October Music Thread

Thanks Folk She'd be happy with a regionals place.

Would you class the u10s leader as a prodigy? She looks born to play that violin. So natural.

Owlm Noo played G3&4 pieces in her U10's audition and got a reserve place / regionals, which means she was on the standard they were looking for but there just wasn't a place for her. She got pretty close though. It varies more at U10's but tends to be higher grades later on.

Incredible. Watch out for her on BBC YM in a few years. For a bit of balance though we know somebody in under 12 or maybe even under 13 for violin who I think just passed grade 7.

she's amazing!

Taggie that is a high level for u10s. I knew NCO was probably a stretch for Dd...gr6-8 and diplomas... wow!

this is the leader of the U10s

floot - there was a big range in U10s. In DS2's section, there was one who already had a diploma, and another 2 who were proper prodigies (winning international competitions, performing virtuosic repertoire in public etc). The rest, including DS2, were grade 6-8 standard. Many of them were at the JDs.

I suspect that the prodigies will tend to drop out of NCO eventually, as they get older and start to get more and more performance and college-level summer school opportunities. But I don't have strong evidence for this!

I think you are right about strings being a little ahead in the younger age groups because they tend to start younger. It evens out by the time they are all in their teens and auditioning for county and NYO etc.

folk - glad Noo has calmed down!

She's fine Floot thanks for asking. Piano this morning, which I've always been able to let her get on with. It's my problem really, I need to trust her and back off. It struck me this morning that every practice session is pretty much like a lesson to her so there's no let up. No wonder she is pushing back....

I guess strings are possibly a higher standard because of the younger age children are able to start learning than, say, brass, Folk. It's a small comfort that this particular DC might have been having lessons for years longer than DS. 🤣 He's a similar standard on piano, apparently - scary! That said, DS win his scholarship at the same time as the other DC, so presumably DS showed some kind of potential?

I agree, it's so hard to see progress when you hear the process - a bit like not noticing how much taller your DC has got until you see an earlier photo!

How was miniFolk this morning, after you fraught evening?

Crazy, I wouldn’t mind if she wasn’t already playing three instruments! I hadn’t heard anything about the flute and cornet she’d tried the week before, but she was so enthusiastic after the cello yesterday.

Ps congrats to Mini-floot on his concert and making such good progress. Sometimes we don't realise until these sorts of occasions just how quickly they are progressing xx

I only know one girl trying out for U13's floot, she is playing at around G8 standard on violin. She got in to U12's last year, but that's obv that's not a guarantee. I think some sections are more astronomically high than other's though..

DS played in a scholars concert yesterday. It was a mix of abilities, from grade 1 piano to diploma level, so very interesting to watch.
It made me realize how much DS has progressed in the year since he played in his first one. 😀
One of his class mates played a diploma level violin piece ( I'm guessing some of the DCs here probably know him from NCO U12s) - technically very impressive. Are all next year's U13s such advanced players???

I went searching on Netflix for one thing and ended up glued to the Quincy Jones documentary. Just wow. Musical tour de force of his life. If I ever get reincarnated I want to be him. Incredible the people he has been involved with spanning so many genres of music. And a great line that just two kinds of music - good music and bad music. Also nice to see Jacob Collier his amazing UK prodigy on screen as well.

Hi all. DS - jazz sax / clarinet, also known as Nosebleed Boy after a somewhat fraught run up to G8 jazz clarinet - has just put in his UCAS Conservatoire application and has also recently started the jazz sessions at a junior conservatoire.

I do also have a slightly younger DD, who dances instead of doing music. I do lots of taxi duties, but have also just taken up clarinet through the local music service 'Learn as you play' adult scheme. I am hilariously awful....

So DD2 had a decent bassoon practice tonight and a short practice for piano following her first lesson last week. She was full of enthusiasm when she came home from school today having tried cello. Very keen to start learning that too! Just thinks that normal lessons are getting in the way

Poor folk there is nothing more infuriating than stubborn mini-musicians!! Have a

patrick hope DS is soon on the mend! As he is at a boarding school, he could always go back with an arrangement for him to rest for some of the day?

It has been a super busy couple of days so I am not up to date. Apologies! And welcome new people!

In the meantime, I am mum to two DSes. Here, I mainly post about DS2. DS2 is 10 and plays the violin and piano. He is also a chorister. Like many here, he plays in the NCO and Pro Corda as well as in various School ensembles.

Folk . I think she visited here after she'd been at your house. 😩

Lovely to have new contributors to the thread! Looking forward to hearing how your DC's get on 😊

Epic music mum fail here tonight. The screaming banshee made an appearance.... 😔