Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Extra-curricular activities

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

Original poster

October Music Thread

486 replies

Wafflenose · 01/10/2017 01:18

Hello, I just fell asleep in front of a very long film that DH wanted to watch, and woke up in October! I couldn't resist starting the new thread before going to sleep properly.

The monthly music threads are welcome to ALL, and we really like hearing from new contributors and beginner musicians. We have all levels on here. It's a good place to discuss instruments, lessons, practice, exams, auditions and anything else that you want to.

I am a teacher of recorder, clarinet, saxophone and flute, and have two daughters. Goo is 11 and plays the flute and piano. She is planning to do exams on both next year, but none just now because she's just started at the secondary school 2 miles down the road, which has a great reputation for music and sport, and is extremely academic. They study four languages in Year 7 - Goo has just finished her unit on German (by the end of three weeks, they could write three substantial paragraphs - I couldn't believe it!) and is now embarking on Mandarin.
She's thrown herself into choir, orchestra, steel band, flute group and the gym. Rara is 9 and has been playing the cello since the age of 5, and clarinet for a year. She enjoys both, but is happiest when she's reading or cutting up paper/ making things out of paper! Rara has plenty of free time because she attends the village school five minutes away, and hardly gets any homework.

Goo attends South West Music School, which is the nearest thing we have to a JD in the south west. Rara is just about to join! Not too much on musically this term (and not a lot of practice taking place, quite honestly) apart from auditioning for the NCO. Goo has been in it for the past three years, and is hoping for Under 12s. After a wobble about even auditioning, she seems quietly confident now.

OP posts:
G1raffe · 05/10/2017 18:46

And I'm impressed at all the instruments in your family!

I don't have a musical background, and lowish income so trying to navigate so the possibilities but wanting to weigh up money spent over time/suitable flute feels way out of my depth!

G1raffe · 05/10/2017 18:43

Waffle - if you don't mind me asking - would it be silly to leap in with that kind of flute? I think I've got the choice locally of the second hand 211 at 325 or a second hand ex hire for £100. Obviously £ 100 seems better on my wallet but if id just have to replace again in a few years time it would make sense .

Will the yamaha be any harder for her to play (I'm displaying my complete ignorance here!) She's got an unbranded one from a friend but it needs money spent on it which presumably would be better spent towards something else!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 18:39

G1raffe that is an amazing flute and a bargainous price. 211s usually cost much more. It's not a usual place to start, as it will go to grade 7+, but I am sure your DD will be delighted! My daughter Goo used to have one, but it was her 3rd flute. She started aged 6 on an unbranded curly one, moved to a straight Jupiter around grade 1, got the Yamaha 211 after grade 4, and and open hole, solid silver Yamaha after grade 7. Yep, she's on her 4th flute already!! My 9 year old is on her third cello (a half size, which is a little bit big) but that is because she outgrew the 1/8 and 1/4.

OP posts:
woolleybear · 05/10/2017 17:51

Sorry I have no knowledge of flutes.

Thanks Waffle for the clarinet advice, I think we will hold off buying a mouthpiece for now at last until after Grade 5, though I'm putting my foot down that this won't be for a while. I'm thinking that at the end of this year we may change teacher and that will be enough to concentrate on rather than exams. I have rather rashly said that if we get a new clarinet then I will learn on her beloved Colin and she can teach me!

It is likely that the bassoon will be staying with us for a while as a rental rather than buying one, they are astronomical in price!

G1raffe · 05/10/2017 17:43

Can I ask a flute question here? Im nowhere near the league your children are all playing in!

Our school previously has hired instruments on behalf of their students learning new instruments but that has suddenly stopped. My daughter has played a year of piano so far and is enjoying it and has fallen in love with the flute - only a few lessons in but playing morning noon and night on a borrowed one.

Our local second hand music store has a flute that's a yamaha 211s for £325. Googling suggests it's a good instrument that can take them through the grades. Is that a good idea?

Music teacher has found some ex hire ones for £100 that shes tried as she's aware parents are scrambling around for flutes.

I can see also see much cheaper flutes online but presumably they'd need to be replaced a couple of grades in?

I feel so out of my depth as Id planned to wait a year or two before buying one!

Any advice?

Kutik73 · 05/10/2017 17:40

Right now all time and spare cash goes to making his dreams possible.

I'm totally with you, drummers. And, while I am so looking forward to the day when DS becomes a man and I gain my own life back, I am also so loving my life now. Good and bad, I'm loving and enjoying all. I become so good at enjoying my life with little money spending on myself too! Grin

Minimusiciansmama · 05/10/2017 17:36

drummers GrinGrinGrinGrinGrinGrin Also, my piano lesson is my single "me" thing. I don't have any social life, at all, I can't remember my last salon trip. And I have a teacher who cuts me an insane bargain on my fees. But every other bit of me goes on her. Like waffle says, no big holidays because it all goes on dance/music! In fact, even our "holidays" are generally London for one or other or both activities. I feel it's the best I can give right now in terms of investing in her future though and wouldn't do it any other way!

se22 she's going to be made up!

drummersmum · 05/10/2017 15:41

waffle: We have had to buy a new cello, flute and clarinet this year
se22: That's £500 spent on Instruments this week

October Music Thread
se22mother · 05/10/2017 14:30

No she doesn't Need one but some of her friends have just up-sized and she thinks she should. I will hold out until her teacher says otherwise, can't see that before March as her 1/2 fits perfectly.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 14:25

se22 she doesn't NEED a 3/4 yet, does she? Rara's half size cello is still a bit big for her. I'm hoping it will last until she's 11/12.

OP posts:
Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 14:25

We have had to buy a new cello, flute and clarinet this year. Girls would love to go abroad like their friends, but I am well aware of the reason why we can't... music!!

OP posts:
se22mother · 05/10/2017 14:20

That's £500 spent on Instruments this week. There will be no more expenditure for a long time now.

Dd is pushing for a 3/4 size violin. I have told her maybe in the spring Confused

se22mother · 05/10/2017 14:18

Thanks waffle I have ordered it. It will be a surprise, I won't say anything to her yet.

drummersmum · 05/10/2017 13:48

Ah, Waffle, thanks Flowers. Maybe after DS goes to uni and I can regain some time and some life [she dreams]. Right now all time and spare cash goes to making his dreams possible. I know some people would be saying I am wrong in this, but we're not wealthy and if I was a bit more like many of my friends - hairdresser, pilates lessons, music lessons, eating out with friends, girls night out - he would not be where he is now. So yes, can't do it now but I´m not saying never!!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 13:42

It's never too late drummers... remember my 94 year old clarinet beginner?

OP posts:
drummersmum · 05/10/2017 13:41

Well done minikutik for giving it a try Star
Gosh I know next to nothing about wind instruments even though my dream as a child was to play the oboe. The desire for any music lessons fell into dead ears.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 13:40

Perfect, se22. It's superseded the B12, and is fab. As above, it will certainly get through grade 8, although many kids prefer wooden by then. I tried to talk Rara into this one. She was having none of it!

OP posts:
se22mother · 05/10/2017 12:13

Waffle, clarinettists - I'm thinking about this for dd. Any thoughts good or bad?

October Music Thread
Minimusiciansmama · 05/10/2017 10:52

Well done minikutik. Hope today goes well xx

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 08:07

Woolley that is a lovely clarinet and will easily get her through Grade 8, although I encourage mine to upgrade for Grade 6 IF they can afford it... some don't. I think a new mouthpiece post Grade 5 would be welcome otherwise. I'm not sure how much difference they notice before that.

OP posts:
hapsburg · 05/10/2017 07:03

Woolley Big Double Reed Day is fab - my DD has done it a couple of times. The organisers are great and if you pop them an email they will make sure your DD is in the right groups. Within the 11-18 section there are lots of different groups and sessions and a very wide range of abilities. I'm sure she will love it.

woolleybear · 05/10/2017 06:23

Doubleup we hadn't heard of the double reed day but we have looked together and dd is very keen, she's a little worried about being just 11 and a relative beginner in the 11-18 section. Do you know how the spread of abilities is? Fortunately I have a drb so can offer to sit in on some classes.

Waffle it is a Buffet clarinet which cost about £450 a few years ago and was recommended as a student model at the time. The only thing we have so far upgraded was the ligature!

Kutik73 · 05/10/2017 05:04

NCO audition was done yesterday. We nearly withdrew but decided to have a go in the end. DS likes performing so there seemed no harm trying even if it was a looooong shot. Grin

Somehow less focused than last year, probs due to lots things going on at the moment, which def helped the whole thing quite relaxing.

We have one more open day to attend today, and two (if the first round is successful three) music tests to go through in the next three weeks. Then the half term is over. Shock Time passes by so quickly! No wonder why I am already in my 40's...

LooseAtTheSeams · 04/10/2017 12:17

ICouldBe thanks, that’s really good advice! There’s a lot to consider.

Icouldbeknitting · 04/10/2017 09:10

Loose get him to look really carefully at when the performance might be. In our innocence we thought we'd got the perfect week, before Christmas so well before mock GCSEs. It turned out to be the same week as the German speaking assessment which school thought was more important. You don't get a lot of choice with the timing but it's worth knowing in advance where the problem weeks might be.

If I hadn't have needed him to leave an hour early they would never have known. They didn't know about the weekly 1.5 hour music lessons, the evenings with the accompanist, the work he'd put in for months before, it was wanting an hour out of school to go to the exam that lead to a massive flap and panic. In hindsight I should have fabricated an appointment at the dentist.