Spring 21 virtual music thread

Mendingfences I agree, it's difficult 😞, glad it's not just me!

Thirdfiddle I knew nothing about strings prior to DS starting but that is reassuring. It looks hard to me, so much to coordinate! Yes, I am forever nudging his feet so they're flat on the floor 😄.

👋 bostik sounds like things are going well for your DD. I might mention that to DS's orchestra leader. He's been fantastic online mainly using BBC resources but always good to hear what else is out there.

Hi All, are anyone else's children doing Modulo Orchestra for all? DD's school is and starting on Wednesday. Hoping to find an online thing that she enjoys as she is picky. Also looking forward to NYO Inspire next month. Fingers crossed!

It is difficult to know how positive to be, i feel like there is a danger we focus too much hope on things that then get cancelled and thats just dissapointment in bucket loads......

Hello, I've posted on a few of these threads but have got out of the habit so it was good to see it pop up again. DS (11) plays piano and is preparing for G5. No lessons currently due to lockdown but he's doing well practising & sending videos to his teacher. He absolutely loves the piano and seems very committed. He also plays the cello (roughly G2 level) but is less enthused and finds Zoom lessons hard. It's been hard to know what to do as he picked the instrument so he could play in ensembles. He does an orchestra online with school but keeping up motivation is really hard when it's online. I keep encouraging him because I think he will enjoy it once the live ensemble opportunities return but its difficult to keep this up. I think it's hard for young people to believe things will ever be 'normal' again and it's been tough on musicians. Really hoping for some opportunities in the summer but also trying to be realistic...

We use Allianz Insurance for all our instruments. Had no problems with the couple of claims we have needed to submit re accidental damage.

No idea what that bv is all about...

Norway 🇧🇻

@Mendingfences - where are you? We're in France. (But our insurance for everything but the pianos is UK based).

Not sure our insurance is very useful as we are not in the uk
I almost dont want to say this as i know it's very tough on others but å very happy dd1 got to go back to ensembles in person today 😃

Their insurance is with Allianz

Musician’s Union (£20 per year for students) membership comes with free instrument insurance upto £2000. Though each claim has a £100 excess. (Also get public liability and other insurance for free.)

Can I ask the fellow musicians with multiple instruments.... who do you insure with? Because our insurance bill is high (but I still think it's with a great company).

Can see your point mendingfences. We now have cello, viola, violin, piano, the bassoon and dd1 has just requested a guitar ('just for fun mum'). DD2 is begging for a piccolo, but at least that wouldn't take up much space.

I love the sound of the bassoon. I am however glad that it is not a realistic option for any of my 3 because we have run out of room.... I thought dd2 had picked something lovely and small and practicle to carry around (flute) them she added double bass...... and euphonium..... 🤣 ds started big, percussion then piano - but at least you dont have to transport them so often, then he added trumpet and cornet which are not too big. Dd1 har stuck to violin and å bit of piano but it's still rather crowded in our house....

Horseymum... No way!!! That's exactly what we have, for the in use ones. We also have a gorgeous hand carved (charity shop) box for the proper stash

No magnetic water pots in our house, just a small tupperware cylinder. I was thinking about getting a folding bassoon stand, so that it could stay assembled to avoid DS's moaning about putting it together to practice, but the only ones I've seen online are a bit pricey for a casual purchase.

The ability to experiment with fingering was one of the things that attracted DS to the bassoon. He doesn't seem to have too much trouble remembering which keys to use, which is good because I can't make head or tail of bassoon fingering charts - looks like hieroglyphics to me! In non-lockdown times he boards at his choir school so is generally pretty independent about music practice.

Howarth's is wonderful, a rabbit-warren of beautiful instruments and weird-looking accessories. They have a whole room filled with nothing but bassoons and the staff are lovely. When we first went there to try out tenoroons, the staff member helping us had her contrabassoon with her. She let DS try it and gave him the huge contra reed to keep as a souvenir (then she told me how much a contrabassoon costs and I had to sit down )

This is hilarious, we have an m and s strong mints tin for reeds too!! Just bung a magnet on your film canister, I hated having wet patches on carpet all the time.

Magnetic water pots? That’s a whole new level of accessorising - we were solemnly handed an old film canister by dd’s teacher when she started - along with an M&S ‘curiously strong mints’ tin for reeds. I assumed that was just what you had to have! Yesterday I dropped the nasty water all over the iPad after her lesson. And swore.

I guess the ‘many fingerings’ thing makes sense squints- it’s just blessedly difficult on zoom when I’m also trying to do my work while dd’s lesson is going on and she’s not taking detailed-enough notes. She’s not had a single lesson in person on this instrument and that makes it really tricky.

Hi bassoon parents,
My 11year is a bassoonist. We've never had a tenoroon or short reach, teacher wanted us to wait til she could do a full size because of the sound quality and the benefits of building up the air needed for it. We found the issue of hand size wasn't as important as hand stretch. She has a wide reach, even though she has quite small hands. Started on a student bassoon and now on the bassoon that will last til college. Its absolutely true about each instrument working better with different fingerings. Dd and her teachers bassoons are vastly different in what fingerings work best and its something that is adjusted regularly (though her second teacher has a bassoon that behaves very similarly to me daughters). So wonderful hearing about all these other little bassoonists!

I would love to visit howarths one day! And the Early must shop to look at recorders!

I literally know no other parents whose children play bassoon, it's not offered in our region so we have private lessons. The teachers other pupils are in different areas so never met them! The water pots are insanely annoying I would suggest a magnetic one ( from crook and staple). Or just attach a magnet to any small pit then stick to stand, no more spilt water everywhere. Bassoons are a different breed if instrument, I think there are 13 keys in total for the two thumbs, no other instrument has this level of complexity I think! Flute fingering is much more logical, at least for the first two octaves.

So many small bassoonists! I have one too. We've been so lucky as our DD (11) has been lent to use for as long as she needs the most beautiful instrument that used to belong to a friend of mine. She's only been playing for a year and obvs mostly in lockdown - but her teacher's repairman converted the instrument into a short reach for her. It feels like a bit too much for her level (very shiny and we're all a bit scared of it). Lucky girl though.

However, we are being driven mad by the fact the instrument is so bloody non-standard. Most lessons seem to be along the lines of 'yes, I know it says that in the book but the fingering on your bassoon will work better if you do x or y, because it just does - every bassoon is different you'll just need to work with it'. All of which is particularly tricky on Zoom as no-one can see anyone else's fingers properly. No wonder Howarths reminded me so much of Ollivanders. Feel like DD has joined some kind of wizarding cult.

Meanwhile her first love (the flute) remains reliably standard and the fingerings in the book actually work - and there is no need for small pots of water, seat straps and endless fuss with reeds. I can see why flute is so popular... Perhaps I will learn to love the bassoon as my dd does, but at the moment its behaviour is not endearing.

Sorry for typos 😱