November Music Thread

Thanks for guitar advice Paulweller11. That's pretty much what I figured. I will try to take him to the guitar shop some time this week and hope that the decent second-hand one hasn't sold!

String ds goes on and in about going to a specialist school - so that music is the focus we are resisting for now ....

Just thought.... When DS was quite serious about football, a whole evening after school was taken for training & journey x 2-3 days a week plus a match. It's for primary school age. The commitments will also increase as they get older. So those who are into sport must spend tremendous amount of hours on training and journey, almost daily. Perhaps 2-3 hours practice at home is not so demanding!!

I must add DS's violin teacher is expecting quality than quantity, so if you turn up under-prepared and make the same mistakes as before due to obvious lack of practice, then she may display an ice cold look (fortunately haven't seen the look yet!).

In our case, it's the result of DS doing too many activities that contributes the difficulty of making enough time for practice. If we drop some, he can easily achieve an hour a day. However it will be a totally different story once he starts secondary. The journey itself add extra 1 hour and half (if we don't move in time) daily. The school finishes later, more homework, and need more rest to cope with the changes.

Oh Drummers ☹️

I think it is v hard to match the practice and support network a specialist school gives -wehave friends at all of them and it’s just a different way of life because everything is built to support music rather than an add on.inadmire those who make it professionally without but I imagine it would be that little bit easier to reach the dram with specialist schol

I'll let you know how increased practice time goes kutik - not 3 hours that would be too demanding but I'm sure his teacher was talking about 2 hours the other day ( I know he will need to do at least that later on if he's serious but I hadn't thought we needed to squeeze that in yet) then at his masterclass last week it was suggested that ds could try and practice for 1 and a half to 2 hours a day as that's what he did at ds's age so that's what ds now has in his head !! Help

How horrible, drummers! That's really awful... to you, your DS and his friends...

I think whether how important to focus on a fewer instrument depends on the choice of the instrument. Unfortunately piano and violin both requires a lot of effort and commitments, not that I am saying other instruments don't. It's just the nature of the instrument - they are physically forgiven compared with other instruments which are a lot more demanding physically, hence the competition of how long to practise increases dangerously for pianists and violinists as you get serious.

Nicola Benedetti advised young violinists to stick with only one instrument and practise hard to make most of it.

Prior to joining jd, I heard about teachers at jd being very demanding so I was a bit concerned if it would kill his enthusiasm. But DS's violin teacher doesn't ask him hours of practice. She even doesn't mind children having a week or two off during school holidays. She just say, 'have fun!'. She says no more than an hour is needed and 30 mins is totally acceptable. Then adds 'yet'.Of course the demand will increase as he gets older, then 3 hours practice would be expected by the time DS is 13 or so.

I truly have no idea how those children attending normal school can achieve that amount of practice daily. Realistically there will be very little time for 2nd study unless they are at a specialist school. But then by the time DS is 13, hopefully he (and we) knows what's best for him so easier to make a decision or priority than now.

Drummers I am sorry. I am well aware that as a 50 something woman I am safer walking at night than my son would be. I am invisible to the trouble making youth, my son would be a magnet to them.

Oh no drummers how awful .Glad they are all ok - it makes you want to wrap them up in cotton wool which of course you can't do I can't believe that the bus driver didn't do anything I hope you've reported him to his company

Oh my goodness drummers! Just why...it's all so senseless! I hope he and his friends are ok. And you must be beside yourself

DS didn't choose percussion over piano till he was year 10 although it had become clear that in order to have a shot at a piano soloist career he had to be putting in 3 hours practice a day which required specialist school. So not a real possibility and he said so himself. He also loves playing with other people and percussion fills that desire much more.
Yesterday he was returning with 11 friends from cinema to celebrate his birthday at home. On bus they were harassed by group of trouble making teens. DS was punched in the head and another friend on the face, they broke this boy's glasses. Driver didn't react when two boys asked him to call the police. Police came home, they took report etc. All very upsetting. This is the nicest group of young men you can imagine, they even ended up the evening discussing at home the police budget cuts and what to do about it. They were pray to brainless thugs. DS is fine now, bruise in his head but working on History Gcse essay!

Trumpet has always been ds's focus , piano was taken up really to help with his study of music ( as was singing) though he likes them both. Because trumpet is so noisy he can't really practice that before school so puts in piano or singing then so they don't interfere with trumpet practice at all . Apparently he's going to do a singing exam at some point but he will just have to do less piano and more singing for a bit when that's on the horizon . There's been no mention of piano exams I think his teacher knows where his priorities lie. Luckily for ds he will never have to choose between school and outside of school music activities as school ones always happen during the school day. Though for round here school finishes late at 3.45 to fit in a long lunch which allows for orchestra and sports practices etc.
Brass instruments I'm sure we're supposed to have it serviced but we haven't yet. You need to keep them cleaned polished and the valves oiled and slides greased and that's pretty much it. Having said that ds plays so much that we end up deep cleaning his almost every month , apart from serious musicians they usually only need fully cleaning once or twice a year.

I didn't think of what his 1st study was this time last year. It only occurred to me to think when we applied for jd. I had to state his 1st and 2nd on the application form.

DS always seemed to favour violin, but as his violin learning was part of school activities whereas piano was a proper 1-1 lesson from the beginning, and also he started piano a year or so earlier than violin, I sort of regarded piano as his main instrument. Violin only became to appear important when he applied for NCO. And since then, piano kind of disappeared from his daily routine.

Hmm... I hadn’t thought about it but since we got it and replaced the strings, DS2’s cello has only needed some rosin and that’s it - definitely less maintenance than a reed instrument! On the other hand it is more demanding to carry!
Technically, his first instrument was piano and he’d probably be a grade higher if he hadn’t taken up cello - but the benefits of the cello to his musical understanding and enjoyment are huge and he always refuses point blank to pick a favourite!

Waffle, I wish I could let DS try other instruments. But we too cannot make it happen due to financial and time reason. The teacher's suggestion was a bit of relief to me, to be honest.... Knowing we are allowed to focus on just one...

Piano has been pushed to the back seat and ignored pretty much for more than a year now. It's only starting to get the attention again, due to the prospect of taking an exam next term. Basically DS just doesn't have time for piano. He has got a normal life of 10 years old which is filled with lots activities like school, swimming, football, homework, music, playdates, family dos, and so on....

Noteven, of course! I don't think playing more instruments means a lower standard at all. In fact, it's so clear that DS benefited hugely by playing two instruments. Both complimented each other, and in some ways contributed his progress, and certainly made him more rounded as a musician.

Waffle, DS teacher was a scholar at a conservatoire and studied violin and piano as her first study (but then she is/ was a violinist not a pianist). So when she said DS would have to focus on violin in a not so far distance, I pointed the fact that she carried on studying both instruments as her fist study at a conservatoire level. Her reply was it was fine then but not now.

Anyway, DS enjoys playing the piano. But he wouldn't complain if he is asked to keep the practice minimum!

it’s a complete fallacy that more playing more instruments necessarily means a lower standard. DS3 played violin, a bit of viola, trumpet, piano, organ, sang too. Oxford music degree and then maths lead to a fun career where all these things continue to make him happy and employable!

Choosing and focusing on one instrument won't be a problem for DS as he already knows which one is more important to him. Stopping the youth orchestra would be a heartache for him though. But if he has to choose between the youth and school's, he has to choose school's...

So glad I popped this question as it seems I have been already corrected and re-educated.

Suppose cello is less demanding than violin. I heard once that cello wouldn't require changing strings as much as violin (but again, not sure if it's true).

Why is it so complicated to book services and repairs for clarinets?

Double - many thanks

We too - like Kutik- have been told dd will need to choose soon, and the other instrument will have to be recreational option only esp if dd has any aspirations to be a professional. We are struggling slightly in yr 7 to please both teachers while adjusting to homework etc. Also need to reduce school music commitments a bit next term I think and look at what she must do as a scholar and pick just one or two more rather than the current full diary!

Kutik - dd’s clarinets are far more high maintenance than her cellos. I was shocked at how sensitive they can be - and booking services and repairs can be difficult, with long waiting lists - never have that problem with the cello where we can usually just rock up at a shop and get things sorted.