September 2018 Music Thread

raspberry I’ll look out for you on Sunday too! DD is playing piccolo.. a bit out of her comfort zone but she’s looking forward to it. I’ll try and remember to post what I’m wearing on the morning!

I remember all the Grade 5 exams - both yours and then ours a few years later! And we are likely to have another three Grade 5s next year - cello, clarinet and piano!

I've read it through now and am even sadder. Three years of my live brought back in a thread! I've relived DD bringing back the bari from school for the first time (and it was the end of an era handingit back in July this year), and 5 Grade 5 exams!

Also, I seemed to be more articulate in those days!

cant, I wonder if it's the same academy... Where DS was organised special weekly courses for goalies on top of normal training sessions if my memory is correct. DS wasn't a goalie.

He also had such poor fine motor skills when he first started school that he practised his spellings using a large paintbrush on long rolls of plain wallpaper ... makes me smile when I see his dexterity on a clarinet these days, but also makes me glad that he didn't encounter music too early, so that his physical development matched what he wanted his fingers to do musically.

DS played for the local professional club's Academy for 3 years as a goalie. At least music takes place in heated rooms ...

cant, my DS was once quite a serious footballer before he got bitten by a music bug. It's so interesting how children can change so much in a totally unexpected direction, isn't it?

A couple of things leap out from the old thread...

a) It looks like a single thread lasted 3 years....

and

b) When it started, DS was a footballer, not a musician, and now he's planning to make music his post-18 choice. The start of that thread pretty much coincided with DS being dropped by the professional football club, and me finding a jazz course to fill his now-empty summer. He joined the very very lowest county jazz group the autumn the thread started... and i think his first exam occurred somewhere in the middle of the thread's years, though I definitely wasn't posting on music threads then!

I wish I had some sage words of advice for those with challenging teenagers. DD stopped wanting to do solos at about 13, but she has with encouragement kept on playing and has now taken her sax to uni.

Lotsofmilk will look out for you on Sunday, DS2 is a trombone player.

My name was very similar on the old threads, easy to spot! Romany Theas still posts occasionally under a different name. I think a few of us changed names when there were all those cyber issues.

I feels slightly sad actually, it seems hardly any time ago but I now have two at uni and one growing up fast.

We also have school problems. When the older DC went through there was lots of ensembles and lots of Grade 8 + musicians. The number of ensembles has decreased, as has the standard. DS2 is now 1 of 3 brass players available for ensembles. Several options being explored for sixth form next year. Possibly even just changing to his catchment school!

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. We went through her pieces for NCO today, and they are in good shape as she does know them. I think I had a panic (very teacher dependent), but it really isn't that important in the grand scheme of things. There is always next year.

I think we will take things slowly and you are very right Taggie things will become clearer in time. DD was so upset yesterday, I just wanted to fix her feelings for her...I know it doesn't work that way

Patrick hope you are coping well this week, with DS returning to school. It will become your new normal soon

folk DC's job is definitely to keep us on our toes. I take comfort that one day DD will hopefully be a Momma and I will stand on the sidelines and smile

But really you are doing wonderfully, folk. I peeped a bit of Noo's playing on the shared channel. I like how she is developing. Her technique is getting firmer and stronger. I am sure it's because she is such a bright girl with right attitude but I think its' also your guiding skills including choosing right teachers/paths/challenges for her.

Oh and, I kind of start getting what herts was saying before. DS went on total radio silence as soon as I dropped him off at school for this week. Then I just got a text because he needed me to buy him something...

So my advice would be to play something you can already play comfortably and develop from there to add more depth for the audition.

folk, I am amazed with your energy, passion and wisdom. You constantly try different tactics as needed. I don't know why you are not in education (or are you?). You may think of it as your later career!

Sometimes this decoding task due to mistyping/auto-correction tests my understanding in English. I thought you meant LIFE of playing, Trumpet. Of course, it's LOVE...

DS did the NCO audition without teacher last year. So no high expectation for him to get in. But he managed to get in. He played two of his old (and rather simple) pieces. I think the safer tactic worked.

Not live of playing - love

Waffle this thread is amazing and like others have said without it I would be totally lost at times so thank you
I really hope Goo finds her live of playing again at some point 13 is a tough age , and it's hard to motivate yourself to play at school when the standard isn't that high ( I have a feeling that this might increasingly become an issue for Ds too who is now one of the more advanced musicians in school with 5 more years to go ) sometimes it gets a bit boring I think and he chooses to play football instead ( at least he isn't on a scholarship so there's no pressure )
Owlm how awful for the teacher . Sound advice from others about the audition. If it makes you feel any better Ds may well be doing his without much teacher input fingers crossed it works out ( and my and Ds's relationship survives !!)

owlm how awful for you all.

You have a lot to sort out, and some of it very difficult. But the NCO office staff are really nice and understanding. I would ring NCO and put back the audition as far as possible, or see if they will accept a video audition. The circumstances are exceptional, so they will want to help. Then leave the teacher issue for a week or two. It is too much for your DD at the moment. Just reassure her that she will get her teacher back eventually, and that you will sort something temporary out in the next few weeks.

Things will become clearer once everyone moves beyond the initial shock. Perhaps the teacher has a senior pupil who can coach the little ones for a few weeks, at least through immediate exams and auditions? Or the teacher may have a colleague who can look after his/her pupils for a few months. Everyone will be trying to help the teacher (as well as the pupils).

I love folk’s idea of a letter. I may suggest it to a friend who is having different (but similar issues) with her DC.

My DD is also13 now, it’s a challenge!! The note idea might work...

Ooh, I might.

She's nearly 13... what a lovely age! I'm glad your DD sorted it all out in the end. She's falling behind a lot of her NCO friends now, because she doesn't have any incentive to work (or anyone to push her along at school) but if she practised and got into some good ensembles, she might then want to work harder! Bit of a vicious cycle going on.