January Music Thread

Folk disorganised and kutik hope they all recover soon and that the audition result is positive drummers ( I'm sure it will be) . Ds isn't that great tbh but has gone off for an AYM weekend so we shall see if I have to go and collect him early or not
Loose luckily ds definitely won't be taking GCSE art ( his sister has all the artist talent in this house) but wants to do drama as well as music ( though in my plan school will maybe let him drop drama or RS for years 10 and 11/ I'm not hopeful but I have to ask) He would still leave with 9 GCSES so plenty I think

Not good here.... temp of 40.4 and feeling very sorry for herself. Starting to think we might miss out on our trip to Cardiff tomorrow 😔

Oh yes Art GCSE ''........ DD actually did Photography but it was still pretty much art, lots of portfolio work. Hours and hours and hours. She also did drama which also seemed quite time consuming on the run up.

Hope mini kutic and other poorly people are feeling better, DS2 had a couple of poorly days at the beginning of the week but seems to have bounced back.

DS didn't go to school again today. He missed school most of this week. He is poorly, but not too poorly to stay in bed all day. So I think he is secretly enjoying a long sleep in, being lazy on the sofa, occasional noise making on the piano and violin, and snacking frozen bananas here and there.

To be honest Y6 is so boring due to SAT preparation so I am fine with him skipping school this week! He is not learning anything. It's all about revising. He is getting Greater Depth, so there is not much to revise for him in the book given. I find it's a killer for enthusiastic learners. I hope his school is just being lazy and that all the schools are not like this.

That's a nice afternoon for him loose Yes, I have heard Art coursework is the worst!

drummers yes - it got a bit chaotic to put it mildly in Y10 as a music teacher left but I am glad to say that it's back under control, finally! Apparently he's more or less finished both compositions so it should be revision from now on. It's art that has really messed with his mind - and mine, to be fair! But can't be helped.
DS2 has had a nice Inset day - a long sleep in, piano lesson went well, then some guitar practice and now on the computer!

kutik your memory is incredible you're younger than me aren't you . I had completely forgotten about g8 piano multiple hand injuries!

The orchestra I play in is doing the dancon too, love it!

Thank you all for the good wishes. Is this the thread with the nicest people in the world or what?

loose I must say we haven't found the music coursework too onerous here. He's mostly done it during lessons and some finishing at home. Maybe it's the way your DS school schedules it? DS has two different teachers, one strictly for composition and another one for the theory/historical side of things. This way the composing sessions are purely kept free for it. He's already given number 1 in and he's supposed to be working on number 2...

schwan DS played Marquez's Danzon with the school orchestra and he loved it soooo much, and so did the audience. It's such an exciting piece. drumming with his spoons Ahhh.. this is how it starts!! A future percussionist there!

Thank you for the advice, Loose. I will probably be DS's PA for the next good few years so I appreciate any word given by experienced parents! Luckily (?) DS hasn't shown any talent in art so I assume we wouldn't have the dilemma between art and music, though you never know how a child turns out in a couple of years!

good luck drummers!! Your DC's all have so many interests: golf and percussion. Wonderful

Loose hope the composition day goes well. Very heroic of your DS1 to go in on an inset day! I am hoping that neither of my DS's do anything with a major coursework component for GCSE, but it is some way in the future yet.

Nothing new here. DS2 has been working hard for the festival this weekend. If he remembers the repeats, vibrato and to start with his bow pointing in the right direction (rather than over his left shoulder!!) then he will be okay. I have warned him that the standard will be very high and so he should not expect a massively high mark. As long as he plays well for his own standard, he should be happy!

Ooh! Good luck with audition Drummers! And sending very positive thoughts to minidisorganized!
DS1 is at school on an Inset day finishing GCSE composition 1. At least that's what's meant to happen. GCSE music teacher can't praise his playing enough but just wants him to finish the drafted compositions! As do we all! (Comp 2 is pretty much there!)
By the way, if anyone's child tells them in Y9 they want to do art and music for GCSE, just don't. The workload is insane. Additional maths is actually almost a doddle in comparison! Music is fascinating, though!

drummers, good luck with the audition result! The combo of the blister and the audition reminded me minidrummers's blood running grade 8 piano exam. He did so well nevertheless!

disorganised, I think you could wait till the cast has come off as minidisorganised sounds like confident and determined. Sometimes a bit of break does a wonder and 3 weeks is plenty for the final polishing and also for requesting the date change?

Thought you'd all like to know that this week's #1 hit with DS, when i turn on Youtube so I can wash up the lunch dishes without a meltdown, is NCO 2016 with Marsalis & Benedetti, playing Marquez' Danzon #2. Probably includes several of the minis on this thread.

DS was drumming with his spoons, doing the baby embouchure "whooo" singing when Marsalis was playing, and generally dancing so hard the highchair nearly fell over

Thanks for all your wishes. So do you all think we're best off waiting until after the cast has come off to see if,once he starts playing properly,that he will be ready? Or should I email Guildhall and explain the situation and say we may need an alternative date? I just don't know what to do for the best. Ds is determined to keep the date. 😩😱😬

Hope minifolk feels better soon. disorganised i would wait see progress of injury. You can move it later then? And I was complaining that DS came home with a huge blister in his thumb from golf! He had an audition today and managed to hold the mallets in spite of it apparently. A fractured wrist, that's more serious.

Anyway that was our experience with Guildhall. DS had been practising only ONE scale at the time of the audition and they were fine with it. DS's scale exercises were so different from the normal exam scales, but the Head said he liked DS's version and was very complimentary. I don't think you should worry about scales really. I think they only use it to check where a child is technically.

So the 3 weeks can be used for polishing the pieces mainly, then it may be doable?

Sorry to hear that disorganised. Wish him a speedy recovery.

If he is confident you may keep the date for now. As Taggie said, you can always postpone closer to the time when you feel he is not ready. Don't worry about scales. There is no need for him to master all grade 7 scales for the audition. They usually let you choose which one to play, so miniorganised can pick and practise a few to a good standard, then he can focus on polishing the pieces for the rest of the preparation.

Oh no! So sorry to hear that disorganised . Perhaps see how he goes? Children do heal really fast. You can always postpone closer to the time if need be. I'm sure the jd would understand.

Hi everyone. Many congrats to Miniqueen. I would have loved to have been a chorister in another life! I sing in a church choir and I love it! A very long way from being a chorister plus I'm about 30 years too late!!

We've had a disaster in that minidisorganised has fractured his left wrist falling over his friend in the playground 😩. He's in a lightweight cast for 3 weeks but he has audition for JD (Guildhall) in 6 weeks. He seems quite confident that he can be ready in 3 weeks. He knows his pieces well,they just need polishing. His scales sound a bit ropey tbh though. I'm not sure what scales they're going to ask for. He's learning grade 7 (violin). We're going to use the other time to look over aural and practice answering questions on musicianship as he is autistic and struggles a bit with reciprocal conversations. I am wondering whether to push the audition back but ds just wants to do it then.

Has anyone had a similar experience? If so,what did you do?

Lurgy has taken hold here too 😔 Noo's asthma has kicked off big time (I knew it was coming yesterday, but it seems I am the only person in this house capable of making sure she does her inhalers.... grrrr!!) Might do a spot if theory later to keep her mind busy. We are all off to look at JD in Cardiff on Saturday- very excited! Noo's initial sad face about potentially losing theatre school has now been replaced with an excited one, so I'm hoping it lives up to all our expectations now!! And then we will move on to worrying about her getting in...

Congratulations queen! My DS has a lovely voice which took a long time to become in tune ( lots of work with piano teacher) but now is lovely, can hit all the high notes perfectly. I am enjoying it while it lasts as his friends are all breaking now . I tell him I would have sent him to a choir school if we had one near. I loved singing in my traditional church choir growing up, it taught me much of my musical knowledge and live of music. The words also stay with you. However, sorely tempted to engrave SLOWLY on the piano for practising, drives me mad. Sometimes at the start of it I just say shall I shout slow five times now and get it over with!

Hope miniKutik feels better soon and that he doesn't share his lurgy.

Bassoon lesson went well this evening with DD2's teacher saying it was sounding good. She just needs to remember to keep blowing in her last scholarship audition on Monday. We will all be happy when it's over - although she will have to keep playing one of her pieces in full for a local festival in March. Never done a festival before and I don't even know what class her teacher entered her for!

Hope the poor little chap feels better Kutik!
Not much to report here. dS1 has a concert on Saturday. DS2 slowly getting there with his cello scales!

No sashimi tonight, in deed!