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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Autumn Term Music and Music Exams Thread

388 replies

Wafflenose · 01/09/2014 11:03

Hello everyone. My children went back to school today, so I decided it was time for an Autumn Term thread. Please jump right in!

I have DD1 (MiniWaffle) aged 8, who loves music but knows her own mind!! She is currently playing Grade 6 and 7 Recorder pieces and trying to get her Treble up to scratch. Her second instrument is Flute and she's been hovering around Grade 4 for a while. I have no idea when her next exams will be, or what grade, but none this term that I'm aware of. She is auditioning for the NCO in October though. DD1 also sings, tinkers with piano and ukulele, and has just started the Grade 3 Theory book. I tend to find this one the biggest jump, and if you can do this one, you can manage Grade 4 and 5 easily. Usually. I hope.

DD2 (BabyWaffle) is 6, enjoys music and is going at a completely average pace. I can say this with some confidence, as I have about 120 pupils of my own. She's been playing the recorder for about 18 months and the cello since March. She wants to do Grade 1 Recorder and Initial Grade Cello this term.

Looking forward to hearing about how everyone else is getting on.

OP posts:
Ishouldbeweaving · 22/09/2014 07:34

I don't know the answer Mistigri, DS gets grumpy because he can't play the same pieces on second instrument that he can play on first instrument. Let me think why that might be - possibly because he's been playing one for seven years and the other for a few weeks? Going back to being a beginner is hard.

JemimaMuddledUp · 22/09/2014 21:17

Love reading all your music experiences, can I join?

I have 3 instrument playing DC.

DS1 is 12 and has been playing piano for almost 5 years and violin for a year. He is working towards Grade 3 piano and will take his Grade 1 theory exam in November.

DS2 is 10 and has been playing trumpet for 3 years. He hasn't done any exams but plays in the County Wind Band.

DD is 8 and has been playing violin for 2 years. She hasn't done any exams but plays in the County Orchestra.

The hardest part for me is getting them to practice consistently. I leave for work at 7.45am so doing it before school isn't really practical, which means fitting it around everything else (homework, swimming lessons, football practice, Brownies etc) in the evenings. They have to practice at least 5 days out of 7, plus they have one lesson a week and the younger two have one wind band/orchestra rehearsal a week.

The best bit is when they realise they all know the same piece of music (tonight it was Morning from Peer Gynt) and decide to play it together on their various instruments. I love seeing the enjoyment they get from playing together.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 22/09/2014 22:45

I am still awaiting DD2's cello being good enough to play with her sister, Jemima, but my two did play some Christmas carols together last year.

I have entered 14 pupils for exams - 11 Trinity and 3 ABRSM, one of which is Theory.

DD1 isn't doing any exams, but has her NCO audition in a couple of weeks.

DD2 is doing Grade 1 Recorder, and Initial Grade Cello.

OP posts:
troutsprout · 23/09/2014 09:26

Hi
Dd has had a good start to the autumn term. She has just started secondary school and spends a lot of spare time in the music dept with a gaggle of musical kids. She's started private keyboard lessons there too which she seems enthusiastic about.
Out of school she's graduated to the main orchestra at her music centre playing her clarinet as well as doing an advanced sectional . She's carrying on with the music theory group there too.. Needs to get grade 5 theory done before she can move on with her abrsm practical exams.
So it all seems to be on the up.

Shakyisles · 24/09/2014 07:19

Just getting to the end of term 3 here so both children are tired. Miss 10 is now playing a beautiful old 3/4 violin which sounds gorgeous - so she is a very happy bunny. Miss 7 is counting down to her grade 5 now. Scales going well, pieces ditto and she's trying to cram as much sight reading in as possible whilst doing lots of composing.
Seems funny to think your term has just started!

JulieMichelleRobinson · 24/09/2014 11:58

Blech... I'm already thinking about whether students will be ready for grades next term or if we should wait for summer... tempted to try Trinity for grade 3 piano. Grade 1s will probably be ABRSM with one of the pieces not from the book (because it's fun, and because they all still have small hands...).

Mistigri · 27/09/2014 20:34

DD is loving her piano lessons ... I was a bit unsure about the teacher but he certainly seems to have sparked some enthusiasm as she played for the best part of 4 hours today. I joked tonight that piano is now banned until homework is done and she gave me a stricken look ;)

SpringHeeledJack · 28/09/2014 20:54

hello all

we're years behind a lot of you- 11yo twin DDs- one harp, piano (studying for grade 1 & 2 respectively) and tother piano, also grade 1. Two lovely teachers with completely different approaches- one v grade focused, the other not so much

both approaches seem to work as well as each other- so far at any rate

oslomum · 30/09/2014 10:51

hm, I usually have a quick look on this thread and then quietly leave it again.
But ...I have entered (as a parent), dc3 (8) for grade 1 exam. Bit scary as she has only had 1 lesson in the last 3 months...

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 30/09/2014 19:01

Which instrument oslomum?

oslomum · 30/09/2014 22:20

o, yes, forgot that, piano...at least she is keen unlike dc1, who has had the same exam book for the last 2 years, and doesn't like practicing etc....

LooseAtTheSeams · 01/10/2014 15:21

Good luck with the grade 1 oslomum - I was mentally drained by the time DS2 (9) took his but he was fine and I am sure your DD will be, too! This term, it looks as though DS2 will take cello grade 1 and DS1 flute gr 3 in December so plenty of time yet. Grade 2 piano won't be happening for a while yet, that much I know!

Mistigri · 01/10/2014 17:33

Good luck with the exam oslomum. We don't have any exams to look forward to at the moment though DD will have a formal sax evaluation this year. I probably need to look into her doing some piano and guitar exams at some point. Has anyone on here done any of the rockschool guitar exams?

Ishouldbeweaving · 01/10/2014 18:31

Hello to the new faces, I'm glad DS didn't want to play harp because I think we would have needed a bigger car. All this time I've been glad that he didn't want an Eb bass and now I'm thinking that there are even worse instruments to cart about.

A question - is there anyone whose DC sat their GCSE music exam in Y10? What did they do with the resulting gap in the timetable in Y11? I could ask school but it's possible that I've got the wrong end of the stick and he's not sitting it next summer. I don't want to look like That Mother without due cause.

No music school for us this Saturday, we're going trombone shopping.

Mistigri · 04/10/2014 11:03

Ishouldbeweaving - good luck with the trombone shopping.

We are guitar shopping this afternoon, theoretically for me (I've started playing seriously again and my birthday is coming up) but it probably makes sense to get an instrument that DD can use for jazz guitar. (She tends to take her acoustic along to jazz workshops but it is significantly harder to play some of the jazz chords on the acoustic, especially as she has mini hands.) I'm taking her along as my guitar tester as she is a much better player than me.

Ishouldbeweaving · 04/10/2014 12:43

They've just got back, apparently they found a trombone that had to be prised from him so that's a win. It is reserved for us so I just have to do the paperwork to get the local authority to order it (assisted instrument purchase - vat free). Hopefully the insurers will be able to do a part year so that I can have the renewal fall at the same time as his other instrument, I'm all for keeping things simple.

chauffeurmummy · 04/10/2014 17:35

Hi everyone! I've been following these threads for a while but as dd1 (7) has now been entered for her Grade 1 singing in November I thought it was time I actually jumped on! She has done several dancing exams (where I'm always a lot more nervous than she is!) but it's her first music exam so we'll see what happens!

Shakyisles · 04/10/2014 22:24

The children are enjoying the holidays. Our clocks have changed and spring has definitely sprung meaning they get up and have more energy! I love holidays because we don't have to rush practising. There's been plenty of time to play choir music on instruments, and music from Cats and Joseph. All the things that are harder to fit in during term time. I do miss Christmas being cold. I don't think I will ever get used to carolling in 30 degrees!

troutsprout · 08/10/2014 09:44

Dd has her new clarinet ( a combo of grandparents and our b/day and early xmas presents )
She tried out about 10 different clarinets and different mouthpieces too ... We were there 2 1/2 hours.
Sounds beautiful ...really clean ...and seems to be loads easier to play than her student model. The high register sounds soooo much better.
Fair trade and british made too! It's a thing of beauty.Smile
I've just insured it with Allianz ... Didn't really look around tbh- who do you lot use?

Ishouldbeweaving · 08/10/2014 11:19

Insurance is at the front of my mind at the moment Troutsprout as we're going to be buying in the next few weeks. We use BBIS, but they have a sister company, Musicians Insurance Service, for non-brass players. We didn't look around much, BBIS provide insurance for the band so were an easy choice. The things we specifically asked about for were coverage of theft from the car boot and what they felt about having a £4.5k instrument at school and on the school bus. I think the premium is 4% of the value (plus tax).

Congratulations on the new instrument, DS said that he could play so much better on the one he was trying out at the weekend, my mother was so impressed at the difference that she's going to let him use it before Christmas. Hopefully we kick the purchase off with the assisted instrument purchase form tomorrow.

LooseAtTheSeams · 08/10/2014 11:32

That's a coincidence on insurance! I had a frenzy of music admin efficiency yesterday and finally remembered to insure DS1's flute (with Allianz, including unattended car provision, though at the moment the likelihood of leaving it in the car seems a bit remote). Also entered the DSs for their G3 and G1 exams and ordered the cello scales book. Can now move on to my next to-do list!

Bramshott · 08/10/2014 11:56

Our instruments are just specified as valuable personal possessions on our household policy. I was advised a few years back that if you'd be happy with the cash in the case of a theft, then that's the way to go. Where the specialist companies (I used to have a British Reserve policy) excel is that they will try to find your instrument, not just pay up for it.

I could really do with a bit of advice on DD2 and her piano lessons/practice. She is keen and loving it, but will NOT accept help/correction with her practice! Ended up in a teary stand-off yesterday when she was insisting she was playing the right notes, and I was trying to point out gently that she wasn't. Her personality is very much like that (very defensive if she feels criticised; fiercely independent and very self-sufficient) but I can't just leave her to practise on her own between lessons at this early stage!! I did try to explain along the lines of "this is tricky and you're only just starting, you're doing really well, and when I tell you that note is wrong I'm not saying it's terrible or you're stupid, just that you need to check the note again", but to no avail (DD2 was sobbing and overwrought by this point). Sigh. Anyone else??

janet41 · 08/10/2014 12:22

Bramshott - we have the same problem, not helped by my lack of musical credentials! Many a time the teacher tells her what she has filed to accept from me.....no solution here so will watch the thread with interest.

Well dd is unexpectedly being entered for G5 cello this session....so we have a new piece and scales to work on, just as everyone starts to think about concerts etc!

LooseAtTheSeams · 08/10/2014 12:38

Hmm, Bramshott, this sounds very like DS2, known as Mr Independent! Though he is MUCH better now, maybe they all have to go through this stage! We still have shoutiness over sight-reading, though! With DS2 if it got very heated, I would abandon the practice until another day and just make a note in the practice book that X was good but Y needs more work. It sounds like it's early days for your DD, so keep sessions short and expect one or two mistakes as normal - the teacher is your friend here, and will sort them out in the next lesson.

With DS2 I always had to begin with praise and enthusiasm - there will be something to praise, even if it's just getting to the end of the exercise! If there were errors, I'd suggest playing it again to see if he corrected anything. If it was still wrong, I'd ask if I could have a go and then act a bit surprised that it sounded different - then I'd say, 'oh, that was sneaky of them, see what you have to do here?' That usually worked - after that, one more go of trying to do it correctly would be fine until next session, right or wrong. Any improvement is positive and kids are good, they tend to learn from mistakes quite quickly, not like me.

And then I tried to remember to be enthusiastic about the fact he'd practised at all and pour myself a large Wine!!! Good luck, your DD's enthusiasm will win the day!

LooseAtTheSeams · 08/10/2014 12:40

Oh, just to add you are allowed to scream into a pillow when they come back saying 'the teacher says it's like this, you didn't tell me that'!!