November Music Thread

I do more with the clarinets and flutes than Rara's cello
Do you think it's because you are a woodwind player?

I have an impression that woodwind/brass instruments don't require as regular maintenance as string instruments? We have to take care of the body/strings but also the bow (and hair)! Correct me if I'm wrong - preferred to be educated correctly!

Which instrument do you think is most high-maintenance?? And which instrument does require more accessories?

For instance, violinists need a chin rest, shoulder rest, practice mute and concert mute, rosin, cloth for wiping the rosin off (I was advised to keep two clothes), maybe tuner if you use one, and a couple of bows if you can afford. I also carry a rain cover for the case.

If you play double bass you need a chair to carry around (I see those young double bass players at JD carrying the huge instrument and chair on top of music, lunch pack and other personal goods, going the stairs ups and downs). Oh and, harp needs wheels to carry around...

Woolley, sounds like our DD's won't be in the same performance workshop, but they might overlap on the other workshops. They will also be in the same massed ensemble group. If you are going, take a good book! There are a few stalls to look round, but not much else to do other than the lunchtime concerts and the ensemble at the end. We have to stay until last knockings as DD1 is in the 14 and over group. The building is like a black hole as far as phone reception goes too.

Hi Blue eyeshadow,
I probably wouldn’t go for that electro acoustic.....I play guitar (well used too...), go to you nearest music shop and they’ll prob alt have a selection of ones you can try, or your ds can try out.
There’s a few decent makes out there for children. I would highly recommend a Tanglewood electro acoustic- good value for what you get. A bit more than £90 though- probably £150- but worth it.
Most cheaper guitars will have terrible action, and so will sound terrible- so will be a waste of money. Invest in a good one, and you’ll be fine till he needs a full size.

String - there doesn't seem to be an issue between oboe and sax for DD. Perhaps it is because her embouchure for oboe was well established before she took up sax. She says she doesn't notice it too much these days although it is easier to go from practicing her oboe to her sax - as she put it, going from small to large. It's more a time thing for her.

When I informed DS's violin teacher about him taking a piano exam next term, she was all so encouraging saying taking exams would be a good experience. She then added DS should continue studying both instruments for a while, as keyboard skill is always very useful, but then he should focus on violin by the time he reaches 12-13 yo.

She doesn't mean he should stop playing the piano, but she thinks it'd be best to keep it minimum so that he can devote himself to violin at necessary level. She even said no to taking up viola which I thought very common for violinists to learn. She also warned him not to take up too many orchestral commitments. He is in only one orchestra this academic year so it's OK, but once DS starts secondary he'll have a duty to join school orchestras and she said I should be careful about scheduling his week and never over-scheduled with too many musical activities unnecessarily.

It would be a lot manageable if you are at a specialist school, but if you decide to stay at a normal schooling system, it'll be all about making priority.

Of course, all those suggestions are only if DS continues to be passionate about violin. In a couple of years time, he may say, 'meh!'.

Hi, can I jump in with a question? Does anyone know about guitars? DS1 has been learning for a couple of years now and wants a new guitar for Christmas. He currently has a classical guitar and would like an electro-acoustic one (not that he's likely to need to plug it into an amp any time soon, mind you!). His current guitar came from a charity shop to see how he got on with it so I don't really know what I'm looking for in a new one. I'm not even sure if his is 3/4 or full size. It's about 37" top to bottom. If I get something like this cheap guitar here is it likely to be any good? Thanks!

I should add that ds learns piano as his second instrument so singing makes 3!! And I totally agree Wolley that the teacher should know about the pressures in year 6 for finding high school places sometimes I think teachers just forget quite how much our children are taking on ( certainly ds does far more than I ever did )

Strength if objection - sorry for typos!

Double - how dies your dd find sax and oboe? My dd frustrated as wants to try oboe but clarinet teacher has said no on basis it will ruin her technique. Am wondering whether this strength ofcredponse is justified....

With all due respect flootoot I'm not sure how that situation bares any relation to our own, in any way.

For starters, we consulted with the clarinet teacher before taking up another instrument so as not to interfere with embouchure, advised against saxophone which was first choice but advised that bassoon would be fine. We let her teacher know when she was awarded a year of lessons free, staring September 16, and her practice hasn't changed because she has an exam.

Secondly, if you are going to teach peripatetically in an independent prep school then you must know, or certainly should know, that the Autumn term of year 6 is going to be spent preparing for entrance exams. And that this preparation extends to outside of school and may with the best of intentions interfere with practice time. To make the assumption that bassoon is interfering when you know this is somewhat offensive.

Many of dd's peers learn two instruments, it's certainly not unusual, and it isn't on this thread either. I don't seem to have mentioned anywhere that I'm anticipating she will be taking up another three.

Certainly ds at AYM is discouraged from learning too many instruments to avoid exactly the situation you have described Floot . So they only sort of know about the singing lessons !!though ds did have good reason to take them up ( really to help him with grade 8 aural ) though i think he quite likes them . They have also encouraged him to think carefully about which bands and orchestras he plays in to help him make the most of his time- and to give himself some time off !! You can't be really good if you spread yourself too thinly

I thought starting with recorder then progressing to clarinet then adding oboe/bassoon/sax later on would be common progression for woodwind instrumentalists. Well apparently these days children can start straight with bassoon by using the baby versions though. So, woolley's DD playing bassoon and clarinet is actually a perfect choice for 1st and 2nd?

Good luck to your DD, woolley, with the exam next term (both in music and 11+)!

In response to Woolleys dilemma, here's my feeling as a teacher.
I was once asked to take on a pupil because the mum felt the peri teacher at school was not teaching her daughter any technique. Having taken on the pupil, it was only some months' later that I discovered she was still having lessons at school as well. It took several long discussions and more months before mum gave notice to the school teacher...only to then take up the same teacher to teach her daughter a different wind instrument! At that point, the daughter was playing 5 instruments, none of them well because she had to alternate practice. Eventually, having put my all into trying to get her playing with a decent enough sound to scrape through the next grade, due to the affect of learning a double reed instrument alongside flute, I felt I could no longer continue to teach her.
It's a fine line, as a teacher - you give your all and invest time, thought and effort in every pupil and feel passionate about what you do, but also have to accomodate the other interests pupils may have.
There is nothing more frustrating than having a pupil turn up lesson after lesson, having done little practice and thus making little or slow progress, when you know they are capable of better. Only this week, a pupil of mine paid me from her own pocket money because her mum said she wasn't prepared to "pay each week for her simply to own the instrument and never practise".
It's a slightly easier situation if the pupil doesn't want to take an exam, but if they do, I certainly expect them to put in the time necessary.
It sounds like your DD' s teacher is understandably frustrated that her progress is being limited by her learning bassoon, because of the different playing techniques. No teacher wants their pupil to scrape through exams.
In the case of my pupil mentioned above, I learnt from one of her other teachers that she took grade 8 in 2 instruments last term and only achieved a pass in both. If you look at some of the good independent school's info on offering music scholarships, they often state that they are interested in higher scores, rather than higher grades.

Thank you all for your useful advice!

Re the double booking, we were meant to be doing no music exams this term, should have stuck to my guns! The clarinet was because of next terms syllabus change. F we do pull out which is looking likely then we will just have a break til grade 5.

I don't anticipate that grade 5 will be any time soon. I think we will stick with the teacher for now, we have two terms left of school and would probably have been changing then anyway so it would be good to stick with that, and no doubt have a new teacher sort out some bad habits before thinking about any more exams.

Bassoon, we were meant to be doing grade 2 next term, but dd is in a joint lesson with a child who has done no other exams and so wanted the grade 1 experience, and dd didn't want to miss out!

Double reed day dd is in 11 plus group but suitable for beginners? She is equally nervous and excited! I'm hoping it will be the distraction we need from clarinet upset!

icould no, but thank you - she does YYM at the moment, we are looking at "in the future" options. She's floating wanting to juggle serious music and ballet and we seeing what combinations would work.

Minimusiciansmama would Leeds suit? Yorkshire Young Musicians runs on Sunday.

DD2 is studying Ancient Greeks at the moment and we came across this clip. Rather glad that this isn't in general use today, but very interesting.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-41941088/the-forgotten-ancient-greek-instrument-you-have-to-listen-to-this

Hi Woolley, glad to hear that your DD will be at the Big Double Reed Day. What timetable is she on? It depends on age and grade I think. Both DDs are going tomorrow - one on bassoon and one on oboe.

DD1 is doing Grade 6 sax at the end of this month, and although she is not doing Grade 7 oboe until the spring session, her teacher was saying "I realise that she is doing an exam this term, but she must up her practice on oboe." Some tolerance, but limited.

Question- are there any MDS funded, Sunday JD options? London or Birmingham, Manchester possibly

I can't imagine why her teacher thought this was useful, or perhaps it was just unintended!

Woolley the spring exams are not very far away at all as entries are made in Feb.

"Woolley*, teacher sounds highly irritated (I have one that does this sometimes).

If it were me, I would email back and discuss how lack of communication has lead to you finding out that your DD may not pass as an aside to your first email. Agree that he/she should have been informed about the other exam, so they could be co-ordinated in different terms and this should be done in the future. I would not do the exam, it might be quite demoralising for your DD, especially now that she knows. Maybe discuss how your and DD's expectation would be that the teacher wouldn't enter for an exam without believing a merit is achievable. Take a break from the exam pieces and do some fun stuff.

My DD (10) is very down as her teacher was highly critical yesterday; picking up on lots and lots of tiny things. G5 violin in three weeks, so DD is miserable about it. Went to the lesson full of beans and came home saying she was terrible at violin.

Ealing

Me too Trumpet, including the side comments (not malicious, but the need to make the point)

when does she ever sleep? (music about swimming)
no wonder she has a shoulder injury, hunching a violin under chin for 3 hours (swim coach about music rehearsals/concerts)
why do you think you're exempt from a hockey tournament, unless you think you're the next Michael Phelps? (yes, seriously, this was said... sports teacher about conflicting sports).

We've learnt to pick our battles very carefully, a lot. Count to ten a lot. And laugh at their expense a lot