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May Music Thread

784 replies

Wafflenose · 01/05/2017 15:59

Hello, and welcome to the May thread. It's a public holiday in the UK, but my school is open and I had to work today, which is why I've only just got round to it! This is a place for parents of musicians of ALL levels, and adult learners, to chat about lessons, practice, scales, concerts, exams, and whatever else they'd like to! We have lots of regulars, some occasional posters, and sometimes people who just pop in to ask a question. It's a friendly place.

I have two daughters. Goo is 11 and in her last term at primary school. She's working towards her Grade 8 Flute (some time next year) and playing from the Grade 4 Piano book (currently refusing to take any exams, and putting off the first proper performance!). Rara is 8, may or may not be doing Grade 3 Cello this term, and is approaching Grade 2 Clarinet.

Both of them played the recorder for years, starting as preschoolers. They reached Grades 7 and 3 respectively, but sadly neither has really played since the music festival a few months ago. They are obsessed with their Flute and Clarinet, and really enjoy Piano and Cello. There won't be many opportunities to play the recorder at the secondary school they will attend, so much as I love it, it's probably a good time to quietly drop it. Recorder has given them both lots of opportunities, confidence, reading skills... and festival prizes!

Goo does NCO and South West Music School. Rara isn't that level at all when it comes to music, but is gifted with her hands. Instead of practising the cello and doing her school spellings today, she completed a lovely sewing kit without bothering to look at the instructions, and also made a lovely crafty construction from card and coloured paper. Both girls are keen on drawing and playing computer games. Rara swims and Goo plays sodding netball and dodgeball, which have both been responsible for multiple injuries over the past few months!

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Kutik73 · 15/05/2017 14:03

Green, just PMed you the info you asked. Sorry for late replying!

LooseAtTheSeams · 15/05/2017 13:17

Green she's doing well! Good luck with the scales - painful is the word as far as I'm concerned.
Fleur i like her choice of pieces! I've just got started on Waltz in A and Sostenuto! I have to map out DS2's piano practice, though, or he will only play pieces! He's on track with the g4 scales as long as he doesn't forget anything learned so far but he hasn't done contrary motion yet! Sight reading is one per practice session so we should have done a reasonable amount by half term and the exam will be July. What I really dread is the aural because he won't sing apart from in the exam. He's got away with it so far but I know he won't practise the intervals. I'm holding off nagging about cello practice for now!

Greenleave · 15/05/2017 12:48

Fleur: best of luck for your son on gcse(I fret about 11+ and its nothing compare to gcse...).
We paid again for violin g5 last week, havent got the date yet, we are ok with intermezzo, half way through Rondino and havent touched Allegro. For piano we will choose the B1 and try to learn it, its great fun when its challenging. Scales are still painful to learn however we accept its part of the package.

Fleurdelise · 15/05/2017 12:37

callme I was talking about DS's gcses, no exam date yet for dd's grade exams. Dd is doing the Scarlatti Sonata, Slow Air and Summertime. I love Sostenuto and Cool but Dd is the one choosing. Is your dd ready? I'm hoping for July dates as dd still has some hard work to do on the Scarlatti piece.

Thank you Loose!

callmeadoctor · 15/05/2017 12:11

Fleur has your daughter got a date for grade 5 exam yet? My dd is doing Allegro, Sostenuto and Cool.

LooseAtTheSeams · 15/05/2017 11:01

FleurFlowersFlowersFlowersWine

drummersmum · 15/05/2017 10:18

green I loved the pic you posted.

Fleurdelise · 15/05/2017 09:26

I am spending the morning trying to control my blood pressure as the examination session began today. And I am not even the one taking the exams 😂

LooseAtTheSeams · 15/05/2017 07:18

Ha! Gilly I got conned into finding a Japanese tutor because DS2 didn't want to do French. It seems to be going well, though! (I'm relieved to say DS2 seems quite happy to stick with French.) the things we do.
As for schools, well DS1 was mad keen on art at 10 so I paid particular attention to art departments - how was I to know that a few drum kit lessons would turn into an obsession with music!

gillybeanz · 14/05/2017 21:44

Greenleave

I understand your comments about balance, it's very hard and even harder as they grow older.
My dd is finding it hard atm as had to choose a pathway already, to start in Y9. They have to make choices so early these days and in their case a bit earlier due to the music commitment.
I've been talked into providing a tutor for GCSE Italian, which is going to prove nearly impossible.
Why do I agree to these things?

"Iz it cos I'm a Mum"?

Greenleave · 14/05/2017 20:46

Thank you, these are good tips, I have a dark/sleeping eyes cover, could use it in the game.

Maths: well, she had a perfect score for maths when she did the tutor test, although the remark of maths isnt as strong then I asked what we need to do, any recommended practice book then there isnt an answer. I know I need to have a 1-2-1, maybe mainly on the technique side: 1 hour a week for everything, its so hard to find one. This one can sit and do maths day and night though. As much as I want her to not to be too academic and studious (however not failing her important test) and challenge herself in things like music. I think I am the same as we all here, a right balance is hard to find.

May Music Thread
Fleurdelise · 14/05/2017 19:54

Green you could play a game and break the piece into small chunks then see if she can do it without mistakes with her eyes closed. Dd loves playing this game, she does it without any reason just shouting "look mum I can do it with my eyes closed".

Pradaqueen · 14/05/2017 19:34

Well done minipaulweller! Thanks drummersmum for sharing that advice. Perfect.

SATS are over. All ok. Miniprada has been chosen to represent her school in a national maths competition next week so she's very pleased. We had our final rehearsal lesson for G7 violin next Saturday 😱 All ok here. Teacher is pushing for a distinction. I'd be happy with a pass or merit. She has worked hard though. Piano is ticking along with no grade work yet.

Green - pm me if you need any 11+ advice. I agree with whoever said the teaching group will be biased towards selling more tuition. We tried group tuition initially but frankly it's like school and it won't fill in your child's personal knowledge gap. She's got plenty of time so treat it like a marathon not a sprint. I do find it hard to believe that a child who has already passed G5 theory, is great at chess and reads physics books for pleasure is 'behind' in maths. I'd take that with a pinch of salt.

Have a great week everyone!

drummersmum · 14/05/2017 16:34

gilly thanks for the clip. It hit the spot Grin

AlexandraLeaving · 14/05/2017 16:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Greenleave · 14/05/2017 14:45

Gilly: enjoy the performance!

Ealing, all, very valuable advice especially the interview bits which I completely forgot. And the motivation if the child wants it then go and get it attitude. So we will do few next year(we are only yr4 now). For now, I promise I will not mention 11+/unrelated musical stuffs.

Any tip for playing without a music book in front, is it the mentality that someone must have it opening infront of them and actually they dont need it? Mine had a terrible performance recently mainly because she forgot couple of keys then stop then rushed through the rest. Violin is better. She plays her g5 pieces without the book.

gillybeanz · 14/05/2017 14:19

I completely agree about the school being right for the child.
I know our dd really wanted to go to the school, but if it hadn't been a good fit, no way would it have happened.

I do think though, at least at dd school "A good fit" is part of the audition process. It doesn't matter how good you are if the environment isn't right for the child.
Just in the 2 years dd has been there we have seen children leave as what suited at 9 years old doesn't suit at 14 plus.
Obviously as they progress through the school even more demands are placed upon them, and not everyone can cope with it.
The musical demands are plenty before you think about GCSE and A level preparation.

I'm going to listen to the latest Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann pieces dd is singing now, so will come back tonight after school run Grin

Kutik73 · 14/05/2017 10:24

I agree with ealing and Fleur. The best school in the country doesn't mean the best school for your DCs. I also think how much you should put effort in the preparation depends on where they are aiming and how many gaps to fill in to achieve the required marks. For instance, one reason why we are fairly relaxed is that DS is not aiming those super-selective boys grammars. Although DS may have a chance to get in with good preparation, I feel they are not right for him. So he doesn't need to prepare madly, and instead he can spend his time on something else.

Fleurdelise · 14/05/2017 09:57

I agree ealing, one of the selective schools in the area is known as the best in the county, everybody wants their child to go there, when we visited with dd last year she was adamant she's not going there. For a second I looked at her trying to picture her there and it definitely isn't the school for her. Sometimes is so easy to forget that the school needs to be right for your dc that you just go with the flow, if everybody wants their dcs there it must be right.

Did anybody watch Eurovision? Happy for Portugal but I found the song boring and his speech at the end very arrogant. I wanted Italy to win. Or Moldova. There were quite a few good acts.

LooseAtTheSeams · 14/05/2017 09:33

Great tips drummers, many thanks for taking the time to share that. I think removing the distractions and focusing are such good advice. Actually, this is advice I should take.
Well done minipaulweller lovely to join your big sister!
Green we will never speak of the time I tried to get him to talk about his feelings aged 13! Grin

ealingwestmum · 14/05/2017 09:18

really useful tips Drummers!

ealingwestmum · 14/05/2017 09:14

Just catching up on the news quickly before another day of sweaty poolside competition waiting for the odd 30 secs of magic (or not). Still squeezing 30 mins of violin now, how we juggle in this house now is not great!

Congratulations on the school place for minipaul!

green: I do understand the challenge of not allowing your DD to fall in love with a school, but she'll be in Y5 and they have a big part to play on learning where they may best fit, even from a feel on open days that we parents can miss. It can also be motivating for them if they can see themselves somewhere. And then work harder towards that. Where interviews apply, this is key...

Icouldbeknitting · 14/05/2017 08:20

Congratulations to paulweller junior, wonderful news.

Kutik73 · 14/05/2017 00:11

Green, yes DS is Year 5 but we are not doing anything particular for 11+ yet - but with reasons. I don't want to bore everyone here so I will PM you to let you know the details.

drummers, thank you for the sharing.

raspberryrippleicecream · 14/05/2017 00:06

see what DS2 thinks!

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