October Music Thread

Thank you Prada. I’m having sleepless nights as the deadline is fast approaching but I keep reminding myself I have a fortunate dilemma!

Mini, DS had done g1 & g3 before g5 with ABRSM so he was familiar with their aural tests so didn’t particularly prepare apart from new features like describing music style. DS is not brilliant at descriptions so it was his personal bar at the time. But you are not expected to go into details at g5 level so the task is actually not complicated at all. Your DD sounds like he already has good general aural skills and also prob she already knows many different styles of music due to her orchestral experience (DS hadn’t done any orchestral work and had very little repertoires so didn’t have much awareness in different styles/periods). But if you think there is any gap in her knowledge you can fill in little by little. You have more than 6 months so plenty time there. We just used ABRSM book to go through a few weeks before the exam but I heard some people use apps. Suppose lots of materials to practise are available.

Mini the book I got has an insert with sample sight singing tests so she could try those.
I think she’ll be fine but as Prada says, get the teacher to go through the characteristics of different types of music with her and do several mock tests nearer the exam. Poor DS1 had 2 very, very brief lessons in aural before his grade 5 having not done a grade 4 and it was all a bit of a shock on the day. He does claim to know how to do it now, though!

Alexandra - so sorry to hear about your loss. I missed that on the last thread ❤️

Minimusician - first happy birthday to your DD! I would recommend the ABRSM aural book with accompanying CD as a starter. It is quite comprehensive. You may want to supplement a little with a greater in depth knowledge of the musical styles and description as it is covered in the book but maybe not as thoroughly as a teacher would like. Yes also to encouraging the sight singing too (from memory not in the book though) HTH. Good luck to her!

Kutik - well done to your DS! Sounds like you have a lovely dilemma on your hands. Good luck!

Ladies.... please talk to me about ABRSM aural tests..... my girl has done trinity until now and opted for musical knowledge and sight reading in the technical tests. Her piano teacher tested her aural and she was doing well at g2 stuff. Her last piano exam was g2, so that sounds ok.... But her next clarinet exam is going to be G5 in summer. What should I be doing to work on with her for getting her aural up to speed? She'd be gutted if her aural test dragged her exam score down. She's doing dalcroze at JD & we will be practising some of the listening/pitching activities from that, which I hope will help for a start. I noticed her sight-singing one of her new clarinet pieces she was about to start learning yesterday.... Im assuming I should encourage more of that....?

Waffle another recorder question - what do you use to oil your recorders?

in addition to the aulos & thomann plastic ones that go in the dishwasher every now and then when DS fills them with pumpkin-laced dribble, we will soon have three wooden ones. I've just bought a WW2-era Herwiga alto being sold for peanuts in a clear-out. It and my pearwood Hohner alto are varnished but I think not impregnated with anything, so I guess I should oil them and play them in gradually. Hohner hasn't ever been played much and I hadn't touched it for a good 30 years until it arrived here a month or two ago. DS's little toddler one in maple seems to be oiled already but I can't really tell. It has the most lovely sweet tone - far better than all the others!

It’s exciting, isn’t it? Moulding and rebuilding an old house into a dreamy one!

I have a valuation booked tomorrow so just about to start the long winging journey... I liked renovations although it was tough. But this selling, buying & moving is what I don’t enjoy. I love house hunting though.

Yes definitely kutik parts of our house are stuck in 1983 at present !! Slowly getting our heads round what we need to do we just need it all finished before ds goes into year 10

Alexandra I missed the last thread - so sorry to hear about your mum, but glad that you managed to get the music right. Well done to your DS, that must have felt like a big moment for him.

Loose, I admire you for considering exams as an adult learner! I am only learning for pleasure, although I would like to get it "right". My teacher gave me a bunch of Scarlatti sonatas to look at - the one I am learning seems very do-able though google says it has been set for grade 6. Really fun to play.

Trumpet, are you thinking to have some work done at your new home? We may go through moving and renovation in near future. I remember you moved during summer holiday. I’m hoping we can do the same so we can avoid the overlap of school commitments and crazy schedule of moving out and in. We did before and it took a while to build up a good routine for DS (but he was not at secondary age so it was okay).

I am so impressed with all the adult learning - hoping to do more once the house is finished ( that's if we ever get started ...)

Wonderful, ladies! I am still pre-G1 due to the lack of discipline...

Minimusician that’s great! I like the sound of a performance certificate - that could be another option!

loose well done! I've got my first lesson in a month on Thursday so I'm fairly motivated in an effort to not show myself up . My teacher has floated me doing the Trinity intermediate performance certificate instead of G5. I'm not sure I can cope with exam pressure, haha

Feeling quite motivated after my piano lesson yesterday - but the challenge will be finding enough time to really practise all the tricky bits my teacher helped me with yesterday! She has somehow got me thinking I might do the grade 5 exam at some point!
DS1 doing gcse music composition this morning and instrumental lessons this evening so he’s happy.

string no, it's the same cost for joint, unless you're doing a third study as well. And thankfully that full cost is met through MDS.

I didn't know about your mum Alexandra, I'm so sorry. Some lovely music there. The second movt of the Mozart clarinet concerto is gorgeous and agree with the others, how brave of your DS

Hi Mini - dd is joint first study and it costs a lot more than Doing first and second. Sounds like your JD doesn’t charge that way?

I knew she was studying both, but I hadn't realised they were being done as joint first. Retrospectively, I should have as at her meeting with the director, she actually listened to more piano (she didn't have a formal audition, they took her on the strength of her advice meeting). Her clarinet is quite a bit beyond her piano but her piano is moving fast at the moment.

to miniMin for her first concert at jd!

DS applied as a violinist but ended up playing piano also at the auditions as they knew DS was also a pianist and they made him play. His piano and violin were roughly the same standard so we were given a choice to go for a joint first study but DS was so clear he preferred violin so didn’t go for the route. We were also scared of the work load of having piano and violin (the worst combination !) as a first study! Interesting you didn’t get asked before joining, Mini. We got to fill all the documents months before it started!

I had a wonderful time watching mini at some of her JD classes for parents' week. It was great to meet her main tutors. I found out she's a joint first study student, where I thought she was a first clarinetist with second piano. It's interesting they've put her joint first as her last teacher has said a couple of times she wonders if she'll end up a first study pianist. I really liked her teachers, we have figured out a plan for her exams and it was good to see how much she's getting from JD beyond the actual instrument tuition. She really loved her dalcroze class particularly. She ended the afternoon by playing a solo, on a days notice, in her first JD concert.

And forgot to say happy 8th birthday to Minimini!
We have been out both days so very little music happening. Although we met a "real" violinist for lunch today, we didnt win the lesson with him however he agrees to occasionally meet up and play with her

Alex - am so sorry for your loss; how proud you must be of your boy to share his gift as such a time

I have almost nothing to post, ask, share here these days and actually was hanging around to read other updates including waiting to hear from you Alex. I had to google all send off pieces you mentioned. They are so beautiful. The boy was truly very brave and matured to pull it out together. Loads of hugs here from Green's family to you Alex!!xx

alexandra that sounds like å beautiful send off
kutik i dont envy you having to make a descision there, but i think that both options sound good so there is no bad choice iyswim
We've just come back from a concert dd1 and dd2 we're asked to play at. They did is proud and got paid in cake which made dd1 especially a very happy bunny 😁