Spring 21 virtual music thread

@thirdfiddle DC1 does seem to have picked things up quickly, and I think having music has helped a lot, especially while everything has been so uncertain. Something to focus on - a bit of an emotional outlet maybe?

DC2 does like to copy, and loves making a noise! Luckily we have kind and understanding neighbours.

Thanks so much, @doesanybodyhaveamap that site looks great! I'll check out those books as well, anything to help build their confidence will be a bonus.

8 notes is quite good for simple arrangements and free stuff! Duets too..

www.8notes.com/piano/

@CoolKitkat both of mine find piano sight reading a whole lot more difficult than any of their other instruments. There's just so much to think about! 2 lines of music, 2 hands, and later on, several notes in each hand. That's before all the normal stuff like key signatures, articulation, dynamics etc!! If you haven't already got them, we find the Paul Harris 'improve your sight reading' books are good as they start simple and build up to the required level of complexity for the grade as you go along. As a general rule, the more 'new music' and quick studies you can get in front of them the better, stuff like easy duets, simple arrangements of film / show tunes that they might know the tune to. No pressure and fun.

I’ve been lurking on this threads for a while, but thought it was time to dip my toes in the water!

I’m pretty new to the whole music thing, and don’t have much personal experience, so have found the advice on these threads really helpful.

DC1 has been playing for 2 years now, and will be starting at a specialist school in September. They want to give it a go, and seem to have done well at the audition, so I’m hiding my nerves and trying to be supportive and smiley!

DC2 has been playing for a year, and is noisily enthusiastic.

Thanks for all the fab musical advice

Thanks very much @doesanybodyhaveamap and @thirdfiddle, really helpful views. I think you're right, they will get that sense of achievement with the performance exams (assuming they pass!). I think the teacher is concerned that they won't be as 'well-rounded' if they skip the other technical parts of the exam.

However, it is nice to be able to take the nerves out of the equation.

Any tips for improving sight-reading? I'm trying to get them to play small snippets, and trying to get them in a routine or strategy for what to look out for - little and often. The teacher will be working more on this with them, but it's hard to see much progress - they only have 30 mins each week, and most of this is taken up with the pieces.

They just freeze, don't play with any rhythm, forget the sharps/flats, wrong notes ++ etc etc. I'm sure they just need lots and lots of practise, but if anyone has any suggestions or tips, please do share!

Welcome @CoolKitkat! Teachers can be quite fixed on their opinions of the respective boards, and usually for very genuine reasons. Perhaps it's worth trying to have an open conversation with teacher about this?

My own view - if DC's have prepared as though they were going to do the 'full' exam, scales, aural etc, then I see no harm in taking the performance exam to have that final sense of achievement. Where I personally think it falls down (and this might be controversial!) is that the new performance exam system allows people who are inclined to do so skip through without doing any of that good stuff that helps develop rounded musicians. Of course, even that only really matters if it trips those poor kids up further down the line.....

One of my own DD's Is likely to do a couple of performance exams. She follows a strict diet of scales, theory, and aural alongside her pieces and does lots of sight reading too. However she has huge performance anxiety and this usually causes her to freeze or fumble over scales and sight reading and go mute on aural. She has been known in the past to get 28/29 on all her pieces and literally refuse to do the sight reading! Not because she's not capable, but because she is scared of getting it wrong. So the performance exams will serve her quite well I think. But we would continue to prepare as though she would take the 'normal' exam and I wouldn't enter her until we were confident she was on the required standard in all elements. It just serves no purpose for us to do otherwise IMHO.

I've just discovered these threads, hope it's ok to ask some questions? Apologies if it's been all covered before.

My children are learning piano, and were going to take their exams this spring. Their teacher is not very keen on the performance exams, but as the children have been preparing for the exams, I would prefer them to sit the performance exams.

Is there any real downside to this approach? I know we could just skip it altogether, but I think it would be good for their confidence if they submitted something (although I've seen various reports on the marking being harsh etc).

The teacher also only teaches for ABRSM - but I've heard Trinity are better in some respects (though not easier) - and may be able to avoid the dreaded sight-reading. Should I try to find a more 'flexible' teacher? He's very good otherwise, and has really helped them progress so far.

Hi. Mainly lurked on the last couple of threads but did post sometimes.
DD12 (yr 7) here with a piano, a cello and some singing. No playing grades on the horizon (yippee!) as she did her g5 performance exam in October and missed her g3 cello in the first lockdown so is having some fun time with it for a while and popping in a bit of g4 stuff here and there. Grade 5 theory is planned for March though.
Singing is new since September although (pre-COVID) she sang in her school choir and is a chorister in the school chapel choir.
No ensemble playing or singing happening for her as all her music is through school. Pre-COVID she did a string orchestra, piano duet, chamber group and the two choirs so it’s left rather a large hole in her musical life.
Looking forward to seeing music open up a bit more later in the year. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Music teacher here. Not UK based, but I know all about ABRSM exams so feel free to ask any theory etc questions. X

Also need to get our act together for dc2 piano performance exam.

Dd (14) (yikes) did brass academy (trumpet) for 3 years from when she had been playing for about 3 weeks until 2019. 2020 she did NCBB (virtual) which was pretty well organized - no idea if she keeps her place for this year too...just working out which g8 remote exam she’s going to do - were really hoping for abrsm in person this term but guess that won’t happen!

She also plays viola (g7 trinity to be recorded in next few weeks) and has been going to pro corda for about 3 years.

Thanks for all your advice- it's been really useful!

@Polar81 NCBB doesn’t have age based orchestras. They’ve just had a change of administrator and going through other changes. Both NCBB and NCO extremely friendly so ask them any questions you have.

NCO costs c£900 for U10s 8-day residential (www.nco.org.uk/join-in/fees-and-assistance). NCO have rerouted their scholarships into bursaries. I don’t know about NCBB costs but would have thought comparable (www.nybbgb.com/help-and-support.html). But I expect both NCO and NCBB costs to go up as their finances have been decimated.

Brass Academy is a commercial enterprise so no bursaries unfortunately.

That’s great news lunar1. Exam boards of all kinds take extra beatings in these strange times, but to hold their hands up without being prompted is a positive story. It’s a new exam process that clearly has had early teething problems on marking. Well done to your DS.

I'm a completely non musical parent and an new to these threads though I have lurked on occasion.

Ds1 is 12 and will be doing grade 5 piano and grade 3 rock guitar this year. His last grades were done in lockdown. Grade 4 piano was reviewed without me requesting it and was changed from a merit to a distinction-they contacted me to say there had been an error.
He really doesn't want to do performance grades again but it doesn't look like we will have a choice. He loves the whole experience.

Ds2 will be doing grade 3 piano and is thrilled if he never has to go to an exam centre again.

The cost for NYOS ( national youth orchestra of Scotland) are all their website so it's clear before you audition, I think from £7-900 for an Easter course and a summer one, four days each I think. They do also say there are bursaries and funds you can apply for and send the information out automatically, hopefully other ensembles have something similar.

[quote Trumpetdad]@Polar81 Lower brass is always in demand, especially for the younger years. So best of luck to miniPolar.

DS2 has been with NCO since age 8 and took part in virtual NCBB last summer for the first time. DS enjoyed virtual NCBB more than virtual NCO - because NCBB was concentrated practice and perform, whereas NCO was spread out over a few weeks and it didn’t have as much real performance.

Also have a look at The Brass Academy once things are back to normal.

DS loves attending all of the residentials. They make great friends, and the music world is small so they keep on bumping into friends at other events.

@Bostik - we have a clash between NCO and another Orchestral residential too. Hard decision for us to choose which to attend as both have really supported DS.[/quote]
Thanks for the info! Is the NCBB like NCO in that they audition for groups based on their age, or is it just that they take the best players aged between 8-13? Brass Academy I hadn't heard of, so that's a useful tip.

I'm a bit worried about the costs of residentials (we are not a high income family)- would anyone mind sharing the cost of one of the residentials or PM me?

This is a new world to us and all info is much appreciated. Thanks again

DD did a virtual course in the autumn. It was very well done and she learnt lots but it didn't really have the social aspect. Younger DD did a morning course too and it was good too but she is at the age where she needs someone beside her playing to get her confidence up so did find that a bit hard. They were better than nothing but nowhere near the real thing.

@Polar81 Lower brass is always in demand, especially for the younger years. So best of luck to miniPolar.

DS2 has been with NCO since age 8 and took part in virtual NCBB last summer for the first time. DS enjoyed virtual NCBB more than virtual NCO - because NCBB was concentrated practice and perform, whereas NCO was spread out over a few weeks and it didn’t have as much real performance.

Also have a look at The Brass Academy once things are back to normal.

DS loves attending all of the residentials. They make great friends, and the music world is small so they keep on bumping into friends at other events.

@Bostik - we have a clash between NCO and another Orchestral residential too. Hard decision for us to choose which to attend as both have really supported DS.

Hello, I used to be a regular on here for many years but dropped off in recent years. Lovely to hear about all your DC still music making, albeit in moderated ways these days. Some familiar faces here too from other threads!

1 DD here in Y12 (17) still musically engaged as she can be, plays violin, piano and sax. I have to get my head around the rules of performance exam recording as she has to submit this month for G8 piano. Still not sure which is the lesser evil, but she does not miss the scales that come with this grade. It will be the end of an era once done and stops formal lessons, she’s been very fortunate to have had a wonderfully patient teacher who has worked wonders in 30 mins only sessions.

Thank you! I'm also not sure about online courses, but it's been so long since DD has been able to play in an ensemble that we might give it whirl.

NCO said their course only has spaces for a certain amount of each instruments anyway, so will wait and see if there are spaces for low brass.

The National Children's Brass Band have asked for x2 contrasting pieces to be uploaded and then an audition over zoom involving a fair amount of scales and sight reading. DD knows approximately half the scales needed from her grade exam, but it would take a fair bit of work to learn the remainder!! It's doable but depends if she wants this as a focus for the coming month.