November Music Thread

From having virtually no boys singing (a very small handful in the main choir), the school now has a BIG boys' choir and an entrance-by-audition a capella boys' choir (as well as a standard choir, a staff choir, and a very high quality all girls' chamber choir). It puts on a full 'musical show' every year, a Christmas carol service / concert (all choirs, orchestra, wind group, jazz group, small groups...), and a full musical evening on 2 stages - 1 classical in feel, one mainly rock/pop/jazz/musical theatre - in the summer. Inter-house music is keenly contested and followed by a concert.

For a standard, if leafy, comp, it's a hive of low-entry-barrier musical activity - of every type from samba to classical - every lunchtime and every day after school. 3 conservatoire auditionees this year, including NBB.

DS has to sing in the chamber choir, as part of his scholar duties. He claims to mime..!
The school has its annual St Cecilia 's Day concert next week - they're singing Bob Chilcott's Christmas Carol, and DS is playing in the string ensemble, sinfonia and senior orchestra. He said today that the cello teacher, who takes the string ensemble and coaches DS in a chamber ensemble, is desperate to recruit him for the cello ensemble, but it's for year 10 upwards ( DS is only year 8).
He's so lucky to go to such a musical school.

Lovely to hear of some schools with boys singing. We have a fab male music teacher who takes the primary school choir and there are several boys in the choir but they never continue in high school.

That’s impressive getting boys at high school into singing . There aren’t loads at ds’s school - definitely more girls but there are some boys in all the different choirs so I think that’s pretty good going
Ds is doing a lot of singing in the Christmas concert - well actually I think he’s just doing lots full stop

NBB has just got into singing (he isn't very good, but there is a really enthusiastic young music teacher at his school who has absolutely galvanised boys' / young men's singing opportunities and NBB is throwing himself into it.)

Think he's singing more than he is playing at the upcoming Christmas concert - definitely a first! There is mention of a solo in one of the a capella singing pieces... what is the opposite of 'playing to your strengths'????

piccolo

minisnowballs I once had Ds1 and DD doing Grade 8s on consecutive days. I thought that would be fine, as the don't hand the results out until the end of the session.

DS1 was given his at the end of that day, so DD knew how he had done when she went to do hers. The examiner even asked if that had been her brother the previous day. She ended up with an identical mark, often wondered if he did it deliberately!

DS2's mock GCSE marathon started today, Grade 8 piano next week.

Well both exams and one audition out of the way, just the wait now! Seems like some Abrsm ones are coming in quicker than two weeks, that would be nice. Good luck for those in the last few days. Christmas carols began in force tonight- they can't not play something! Hope dd's voice holds out as the school choir has 7 performance s before the end of term! She is sad it will be her last Christmas in it, the high school choir is not quite so active and well attended. I think they get too self conscious to sing? My ds wouldn't go as he said people would think he was weird, which is a shame.

piccolo

Ah - she'd taken a sneaky look at her marks on the earlier sections while the examiner was writing. 24, 24, 26 on the pieces and 15 on the scales (which I don't think had gone disastrously from what she said - just rather pedestrianly) - I wonder whether they will be the same when we get the score sheet. Aural and Sight-reading not really her biggest fortes!

That's completely true @PetraDelphiki !

i found out recently that abrsm examiners are not allowed to give 99/119/129 - they have to make a conscious decision whether the player is a fail/pass or pass/merit etc

Thank you all so much for your kindness (and flowers, especially from minisnowball).

4strings I would honestly leave it and find other places for her to perform outside of school. Festivals have provided great opportunities for DD, both to polish pieces before exams/auditions and to simply play something she wanted to play. Alternatively, provide an opportunity for her perform by putting on a concert for charity in a local church or hall - DD and friends have done this a few times in the past to raise money for a local charity. Great experience for them organising and promoting as well as practising - they even persuaded a very good local accompanist to play for free! The first time they did this they were in year 6 so had plenty of help, but could now put together something similar themselves with minimal assistance.
for piccolo

Well done to those DC with results coming in. And good luck for those (like us) that are still waiting to sit, or exam outcomes!

Piccolo wishing you and your family all the best in getting through tough times.

Thanks Romany

for Piccolo (did that work?)

4strings, that is maddening! I would ask that, since there aren't enough spaces in this concert, she gets priority to play for the next one (and get that in writing!). Would that work?

My dd1 (who believes it is all my fault she can't sightread) got her violin exam result today. A merit (on the button 120 - kind examiner) in Grade 3 violin. She'll be so thrilled as she wasn't really ready and was just getting used to her first term at secondary.

I can't wait to tell her!

But now her sister, who has a flute exam in two weeks is all grumpy - because of the pressure... Joy.

Sorry for your loss piccolo.

Update on dd, not allowed to play in the Christmas concert: she’s still not allowed . There are “too many children” already playing and there are “lots and lots of talented children just like dd who also want to play”.

When I explained that she had a piece she wanted to play the response was “Oh, was she wanting to play a Christmas song?” “No. A Vivaldi Violin Concerto”.

I get that they don’t want a very long concert but fgs - let any child who has lessons IN SCHOOL TIME play!!!!!!!

Sending you well wishes and condolences piccolo. A tough time.

Wow, Abrsm grade 6 piano taken on 17th November, results today (26th)!!!! (Good strong pass for Dd so very happy its out of the way before GCSEs next year!!!!)

Thinking of you, piccolo, and of all your family.

Thinking of you piccolo

Ah, I’ve just discovered where they are on the screen

Although they don’t show at the bottom of the page on the phone, just on my tablet Romany

minis
Go to bottom of the page, they are listed there and you just use [ these] round the word flowers.

so sorry piccolo - don't know how to do flowers - but my thoughts are with you and yours xx