant!

Ds doesn't use earplugs for nco ( but then he's part of the problem!!) his teacher says it's quite difficult to play with them in and personally doesn't like them but you have reminded me that I need to ask his ent surgeon about it next time we see him

Thank you all. I ordered ear plugs for kids. But when do you really need to start using them? DS does orchestra only once a week ( apart from occasional NCO) and at the moment they are doing sectionals so I suppose he doesn't need to use them yet? How about NCO? Anyone used ear plugs there when they do full session?

DD sits right in front of the trumpets, so although they usually have screens up she does sometimes use squishy foam ear plugs depending on what they are playing. The only times her ears have hurt when playing on her own though she has had ear infections coming - so would definitely get this checked.

If it hurts after playing it's more likely to be pressure building up ( from an ear infection?) so I would get it checked out. Drs don't always like to treat ear infections etc these days and prefer them to clear up for themselves but at least they will be able to have a proper look. Hope it gets sorted soon

Fleur/Kutik - yes dd has ear plugs and they are offered but not enforced in her orchestras (full rather than string) although not sure how many use them (those sitting in front of brass and percussion do more often I think). They are not the mega expensive ones that professionals have made (our ENT is v anti those for children. Dd has hearing from problems but doesn't find the earplugs a problem - they cut out sound impact rather than sound itself. Re clarinet - if an ear inf is brewing dd gets a lot of discomfort playing so yes have dd checked out.

trumpetboysmum I hope you hear really soon. Good luck to your sir! The AYM we are waiting to hear from is Awards for Young Musicians.

i haven't seen kids with earplugs in orchestra/bands - im not sure how they'd properly listen to themselves or the rest of the orchestra? Maybe I'm missing something though! Xx

Personally, I have never met a musician who uses something to protect their ears. However, I only joined this thread this year, and my knowledge in the musical world is very little. So I just wonder how much it's true...

Sorry, it's late, and I'm sleepy, so I am probably in my worrying wonderland at the moment. Fleur, apparently some people just use cotton instead of ear plugs, or occasionally mute, to avoid constant exposure to the intensive sounds. I also read about musician's ear plug, which is designed to be used in rehearsals or practice so you can still hear the sound.

Fleur, why don't you take her to GP just in case? DS gets ear-infection a lot. Now and again, he complains some pains in his ears and almost always I put it down to ear infection, which usually goes away naturally and if not I ring GP for antibiotics. But after I heard this musicians' hearing problems, I researched a bit. And I found some worrying articles. I am a worrier, so I react this way! But it's good to clear any doubt or worry? Hope someone can share more knowledgeable views on this...

Kutik its like you read my mind. I was coming here to ask about something similar, dd is complaining her ears hurt after each clarinet practice for the last few days, is this normal? And should I get her ear plugs?

Could I ask a silly question to those who are an active member of orchestras/bands? Do you use earplugs or something during rehearsals? Apparently some use them to protect their ears. Also, those who play high pitched/loud instruments, do you have any hearing problems?? Also, I heard that violinists have a tendency to develop poorer hearing in the left ear, and flute players in the right ear due to the direction of the sound coming from their own instrument. Have you ever heard such a thing? Is it true...?

Waffle hope goos hand is on the mend ds's wrist made a remarkable recovery thank goodness
AYM stands for Aldeburgh Young Muscicians it's like a jd but run on slightly different lines and is very close to our house ( which is a bonus )

to Goo and Waffle, we had a day off yesterday from school and not doing anything because a swollen eye(the Ortho-K is tricky to put in) but all is good today.

woolley does her teacher offer lessons during the summer? Dd's piano teacher does but her clarinet teacher doesn't so probably progress on clarinet will slow down over the summer. We are also away for two weeks so all in all not a big break.

Poor Goo - and poor Waffle!

Oh no Waffle, hope it is feeling better this morning!

Dd is adamant she is taking her grade 4 next term and has now chosen the other two pieces. They are very much in the learning stage now but seem quite a step up from grade 3. She is getting so much better at taking out the sections that need more practice.

We are struggling to fit in as much practice as she would like due to school work so we shall see after the summer if the exam is likely or not.

I'm not sure what to do about lessons this summer, I have to stay when dd has them outside of school and I don't think I have a positive impact on her playing!

Waffle you must be despairing! And wishing dodgeball didn't exist I hope healing is quick xx

Oh no Waffle! I can see why you're annoyed. Dd has a flipping rock climbing party at the end of the month, I keep worrying she'll break something, plus trampolining every Saturday. Last time she had an ice skating party the evening before her clarinet grade 1 exam and I spent the time praying for her not to break her fingers.

Some progress on sight reading continuity tonight after I asked her to imagine she's accompanying a clarinet player. She only corrected once. Maybe there's still time.

You won't believe it but still DS is excellent at sports. So I don't think he is not coordinated. I start suspecting it may be something to do with attention. He is as if switching to auto-drive mode when he is not focusing then start knocking everything off...

Funny, I was just thinking when DS actually hurt himself by playing football. The injuries are very often on the legs and never on the top half! But he is seriously clumsy. His nickname among friends is Mr. Ouchman. So you must understand the level of his clumsiness. So he gets hurt all the time, but strangely not his top part during sports, but more often so during playtime. The most suspiciously dangerous zone is in the playground. But in his case, basically anywhere, as he can even tumble down on the nicely flat surface.