October Music Thread

Hope you have a wonderful day waffle & folk.

Hello & welcome coffee.

Have a wonderful day, Waffle! So special to see both your DDs on stage together.
Is Goo not auditioning this year? It's a difficult age, if DS is anything to go by, so if not, hopefully she'll reconsider next year for mains.

Ealing and SE22, I have been very tempted to comment on that GDST post.
I suspect DD's head is the issue - she seems very old school and not at all flexible. We have ongoing issues with her attitude to SEN ( " we're a selective school, not a 'special school' " was her response to requesting reasonable accommodationscand exam access arrangements for DD) and her persuit of top spot in the he GDST league tables, at least, seems relentless. DD has just started having 'coaching' from the school counsellor, who let it slip to us that the school, and particularly the head, is not really MH friendly/aware. They go through the motions - counsellor, mindfulness course, 'heads up' week etc but it's no more than lip service.
I do have a friend with a DD in the Clapham school an I understand the ethos there is quite different.

We will be at NCOSW today too! Noo hasn't auditioned this year so we will be savouring every second in case it's Is our last one (although I think she will want to try next year as lots of her new JD friends are members). Looking forward to seeing family Waffle!

Enjoy the day waffle always lovely to see siblings playing their instruments together 🙂 They may even enjoy it so much they decide to go for it again

Hi everyone, I have been lurking on the thread, feeling a little intimidated (but inspired) by how dedicated to music your children are and how you manage to support them.

We have 3DC, DD1 is 9, just auditioned for the NCO u10 on violin, but I am not sure went - we had some hickups to say the least. DS (8) loves music, but loves sport more and DD (5) seems to like her recorder. I just find it completely exhausting trying to fit in practice, school work and sports. I am inhaling all good ideas on here.

Just wanted to wish waffle the most amazing day. My oldest managed to get into the Training Orchestra last year and I am beyond excited to watch the London concert next month.

Enjoy the concert waffle, whether it's an end or not these are definitely moments to savour.

My 12 year old is currently grumping that her siblings are taking part in a weekend long halloween themed music / drama / dance / art workshop next weekend (they're both doing music) and dd1 can't because she's got jd on saturday..... its all made worse by the fact that ds has been invited to take part even though he's not officially old enough and the band mentor being a proffesional she has worked with before and idolises....

Ooh, have a fab concert waffle! Are neither of them wanting to do it this year?

Dd is using a carbon fiber violin bow for her viola - she feels really comfortable with it! Avoid the Tom and will cases - they are made for big violas and have no padding for smaller ones!

Interesting to hear about GDST Floot..... that is very different to their marketing.... thanks for sharing. We have looked at a couple of their schools recently

Went to see the English National Ballet - Manon tonight- very good- first ballet the kids/I’ve seen. They liked looking at the pit during the interval 🤣🎶.

Well done littlelad and noo!

And melting, I'd go for accompanied if it's not difficult to arrange, definitely a confidence boost to have company on stage!

Momoftwogirls I feel like I should answer your viola question but not sure if I have a super useful response. I got my viola case by taking viola to the shop and trying out cases until I found one that fits both viola and shoulder rest, as you probably know violas can vary quite a lot in shape and size. If it's just for a loan viola for a year I think anything you buy new will last the course so I'd just go with cheap!

Re bow really depends what budget you're thinking. What sort of level is she playing violin cos she'll quickly catch up? Viola bows are only a tiny bit heavier than violin bows so you may find carrying on with a good violin bow is better than moving to a cheaper viola bow. Has her teacher expressed any preference?

Your balanced plan for half term sounds pretty good to me Floot. DD & DS attended GDST so I'm familiar with the demands often made. I'm glad that I was able to remove ds before the hardcore revision for CE began.

I normally retire to a safe distance when ds is auditioning but I couldn't avoid hearing him this morning. It went well, I hope. We were all very surprised that his transpositional skills went untested in the sight-reading and he wasn't asked to do any aural tests. Shouldn't complain, I suppose!

floot; good plan, and for your DD and you. DD went to a GDST up to Y6 and decided to move to co-ed from Y7. Her current school recommends around 10 hours per week (Y10 too) and to spread it, not saving all for weekend. And none over these 2 weeks of half term It’s really disappointing to hear your head’s strategy for “success” when they put a MN sponsored thread asking what parents look for in a senior school.

Your DD’s Head should perhaps read it!

I am starting to think about a couple of festival entries for early next year. Am thinking about entering DD for the recorder category where the entrant needs to have been playing for less than a year. And hope that she doesn't stand 2 feet taller than a group of 5-year-olds! 😬

Just wondering whether it's best to go for an unaccompanied piece or an accompanied one so she feels a bit less exposed...

"girls shouldn't be going to all the extra drop in sessions, because that might indicate an issue."

Floot - what planet is the head living on?! If teachers are offering drop in sessions, then why not use them? I think I'd be asking serious questions.....

Romany completely forgot to say congratulations - bet you're having a lovely half term!
Couple of hours' work a day plus treats sounds perfect Floot!

Funnily enough, there was no mention of mental well being or the need for relaxation, good sleep etc by the head. The only thing she said in that direction was that girls shouldn't be going to all the extra drop in sessions, because that might indicate an issue.
I can't believe that a high ranking, indie girl's school (GDST) isn't up to speed with the risks teenage girls, in particular, are at from pressure at school.
I've suggested to DD that she does no more than a couple of hours a day, and focuses on the subjects she needs a bit more help with - sciences and maths.
Great ideas about sneaking her books home, if we can, and I'd already suggested that she gets the history stuff from a friend.

Other than that, we're planning to take her to the theatre and some live cinema screenings of plays, because she enjoys drama...and it's fun!

That is madness. You maybe don't want to be quite as laid back/bone idle as DS1 who now admits some more work in Y10 would have been a good idea but I completely agree with Knitting. The school is clearly more bothered about results than mental health. Get a good revision book for history, scan someone else's notes if possible and focus on that. There is a long way to go yet!
Druid good for you 

6 hours is ludicrous. DD has Y11 mocks starting the day after half term ... and is spending 4 days at a dance festival, after one of which she is going along to a Halloween attraction with her friends.... She has a rehearsal tomorrow, so will be working for a maximum of 4 days over the holiday.

The school are insistent it is a marathon not a sprint, and as DD will work steadily from now until GCSEs, having a break doing something else at this point in the year will do her no lasting harm.

(BTW, if you do want to retrieve her books, it is very likely that someone will be in the school during the half term - admin staff, caretakers etc often have contracts which entail work during school holidays, and it may well be that e.g. half term holiday clubs may use some of the facilities. Trying to e-mail someone - finance manager or site manager is usually a good bet - or even sneaking by early next week to see if anyone is there, could be a way of retrieving books 'on the quiet' so you can produce them if, and only if, DD is ready for them)

DS usually spent this half term on a music residential so did no school work at all. An expectation of six hours a day is ridiculous, there's no wonder that so many children feel under pressure because the reality is that they are under pressure. For the vast majority of them what they do at 18 is not determined by what they did at 16 and their life path won't change if they get a B rather than an A star. It matters to school of course because of their results. Yes, we want then all to do their best but not at the cost of their well being.

I know someone with a child who has spent the best part of two years in hospital receiving treatment for an eating disorder that started with school in Y10. Exam results VS child's health - no contest.