Summer term 2019 music

Another sporadic poster here. I have two brass-playing DDs, albeit on different instruments.

DD1 attends a JD on Saturdays but also belongs to a couple of other bands that keep her busy with residentials, trips abroad and other events. She's not planning to take exams at the mo, G8 maybe next year... or maybe not.
DD2 is 5 years younger but has suddenly become busy with music as she plays one horn in a brass band and the other in a concert band. She's much younger than the other members of both ensembles but loves going. She's just been dropped off at a brass residential for the week with the French horn she's been playing for 7 months. She went last year too and had a great week even though she was the only one on her instrument. There were at least three other French horns arriving when we did this morning so that will make for a different experience.

Neleus
Honestly? No, I don't miss it at all. Having attended numerous concerts over the past couple of weeks it is a real treat to have a few evenings to myself and be able to catch up on the housework (lucky old me). I know once he leaves home I will miss the hustle but for now I'm enjoying a few days of peace and quiet before the summer term is upon us.

Boyskeepswinging
to your comment on the exhaustion for supporting DS's busy musical activities and the relief of a quieter week thanks to NCO. But don't you kind of miss the hustle and noise now?

I agree that as they get better they are more self critical and also take the exams more seriously so possibly get more nervous. Have seen this with the older 2 kids so far, younger ones just go in and play and seem relatively unaware of either exam pressure or errors!

That is true and I hope that's all it is! Thank you

Age and maturity really makes a difference. 11 year olds are generally a lot more aware of those little imperfections, and their ability to self critique has improved, great for practise but less great in an exam situation. Im sure it's gone better than she thinks right now.

Thank you both. I have been reassuring and she is feeling better about things now. She normally comes out really happy and confident it went well and this exam was different . I think that is partly down to age though as she was 9 when she did her last violin exam (she's 11 now) so was definitely less bothered about the little slips then.

It's very frustrating to have worked so hard at something and then it all comes down to 20-30 minutes on the day and a few slips can feel like a disaster immediately afterwards. Am sure she will have done much better than she thinks and as third says, you both know that she is playing at that level so take heart from that & try not to feel despondent. The examiner is just seeing a snapshot.

Hi, just looking for some experiences / advice if possible. Yesterday, dd took her grade 7 exam and sadly came out quite upset. Her pieces were of a very high standard and the accompanist also said she is likely to have achieved high marks on those.
Dd said she had to restart a couple of her scales - which she did, then played them correctly. She also accidentally played a dominant 7th scale instead of an arpeggio, but then also corrected this.
She thinks she did the singing wrong (somethings she's normally really good at) and gave the wrong modulation answer - she said she knew the answer, but said the wrong one 🤷‍♀️🙈.
She felt the sight-reading was correct except for the last part - she is likely to have played the sight reading beautifully as she is a very expressive player, but may not have been totally accurate 😬
She has worked so hard and was really, really prepared. I know it's not the end of the word, but I feel a bit gutted that she has come out upset and may not achieve a distinction (as she has hoped) 🙈

That’s the payback Mending!

Kind of glad im not alone in the organisational chaos.....
2 parents in full time jobs (dhs communte is not too bad but mine takes over 3 hours daily), 3 kids, 2 instruments each and a minimum of 30 minutes travel to lessons.....
But my goodness dd2s concert last night was amazing 😁

Gosh- it's really time for bed... I just read that as "we got it from Hogwarts"!
Thank you truffle.

Hi eroica it's a bam traveller I think. Her teacher has the same one and recommended it. We got it from Howarths.

DD has bendy joints so we try and be as careful as possible so this will hopefully be helpful.

Well done everyone on all the exam & audition successes!

I also find all the organising difficult to sort combined with full-time work & other commitments. And my DCs are nowhere near as busy music-wise as others on this thread. Have just been trying to arrange a day just after Easter which involves my own normal day's work (which usually includes a lot of meetings), a cake sale for DS's class, a teaching slot for a Year 1 piano beginner & getting DD half-way across London to a practice session with an accompanist before a festival. And then collapsing with .

Summer holiday plans are currently on hold partly until DD decides which music residentials she is doing (if any) - which will partly depend on how next week's course goes.

DS2 was a very chatty child but is a very minimalist teen!
Yes, just occasionally my head explodes over having to rearrange stuff e.g. music lessons because of concerts and other things, while working full time. (DS1 is the worst culprit for this.)

My full time job, running a household and deciding what to eat have to fight it out over the remaining 25%...
I feel your pain ... I SHOULD be organising our precious one annual family holiday (due to bloomin' musical commitments plus no money for more breaks due to bloomin' musical commitments) but I am spent ... just cannot summon up the energy to make one more decision.
I'm praying I'm currently in peak organising time. DS is now playing in a lot of adult ensembles but isn't old enough to drive himself to said gigs yet. So it'll get easier once he can drive himself? Please tell me this gets easier!

ha ha, "Does anyone else find the organising of the kids music lives hard going?"
Not just musical stuff, any other stuff.
Three children with only 2 parents is also a mistake....

Does anyone else find the organising of the kids music lives hard going?

Errrr, hell yeh! It takes up at least 75% of my headspace. My full time job, running a household and deciding what to eat have to fight it out over the remaining 25%...

I find reminding one (nearly) 9yo to practice every day quite hard work so, parents of one or more properly musical older DC, I salute you!

Does anyone else find the organising of the kids music lives hard going?
Yes! I have a demanding job and a long commute and the last two weeks have been positively ridiculous with the number of concerts. Also add mock (academic) exams and a grade exam into the mix and I am frazzled! The worst point in the fortnight was when I discovered just before a concert that DS needed a different shirt to the one I'd lovingly washed, ironed and put in his suit carrier. Honestly I find running my large department at work easier than negotiating DS's musical activities! All I can say is thank goodness I dropped him at NCO yesterday so I can have a week off!

Fantastic, a whole new world opening up. Good luck!

congratulations zeemama - such exciting news!

Lovely that he's so excited about jd zee

Does anyone else find the organising of the kids music lives hard going? Im certain it's not all me, i mean i had a conversation with dds orchestra teacher yesterday who was apparently unaware she was going to be on holiday over a big concert, but i know he knew because he replied to the email dh sent him....

Better news is that dd1s slot in a 3 day residential festival means that she can actually manage to travel to the very important rehersals she was for something else on the saturday. The only challenge will be ensuring she manages to get herself up and onto a boat by 8.30 in the morning after undoubtedly very little sleep in a sleeping bag on a classroom floor..... (no chance of anything going wrong there then )