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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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Doubleup · 04/05/2017 09:08

Soup sounds nice Green! Anyone else exchanging recipes? Smile

So DD2 (10) is entered for G5 theory this term and, slightly against my better judgement, for G7 bassoon. Aargh! I see tears and tantrums ahead -(and that's jut me!)- , although dd insisted to her teacher that she did want to do it this term and that she understood that there was a lot to do - an hour of playing a day plus aural practice . Just a lot to do with the exams potentially just 9 days apart.

Pradaqueen · 04/05/2017 02:49

P4 already! I am determined to keep up this month.

Get well soon minitrumpet!
Well done minidrummer!

Green - i'mcoming to yours for dinner tomorrow Grin. we decided to leave JD until secondary too - if at all. Miniprada loves dancing which is pretty much all day Saturday so until we resolve that clash, it will be tricky to fit everything in.

In other news, extra orchestra has been helping with sight reading - so that's good. She is leading the other junior orchestra and has been asked to skip the next level orchestra (year7-9 one) and audition to join the full advanced one which was a lovely confidence booster. she has learned the lesson about scales it would seem after G6 piano so that's positive too.

SATs next week then G7 violin on the 20th! Then lots of fun. Horse riding will be back on the fun timetable as she can (for once) risk breaking something (obvs I don't want her to but you can't wrap then in bubble wrap for ever!)

stringchild · 03/05/2017 22:45

Green - def worth looking at; however, DD starts at 9 and finishes at 5....with very short gaps during the day. So a long and busy day, which knocks out sat eves too! But it really depends on what instruments etc you play and therefore how many ensembles etc you are in and some JDs do a shorter day in the first years etc. So go see them (when the colds are better!)

Greenleave · 03/05/2017 22:36

Lovely to hear from new faces!

Drummers: wow!!! you are such a proud mom! Minidrummer rocks!

We are all down with a cold as the whole family with this cold weather brrrr! She might have to take a day off tomorrow from school as there was some temperature tonight. After some chicken soup(super quick: whole chicken with some sliced onions, potatoes, butternut squashed, gingers in the pressured cooker for 30 mins then just give everything a few pressings, served with some chopped corriander, black pepper and spring onion). We all had a large bowl then 1 hot chocolate each and I am now in bed. I am reading your children JD and first time I think I would consider it when she is in secondary. So far, we have been wanting her for ourself as a family at weekends as we hardly see each other during the week. What Alex is saying here that MiniAlex finished at 2.30pm on Saturday then it isnt too bad, we still have the afternoon together.

drummersmum · 03/05/2017 21:03

Indeed paulweller ! Have fun !

LooseAtTheSeams · 03/05/2017 19:48

Sadly for us, DS1 is on a geography field trip! But have made note to self to keep an eye on these things!

Paulweller11 · 03/05/2017 19:44

Ha that's funny we are going to the RNCM percussion day Sunday! Smile

drummersmum · 03/05/2017 19:36

paulweller, loose and all other drummers, we're going to the RCM festival of percussion this Sunday. Masterclass by Benny Greb and lots of events and performances. Highly recommended Wink

Paulweller11 · 03/05/2017 18:23

Congrats Drummersmum drummer on JD and Gr 8's!!!
Congrats to anyone I've missed too- can't keep up this thread at all- it moves so fast....
All good here, gr3 theory and gr2 piano for dd violinist (9), no exams for dd percussionist- (7)- although she's working on gr2 theory- she's not a fan of exams, and as she's the second born, I'm not too fussed either. : )

LooseAtTheSeams · 03/05/2017 18:18

Drummers what a lovely experience and of course you had tears in your eyes! We look forward to seeing him on YouTube!

drummersmum · 03/05/2017 18:04

Jd has been accepted by the way. From now on time is going to be scarce in this household not to mention money Confused Momof2 that's great news for your DD. fleur that authorization was due ! icould i like your thinking

raspberryrippleicecream · 03/05/2017 17:45

We are obviously luckier with our Festival than I had realised. Accompanists are available free, and will have a practice session with you beforehand too.

Drummers that sounds amazing

Trumpetboysmum · 03/05/2017 16:57

Great news mumof2girls. I know at DD's primary the only music they do is the whole class brass lessons and i'm pretty sure if they don't let dd continue (because she has lots of opportunities outside of school apparently !!) then she won't get any music until high school. It's depressing. Sport is important too- and both of mine really enjoy that too (hence the injured wrist!) but I'm fed up with music and drama coming second. High school couldn't be more supportive- they do masses of music at school and still let ds have lots of days off for extra music

Fleurdelise · 03/05/2017 16:42

Love it ladies, I'll use that phrase if I ever get refused, I may have to ask for another day/half day off depending on the exam date, I'll use the "I am just fulfilling the curriculum gaps that the school seems to have created". Grin

Pretty sure music is on the curriculum though I can't see what they actually teach them, hopefully they won't take any credit of dd's music achievement in her end of the year report.

Well done to your dd MomofTwoGirls!

MomOfTwoGirls2 · 03/05/2017 16:32

Hello everybody, I usually lurk but never manage to keep up. This is prob my 3rd post since Sept..

DD2(13) is a Suzuki violin kid. She just did her first violin exam today, Royal Irish Academy of Music grade 5. Pieces were fine, her teacher said her Mozart was the best she ever played it. Scales were only ok, some excellent some not. Sight reading was hard. Aural was fine.

We took advise from kind ladies here and did lots of work on aural this year. Sight reading has improved lots but not quite where it should be yet.

I think it's back to Suzuki to finish book 5 and 6, and maybe try for Grade 7 after that, maybe in 2 years time. While continuing to work on sight reading, and spend 18 months or so in Grade 7 scales...

Phew!

Trumpetboysmum · 03/05/2017 16:30

Love it icould !!

Icouldbeknitting · 03/05/2017 15:07

I found the supporting letters for absence were so much easier after I'd learned to cheat. If you google the benefits of team sports and rephrase it so that it relates to music you can have a letter written in no time flat. Today's first search covered:

friendship and camaraderie
cooperation and teamwork skills
leadership skills
appreciation of different abilities
respect for team mates/ opponents/officials
a sense of belonging/team membership
social interaction skills
physical skills
self-esteem and self concept
team goal-setting skills
self-discipline, patience and persistence
resilience through sharing positive and negative experiences.

A musical ensemble is a team game too.

ealingwestmum · 03/05/2017 14:52

ah, x-post!

ealingwestmum · 03/05/2017 14:52

Also hoping *minitrumpet's injury is heaps better today. We are injury-central in our household, can sympathise totally on wrong timing!

Trumpetboysmum · 03/05/2017 14:48

Well no phone call from school so ds has obviously survived the day with his sore wrist goodness knows what he will remember though seeing as he can't writeHmm He's got a lesson later ( to work on aural) so maybe we can make a plan for when it starts to improve. Thanks again for all the encouraging messages I'm just hoping he recovers enough to take part in all the things he has planned music wise over the coming weeks
So pleased they authorised the day off fleur dd is in a musical later this term and may need to leave school early on a couple of days . We shall see if school are supprtive or not but I will be pointing out to them that seeing as they couldn't find the time for a year 4 production or any drama this year we are just filling a gap in the curriculum Grin

ealingwestmum · 03/05/2017 14:46

Oh I can see you would have liked that Drummers; caught well and truly with my pants down on that day Grin. So pleased your DS's Mozart sonata went so well after all that effort he's been putting in, enjoy this week's run of concerts!

Well lots of controversy behind DD's recent ABRSM school exams. She came away with a very respectable 125 for the G5 singing (she was not happy), though a week on of results being issued the teachers are all still up in arms over the harsh marking of most of the students across all instruments. If they included comments that native speakers could not pronounce their lyrics properly (in their home-tongue pieces), then something does sound slightly amiss!

Hello to the newcomers. It's a growing family isn't it?

Kutik73 · 03/05/2017 14:16

drummers and Fleur explained so well of what I wanted to say! DS was in both situations you two described.

DS was a quick learner with little patience. So he moved very quickly from one to another at the beginning. He seems to have matured a bit and gained some patience these days and it started reflecting the quality of work he can achieve.

And like miniFleur, DS did the digging out the old piece thing for an audition this year. He played it so beautifully. I didn't think he could improve that much as it already sounded fairly good a year ago. So no end of improving, I agree!

Fleurdelise · 03/05/2017 14:16

Oh and the headteacher authorised dd's absence for the wind band day. Grin I wonder if she went "I didn't know we have kids playing instruments in this school!" Smile

Fleurdelise · 03/05/2017 14:11

drummers of course I am very proud of her and as you said she's still little, no comparison skills wise but she'll get there. I am yet to see a public performance of hers when she doesn't make a mistake (loses her way, stops, recovers) even if it is all impeccable at home. But she'll conquer her nerves one day, I'm sure.

drummersmum · 03/05/2017 14:03

And of course we also come here because it's the only place you can confess to have almost cried during a performance of our child and it's OK Flowers

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