(Mostly) August Music Thread

Green my parents don't understand why children have tutor these days

Will try to post more later and read all your interesting new posts in details, just wanted to say that my parents are the same. They are here now helping us with summer childcare and I have my dad saying every single time my daughter touches either piano or violin that, we dont come from a musical background, no one plays, she doesnt show any talent, why bother!!! I think next year when she does her 11+ then I will not ask for help, they dont understand that children have to study these days. When I told them that we need a tutor, we are looking for one and they gasp in horror. They say it many times in front of my daughter how horrible exams are, her mom(me) didnt study at all at this age and didnt take any exam until university and still could earn a living. The moment I have my children back, hopefully everything will be in order.

thesecond indeed! I bet you're brushing up on your science along the way!

Thesecond, I have someone loves Science more than music at the moment, I could relate to everything that you are saying. Pls can you remind me how old is your DS?

If you think people lack understanding about supporting a child through musical activities, you should try Science. DS2 passion for Science is equivalent to the passion that many of the children in this thread have for music.

We try to support DS2 in any opportunities he is interested in (if they are feasible). This year we have taken him to the Big Bang Fair, the Imperial Festival and the Royal Society Summer Science Festival, and we'll be taking him to New Scientist Live in September. Thankfully the first three were free.

We have become friends with a small group of parents of young scientists and share info with each other, but a lot of other parents can't understand why we are doing this: "But he has Science lessons at school; surely that covers it?" Well sort of. His primary school were very supportive when he was working three years ahead of his peers, providing differentiated work and visits to the local secondary school's labs for the practicals. The secondary school is thankfully geared up for him.

When people ask, I compare it to tennis or swimming, pointing out that many parents travel miles and give up hours each week to support their children in following their passion.

Rant over. Sorry about that.

I once asked my mother why she hadn't thought of ever offering me and my siblings music lessons. She said "well, because none of you showed any special talent for it". That's like saying, "well, you were never a good swimmer" to a child who has never been inside a swimming pool!!!

I bumped another car at a red light when I was 18 two months after getting my license. My family decided I could not drive. I haven't driven since. They still say it.

Our woodwind repair guy offers the choice of:
Check over: £25 + VAT (he will then let you know if anything needs repairing and give you a quote)
Full service: £95 + VAT

I could I was, and still am told the same by my mother. As in "can't believe your dd is at x level as you aren't musical "

Icould It's never too late to start!

It's not only that people are not aware of the work our children put in, but they're not aware of the work WE put in, the huge implications in our life not to mention the constant "noise" in our homes (I hate calling it noise, but I can't find a better word as practice is not really music!). A school mum was recently saying he wished one of her children had a passion like DS instead of Youtubing all day. I almost fainted on the pavement, as I know she's the type who would not put up with ten minutes of "noise" let alone ferrying instruments, sitting outside auditions and investing a huge proportion of their earnings to music lessons and instruments. Of course I believe a child is better of playing music, it enriches their lives, their intellect, their social life and builds self-confidence, etc. That's why we do what we do, right? But it doesn't just happen on its own.
Yesterday was another four hours of non-stop drumming, then one hour of marimba. I could not hear my own breathing.
Meanwhile gilly is having to deal with the emotions of her DD who 's back at home but itching to go back to do what she loves most. And waffle is sitting for hours in a car with her funny shoes to give her DD an NCO experience. At the same time, someone else is always ready to cross London to service or restring. And one of us will be crying her heart out at the last church event in which her child will be singing, after having supported the full weekends of a chorister's life.
It's not an easy path for anyone (the existence of this support thread is proof enough). Yet, it's one full of joyous moments.

I always find that parents of children who love sport get it. One recently said to me "minitrout playing music is like my ds and sport.. she can't live without it can she?"
That's it totally
The interest was there naturally but it's the compulsive playing at it that makes her good

TheSecond,

DS had taken Grade 6 and was starting to learn his Grade 8 pieces (he only does a selection of grades) when a clarinet teacher friend recommended a secondhand Buffet E13 to us as a replacement for his well-loved and well-used B12.

Had that not happened, we would have just carried on with the B12 through to Grade 8. The E13 is lovely, and sounds fabulous, especially in the upper register (DS is a jazz person, and the high register can be really useful in improvising against a full jazz band!), but we didn't NEED to replace the B12 just for exam purposes.

Thank you MiniMusiciansMama and AlexandraLeaving

Upgrading the mouthpiece last year has made a difference to the sound. If upgrading to an E11 or similar would make a difference, then we might do it to increase his playing enjoyment.

If he gets Grade 8 next year, he might (finally) be invited to join the school orchestra, and an intermediate instrument would be better for that.

Second I misread your post and thought you had dropped both the flute and clarinet - possibly in horror after the AS level reminder!

I am notoriously clumsy, but thankfully not that clumsy!

DS has a summer volunteering "job" digitising a collection of very old music. He's going to have a lot to talk about at uni interview, possibly starting with the naming of old instruments. Today's oddity was the "alt horn" which google assures me is a tenor horn or possibly a flugel except that the number of parts and the key says that it is a baritone. Yesterday's weirdo was a monstre bass.

I hate the labelling of musical/not musical because I was on the receiving end of it. When you've been told for decades that you are "not musical" you believe it without questioning it. I never considered learning an instrument as an adult because I'd had it so firmly driven into me as a child that I was not musical. I'm 54 and my mother still says it to me now.

I find that irritating too fleur. I've har several people comment that ds has learnt 'so much so quickly' on the piano who then look at me aghast when i mention daily practise......

Welcome very. I have been living with the k283 for almost two years as the 1st mov was DS g7 piece and he chose the 3rd for g8. I'm afraid he will want to learn the remainer mov this year so I'm getting ready for more k283! I'm not surprised about your wrists...

No fleur I get that I don't think other people necessarily realise how hard our dcs work ( at times at least ) what made me laugh once was when a friend wondered why ds was continuing to play the trumpet ( because he likes it !!) or why he had also taken up piano !! I think they get it now and are always very enthusiastic and supportive of ds but I'm not sure that they would have made the same comments about sporting activities

Fleur Yes - the "very musical" thing pisses me off. Also "very artistic", "very creative" - which always makes me ask "and what exactly do you mean by that" which pisses other people off ...

Very There's a thread where we talk about playing! www.mumsnet.com/Talk/music/2897437-Instrument-players-come-and-chat

Very welcome! We are here to discuss all abilities and opportunities for little musicians and adult learners as well. I love how supportive this thread is in a non judgemental way, I am sure a lot of us would be labelled as tiger mothers who are pushing their dcs to achieve on a different forum or in real life.

Talking about real life, does anybody else gets annoyed when people in real life make comments such as "your dd is so musical!". I get annoyed as I feel her work is dismissed, it's like they are implying she woke up one day and she could play grade 5 piano pieces. I may be sensitive about it and while I don't deny you need to have a certain amount of inclination towards music I always reply with "yes, she works hard for her music achievements but she loves it".

at not committed enough at 2!

Fleur I loved that! I used to run very famous car dealerships in London and actually it was the 'C' list people who were very flouncy about not being recognised, the true A listers found it amusing.

Very we are not at all scary !! Love your story of not being committed enough at 2 !! This thread has been great as I really don't have much of a clue about what i should be doing to support ds who just kind of fell into music . I'm very much making it up as I go along