Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

September Music Thread

665 replies

Wafflenose · 01/09/2017 01:01

Hello, and welcome to a new thread for September. This is a lovely, calm and supportive corner of Mumsnet where we can talk about everything to do with music lessons, exams, practice, auditions, and whatever else you like. Contributors of ALL standards and ages welcome. There are lots of experienced music parents on here, but we also have a steady stream of beginners, and the collective knowledge on here is impressive.

I'm Waffle, teacher of woodwind - mainly clarinet and recorder these days. My DH plays the guitar for fun. We have two DDs - sensitive, highly strung and accident-prone Goo (11) who plays the flute and piano, and starts secondary school next week, and laid back, funny Rara (9) who plays the cello and clarinet, and is also a reading machine.

There's not too much going on for us musically this term, apart from auditioning for NCO in October. My main priority will be getting Goo settled in a much bigger school, with a longer day, and she's getting there under her own steam, eek! Luckily for us, we don't have any music exams or secondary school entrance stuff going on, but I know that lots of you do. I am anticipating Grade 8 Flute and Grade 3 Clarinet next term, and Grade 5 Piano in the summer term. I've no idea if Rara will do any more cello exams after the drama of the last one! At the moment, she says she's sticking to the odd numbers. Nutcase.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
TheSecondOfHerName · 18/09/2017 22:50

Alexandra I'm so sorry to hear about your mum.

Well done to miniFleur on getting through to the next round. DS2 said there were three people on the panel and they were 'friendly and nice'.

Doubleup · 18/09/2017 22:14

I'm really sorry to hear that Alex. You'll find that it's a time of really mixed emotions - sadness that she's gone and laughter as you remember little moments and stories.

For my dad's funeral, we had a medley of Scottish songs, then as he had been a farmer we had Morning Has Broken which seemed apt and another hymn, the name of which evades me at the moment. DD2 played Gabriel's Oboe (on her oboe and I'm not sure how she did it) and he was piped out of the church to another Scots song, the words of which were written by a relative in Victorian times. I don't know if any of that is helpful, but I hope everything goes well. I'll be thinking of you.

girlwhowearsglasses · 18/09/2017 22:02

Thank you alex and sorry to hear your news, thanks for the wave

LooseAtTheSeams · 18/09/2017 21:54

Alex very sorry to hear your sad news. Take care of yourself. xxx

Trumpetboysmum · 18/09/2017 21:47

So sorry to hear your news Alex take care x

Greenleave · 18/09/2017 21:33

Oh Alex, I am so so sorry to hear!!! Lots of hugs and love from the Green's.

Wafflenose · 18/09/2017 21:31

I am so, so sorry to hear this, Alexandra. Take care of yourself. xxx

OP posts:
Minimusiciansmama · 18/09/2017 21:27

alexandra I'm sorry to hear that sad news. I haven't suggestions but am sending love x

AlexandraLeaving · 18/09/2017 21:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mistigri · 18/09/2017 21:16

Excellent news fleur.

Not much practice tonight ... DD is miffed that her teacher has banned pedalling when playing Bach.(DD's instinct is to play everything as if she was playing Chopin.)

Greenleave · 18/09/2017 20:43

Well come back Woolley!

And Fleur, wonderful news, I am so hapy for you and miniFleur!

stringchild · 18/09/2017 20:37

Fleur sounds brilliant; very best of luck

Icouldbeknitting · 18/09/2017 20:17

You can give that F5 finger a rest then now Fleur. Fingers crossed now for stage two.

Doubleup · 18/09/2017 20:11

Well done miniFleur and good luck with the audition next week!

Welcome back Woolley - glad to hear that your mini is able to continue with bassoon. DD2 is off at a Y6 residential all week, so no bassooning here. Mind you DD1 has a friend staying over tonight so there won't be much practice going on at all. She needs to pull her finger out as she has 3 weeks until her music scholars'concert at school and I'm not sure what she is playing. I think she has decided on oboe rather than sax, but that is as far as it has got.

drummersmum · 18/09/2017 20:01

minifleur of course!!!! StarStarStar

Fleurdelise · 18/09/2017 19:50

Oh and lists and certificates and more than one instrument are not allowed. They can only play one instrument, no more than 3 minutes, use the schools accompanist, and at the end they are asked a few questions regarding exams, grades, bands/orchestras etc

Fleurdelise · 18/09/2017 19:30

Thanks all!

string it's so complicated. Basically there are 8 schools that are partially selective, a percentage on academics and 10% music places. Some have the grammar word in their name, some don't but are ex-grammar schools but as they are not fully selective they are not "proper" grammars. A proportion of pupils get into these schools on catchment (you need to literally live on their door step) and a proportion as siblings.

As all of them select on music aptitude as well their music provision at two of the schools are amazing, so many various orchestras and bands, they really encourage and support a great music development.

Their academic results are amazing too even if they are only partially selective which does puzzle me, but they are somehow managing to get the best out of their pupils.

stringchild · 18/09/2017 19:12

Fleur - i think that is a good call doing piano and not having to worry about an unknown accompanist; one option i know people do is for the child to take a one page list of what they do etc and hand it over to the panel - that would get over the orchestral part? am intrigued by what getting a 'music' place means - is this a grammar or comprehensive school and they then have a special music programme? sounds fantastic if so

Minimusiciansmama · 18/09/2017 19:09

Ahhhh fleur SmileCakeFlowersSmileCakeFlowersSmileCakeFlowers yey! You must be so relieved xxxx

LooseAtTheSeams · 18/09/2017 18:39

Fleur congrats and nice to see the wheel of Fleur turning the right way! Best of luck for the audition, not that she'll need it. I bet they'll love her!

Fleurdelise · 18/09/2017 18:34

Hahaha yes Kutik I must be quite predictable by now, which is quite amusing, it is mainly due to dd never being able to gauge how well she's done or not, for her everything is a disaster, this is her feedback after each exam.

Thanks all, Summertime coming back out this week hopefully that would be enough, I was tempted to get her to audition on clarinet as it is an orchestral instrument but she would have to use their accompaniment people which will really put her off. We're not allowed to bring our own accompaniment on piano.

Hopefully she'll find her words and be able to tell them she also plays the clarinet and has participated in festivals (with piano) and is part of the county wind band.

Kutik if that's the school requiring MAT let me know and I'll send you more tests to practice.

Wafflenose · 18/09/2017 18:25

Yay, Fleur! I am not surprised at all. I bet the audition will be far more predictable and to her taste.

Goo has joined orchestra, choir, flute group, steel band and the gym. I think she just likes to be busy...

I did think she was spending too long on homework (perfectionism), but she spent 5 minutes on her history tonight and it was crap, so who knows?

OP posts:
Kutik73 · 18/09/2017 18:07

Yes, remember Fleur's cycle? So no I wasn't surprised by the news. Grin

stringchild · 18/09/2017 18:05

Minifleur - well done! was sure she would get through :)

Kutik73 · 18/09/2017 18:01

Just read the wonderful news for minifleur. StarStarStar