January Music Thread

Do cellists have to carry a chair also?

One of the daddy sherpas (daughter was tiny and not capable of carrying what she played) used to joke that it was part of his long term plan for getting rid of his mother in law. No one would look twice at him struggling to get a huge bag into his car.....

Don't they also carry a chair? I often see tiny kids carrying the instrument, bow, chair and a heavy bag packed with music and snack at JD... Some lucky ones have daddy sherpa following them though.

Schooling DS1 who plays bass guitar rejected the idea of taking up double bass on portability grounds, although a friend's DS did manage it to grade 6 but was older than your DD (he was also very tall!) and they had to buy a different car! It's a lovely instrument, though.

Well done on completing boot camp Folk - we had a good day here as well

It would be good to sort the channel out. I hadn't realised about the sensitivities involved, and it might be as well to start up a new channel. It is so nice for mini-Taggie to launch his career as the next stampy to see the DCs progress.

My DD is 8 and is now at grade 2 of double bass and it is so hard work to practise etc ( no motivation to practise at home but enjoys performing in the orchestras with other children)...I asked and she is interested in adding one more instrument... I thought perhaps an instrument which would be more tranportable and a different family (brass?). Just a bit of frustration with transporting double bass, difficulty with finding a teacher who can travel to our house and not sure my DD is really enjoying it to the extent to justify all this hard work...

That sounds like a good idea waffle.

Bootcamp gone well today - safely negotiated both instruments and theory with DD2 who is very pleased with herself for mastering a new piano piece in the past two days (anyone would think practice actually worked... 🙈).

DD1 also very positive today and has done the worst of her practice list with a little to go later.

I think the promise of double rewards for positivity and no meltdowns has worked!

Can I ask where you upload the videos of your DC's?? Would love to see / participate! Unless of course it's a private thing for friends x

No probs Kutik - should be accompaniment obvs. Regarding the password, I didn't change it but I can see how to reset it? You just need to give the most recent password you remember and then the option to reset it comes up.

Happy to do this if people want? But it isn't my channel and I don't want to 'put my foot in it' if the password has been changed for good reason.

Thank you Taggie! That's perfect! I should have known some wordings yet somehow I went blank. I don't know why - nerves?!

Good luck to minidisorganised! His choices sound great!

string, am I guilty?? I uploaded a video on 31st Jan and deleted it yesterday (on DS's request)... But I don't think I changed anything...

Hi just trying to upload a new video and it says our password changed 47hrs ago - could anyone pm the new one please ? 😀

Kutik - I'd send it to the school secretary as they will be more organised ( unless you are sure you should send it to the director of music). Use names if you can, but if not Dear Sir, and Yours faithfully,

Dear Miss/ Mrs

Thanks Raspberry Nice to hear from someone who has come out the other side, as it were. Lovely to hear your DS still sings!

disorganised the czardas has so much contrast in it that it will probably be fine! It requires nerves of steel to get through those harmonics though... Looking forward to seeing it on the channel, if you and DS want to post it

The school DS is auditioning for a music scholarship asked me to send a copy of the piano part so that their accompanist could prepare in advance. I photocopied them and put them in a display folder. I suppose I need a cover letter to attach but cannot think of the wordings... They asked me to send them to the Director of Music but they didn't name the person. Should I address Dear Sir/Madam, or Dear the Director of Music? I am just going to write 'enclosed is a copy of the accompaniments for DS's audition pieces. Yours Faithfully'. Does it sound OK?

Hi everyone. Happy New Year!

I have ds who is 11 and a half and plays violin. He's around grade 6/7 standard and like some others doesn't do exams.
Feeling rather nervous as have just completed ds's online application to Junior Guildhall so now we have to sit back and wait and hope for an audition date. He's thinking about pieces and one that he loves and would like to do is Czardas by Monti. He's not sure about the other piece but loves Humouresque by Dvorak. Need to check with his violin teacher as to whether they're contrasting enough?
Now all I need to do is work out a schedule for practice. Thanks so much thank mall who gave me advice on the December thread. If anyone has any practice or audition pieces tips I would be very grateful!!

Although she would like to stay for many more Christmases but the funding runs out at 13. I am assuming her passion for it would fade a little anyway but also I do feel like I need a bit more flexibility back in my life. I don’t know how the families with a string of siblings doing it cope!

I agree re the chorister benefits outweighing the difficulties that come with the schedule. Can’t believe we have only one more Christmas!

trumpet nice to know I'm not alone but sorry you are having a hard time too!!! She's on one generally this afternoon. Sometimes I think there are two distinctly different people inside that little mind!!! It's exhausting...

Just happened to find this clip and thought to share this with you guys.

I was moved by her comments more than the video itself. It's about a violinist but what she says can be related to any musician, or in fact, anyone with passion. The power of passion, dedication and belief beat any setback and failure, and take you far and further.

It's our last day of the holiday today and everything will go back to normal from tomorrow. I was a way too optimistic about comprehension boot camp. We did a bit before we had guests from Spain, then that's it. I think working hard this time of a year is very hard as everybody is on holiday (unlike other school holidays) and want to meet up and do fun things together. Very difficult to be antisocial!

Just got an email from DS's teachers and they suggested two performances to be scheduled - a solo this weekend and a quartet in a few weeks time. I don't think the solo piece is not ready yet (and I have no idea about the quartet). And, 11+ is next week...

DS is out playing squash with his dad now. I would drop him the news when he's back. Not sure how he takes this proposals...

Dd's cornet practice has also been quite challenging recently folk

Well, we survived! Only just with DD2... as expected, cello practice was extremely challenging 😥

Taggie and Xennialish DS2 would almost definitely have been further ahead with his instruments if he hadn't been a Chorister. Hard to know for sure, he may have given up completely. It would also have helped if he hadn't tried to juggle 3. (Piano/trombone/clarinet at the time). Also may be kidding myself he would have practised more as he doesn't necessarily practice more now!

But the Chorister time has been so special and amazing, and he has got so much from it. Definitely worth it for the right child. And especially as mine was a boy, he is never going to be able to sing treble like that again!

He is still singing a bit at the Cathedral on the back row as alto or tenor! And occasionally gets paid for it.

Off to sit in a cold church for organ practice now!