Autumn term 2019 music thread

And you can get a bloody good cornet that will take them through as long as they want to play for £300! DH says if you can it’s worth trying them first - plus also try different mouthpieces (makes an enormous difference apparently)

Be grateful they aren’t string players!!!! You can’t spend more than 4 figures on a trumpet/cornet (£3000 will get you a professional instrument)...a decent violin for a g8 player starts at that and the sky’s the limit (plus 100 for strings, another 4 figures for an appropriate bow etc etc)...

Thank you very much, Petra. That's really helpful. I've one about to take Grade 1 and one on Grade 3. They both love doing it and I think cornets sound great but I had no idea when we started how pricy the new ones are!

He says “The Besson International looks good and has a trigger on third valve. Their JP271 is at a similar price and again looks good. They don’t call it a beginner model but looks good. The very basic JP071 actually gets good reviews. ”

Dh suggests here

www.johnpacker.co.uk/shop/secondhand-musical-instruments

There’s actually new ones cheaper but I suspect a second hand will be a better bargain!

Place marking here so that I will remember to ask do about brass for you (because he doesn’t have a brass buying addiction at all...)

Hi. Can anyone recommend a website for second hand brass instruments please? I have 2 DC doing cornet, both love it but have other interests too so I don't want to pay the eyewatering amount for a new one. But we pay termly rental to school so a second hand one would make sense I think. I have no musical knowledge at all so I'm a bit lost.

sushi, I write the time on DD’s hand in biro She’s Y5, though; it may be unacceptable to secondary-age DC!

Would reminders on an Apple Watch set on a phone get around the phones-in-school issue?

Paddington that's a great idea about suppling the music teacher with a timetable in case all other strategies fail! Just remembered that school don't allow phones to be seen or heard during the school day, so I will need to chat his tutor about how we do timed reminders on phone or watch.
Margia I haven't even thought about how practice is going to fit around increased homework demands! None of us are morning people so that's out for starters.

It involves me being organised! Harp and singing lessons happen at school, and the same teacher does violin/piano in one longer lesson.

Practice wise, we aim for two instruments a day (unless there’s a lesson or rehearsal in which case the relevant one is classed as practised). Luckily I like lists!! I’ve often asked if she wants to stop any of them but no, she’s determined to carry on!

@ilovesushi DD used to have this arrangement of different times each week so that they don’t miss the same school lesson. For year 7 we gave the instrument teacher a copy of her timetable in case she got in a muddle and the teacher could get her if she completely forgot.

@thirdfiddle the audition was for a holiday type orchestra as she already plays in a fortnightly string group outside of school so couldn’t really fit much else in!

Some great ideas thirdfiddle. I think a phone with programmed reminders is going to be really crucial in secondary. Not sure how to get in contact with the tutor, but I will. DS is super independent and hates any kind of outside help which I totally respect but it doesn't stop him struggling in some areas.

DS started secondary this week. All good so far, but it seems the instrument lessons switch time slot each week. Not sure how he is going to manage this. He is chronically disorganised and not good at telling the time (severe dyslexia). Has anyone else a strategy to make this work!?

Back from DDs audition for the county youth orchestra. She came out with a smile on her face and said it went well just a few nerves here and there. Won’t know for a few weeks so fingers crossed.

Ah, excellent, Raspberry. I have been semi seriously looking at intense courses, like you say it's trying to fit it into an already busy schedule.

Seventeenth birthday ten weeks away 'Boys', difficulty will be fitting in the lessons!

Blimey Margia that lot must cost an absolute fortune, notwithstanding the logistics of all that practice. How on earth does she fit it all in?!

Raspberry I know exactly what you mean. Mine gets asked to do a lot as his principal study is rare round these parts so I do keep an eye on him to make sure he's not overdoing things. We balance things by going to bed relatively early on non-concert or rehearsal nights, sleeping in whenever there's an opportunity and ensuring that he has some completely free days just to chill.

You might find going to JD actually helps as it's a one stop shop for everything. Most of my free time is spent driving to the various lessons, rehearsals and concerts. I've already told him he's taking his driving test on his 17th birthday

Morning everyone! Nice to see a new thread!

Occasional poster here but hoping to post more. Just the one DD (8) who is due to take Grade 1 harp this term, as well as possibly Grade 1 violin. She’s also working towards Grade 1 piano and Grade 2 singing. Nothing like a good list to make sure all practice is done!!

At the moment she doesn’t have much in the way of external ensembles, she sings in the local Minster choir but other than that it’s school choir and orchestra. She’s a bit shy of trying new ensembles at the moment unless she already knows someone but I’m hoping that’s an age thing.

Oh I know Boys. There are 70 years between him and the player next to him in his section in one band! I'm more worried about him taking too much on with starting JD this year too.

Ha ha Raspberry some of the ensembles DS plays with are similar in age! It doesn't seem to phase him at all though, they love having a young 'un in the group and he gets to play with people with decades of musical experience which they're generously sharing with him. I think it's really good for his social skills too to play with older adults. He plays with lots of youth ensembles too so I think he gets a good balance.