December Music Thread

Well done mini Wiifit!

Well, that's some great news to end the year on!

Welcome CruCru - I do think that the physical size of a trumpet can be tricky for younger learners. My ds started on a cornet and didn't play a trumpet until about year 5/6.

Thank you! I actually have no idea! He played folk music for his audition which no doubt made him stand out. I had to get permission for his oldest brother to go in and accompany him on guitar as they insist on "no unaccompanied instruments except piano" and they provide the accompaniment for the kids, but only on piano and only with sheet music. Well that just doesn't work for folk music! Anyhow, they said they would send details in the new year so we will wait and see.

That's fantastic news wiifit! Very well done to your DS! What piece will be playing for the final?

Phew! I finally have some news! Ds3 (recorder player) is one of the 6 finalists for Junior Musician of the Year in our borough! 60 entrants aged 8-12 (he is 10) and 6 finalists. He was over the moon excited! With an older brother who is a really really accomplished musician, it was so lovely for him to take spotlight today.

Can’tkeep I agree sleep certainly doesn’t happen here until at least December 19th when term ends ( and both myself and ds have concerts after that !!)
Ds enjoyed the link !!

Thans to everyone for the congratulations!

I l;aughed at druidsong's comment about sleeping well...sleep is for January. December is about concerts (for him and me), carol services, the remaining auditions, his school show, my school show, 2 more weeks of JD, birthdays (3 out of the 4 of us have birthdays in December), DD's normal 10 hours of dance and a school term that doesn't end until the 21st!

Trumpetboy similar happened here - DD was doing her elite sport schedule AND insisting on keeping up triathlon which took up the only non-elite sport day. I told her if she wanted decent GCSEs something was going to have to give, or she’d have to accept a drop in grades. She dropped triathlon at Christmas and her GCSEs were great, and she still fitted in a few medals/international competitions that year because she had just 2 points of focus.

Alsoplayspiccolo that’s so funny. I’m greatful mine never got into gaming as I wouldn’t have understood a word of it. I find Mariokart on the wii is enough for our family (and still gets used, along with Wii Sports and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games!)

Thanks @Alsoplayspiccolo. Still chuckling over the fortnite instructions 😂😂😂

Piccolo love the instructions for updating fortnite
What I’m trying to do this year is encourage ds but also impress upon him that if he feels it’s too much he just has to say !! He’s fairly driven about school ( well very self competitive) which he can find hard when he has a lot of music on.
For now music is still top of his priorities and luckily with him I don’t have to nag him to practise ( unlike his sister) but I’m also telling myself that just because he wants it now - doesn’t mean he will want to do it in 6 months or 12 months time and that that’s fine too ( even if it would be a waste of a real talent I think)
It’s up to him and it’s given him some amazing experiences along the way however the next few years pan out . Plus his trumpet / musical skills will always be there now whatever .
I am going to put my foot down about the amount he takes on extra in year 11 though - he will either have to sacrifice grades or extra musical activities for a bit ( and I’m not sure which he will choose ...) I think he should choose school but ultimately I think we will all have to reach some kind of decision together

I found the first term of year 7 absolutely exhausting both times we've been through it. Don't underestimate the effect it might be having on you, Folk - behind every great kid is a social secretary/ PA/taxi driver/ practice supervisor/UN negotiator.... No wonder you're feeling the pressure! He kind to yourself and treat the JD stuff as a learning curve (from what I've seen, Noo is doing brilliantly!)

Its really interesting to read, as I have dd 12 and I hope its not all coming to me soon!

I figured that this term would be quiet due to "starting secondary" but its been quite the opposite. DD has become very involved in a sport and does two practices and one or two matches a week including Saturday mornings. She's absolutely loving both her instruments at the moment and is stepping up that next term by doing grade 5, joining a clarinet ensemble and concert band. She also insists on doing homework whatever time she gets home. I ask her to write her own practice schedule and then stick to it. She doesn't practice on band night and usually misses a day at the weekend but will do both instruments on the other weekend day.

This is not meant to be bragging or whatever, she school refused for about three years, and had a really hard time for some of primary. Kids were scared of her, she was banned from games etc so I'm just enjoying it while it lasts, and putting up with the four hour plus autistic meltdowns occasionally at home.

As always, your posts are totally echoing my life!!

Double - "There is only so much longer that I can accept the “You can’t Expect me to do that because it’s really hard starting secondary” excuse"; check!

"Academically she is doing very well and I think spending longer than required on her homework is her way of trying to avoid practice"; also check!

Taggie - "interestingly, he is now making better progress on the violin and piano because he is not having discouragingly bad sessions because of tiredness." We have started having Sunday's music free. What a difference!!

Piccolo - "I think they want to make a good impression on teachers and peers when they start year 7, which is another reason they over-egg homework." Absolutely the case for Noo.

In other news, life in house Folk is pretty hectic (as for all of you by the sounds of it!!). Moll starts her run in the Christmas production at a local theatre on Saturday, I have been chaperoning some rehearsals and am absolutely blown away by her. Definitely her time to step out of big sister's shadow.

Noo technically finished her first term at JD last week, although we are back in this weekend for a choir concert and extra lesson, then again next weekend for her teacher's concert. By which time she is meant to have learnt the piece off-copy and mastered something technically very challenging that isn't clicking in to place naturally at the moment. Stressed, me? Never.....

As evidence that all 13 year olds are the same, I've just picked up sent by DS from his school email account, giving me a step by step guide to updating Fortnite, which apparently is vitally important I do before he gets home tonight! 😂😂😂
Glad to see he's doing something useful in his computer science lessons.

Or if she likes doodling - our local community centre holds a monthly “doodle club” and fortnightly drawing groups for 12+ year olds. A less structured activity might really suit her at this stage.

But reading about Goo reminded me of someone who at Goo's age was top in her sport, winning national competitions. Then one day she had enough of it and stopped completely.

This was nearly my DD1 - at 14 she got back from her first senior international event and she was exhausted and she’d had to miss a holiday her friend had invited her on, so another friend got to go. She still loved the sport but she also said she craved being a normal teenager and just doing nothing. Cutting down the training hours wasn’t really negotiable with coaches but her passion definitely lagged for 1/2 years, and I’d say she was close to packing it all in at one point. She cut down on competitions in an effort to make it all more relaxed and give her a bit more time, and we made sure to just take the pressure off completely and let her miss sessions when needed. She’s back now and more obsessed than ever but I think she 13-15 most kids do just want to potter around, see friends, do their own thing. In that year we worked really hard to make home a total chill out zone - she watched way too much tv and hundreds of films, read way too many books and never revised for tests (revision only began in year 11).

It feels desperate now but I think making music a non productive hobby might make it more appealing in the short term, and in a few years she might be more ready to pick it up seriously. Also if she isn’t keen on taking up a new hobby then what about something more chilled like Guides or a youth group? And I definitely wouldn’t worry about not revising age 13 - I promise you neither of mine ever did more than half an hour before a test at that age and I doubt my DD3 will.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2MkVJkRV3DSbQMRdsjSBwBV/seven-essential-pieces-of-advice-for-young-musicians?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_radio_3&ns_linkname=radio_and_music&ns_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2PJn6KX9sOROQTssruaL-frEXnK8Yu8h-lPZMrrfY--bpjVtzWSWuKT88

Interesting advice from Sir Simon Rattle, on being a musician. Waffle, take heart from what he says about taking a year off completely.

Ah yes, it's interesting to see what suddenly become vitally important to do when practice is mentioned, double!
I've tried to enforce ' little and often', so as long as he's got his cello out and done something decent for 15 minutes, I'll take it. With DS, just starting is often the issue, so if he thinks it'll be over quickly, he's more inclined to start...and then he generally carries on for longer than the minimum.I
I think they want to make a good impression on teachers and peers when they start year 7, which is another reason they over-egg homework. By year 8, they've learnt how to do the bare minimum... 😂

I’d be happy with an instrument a night piccolo, or rather alternating bassoon with guitar and piano on the other night. She doesn’t practice on bassoon lesson day or band night anyway. I’m not demanding an hour a night either - just some decent focussed practice would be nice! Academically she is doing very well and I think spending longer than required on her homework is her way of trying to avoid practice.

DS2 is very overloaded at the moment. His choir responsibilities in choir are increasing, as the year 6s start getting solos (although he never volunteers!), and they have a particularly packed schedule this year for some reason.

We have taken his 11 plus preparation time off his music practice, so he is doing 15 minutes less practice a day. He is also only practising four days a week, as he cannot manage late night, early practice, late night, which rules out Fridays and Saturdays. Wednesday is a sacred music-free day. Interestingly, he is now making better progress on the violin and piano because he is not having discouragingly bad sessions because of tiredness. He is using the extra time for x box and youtube! His choice...

It. Will be interesting to see what happens in a couple of years when the choristership stops. He says now that he wants to use the time for two hours a day of violin, but he might feel quite differently when he is a teenager!