Spring /Summer 24 - Music thread

@QueenMabby sprog decided to name their first nice cello "violoncello d'amore" or "cello d'amore" for short 😁as it was much better than the very battered stentor they had before. Recently moved to a full size cello and it has been named "forever cello" as it will probably take them beyond grade 8. An orchestra friend has a flute called "Monique" so it seems anything goes

Well done mini @minisnowballs number 1!

We have a new cello in the family and oh my God the difference! Previous 3/4 size sounded pretty bad so I just always assumed dd wasn't very good. New cello and BAM! All of a sudden she sounds amazing!

It busted the budget rather but her teacher put all four options through their paces and helped dd choose the right one for her. She's stuck on a name though. Any one else's dcs name their instruments??!

It did really strike home the cost of music. Instruments and all the add ons are expensive and the cost must be a real barrier to so many people. It's made me quite sad in a way.

@yodaforpresident thanks - that is it music lessonwise for DD1 for now - she's going to play some folk (she plays awesomely by ear) but doesn't really want any more lessons or grades and stuff so it feels like a good sense of completion.

Having two very different children is so odd with this stuff - one who pushes herself all the time with music and the other who really has only ever done it to be sociable. I tell myself that at least no-one can think we're 'tiger parents' in any way - as if it was coming from us they'd both be more similar!

Well done to your DD @minisnowballs - that must be a relief! They always think it’s worse than it is.

Well done to @minisnowballs dd1 for grade 6 viola! Congratulations!!
Hope everyone is enjoying music activities - we can't wait for our holiday after DS's crazy March.

DS had another excellent lesson with his new teacher today. She was VERY VERY strict about tuning and techniques I thought at one point DS was going to get upset and burst into tears. But no he kept trying hard and in the end he did it! Wrist position fixed, fingers stayed in place and every note was in tune and they also fixed the tricky timing/rhythm issue. Old teacher was aware of all these issues/bad habits but she let him off saying he's too young. In fact I wasn't sure they are fixable but the new teacher tried and tried and together they made a massive progress in just 2 lessons - she didn't want to intervene too much just before the exam. DS was bubbling with excitement on the way back and couldn't stop talking about what he has just learned! Old teacher knew there'll be a time when DS will grow out of her but we didn't think it'll come so quickly. I think we'll have one more term with both teachers then move fully onto the amazing new teacher. It's also about time as the old teacher can only teach up to grade 6 and DS is fast approaching as he just learned a grade 6 piece today. Still sad to leave the old teacher but it'll have to happen sooner or later.

@horseymum enjoy the quiet- I’ve just dropped dd2 off at her national youth choir course- she’s very excited as she loves a few days of singing.
meanwhile (phew!) dd1 passed her grade 6 viola. 112 - we are genuinely delighted with this- i thought she’d failed as her scales were dire. Hooray!

It's really hard when you like a teacher. I'm planning to move younger DD soon for her secondary instrument but keep putting it off as don't want to offend current teacher. A circumstance has arisen that makes now a good time so I just need to bite the bullet!
I do actually remember elder DD having two teachers for a while when one was not fully well. They absolutely shared notes and there was no confusion ( partly because main teacher retained control, just could only do alternate weeks). I think when they get older and do courses, masterclasses etc they have to learn to balance views of more than one person and judge for themselves. We just get strict messages from JD about it. Makes it hard over the long summer but one teacher does extra ones which helps.
It's a quiet house here as elder DD has left to go to NYO tomorrow and younger just pottering around but away next week. Got two nice concerts to look forward to though.

Thanks @horseymum for the tips about tuning. He often sings scales or the tunes without thinking about it and it's in tune. He just doesn't seem to be used to listening to himself when playing - maybe his brain is too busy on other things at the same time. I can see it'll take a lot of work and time!
Re two teachers, we are in a awkward transition period I think. The new teacher is great with techniques for medium/higher grades. The old teacher was simply the best with young beginner kids. DS had her since 4.5 years old. It's just emotional hard to say we'r done with her. She said she is very happy to support DS for as long as needed. They are both massively supportive to DS and happy to go with whatever feels right for DS and work together. Basically they were saying the same thing about tuning, the new teacher is just firmer. I can imagine after next term or so we can fully transfer to the new teacher though.

@horseymum @chickentikkasalad yes DD2 basically seems to have two teachers for her first instrument. One taught the other when she was younger so they are definitely on the same page, and they definitely take a team approach with all notes shared, DD2 says. HOWEVER, they still occasionally disagree and then DD gets confused - she's had fingerings changed completely by one and then back by the other in the space of a week. So if they don't talk I reckon it would be quite tricky!

@chickentikkasalad tuner is great for scales, long notes etc. He also could try singing the notes so he can hear the intervals. If you can't sing a scale, it's harder to know what you are aiming for. Listening to the pieces is helpful to know what they should sound like. All these things are harder when nervous or under pressure.I know my dds teacher has sometimes said hear the note before you play it so you hit it in the middle and don't wobble on to it! A lot of it is muscle memory with strings. ( I play double bass so the distance is much greater!)
I wonder if having two teachers is helpful though if they are saying different things, they aren't allowed this at JD. Although if all parties agree it might work for you.

Thank you both mini and northern for the insight of the tuner. And yes it's usually the 4th finger being flat! I don't think he's actually used the sticker so it didn't affect him that much. But it's a signal that he has to use his ears a lot more. A tuner will be good to give you feedback on the tuning and it's objective!

@chickentikkasalad , DD2 is currently sitting doing her practice with a tuner - she quite often uses one - might that be something he finds useful? It's just a little plastic gadget that goes red and green, and she uses it as a guide for ensuring she's supporting her notes correctly...

Perhaps it is better that they develop an ear though - i don;'t know ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chromatic-Digital-Stringed-Woodwind-Instruments/dp/B06WLN8W8W/ref=asc_df_B06WLN8W8W/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310886142184&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7544246123762156742&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045880&hvtargid=pla-413644307757&psc=1&mcid=d51bccac113634aea433bbb87b87ba4f&th=1&psc=1

Yes @horseymum, as it's his first violin exam it really served the purpose of where we stand and made it clear what to work on next.
We are off on holiday next week without the violin - it's already feeling weird!

Yes DS's first teacher used to let him off because he is only 7. She doesn't want to make it so hard that he loses interest. Now he's with a new teacher (will continue with the old teacher as well), he has to work on intonation and techniques a lot harder but he likes the challenge and is responding quite well! Only frustrating bit for me is he can hear the out of tune note every time the teacher asks him, but without the teacher, he doesn't even try to listen. Maybe that's still because of his old habit of never really listened? The new teacher has taken his stickers off - it was a very scary moment for me as I still use them on my violin but DS loves the fact he's now officially ahead of me!

@chickentikkasalad - your ds has done really well. My dd plays cello, is g6/7 level (no exams done for a while) and is only now really beginning to crack the tuning. It's so hard. Every lesson she has her lesson notes remind her to check her intonation!

Thank you both @minisnowballs and @horseymum. Luckily he's got a 2nd teacher who is a great player played at national level orchestra etc. she's really hot on tuning and they're working on it. I think DS is a lot more willing to listen the pitch now instead of just playing with the right finger:).

@chickentikkasalad great result for ds grade 4. Violin is so tricky with tuning and they also have to cope with moving size of instruments more than many other players. Sounds like a good solid foundation and that he's learning to take comments on board and work from there. I'm not sure many of the teens in our secondary school orchestra playing violin would be at that level, ( maybe one or two grade 6/7) remember you mostly get really engaged parents with really engaged kids on this thread. You should both be proud of the work that has gone into this.

That's still very impressive @chickentikkasalad - and as you say, a good pass! @horseymum is right - good to celebrate the fact he's done it and prepared. We have my foster daughter's grade 3 piano back - a merit (just, 121) and are delighted. Far more worried about my DD1's grade 6 viola - likelihood of her not passing quite high I think...took it last week and I'm trying ever so hard not to think about it!

DD2 is home, which is lovely. She has grudgingly done some practice this morning. Very grumpy at my suggestions that she does a bit more!

DS's grade 4 exam came back as a pass with 117 points. Obviously a bit disappointing but it's a good pass. The comments were very helpful. It was all about tuning. We kind of knew that was the problem as that's what his new teacher is working with him very hard at the moment anyway. But it was kind of good because a that confirms what we should focus on for next time. I'm not sure when he'll want to do a violin exam next but they're happily working on the tuning and other techniques anyway so the results don't seem to matter apart from the helpful comments. It's also good for DS to learn how to manage expectations as he's only had distinctions so far on piano but lower grades.

Dd records hers at school (thank God as she is also a bit of perfectionist!) and they do two or three runs through and then pick the best one to send.

If you're recording at home it might be wise to agree something like that up front!

I can't remember what DD got for the recorded exam in lockdown, I just remember the process of recording four pieces being incredibly stressful. She's a bit of a perfectionist which made it harder. Try having the worst piece first so you don't ruin lots of good recordings by messing up the last one. Exams are still always going to be subjective. I think it's the process of preparing that's useful. We always give the kids a treat like a cake at a coffee shop after the exam itself, not the results.

Thanks all. It's difficult to manage expectations as she has always gotten distinctions in previous practical exams and i worry that the performance exam will yield vastly different results. We would be very happy with a pass but not sure she will! 😬

My dd has done a few performance exams. Also got detailed feedback. One horror (g4 cello) where the whole cohort was 10+ marks lower than expected - school appealed but got nowhere with it.

Piano ones all good and g5 and 6 both distinctions with plenty of really good feedback from the examiner both times. It's not easy - particularly as you get higher up the grade levels. Sustaining the performance over four pieces in one take is a big ask but dd enjoys them more than the practical exams.

Having said that her next exam (g4 voice) will be a practical one.