(Mostly) August Music Thread

Kutik, I agree with Waffle, I'm afraid, about the violin. If you remove the financial aspect and just look at the musical issue, it sounds like it isn't time.

Ah, Green. We have more in common than you think. Our lives, too, were turned upside down by the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. As a result of the financial freefall and fear in the markets, a contract with a major bank was withdrawn at the last minute, 2 days after Lehmans. It was signed but they backed out. DD was one, we had to leave London and move to a small village, and have been in the courts ever since. Our lives just changed direction over night. The chances and opportunities for our DCs withered. I wish I could do more for them. Our summer hols involve trips to the swimming pool and one or two trips to the cinema. The youngest two are touchingly excited by these "outings". Until they go back to school and find out where everyone else has been! I hold on to what I can do right now. And on the whole children don't miss what they haven't experienced.

We are getting close to a resolution in our case hopefully, but it has been ten long years.

Thanks waffle, dd is using the Maureen cox - theory is fun Grade 2 as well the official Abrsm grade 2 book. She finds it light, whilst reinforcing the official syllabus. She has got 1/3 of the way through the book I think this summer. She struggles to retain facts though

Oh no Kutik I don't like that sort of dilemma!
Waffle I think DS2 has to tackle theory properly soon! He did the grade one book rather grudgingly ("not fun") but it got put on hold while he did G4 piano exam. The teacher was suggesting tackling by topic rather than whole book at a time, so do a topic from G2 to G5 then on to something else. But she may change this now the exam has changed a bit. Either way, I know DS2 is going to whinge about it!

Green you are definitely getting it right! Don't worry about missing anything by the way. Mine don't really remember much of nursery despite all the stress I had over their happiness! MiniGreen is likely to sail through selective tests - just look at how well she did on grade 5 theory, it was amazing.
I do love the sound of drummerboy's toddler years - he clearly still has the same amazing focus and it will take him very far indeed.
It's interesting to see how different siblings are as well. In theory both of mine should be similar as they like the same things but their personalities are really different, just as Goo and Rara are so different. Their choices of instruments reflects this. DS2 has no interest in percussion and I couldn't persuade DS1 to try piano. On the other hand they both like guitars!

Oh dear, I hope someone can help me think straight...

DS and I popped in a couple of violin shops last week, just as a research, then ended up taking two violins home... DS's teacher suggested to start looking around in the first place, but she didn't mean to upgrade to full size now. DS can sort of manage full size, but the teacher prefers him sticking to his 3/4 for now as she is planning to go through technique focused lessons once her lesson starts in October. She says it's easier with 3/4, otherwise DS has to deal with technical demands as well as stretching his hand/fingers. I agree.

So today, I have to call the shops to tell them I'm returning them. However, DS is begging me to keep the one he fell in love with.

Pros of buying now would be no hustle/stress for the search of 'the one' any more and it's there ready to be picked when he finally moves on to full size, and also the payment is slightly lower as 3/4 will be traded.

Cons would be he may change his taste and may not choose the same one if we wait, it's too tempting to play 4/4 rather than 3/4 if you have both (the teacher's opinion), we have to go through the hustle of selling 3/4 independently as we won't trade with 4/4, and we may not be able to find as good deal as we are offered now for trading with 4/4. We also have to pay double insurance to cover 3/4 and 4/4, and understandingly 4/4's is broody expensive (ouch).

Pros and cons of NOT buying now would be basically opposite of all above.

My reason tells me I should return for now and re-start all again when needed, but my slight fear is that DS may not be able to find what he loves this much within our budget (both of them are very stretching end of our budget).

Ah! Dilemma!!!

Thanks waffle

Thanks all, I am here, in mumsnet so I must be doing something right !

ealing, Czardas is a hard piece to play properly! Perfection may not have been the aim of the teacher, perhaps. It sounds like your DD achieved her given task very well. I too prefer pieces that'll be within DS's capacity (technically) for auditions, but happy for him to be adventurous and fearless for studies for reasons.

Happy Birthday to yesterday's the Boy.

catshave, what's an experience you had! Amazing!

drummers, thank you for sharing such a story. It all explains why he is so brilliant. The powerful mixture of the natural potentials and nurturing environments!

Green, we all want the best for our children, so feeling we could have done better is very natural. I do have the moment time to time too. I make coffee (or pour wine if you prefer) and let myself deep into my own world. May even let me sob a bit if I feel like it. But the most important thing (well, to me) is to keep trying to be better, a better person (mum in this case) as long as my life continues. We can all make a change from the moment when we notice something is not right or we could do better. You are wonderful.

gilly badoom-tish! :-D

Inspired by this thread I have gone slightly rogue with the birthday IOUs this week, ordering not just a bunch of ABRSM stuff but also the wonderful Doflein violin books and Kodaly's nursery songs and one of his two-part choral method books. Obviously will be a while before Cygnetengesang (DS) is singing these but DH and I can sing and play them.

Thanks for the suggestions upthread about music schools, outreach etc. Unfortunately not in the UK but we do have a Saturday music school here, a youth orchestra with holiday academies, a children's and a youth choir, all of which regularly send kids to the national youth orchestra or choir. I guess one of the advantages of being somewhere tiny is the easy access to national-level stuff. We did have a cathedral kids' choir too, but sadly it has folded due to lack of money & volunteers to run it.

gilly good one

Green - don't beat yourself up! It'll work out fine in the end 😘

Happy birthday boy! Enjoy the birthday present!

I couldbeknitting

You can't beat a musical instrument as a birthday gift

You can if it's a drum and on that NOTE I'm off

You can't beat a musical instrument as a birthday gift, or Christmas come to that. No batteries required, no fiddly assembly and it should still be in use years later.

Misery not muddy

Green what a story (and the world of banking changed so much since causing far too much muddy and uncertainty). Too much stress for all of us. Banking was a much happier place Pre 2007. My daughter was born much later , summer 08, but I remember the pressure my ex was under to suddenly work so much harder rather than enjoying the baby.

Waffle, clarinettists, can you please tell me how tongued the grade 2 scales should be. I'm sure dd is doing too much tongue.

green I know that pool, we have used it many times! Please don't be hard on yourself. Your DD is so curious, lively and smart. You're always doing your best and that's more than many non working mums I know!
ealing 😙

Alex, I wish The Boy have a great fun birthday today!

I love Alex and Drummers stories about your son's childhood. Thanks so much for sharing. I feel like I have missed all my daughter childhood. I was worried about losing my job and had to put crazy hours in and only took 4 months maternity leave( she was born by end of 2007 and few months later Leman collapsed and both our jobs have always been in risk since, my hysband lost his job 3 times since still). Since she was 1 yrs old till she was 5 yrs old I was busy working and trying for second one, it was so expensive and stressful 5 years with loads of injections and hormone pump etc. I remember when mom came to help us taking care of her and mom showed her letters and numbers and at 17 months she can read any car plate, my friends were all amazed and we still talk about it now. When mom went home couple of months later then she forgot all. I never noticed. She couldnt read when she started reception like any child and picked things up quite slowly in reception(dual language). She always loves maths/numbers. Very opposite from Drummers this child never sits still for 1 min even now. We are amazed by her everyday. She doesnt appear as she focuses or listening however she just gets everything anyone explained to her. We were told she has photographic memory however I dont think so, she has a good memory for sure although(this she has from her dad). We started piano lessons with our neighbor to cover the missing childcare hours and for fun. She started violin lesson at school as everyone in her class did. I feel like I am failing her always. I do try to catch up though. My aim next year is hoping for her to get a selective school place. Today, right now, I brought her swimming and I am happy.

Happy Birthday to the boy! 🎈🎉🎈🎉

Love the stories Drummers; don't ever stop them. He was a remarkable little boy that has grown to be an very accomplished musician!

A very happy birthday to the super clarinetist boy!!

I think toddlers are simply amazing, never again in their lives will they learn so fast and so much in such a little time. But also, every child is different and needs a different approach. In our case DS started piano lessons very early, around 3,5, because he had the attention span and the focus of an adult under hypnosis. When he was 18 months my mum called me at work really worried saying DS was not normal. He was refusing to go to the park and all he wanted to do was sit in our red armchair next to the music system and listen to our vinyl records. He only called her to flip the side. He spent so many months on that chair we started calling him little Buddha (ha ha nothing to do with the lanky teenager inhabiting my house now!). He didn’t want to climb, break things, go out, throw balls, nothing. So when he was in a ball pool at a playcenter he sat inside it with a ball in each hand and just watched the other children play for up to 1 hour totally concentrated (the workers there were worried too). Age 2 he became obsessed with Menuhin’s CD “Instruments for the Orchestra” which I admit is kind of hypnotic. We had to take the cd everywhere, the car, on holidays. The psychologist from nursery called me, again worried, they didn’t know how to make him happy with their usual soft toys etc. (This was not in the uk) I said, “sit him in a corner with music. Beatles will do”. Next day the carers were jumping with joy, they had even forgotten to change his nappy, he just stayed there for the three hours giving them no trouble. Age 3 and a half he sat in a concert hall through a whole opera without muttering a single sound (I had to argue with the people at the door to let him in). When he started piano lessons with DH he never once distracted from them, got up from the stool, threw himself on the floor or started looking at the ceiling which would’ve been perfectly normal. His hands were ready for simple games and tunes. I always recommend to start early but then I tell myself every toddler is his own world. Sorry for all the stories but I start to remember the past and they all come at once! So long ago now! He climbs and kicks balls now

I love waffle 's recommendation of starting with a glockenspiel.