November Music Thread

Hey, Alexandra, that is great! How come everyone else seems to be falling over famous soloists, bumping into them here and there (Green dined with one), and getting involved in memorable moments, televised or not? Not a lot of glamour in for us in East Anglia, sadly!

Regarding JD v self service - I think the latter can work if you are choosy, and know what you are looking for. Although obviously it helps if the 100 mile radius works for availability. DD is only just 10, and I would also fail the 4am test of dedication to get her to a London JD - if they even wanted her!

The exciting new music group I have booked for DD is 102 miles away, so I have booked a hotel for the night before. If it is as good as I think it will be, then will be worth it. In summer I would drive over in the morning, but I am a scaredy cat about driving in the dark.

Alexandra - how exciting! How did you get involved in that?

We are all knackered here. Loads of choir for DS2 (and associated sitting in the car for me). They have five public concerts, along with several extra services and college stuff over the next three weeks. This is on top of the usual five weekly evensongs...

Instrumental practice is going to take a back seat for the moment, I think! He normally practises in the morning, but obviously can't if he is back at 11pm or later (and has to get to school)

Are there any other chorister families here? How do you manage at this time of year?

Japanese, hajimemashite.
Alexandra, just watched the clip. Wow! You must be very proud!! Thank you for sharing!

japanese DH started teaching DS piano in lack of a teacher and ended up taking him all the way to g5. So you never know!
alexandra ow you must feel sad.I sympathize. Will watch asap

Hi Japanese welcome 😀 I'm always impressed if people manage to teach their own dcs I try and ' help' from time to time but that always ends in arguments!!
Loose I wish ds would get on with his theory it's so stop start but I've told him he either needs to do it in the summer or next autumn there's really no reason other than his excuses for not getting on with it

Hello Japanese - nice to find another parent teaching their children. I teach my DS2 the violin. Beware though! It started as a stopgap until I could find him a 'proper' teacher and three years on I'm still at it. So far, we are both enjoying the experience.... and it sounds like your DC are doing really well.

Japanese hello! I’m very impressed that you’re teaching your own children and it sounds like they’re doing really well. Totally recommend cello as DS2 loves it - the one drawback is that the cute mini cellos become full sized one day and still have to be lugged around. Worth it, though!
DS2 is only on the grade 2 theory book at the moment but he’s going to tackle each topic through the grade books so I have hopes of grade 5 theory being done and dusted in a year’s time!

Hello everyone, I have been lurking on this thread for a while so thought I would say hello.

My DCs are very much at the beginning of their musical journeys compared with most of you all here. They have been learning the piano for about 18 months. DD (aged 10) has just passed Grade 1 piano with distinction and has also just sat Grade 1 theory (awaiting results). DS (aged 8) has just sat the prep test and will be doing Grade 1 piano and theory in the next ABRSM session. I teach them both myself at the moment although there is a limit to how far I can take them. We are waiting to see if they want to continue and if they do then will look into 'proper' lessons for them.

DD is keen to learn the cello. We have been on the waiting list for a while for lessons through our county youth music trust but I have just tried to contact another provider at a Saturday school held locally to see if we could get her a place there more quickly.

We live in London and I see that the music colleges coordinate private lessons through their students but I think I would rather see if she could have lessons at a Saturday music school which would lead to ensemble playing.

I followed the discussion on the thread with interest about A-Level and university choices.

I studied music at university as an undergraduate as part of a joint degree with a language. But my postgrad studies took me down a very different path so I don't have much to do with music these days. But I am enjoying teaching my children and things are gradually coming back to me!

I saw that documentary and had a similar reaction drummers! I think we can just about manage DS2's hour at the local music hub on a Saturday! Next week is concerts, then break for Christmas.
DS1 is off to an art session at school now. Mocks next week. He seems to have some kind of gig coming up next month but not sure when. (Aargh! Good job he is not planning to do this for a living - seems to be fascinated with psychology at the moment.)

For dd JD is def about her friends there, the atmosphere, and the ensembles/orchestras - she has great school ones and of course at the moment NCO, but she def gets a huge amount from watching/playing with the very advanced kids on their way to Conservatoire’s etc. Dd has 9 hours on site this year and doesn’t have her main instrument lesson! So Waffle I am not sure at all we would do 3hr commute on top. I think we would wipe out sundays with fatigue! However lots do. If we didn’t do JD we would prob do county orchestra etc- we don’t do any how’butbi think that with the CAT schemes are comparable to JD without the intensity every sat.

Flying in weekly to our JD is something DH and I have discussed... Though who knows what will take DS' fancy in 10 ish years. It may well not be music. At the moment he is so, so happy when playing with instruments, or singing (he can sing very simple tunes correctly, and sings played notes back at the right pitch; one of his favourites is singing along with the dishwasher )

Definitely waffle and then sundays would always be homework. I also saw the documentary drummers and right now I can't imagine me ( or ds) doing that every weekend so I too am in the lazy camp.
Many where we live just go to jds in 6th form I think - I think this is what his trumpet and school music teachers might have in mind . Right now though he is enjoying AYM and many do stay until music college if that's the route they choose .

I know drummers! I think one of them is from Germany. I assume there are lots of good schools/teachers in Germany...?

15 mins by car for us. It's closer than DS's secondary school.

3 hours is a lot, waffle. I am with you. When I watched the documentary about Sheku's family I wanted to die omg getting up at 4am EVERY SATURDAY. And apparently two kids at DS' jd fly in every Saturday as in they take a plane from another country EVERY WEEKEND. Obviously I must be a lazy parent...

Waffle lazy is fine they are young also it wasn't just the commitment for ds that put us off but the fact that one of us would have had to go to every week which would also have had an impact on his sister . The longer i can put off the trip to London the better (also trains have been disrupted at the weekend for as long as I've lived here so it's hard to get them there) .

Oh you are so sweet, drummers. If our DSs had been playing in a same match we could have been on a black list together by chatting at the most crucial moment or cheering at a wrong timing which I seem to be doing all the time.

At least I have a good excuse to be fatten up during winter. I need meat to protect me.

Waffle, I often hear people preciously talking about their happy memory of the jd/nco/suzuki camp days. JD is a wonderful place to enjoy what you love with like-minded people, but it doesn't need to be JD to get that. At least Goo is in NCO, and other lovely places. I am sure she will fondly talk about them one day like Floot talking about her jd days. Although I can see someone like Goo would love and flourish being at jd.

Oh yes, I had my fair share of dark winter football matches in primary. I HATED IT. Apart from the frostbite, I didn't care who won or lost (honestly) and there was nobody as nice as kutik around.

Ironically I can imagine DS1 would quite enjoy a non-classical Saturday group. But I think he has enough on his plate so I'm not looking into it!
Kutik your post sums up why I'm relieved my boys don't do football! At least the two years of twice-weekly martial arts were in a nice warm building with a decent coffee machine!

No jd here either. Both girls are in an extension/talent program that is pretty broad but certainly not classical focussed at all. They do enjoy it although it's probably more of a match for dd2 s interests (jazz leaning flute player) than dd1 s (clasically leaning violin player) although it is doing a very good job of broadening their musical horizons.

Winbledon??
Piano lesson!