Spring /Summer 24 - Music thread

DD plays 1/4 Gliga grade 8+ and I don't even know what her wooden bow is 😂- didn't stop her from getting scholarships and her teacher never mentioned she needed a better bow, just better bow technique 😁

(And if you are trying some, get wooden ones in the same range too to compare. I think in that range she'll prefer CF but you never know.)

Ah yes, proportional to the instrument is the other question. For us, DD's viola is the limiting factor at the moment more than her bow. But she's still growing and will probably want a bigger one eventually, there's no fixed size for violas. And she might still decide she prefers violin.

I didn't know there was another model of col legno either - if that's an option, might coda prodigy be in budget? I've heard them well spoken of. And stringzone do do them so you could try first.

Another thing is once you're not looking at cheaper to replace than rehair range, there is a reasonable resale value. Or as I say whatever you get as a tide over to g8+ can be still useful as a spare.

What does teacher think you should do? They'll have a better idea what she needs at the stage she's at.

Bows...

DD had cheap as chips wooden ones up to around g5, then slightly off the price floor CF as seemed nicer than wooden ones in that price range.

She currently has a Col Legno(!) CF viola bow which seems to do the job. I'm thinking up to grade 8 or thereabouts and then she'll probably want an upgrade, but then she'll also be in a better position to know what she likes and this one will do as an emergency spare.

I honestly don't know what everyone else is doing, I have a suspicion some people would find this shockingly cheap of us, others will still be using whatever came in the case with the instrument.

I have a CF myself (amateur g8+), Coda Diamond GX. I preferred it to the wooden ones I tried at the time but not by so much I wouldn't try both types again if I ever decide to change.

Not being a super fancy player I find I can mostly tell the difference in how flexible/bouncy a bow is. If it's not flexible enough it's harder to play off the string, particularly fast. If it's too flexible it's hard to play loud or chords without getting crunches where the stick hits the string.

@northerngoldilocks the stringzone will send you out a selection of bows to try for the cost of the postage. We did that for DD1 when she needed to upgrade her cello bow and they were super efficient.

DD2 has a carbondix bow which several teachers have raved about and one went out and bought one for orchestral work. Not sure if anyone will send one of those out on approval though as I don't think stringzone stock them.

My dd is grade 8 now ( violin) she bought a better carbon fibre bow with her last violin but has since had a new wooden one that she prefers( £600 though..)
if you’re anywhere near us your dd is welcome to try some( we now have a few..)

Dd has a wooden bow so am not sure what it's worth paying for carbon fibre. Hers was £600 new but we got a very lightly pre-loved one for less. She tried both and preferred the feel of the wood. What's the difference? I know nothing!

My DS changed to a better carbon fibre cello bow and it has made a difference to his sound and to the comfort when playing. He had the most basic carbon fibre bow from amazon for his half-size cello, his teacher recommended he got a better bow for the 3/4 size cello (it came with a wooden bow) and he changed to a full-size carbon fibre bow at that point.

It was worth trying some in a shop as the bows feel quite different to each other and some seem to suit different types of music. DS rejected a more expensive bow because he didn't like how it performed when playing modern, "noisy" pieces versus being silky smooth for calm classical pieces.

DS went on a tour to Italy last summer. The coach trip home was over 30 hours long!
He had a brilliant time but had had enough of travelling by the time he got back.

We also have the very long coach trip tour option. On DD2's 15th birthday. She seems more resigned to that than I would be. Nice to see so much music holiday excitement though.

@northerngoldilocks - no, they're flying. Dd most excited that her cello gets its own seat on the plane! Coach to the airport though at silly o' clock which is part of the fun apparently.

Wow, trips abroad sound great. Youngest DD is excited as she's getting to go on a ferry for a music residential. Not actually to an island, it just cuts out a long bit of road. Dire warning to be at the departure point on time or bus will leave without them!

Ah ok @GreenTeaWhite - DH is just reporting what he’s been told by staff at the senior college. The people he spoke to were all really upset about it, but they’re not the decision makers.

I hope they can plug the gap somehow 🤞🏻

@Compsearch Yes, the Junior Department does run at a deficit - £188K a year, which is less than the principal of the RWCMD's annual salary. The college itself is currently running at a surplus, as per their last financial report. They no longer want the rest of the college to subsidise the Junior Department, but it does seem to the parents that the SMT are not doing what they can to raise funds to help. E.g. They've managed to raise £3 million (out of £12 m) to restore an old library. The parents have come together and it seems that a common view (based on research from articles re the principal, for example) is that this decision is said to be a financial one, but swayed enormously by ideological/political views.

Announcing the closure of the JD part way through the term it intends to close is very poor management. Also, they have shown little consideration for how their plans to close the Junior Department has affected the children emotionally.

@GreenTeaWhite DH does some work for RWCM and I asked him about this yesterday - he said that the closure is because it’s not financially sustainable for them to run anymore - apparently the English and Scottish JDs are subsidised but the Welsh government gives them nothing at all, and they literally cannot afford to run it anymore as the fees charged don’t cover the costs. Just in response to your comment that it seemed to be ideological - according to DH that isn’t the case - they are devastated about it and know they are letting the students down.

I really hope the petition makes a difference and they can find the money somehow. It’s such a shame.

Just to clarify I certainly don’t believe that a JD is the only route to a conservatoire, rather it is what we’re were advised at the time by his then teacher, as non musical parents we had no idea either way.

Reassuring to know you don't necessarily need to have been to a JD to get into a conservatoire. It's just so sad that the enjoyment the kids get from already going is being taken away.

Thank you so much for signing, @Compsearch !

@Pollyanna8234 Thank you so much for signing. Like you say, a lot of the children live for these Saturdays. Mine absolutely love going. If schools were able to provide them with what they need, JDs wouldn't need to exist, but schools don't.