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Original poster

Autumn 2020 music thread

239 replies

thirdfiddle · 20/08/2020 18:21

Oh go on then, let's have a new music thread. Spring wasn't good.
What's going on music parents? Are they going back to real live lessons? Is it all virtual for Autumn? Have they sustained interest over lockdown? Any new starters want to join us - or new departures for established musicians?

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horseymum · 22/08/2020 08:33

Mending fences, congratulations on the double bass! Mine fits in my friends Nissan note so don't always need a big car. At least you are unlikely to ever need a full size, I don't know anyone who had one, 3/4 is the standard adult size. I'm just contemplating new strings for mine as never bought any (violinists are aghast!) but they are over £50 each so it might be a gradual process.

horseymum · 22/08/2020 08:30

Ooh, new thread! My DC's have definitely made progress in lockdown, played loads. Just had a couple of face to face piano lessons, hopefully woodwind can start soon as teacher took August off and not really wanting zoom when we go back. I know the feeling that some people think everything is back to normal but not when music is such a big part of your life. No wind band/ orchestra for me or them, no singing/ playing in church, no singing or wind at school. No external opportunities like previous years like come and play days. On the bright side, applications open for NYOS next week so that will give her a goal.

raspberryrippleicecream · 22/08/2020 00:05

Update from JD this evening to say everything will be remote until the end of October. Unsurprising, but still sad. DS2 was only doing two years, and after Christmas the main focus will be a levels.

Mendingfences · 21/08/2020 19:57

thirdfiddle Volvo v70 with one of the seats down 😆.

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 21/08/2020 19:14

disorganised xx it's been a demotivating time for them.
mendingfences - eek, 3/4 bass is getting quite big isn't it? Do you have a van to match?

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Mendingfences · 21/08/2020 18:51

We're not in the uk but we are back to in person lessons (some start next week) and some groups (also the kids are back at school). Lockdown purchase was a 3/4 double bass.....

disorganisedmummy · 21/08/2020 17:56

Hi, Ds will still have Skype violin lessons until October half term at the earliest. It's so hard because it's really killed the love of music for him. I'm not sure that he even wants to carry on playing anymore. He hasn't picked up his violin for weeks as teacher has been away. No enthusiasm at all. He's always wanted to be a musician but now he's not sure. No idea whether he will still want to do music GCSE. He goes into year 10 in September. Very hard to know what to do for the best. I don't want to force him, he needs to decide for himself what he wants to do but I must admit that I'm a tiny bit devastated 😢

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 21/08/2020 16:51

ps we never had any ensembles or choirs at school anyway. DD was looking forward to Christmas panto though, I doubt that will happen.
And they usually get to do whole class clarinet in y4. Or perhaps that's a blessing in disguise, they were rather squawky when DS's class did it! Seriously though, all these missed chances to try things or start things, in an area where there are already very few young musicians, we're going to see the effects for years to come.

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Original poster
thirdfiddle · 21/08/2020 16:45

DD sneaked in a last minute remote exam this term. For which I am stupidly impatiently awaiting result. Really any pass would be great, she had 4 weeks and 2 lessons total prep and only took the grade before in spring. Nice no fuss way to take an exam for her, it's just me being silly about it, I feel personally responsible for recording quality and selection!

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QueenMabby · 21/08/2020 14:33

Thanks for the new thread. DD’s had a couple of in person piano lessons over the summer which she’s loved. Like Paddington she’ll be doing a remote performance exam in October and then g5 theory online in November. Cello’s on hold til she’s back to school. Teacher will be doing in person lessons but likely no ensembles or choir at school. She’s also due to start individual singing lessons so fingers crossed for those. Her piano teacher did say she had hopes for small group chamber music and piano duets though which would be nice.

raspberryrippleicecream · 20/08/2020 23:46

Thanks third.

JD is mostly remote for DS2 for the coming semester, though they are hoping to do an ensemble rota! Organ has pretty much impossible. Obviously no churches to practice in during lockdown and it's still very difficult, plus lessons can't happen yet.

Singing lessons in school will hopefully be in person though.

County Youth Orchestra is hoping to have an in person rehearsal in November but we'll have to see.

DS2 is in Y13 so we have the joys of UCAS.

PaddingtonPaddington · 20/08/2020 21:33

Thanks for the new thread. DD is back with in person violin and piano lessons. She hoping to try one of the remote exams in autumn for piano.
Last week her local string group got together for the first time with lots of measures in place and she came out buzzing and said how much she’d missed playing with others.
Virtual JD for the autumn term although county youth orchestra hopefully in person from October half term (fingers crossed).
School on the other hand looks less hopeful as year group bubbles means no orchestra or string group.

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 20/08/2020 19:10

That's rather poignant Sad
We're not back to normal by a long shot yet. Still working from home, school arrangements are weird and somewhat joyless- no assemblies, no events, no singing, no clubs. No peripatetic teachers which is worrying. Music centre where my kids do bands is going virtual in September. We're just trying to work out if the amateur orchestras I play in can do something, however cut back.

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squintsoftheworldunite · 20/08/2020 18:35

When I said in the spring thread "I certainly couldn’t have predicted 2019 this time last year! I hope we can say the same of 2020 this time next year", this was NOT what I had in mind.... Spring sucked, summer isn't living up to much, I haven't got huge expectations for autumn... But we do have exciting things on the horizon when this garbage is over. And there have been sparkly moments in this mess. Individually, lockdown has meant brilliant progress. But all the everything elses that are missing feel like they're out balancing that often... I think for me, one of the hard things is that many people seem to think apart from it being weird when youre out, life is back on. Someone said to me just this morning "so is life all back to normal now then?" and with our lives so tightly entwined in the arts, it really is anything but....