Autumn 23 Music chat

The only ones I know of are the Mrs Sunderland Festival in Huddersfield, which has many many many categories, inc piano, and East Yorkshire do something too... I have yet to really explore all that. DS gets quite a lot of performance opportunity at school, and a fierce teacher!

@mustardrarebit depends where in Yorkshire - but know Holmfirth have traditionally had a quite big music festival - but noticed that they're not running in 2024 as need more support running and funding it to go ahead in future.

@herbaceous might know of piano options in Yorkshire for performance opportunities?

Thank you, I'll look into those options! She did a LYPCO online entry competition last year. I think we entered in the wrong category, everyone else had 6 years on her. I'll see if the local music academy have any suggestions. Unfortunately I don't have anything like the time or experience to start a competition!

Thanks. We are in Yorkshire, but we do travel all over, thanks to DD's fondness for performing arts. She's played the St Pancras pianos and loved it, but that was pure luck that it was a quiet time.

@mustardrarebit similar here - DD also 11. The competition i found out about was just on facebook so it was a random luck thing. There are lots though - where are you based as people may know?

DD has also found public pianos to be a good option. Current favourite is the one in Battersea Power station as its way less hard to get a turn on than the Kings Cross one

@mustardrarebit we'r doing our local annual music festival. Do a Google search for any music festivals around you. I found it by luck on Facebook .

Where do you all find out about piano festivals and competitions? DD is taught by DH, who is only familiar with the Hong Kong musical scene. She really needs more opportunities to perform. Her current primary school doesn't give many opportunities and their pianos are terrible! She's 11.

She’s very keen to carry on! Before the exam there was talk of never playing ever again if she failed, but she actually enjoyed the exam itself and the result is the icing on the cake so she’s now definitely talking about Grade 2. I am keen to have a break and some playing for fun for a while though (which has already started with a bit of Yellow Submarine practice earlier 😊). She’s also pondering taking a second instrument up as the plan was always to get through Grade 1 and then see how she felt. The challenge is the lack of teachers’ availability though.

Great result for your DD @WheelySquirrel - is she keen to carry on now? Mine refused for a while post grade 1 until she was ready to do gr 5- but it was cheaper and less restrictive so not all bad

Congratulations @WheelySquirrel DD!

@WheelySquirrel - congratulations to your dd that's a fantastic result.

As a former recorder player myself I always love seeing others pick it up. There's a girl at DD's school who is a diploma level recorder player and (after dd of course!) she's my favourite to listen to at school concerts!

Yay congratulations!!

Just a quick update for those who helped with advice for a nervous Grade 1 recorder player…she passed with a merit, hurrah! Thanks again 😊 I’ll probably stay loitering on this thread as it’s lovely reading about all your children’s musical adventures!

Gosh can they do that?! (double book seats). Can't really discretely stuff them. Under the seat.

And yes at least it's just a flute!

ALso - on cellos having their own seat on the plane, will be interesting to see if the airline double books them. My friend is in an orchestra who were touring and last time the airline double booked cos they'd released all the cello seats. Putting them in the hold is definitely not an option so there was a stand off until it was sorted (especially as they were flying in for a concert that evening)

My suggestion would be video call... But if you go for it not sure you get a better option to take than a flute!

Oh wow their own seat! Does it mean more space for her too if its next to her?!

My daughters school tour this summer is by coach....

One benefit of larger instruments I suppose is that this is never an issue for us!

Mind you dd is going on music tour in the summer and is very excited that her cello gets its own seat on the plane.

Vocal concert for us this week and not much else. Dd has put off her g4 voice until the summer which is good.

Oh I'm not worried about her have a couple of weeks off (she is doing grade 8 but not til the summer) and not too sure she's that fussed right now as I think she is exhausted at school...

Its more it's longhaul and we only see relatives every 5-10years and they want to hear her. Hmm!!! I think we'll have to!!

We have a French horn coming on our Easter holiday. Luckily it's UK and detatched! No option really as end of year recital is early May.

We are going away for a few days over Easter - can't imagine either child will take an instrument. Sometimes DD takes a ukulele but otherwise nothing. I think if they're working towards an exam and its very soon then they might, but otherwise they'll just have a holiday. They practice every day otherwise so don't really think that a couple of weeks off occasionally is a bad thing. Also depends on age / seriousness.

@CupOfCoffeePlease my DS has played his violin in hotel rooms but only during day time when everyone was at the pool . His is a small violin so not super loud but still I can imagine quite loud in the not so sound proofing hotel rooms. No one ever complained. He did play outside on a street with a performer once so it was handy to have it with us .

Yes I'm not exactly convinced of taking it as I think she'll only play it when we visit grandma there won't be any other opportunity!!!