Autumn 22 music thread

Also @QueenMabby if you haven't already shown your DD, might be worth showing her Anna Lapwood on Instagram/ fb/ tick-tock (depending what you have access to) as she does some super cool organ playing - how to train your dragon plus playing a gig with Bonobo!

Also you can do g5 musicianship instead of theory? Something like that…

Tricks for theory - as soon as you sit down in the exam:

draw a piano keyboard
draw and label the staves/lines
write down the tone patterns for the major/minor scales
write down the circle of 5ths

thats basically a cheat sheet for most things (dd did g5 theory with my teaching about age 10…and I’m not musical) (I did it too…still very proud of my 93% in the old version with composition!!!)

Continuing the theory theme, DS also passed grade 5 over the summer so means he can continue with exams if he wants to. He's been working on all the grade 6 flute pieces, but I've also written to his teacher to say we're pretty relaxed re whether he sits this one or skips and does grade 7 - will leave it to her. Was keen for him to do grade 5 as he'd never done a flute exam before, but we've ticked that off now! Would like him to do another before Grade 8 though. He's also just started lessons with a new piano teacher at his Saturday music centre so hoping that might make him more enthusiastic about it. They're having an informal concert in school tomorrow in their music lesson so I've strongly suggested he should do one of his flute pieces - having an audience and a pianist on hand seems too good an opportunity to pass up. He pointed out that he hasn't played the piece with his teacher yet, but have convinced him to go for it - I'm sure it would be better if he'd had a lesson on it, but it sounds fine and realistically its a concert for his class so its pretty low key. Will see how it goes.

DD also passed a theory exam, though it was the spectacularly less useful grade 3! She's doing grade 5 theory this year at her Sat music so she should sit it in the summer. I'm not in a rush for her to do it though as a year of technique consolidation and work with her new piano teacher before any exam prep would be good. She has the grade 7 book and is working on a couple of pieces (mainly because she really liked Pink Minor) but has told him that she isn't going to do the exam. Entertainingly he spent a bit of time trying to convince her it would be good to consider doing grade 8 at some point though - I've said it might help if she explained she doesn't have grade 5 theory yet rather than some wider exam objection!

I think in theory we might be looking at minimal / no exams this year - unless the violin teacher suggests any. DD hasn't done any violin exams yet and the teacher reckons that she's somewhere between grade 4 and 5 standard (had to ask for an orchestra form) so maybe there's a grade 5 violin exam somewhere in the future. Will see!

Yes, well done to mini. A pass is all you need.

Well done @minisnowballs dd1! Tick that box and move on!

Not sure what exams we have this year. Maybe nothing this term. Piano - she's just doing some fun repertoire atm and a decision as to whether she'll sit g7 or g8 next will come in due course.

She's working on g5 cello and g3 singing but we're not in any rush for those so maybe Easter.

She's currently excited by an opportunity in school next month to be introduced to the organ. She had a trial lesson a few years ago but decided instead that she'd rather have singing lessons. There's a group of them going to have a go but I shall be putting my foot down over another set of lessons!

I think Theory teaching must be a very specific skill -so well done to your DH!

Dh has discovered that he is really good at teaching theory online over zoom. He is currently trying to get ds's drummer friend from 0 to Grade 5 by the spring (so he can apply to LIPA amongst other places). He seems to have a real ffinity with young people and teaching in a way that seems relevant.

@horseymum we've just said a big fat no to bassoon exams this term - dd2 has grade 5 and has done the theory and a bunch of grade 6 and 7 pieces, but we are tired.

But I think the trinity syllabus is quite similar to the ABRSM one if your dd2 did want to do more.

It's going to be a very bassoon-heavy year here as DD2 (who is a flute player really) has just been offered bassoon places for the two orchestras she'd applied for on flute as no flute spaces.

She is going to find them much harder on her second instrument (she finds the first of them quite hard on her first, and the other is NYO Inspire, which is probably quite hard!) - but she does want to show willing.

Well done! I have a theory refuser here. I think it's a strategy to avoid any more practical exams. She's done grade 5 bassoon last year but now can't do any more! Her sister commented that she'll be ready for grade 8 before she's done her theory! Currently slowly working through grade 4 theory book. I don't mind if she doesn't do any more exams, she just might like the option in the future.

Hope all well with autumn music making. This week's thrill is that DD1 (who is in Year 11) has finally passed her grade 5 theory after avoiding it stringently for five years. She doesn't really do music exams but her Saturday school requires it.

She got the passmark. I think something might have gone wrong with her strategy as she got really high scores for some sections, reasonable for others and then a stocking 0/10 for chords and cadences. I suspect she didn't answer any of the questions as this is usually her best bit!

Still - a pass is a pass! Thank heavens that was done before the beginning of term. Thinking of ceremonially burning the theory books (DD2 took the exam two years ago).

Thanks for the replies we have the space so have decided on acoustic drums set

I thought junior size but his teacher said he is comfortable playing a full size one at lessons so we might as well buy that same size

Yes @horseymum we are Scotland too , he is doing chanter through the school. So far he is enjoying it but yes they are loud the local kid in the village who plays gets chucked in the garden after school by his mum to practise but it's lovely to hear the bagpipes playing daily at 4pm across the village the lad is very good.

Both boys want to be in a pipe band. Youngest is too young too he wants to do snare drum but school won't let him start till P4 and he only P2 which is a shame/

My son put on a musical theatre cabaret on Friday. It was a phenomenal success. I can't believe what he achieved. He had a live band and had asked several singers from his theatre group, previous school, college and the boy who 4 years ago played Dodger to his Oliver. All important people from his musical & personal life, several of whom are off to drama school or music college.

Then yesterday we dropped h9im off at conservatoire. I am now an empty nester!

Well, first Saturday back at JD for middle DD. She had a fab time, been promoted to top orchestra and looking forward to a whole year of great music making. This time last year it was half online, no concerts, didn't meet her piano teacher till after Christmas. It feels so Much more positive. Hope others have got more concerts etc to look forward to aswell.
Slightly frustrated at NYOS decision to cut back from three to two orchestras, probably means youngest DD won't have a chance but we'll audition anyway.

I think you're right @StuntNun I've already put it in for a service with the thought that I can play it, and I'm going to look at hiring. I can see that Howarths do a scheme where you can rent then they knock some of that cost off if you buy. Wondering if you need to make a trip up there in person. I'm guessing you do.

I would not have wanted to tackle grade 5 with a B12 - it's really a beginner instrument. It's almost definitely not worth getting it serviced either. I just paid £300 for a full service! You could put that money towards a new instrument or into rental.

Any thoughts on upgrading from a knackered B12 clarinet? I was hoping it would get DD through grade 5 (coming up soon) but I'm not sure whether to invest in a major service/ repair job if its days are numbered. Wondering what instrument people generally move on to next. I am slightly worried about my quite clumsy DD bashing an expensive instrument! Also got a bassoon upgrade to consider, but I think we would look into hiring.

@makeitsonumber1 you could always get her to try some mouthpieces if you're buying an instrument. Vandoren are a good brand. My understanding is that the mouthpiece makes as much difference to playing as the rest of the instrument does. My completely inexpert opinion is that an experienced musician can compensate for an inferior instrument or mouthpiece or even reed, whereas we should be trying to make playing as easy as possible for a learner. But she could always see how she gets on with the new clarinet and consider changing the mouthpiece when she gets to the higher grades, as the teacher recommends.

She does swab the current one so that’s good. Thanks for the tip on the ligature too!

Thank you @StuntNun and @Alakazam8. We are in London on Saturday so going into the shop to buy it. We asked her teacher about changing the mouthpiece at the same time and he suggested staying with the one that comes with it until grade 5 - is this what everyone else does? In the grand scheme of things, given the expense of the clarinet itself, it seems odd to not get a different mouthpiece if that would be better for DD?

Sounds like you're looking after it really well @Alakazam8 We are humming and ahhing over DD2's flute. She's had it since Year 4 primary - Yamaha, closed holes. It's an older one, when they were still made in Japan, which is why her teacher rates it. Belongs to her aunt.

However, she's now prepping for Grade 8 and I notice everyone else at her level has something with open holes and much fancier... Don't want to leave it to just before an exam! I guess we trust the teacher and hope for the best - but any flautists here might be able to help me too?

The bassoon, thank god, is better than we deserve. Belongs to a friend - had been in a loft for 30 years, and then converted to short reach and overhauled by her teacher's favourite repairman. Knew we were onto a winner when her teacher stroked it lovingly and said 'I used to play one of these at the Academy'.

Dd is struggling with her new pieces - which seem to be G7, but it's definitely not the instrument that is letting her down!.

Yes dd has a buffet clarinet, not sure which number. Still with metal lig though so might look at that next.
we use cork grease and oil on it regularly and will send it in for service over half term (once a year) other than the usual swab clean.

My son started out on an electric kit as we didn't have space for an acoustic kit but then switched to an acoustic kit after a couple of years as he prefers it. Acoustic kits tend to be cheaper for a good quality kit. Thomann are a good supplier of drum kits and tend to be cheaper than UK suppliers.

Yes, at that level a decent wood clarinet will probably make all the difference to her playing. Buffet E11 is a popular choice but see what her teacher recommends. They don't need a whole lot of maintenance; use a swab/pull though to get rid of the water from the inside, and wipe the outside down with a cloth after playing. Some teachers recommend upgrading the mouthpiece and ligature as well as the clarinet. I much prefer a Rovner leather ligature to a metal ligature which might be worth looking into.

Anyone with kids in the London Youth Choir? DD2 (13) had her audition for it last night - it was very short(!) and they offered her a place on the spot without any aural tests so she was a bit surprised as they said there would be 'musical skills tests'.

I guess we were expecting an outcome email rather than just 'we'd love to have you - details on email in the next few days'.

She'd have to give up a current musical theatre group for it so is wondering whether it is a good idea or not....