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Original poster

(Mostly) August Music Thread

842 replies

Wafflenose · 28/07/2017 14:29

Here's a new thread for August, but we're starting it a few days early, because you lot have managed to be super chatty this month! I wonder if things will slow down in August due to people going away... maybe or maybe not?

I'm Waffle, a teacher of woodwind - mostly recorders and clarinet, but I have a couple of flutes currently, and teach saxophone, piano and theory when required. I am determined that the music threads should be open to ALL, including complete beginners and adult learners. It's a good place to discuss lessons, practice, concerts, exams and our generally hectic lives!

I have a DH who plays the guitar for pleasure (no lessons) and two girls. Goo is 11 and has her Grade 7 Flute (March 2017) and Grade 6 Recorder (December 2015 and now pretty much stopped Sad ). She has been learning the piano for 15 months, is refusing to perform in any way, shape or form, but will probably take Grade 5 next year. Rara is 9 and has Grade 3 Cello (July 2017), Grade 3 Recorder (December 2016 and also ceased) and is working towards her Grade 3 Clarinet... probably next spring. Goo is off to NCO Under 12s on Sunday, and we need to pop out to get her some shoes and general supplies in a bit.

I have just realised that we will probably have Grade 8 Flute and Grade 3 Clarinet going on in the same session, Spring 2018. Oh dear! If Rara bothers with Grade 4 Cello, we'll probably have that at the same time as Grade 5 Piano, next summer. Double oh dear!

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Fleurdelise · 24/08/2017 12:47

Geography Business studies and maybe chemistry but at the moment he wants Btec in Business studies as well as it is worth 2 A levels. That's what he submitted he wants to do Business studies at Uni.

Fleurdelise · 24/08/2017 12:46

Well done drummers great result! Wow!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 24/08/2017 12:43

Well done mini troutsprout and Fleur's DS. Good grades all round. What subjects is he going to do, Fleur?

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Fleurdelise · 24/08/2017 12:40

Waiting in the car park for 40 min, he got into sixth form which is a relief, 5Bs and 4Cs and D in PE. A bit disappointed (him not me) that he missed his As in sciences but knowing he didn't work that hard I think the results are fair.

Well done minitrout and minifoundout.

drummersmum · 24/08/2017 12:29

Super minitrout well done!!

troutsprout · 24/08/2017 12:21

A* for gcse music for Dd .. she's v chuffed. She was only picking up the one result this year but was still managing a stellar drama queen performance in the last few days 🙄
Well done minidrummers!
Keeping everything crossed for Fleurboy

Original poster
Wafflenose · 24/08/2017 11:34

Very well done, Drummerboy, that's amazing!

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drummersmum · 24/08/2017 11:11

It's an A* for Spanish. Very happy family right now. Good luck everyone!

foundoutyet · 24/08/2017 10:52

Fleur, under no circumstances was I to leave the car....but he came back quickly to show me the results then left again to chat with some friends. He had threathened not to tell me at all....

drummersmum · 24/08/2017 10:52

niggle did I forget to comment in your fabulous result? I did! Star Star

Kutik73 · 24/08/2017 09:21

Good luck, Fleur. As a fellow worrier and stressmonger, I can imagine the unpleasant level of stress of the parents in the situation! My thought is with you, and anyone who is going through the same agony.

Doubleup · 24/08/2017 09:09

Best of luck to those dc who are getting their results today....

Fleurdelise · 24/08/2017 08:25

I'm awake, getting ready to go and collect. Not sure if I'm allowed to go in or wait in the car I'll find out soon.

Thanks all for being so supportive!

troutsprout · 24/08/2017 07:52

The very best of luck to Fleurboy... I hope he gets the grades he needs for whatever he wants to do next.

Just the gcse music result to pick up for Dd today and that's been bad enough(!) so I hate to think how much more stressful it has been for you( particularly this year with the new English and Maths)
Hope he ( and you!) managed to sleep ok

TaggieOHara · 24/08/2017 07:37

fleur good luck! Thinking of you today!

Minimusiciansmama · 24/08/2017 01:41

fleur ditto what waffle said- you and the boy are in our thoughts!

As are the rest of you with minis waiting today. All the best xxx

Original poster
Wafflenose · 24/08/2017 00:25

From everything you've told us, I don't think there's any reason to think he won't have a great set of grades. We're all thinking of him (and you!).

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Fleurdelise · 24/08/2017 00:22
Grin

I'll grab a book Smile

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Wafflenose · 24/08/2017 00:11

Stop worrying and go to bed!

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Fleurdelise · 23/08/2017 23:56

Uhh just managed to work myself up into almost a panic attack, just read the GCSEs support thread to wish everybody good luck, found out that there are allegedly leaked Edexcel maths grade boundaries, found them and now spending the time trying to figure out how much DS would have got based on his feedback after exams. My heart is racing!

Sorry to offload here....

Original poster
Wafflenose · 23/08/2017 22:51

They all go through phases! Rara is going through a phase of doing no practice, being rude, answering back, and having a go at me about everything (not even music related) so there's no way I can try to teach her anything at the moment.

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Fleurdelise · 23/08/2017 22:45

Waffle hank you! Good to know about Goo's NCO pieces, I actually thought everybody is ready and dd is just starting.

I am hoping she'll have the pieces ready - ish as in note and rhythm correct before she starts with the new teacher so I can tell her about NCO and then she'll (hopefully) help her polish them. She'll have about a month.

Dd started to obviously prefer clarinet to piano, she wants more exams on clarinet, none on piano, she thinks she's better at clarinet than piano, she's determined she'll get to grade 5 clarinet before grade 6 piano to show me she's better at it. Hmm

Hopefully her piano teacher won't get wind of it as she'd feel bad I think seeing she thinks dd is one of her best students.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 23/08/2017 22:00

Yes, that's fine Fleur. It would be lovely if someone could do the same for Goo - any other flute parents around? However, she won't have made final choices until the end of September (she has five Grade 8 pieces on the go, so will possibly select from those?) and won't let me film her at ALL right now! I am feeling a bit twitchy because everyone else seems to know what they're playing, but this is normal for us. Once, she was between teachers and had train wreck preparation, culminating in changing piece 40 hours before the audition, to one she hadn't looked at in over a year! She does like to wing it.

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Fleurdelise · 23/08/2017 21:18

Thank you all for thinking of me and DS for tomorrow. He's very stressed thinking he's failed all of them. I am less so, more stressed about the fact that he is heading off to Reading festival straight after picking up the results. Going into school 9 am sharp as he wants to hear asap.

Waffle good to hear Goo is back on track with piano sounds amazing how fast she's progressed. She is clearly very determined and has a afinity for music. (You know how much I hate the word talent but if it does exist than Goo has it). Smile

Back on track today piano great practice, had to start it slow so rather than getting dd to practice all her 5 pieces assigned before her holiday we've dug out one of her grade 5 pieces and another one that she loves just to get them back to where they were 3 -4 weeks ago and amazingly tonight Summertime sounded better than before. These two should be ready by the potential audition (secondary school) to choose just one and perform it.

NCO - she loves the practice of the two pieces, when they are close to ready in rhythm we'll video them and send them through to you Waffle to critique if that's ok. Smile

Doubleup · 23/08/2017 19:31

String, I didn't know there was an annual NCO thread. Didn't find your one when I searched; could you link it?

Very quiet house at the moment as DD2 is at U11s. Quite strange. Looking forward to the concert at the end of the week, then it's 10 days until school starts, 10 days after that until grammar entry test and then various school entrance exams/auditions and NCO audition. Busy couple of terms....