Spring Term Music, Musicians and Music Exams Thread

[Wafflenose]

Hi all, my children go back to school tomorrow, so I thought it was time for a new one. Who's doing what this term, and how is practice going?

Our main focus is the local festival next month - we're all doing loads, as are my pupils! My girls have just started practising for that.

MiniWaffle (9) is doing her well-overdue Grade 4 Flute this term, and hopefully Grade 3 Theory (to keep her on track) in the summer, and Grade 6 Recorder in the autumn. She also has some SWMS and NCO commitments, although not too onerous yet! She plays the trumpet for fun, and dabbles with piano, ukulele and singing.

BabyWaffle (6) will concentrate on repertoire and technique for a while. I think Grade 1 Cello is supposed to be in the summer. She can play a coupe of the pieces and some of the scales. She plays the recorder too, but won't be doing another exam on that for at least a year.

Hi, I'm after some advice please.

DS2 (8) did his G1 singing a couple of weeks ago and passed with a merit (very proud!) Now he is talking about taking up an instrument. Guitar was mentioned, maybe piano and clarinet(!). Anyway, the slight reservation I have with this is that he does have some mild SEN to do with processing and fine motor skills which is why we chose singing when he originally showed an interest in music lessons. Although all lessons take place at school they operate on a varied timetable so that children don't miss part of the same lesson very week and we have to work hard to get him to his singing lesson at the right time - nevermind adding another lesson to the pot.

Maybe clarinet is most suitable in that it's a single line instrument and is held directly centrally in front of the player rather than to one side.
I teach violin and the sideways position isn't easy for coordination and processing for some kids. I can help them all 'get' it though!
Which does he most like the sound and 'feel' of? Congrats on the Gd 1 Singing!

Well, his first thoughts were guitar or piano. We already have a 3/4 guitar from when DS1 had a brief flirtation with learning. I have no idea where we'd put a piano for practice!

I suppose I am a little concerned with the '2 hand' coordination required for playing any instrument as he struggles with tying laces etc still.

He did like the look of the clarinet when he saw some of the other children playing at a school concert and I hadn't considered the position of playing. Thank you for that.

I'm winding down now Looseattheseams, he had a concert last night (at school, I can find that even on a bad day) and then we have tonight off because of a cancelled concert (oh dear, what a shame, never mind), two nights with band practice and then the last concert on Saturday. I had an extra white shirt wash this morning to take me across the weekend.

I've just bought tickets for another performance but that's not until April so it doesn't count. I have peeked at the calendar for April and it looks refreshingly blank, it was just unfortunate how things worked out with this couple of weeks.

MrsJWRTWR I'd look for an instrument that he can play in a group in school or in a music service ensemble because (the same as singing in a choir) it's fun to play with other people. I can't play anything at all so what do I know but piano involves two lines of music at the same time and both hands together AND it doesn't fit well into a group setting so I'd be gently steering him away from that.

MrsJWRTWR the advantage of the easier wind instruments (recorder, clarinet, sax) is that there isn't a huge coordination burden - only one line of music to read, and the hands are doing similar tasks. A instrument doesn't need to be forever - my DD started on the recorder which she eventually tired of, but those early lessons gave her a massive head start when she took up other instruments.

On the other hand guitar can be quite rewarding in the sense that the early stages don't require much coordination (almost anyone can learn to play a simple melody and strum a few chords). However it is a difficult instrument to play well, hand coordination may be an issue, and the simpler types of guitar music often don't use classical notation which is a disadvantage as a first instrument. It's also an instrument that can very easily be taken up by an older child, you don't need to start early.

Thanks for the tips re: DD1's performing-to-a-single-individual angst. Exam was yesterday and from what I could hear, her accompanied pieces were played well. I think the provision of a cheery accompanist in the form of a professional jazz pianist (her friend's Dad) may have helped. She described the examiner this time as being smiley and encouraging which will have had a role to play too as she does respond to audiences. Apart from one of the 12th scales and matching arpeggio being disastrous (even though she could play it in her sleep ), she came out feeling positive. My heart sank later when she said she was glad she'd finished the exam as she could, "now enjoy my practice again...". This from the child I desperately tried to persuade against an exam this year . I've reminded her that she need never take another music exam if she doesn't want to but in the next breath she was on about the jazz syllabus.

Well done to all your DCs whose results have come through or festivals/concerts been played in so far! Good luck to everyone else.

Woolleybear well done your DD, this thread is exactly the right place for sharing our DCs achievements.

Moonbells we all started off with one child doing one instrument........ Am sure you will enjoy the journey with your DS, I bet he has done really well with his G1.

Well done to all DCs with exams and performances!

DS1 had his Grade 8 trombone this morning and passed with Merit, am very pleased for him, he has worked very hard for the least few months.

DS2 has Grade 4 clarinet tomorrow.

Also, it was lovely to read that people are referring back to the old threads and finding shared experiences useful. I can't believe they have been going on so long!

Very, very well done to your DS1 Raspberry That's an excellent result and I hope he's very happy.

Two initial grade pianists today (Trinity). They came out with 85 and 87 despite the fact that we had the issue of parents not thinking they should bring the music... My bad for not stating the. Very obvious....

RaspberryLP well done to your son, that will be a nice cherry on a personal statement. I hope it all goes well with the clarinet today.

JulieMichelleRobinson I don't think I was ever told to bring the music, but then no-one told us to bring the instrument either. On the plus side they'll never do it again.

Well done to your ds Raspberry, I hope the clarinet exam goes well today.

Hello,

Well done to all the Dcs for their exams and their achievements!

I need some advice: tonight I am going with dd to the local school of music where I hope she will join the choir. We will also look at choosing a second instrument and as the Piano is turning up to be quite an expensive hobby I would like the second one to be a bit more affordable.

Also I need her to play as part of a group as piano as you all know is quite a solitary instrument (apart from the odd concert here and there).

So the shortlist at the moment is: flute, clarinet and cello.

We were thinking about violin also but her piano teacher is also a violin teacher so we would of course go to her however I do want her (dd) to come out of her comfort zone a bit.

So the question is: which instrument would you chose between cello, flute, clarinet that would not be highly expensive (in terms of purchasing/renting the instrument) and would be sought after for group playing?

Of course she will have the last word about it but I would like an opinion so I can present her the pros and cons.

Thank you!

DS2 came in from school and announced he had got 91 and a Distinction for is afternoon clarinet exam! Apparently he had the last exam of the session, and the examiner handed over all the sheets ten minutes later, so DS2 knew ten minutes after his exam!

Thank you for all the congratulations re DS1.

Just waiting for theory now!

Fleur does your DD have any preference, they are all quite different instruments? And can you hire them from your local music service, there wouldn't be much difference renting them here. What opportunities are there locally for her to play? Here for instance, if she played cello, she could do Music Service Jr strings, then orchestra. If she played clarinet/flute she could join junior wind band, then go on to Youth Concert Band and Orchestra.

Also, remember it is OK to try an instrument, decide its not right for you and switch to something else (within reason obviously). My god-daughter started on harp, got to Grade 3, switched to violin, then sax, then settled on flute in Year 6 and added trumpet in Year 7, she still plays in both of those. My DD started on violin, then switched to cello after Grade 2. She also started sax two years later which has proved to be her real love.

Raspberry congratulations for both your DCs! Well done to them! How great to give your DS the result on the spot!

Regarding mini Fleur we have a local school of music that provides lessons (individual and a few group lessons also) in various instruments. At the moment she wants to do singing therefore the choir. The local music school has the junior strings and wind band so there will be options to play.

She seems to like solitary instruments or better said 1 to 1 lessons as she is now insisting she wants violin lessons knowing her piano teacher could provide that.

I am trying to get her out of her comfort zone as she doesn't seem to have any problems performing on her own but I think she will discover the real pleasure of music once she is part of a group.

Raspberry - well done; great results!

Fleur - if dd is set on violin, why not? Lots of chances to play in string groups an orchestras, and chamber music in not too distant future. Being a pianist she will have a head start on any instrument, and given she seems so good at practicing, I would go with what she wants to play so she stays motivated.

Fleurdelise if your DS ever needs to take a bus to school the cello may be a problem. I'd see whether she has a preference for woodwind/strings/brass and then take it from there. Our music service loans instruments, for instruments that are deemed to be rare they give free loans and a number of free lessons. What is rare varies from year to year as it depends on what instruments children turn up with that year, in the past it has included french horn, double bass and trombone.

I can see the attraction of staying with a teacher that you know rather than someone new (and scary) but it means missing out on all those other interesting instruments. If she's not bothered about turning down the brass and woodwind families then violin is as good as anything else.

RaspberryLemonPavlova is everyone feeling very relaxed now? Congratulations on the second excellent result for the week.

Thank you for your advice. We talked to the head of the music school and she advised also to come back on their open day to trial various instruments in the summer with a September start.

I guess by then if she still insists on violin lessons will go with that.

I didn't realise before coming on here that there were different music exams which get marked the same day! I wish... DS has said that his accompanist was positive about the exam, and since that was his school music teacher (though not his cornet teacher) I am now more hopeful that it was a reasonable pass.

I really hope it is, since that will encourage him greatly into continuing. We've been struggling with not wanting to practise for some time - if he can just muck about and make up his own tunes he loves it...

Congratulations all who have got their passes etc; we should find out sometime before the 17th April according to the ABRSM website so basically the start of term. Wibble.

Ha ha, so ds got the results of his rock school grade 3 exam. First ever exam he did, and I only heard him practise 3 days before the exam....But managed to pass....He was marked down on the aural bit where he had to play the music back on his guitar.
Waiting for dd1 to get her grade 3 piano results back.
I have just bought the book for grade 2 exam for dd2. She is in fact the only one who really likes to practise, without me having to remind her (not that the other 2 want to stop their lessons, which would save me quite a lot of money!!!).

The same day results have been lovely, but just circumstance. They were Trinity exams held in school sessions so the results were handed straight to school at the end of the session.

Moonbells is there a junior wind and he could join? Groups playing is what motivates my DC.

Starting to relax, thank you, I should be. Will be better when theory result here. DS 2 is of course ridiculously busy next week as a chorister. And DS 1 has his driving theory exam, which is a whole other topic!

RaspberryLemonPavlova - driving theory exam too? well you just don't know where to stop with the thrills and excitement. We did Trinity all the way through, none of them in school. The teacher said that the examiner hands the results in as s/he leaves, how fast they come out after that depends on the centre organiser. We have had same day, next day - the longest was about three days which felt like the longest wait ever.

It's the last day of school today, concert tomorrow and then I'm looking forward to a nice relaxed fortnight, ideally with a good theory result at the end of it.

Congrats to all the results !

Why can't associated board give out results on the day? We are 2 weeks down the line from dd2s grade 6 piano, and as she took 2 days after mums funeral we aren't thinkng much more than hopefully a pass..

On the more optimistic side she's off on a jolly with a couple of other girls to look at choral scholarships at trinity Cambridge lol. It's all a bit premature ( she's only gcse year)but I think the music teacher got talking to the chap there at some conference. I love her school - yes they are all slaving away but they had a day doing fun stuff before Mother's Day, and now this. They do realise that the occaisional fun day makes thrm do better than the constant nose to the grindstone approach.

I'm all for a jolly to Cambridge, it makes you think about the future and what you need to do to get where you want to be. A levels and what follows aren't such a long way in the future.

DS is a year younger and I've wasted an hour or two this week attempting to locate an A level music course. School supposedly do it in conjunction with another school except I found out that it's not straight music but music and technology. Two localish schools don't have sixth forms and their pupils go to what is for us a difficult location, another has a sixth form but they don't do music. It's not a total bust, I found two that are reasonably accessible by bus and offer music A level. One is a sixth form college, they have two years, 1,400 pupils and last year had an A level group of seven. When we were looking at schools in Y6 I never have thought of asking whether they offered A level music - it was so far away and I never would have thought that it was such a minority subject.