September Music Thread

Kutik/Drummers - we had that sort of timetable last year and the coming one. We took lots of quick snacks meals in - JD kids seem to eat a lot on sat; they usually eat their first lunch at 8.30 before they start atnours. So be prepared is my best advice. Running around is part of the deal but we had to pretty much give up any sat night social life last year as we were all getting home well after 6pm completley shattered - tv and takeaway night becomes essential!!

*put up with!

We still don't have DDs timetable and it's driving me a bit bonkers. She wants to know who's teaching her piano, we know her clarinet teachers name but not piano. I have to fit work around it so really could do to know!

waffle treble is a possibility, I have one at home. I need her to just put up a terrible first lesson then I can email the music teacher (who knows Katie's music abilities). They all have to do recorder from now til the end of y6 so it needs addressing!

drummer, I suppose a variety of mini snack is must for DS. He won't function neither full nor empty!

By the way, DS is so tired everyday after school. Expectation is much higher in Year 6, and children have to work lots harder in the classroom. The class teacher is much more strict and they get daily homework now. It's quite a jump from very little homework up to Year 5... His football commitment eases down this term but he is still tired. He may have to stop all the after-school activities once he moves to secondary as he will be even more tired and needs space and time to find his own foot in the new environment. I think starting JD now rather than Y7 was a good move for us.

Ha ha kutik DS doesn't function well with an empty stomach! So he will have to swallow a mid-morning flapjack as he runs from onw room to another.

The same here - lunch break only and zero break before and after. His lunch break is 45 mins but it is now in a danger of shortening as the violin teacher said his 1-1 lesson has to be longer and is now in negotiation... At least I am glad his 1-1 lesson is not straight after lunch break. He won't function well with full stomach!

We also got the timetable for jd and there is no break whatsoever the whole day from 9 to 5 except for lunch. We expected this so it's fine. Mother nature will have to push in! However I hope he can do some homework when orchestra sectionals with the strings etc leave the percussionists stranded...
Great start for goo and not surprising. And well done to minifleur.
Haven't checked videos yet.

Fleur - I feel your pain. We are considering to apply for a couple of music places at state school. But what I heard from other moms who experienced the process only keeps my hope very low.... I don't think children with no potential (though not sure if such children exist) will go through the aptitude test, but I don't think most able or talented (no matter if the child has some experience or not) are not guaranteed a place. As long as you have reasonable sense of basic stuff, anyone has a chance to get through...

We finally got a timetable of this academic year at JD. A mum whose son started JD at the same age as my DS told me her son was so exhausted and took two terms to get used to it. So We requested to keep DS's day at JD as compact as possible. We even dropped piano (so DS carries on his piano study with his current teacher during weekdays) to keep his Saturday short. They normally prioritise children who live far away for late start and early finish slots. We are a local resident (one easy bus ride) so I didn't really expect much but they did seem to have taken his young age into account - his day really is very compact! DS used to go to Saturday School which was only half day but because of the travelling time (Sat School needed nearly an hour journey one way), the difference of the time commitment for the whole thing is not huge. So it doesn't look so overwhelming - great.

However, there is not much break between. In fact, zero for the first 4 hours. He has to move from a room to another. How is it possible? How about when he is called by Mother Nature...?

Well, we'll find out....

I think I can beat the "learn the recorder in school". Imaggen d=dd and my surprise when seeing a group of children playing (at an end of year concert) the recorder, just using fingers from one hand....the right hand.

Fleur that test sounds very confusing! I hope MiniFleur wasn't too rattled and I'm sure she did well!
Sounds like Goo has settled in brilliantly and I think Rara is adorable - that was a lovely video.
School ensembles don't seem to have started yet and the poor cello teacher is trying to fit lessons in around the fortnightly timetable. But piano and theory start on Friday and DS2 has his second guitar lesson today!
DS1 has seen sense and joined with the grade 8 drummer at school for the GCSE performance piece - and they seem to be agreeing on what to play!
Misti Huge workload for your dd, but she seems to thrive on it.

That's so funny TheSecond!

School relating what annoys me is that I know at my DS's school the highest level when dd will join would probably be grade 3 so it won't be very challenging for DD. On the other hand dd could become "famous" and they may make more use of an advanced kid, make sure she's in the main orchestra and so on which would help dd's confidence.

All in all it should be fine either way, I just don't think the selection process is right but I do get it why, state schools, not allowed to disadvantage on music ability (but they are allowed to disatvantage based on academic ability, mind blowing) and need to select on music aptitude. Which after months of listening to pure noise I doubt that it shows much aptitude but I may be wrong (and bitter hahaha).

Waffle she plays beautifully . Very cute too.

DS2 has been invited to join a clarinet ensemble at school (the school partnered with the one miniFleur is aiming for). His first rehearsal was today and he felt it went well. A couple of the other players were also pre-grade 8 so DS2 wasn't too far out of his depth.

The director (who is also the head of music) offered him copies of next week's music to take home to practise. DS2 (who has ASD) replied "No thanks, I'm too busy. I'll just sight-read it." 😲

This to the teacher who will be making the decision about if/when DS2 will be invited to join the main school orchestra. I won't be holding my breath...

I am in a hotel close(er) to you by the way Waffle! Shame I have a busy day tomorrow and I am sure so do you otherwise I would have asked if you're free for a quick coffee

Yep crazy selection method, I hate being mean but I know another girl who took this test, she sings completely out of tune (pop songs) however she could have been more focused and go through to audition stage while Dd sounds like she was a bit on another planet and may not get to the next stage. So 4 years of hard work and dedication vs singing pop tunes in front of the mirror. Again I hate saying something negative about another child, I am sure with the right teacher she'll learn how to sing but if she gets in on music there's no obligation to do anything Music related at the school so what is the school selecting?

Anyway silly system, I am not saying Dd did badly, just that she doesn't like surprises and the whole test was a surprise. We expected synthetic music as apparently they didn't want to favour a certain instrument and in fact it was piano. Which Dd should have found easier but the whole format was different to what she expected which I think may have taken her by surprise and she would have made mistakes due to this.

I'll know by the 22nd anyway so we can get on with our life properly.

I love Rara's video, she plays beautifully! Lovely articulation and may I say, she is so cute!

Waffle there are 8 schools in the area that require exam entry, one academic exam and a music exam and depending on results we then list 4 choices. Dd indeed has a sibling place at one of the 8 schools but the music provisions are better at another two schools so if she gets the required mark she would have a chance at any of these two, if not she'll go to DS's school.

Sounds like Goo is doing great at secondary, she'll be well known not only for her bright mind but also for how advanced she is in her music development.

Icouldbe I am indeed in a hotel room now relaxing in complete silence. I wish the drive here wouldn't have been so stressful with the weather outside and driving on motorways and A roads without any street lighting. But got here alive.

Thank you all for your nice words, I think we came out of the MAT thinking that ultimately it is their loss if dd doesn't get to the audition stage. I know it sounds smug but dd really puts music on a very high priority in her life and if these are not the kids they want in their schools, which would join orchestras and represent the school with good quality playing and dedication than I don't really understand what they are trying to select. Dd will continue her music journey no matter what school she gets into, in fact she'll probably be in a similar position to Goo if she gets into DS's school ( too advanced for the school standards) which may actually benefit her from a confidence point of view. The other two schools do have high levels orchestras from what I can gather.

Minimama sorry to hear mini is having a bit of a tough time. Hopefully it will pass soon.

Back to normal life and music lessons as of Friday, I think we'll put it all out of our mind and move on, regardless of what's to come.

waffle sadly DD's class recorder experience beats that I think - her teacher didn't order recorders in time so she photocopied a picture of one and the children had to practise putting their fingers in the right place on the paper for several weeks!!!