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.

Well done to all the fantastic DCs on their results! A pass is what matters and I know excellent music teachers who didn't get distinctions in all their exams. I also know talented kids who, shock horror, occasionally fail an exam by a few marks and retake it - and no one ever knows the difference later on.
Good luck to Wafflenose with the tuned percussion! I don't want to worry you but DS1 has a book of exercises by George Hamilton Green that recommends 2-3 hours practice a day. He grudgingly admits that if you have 'some other vocation than the xylophone' then this might be tricky, but he still thinks you should give it a shot! Caused much hilarity in this house. DS1 was wondering if he should tell his teachers that xylophone is his vocation and it's a bit tricky to do maths homework as well!
George is also very precise about the exact height/location of the music stand and many other technical details, reminding the pupil of them on every other page and is a big fan of SHOUTY CAPITAL LETTERS!
It's an excellent book in many ways!

2-3 hours a day? Did he not have 3 jobs and 2 children then?!

I can play the pieces and scales reasonably well now, and am looking at harder ones. I know, I should really master these first, but I have played them quite a lot already. I don't think the xylophone is my vocation though, juts a bit of fun.

There can't have been much in his life besides xylophone!
The challenge sounds a great idea. Some of the teachers at the music school I go to do this each year. They have a lot of fun and for a good cause.

LooseAtTheSeams my DS was talking to someone who had lived with a Big Name brass player at University. MrName had got up at 5.30 each morning to do an hour's practice then he'd do another couple of hours after coming back from classes. We live in a semi, there's no way anyone is doing brass practice before breakfast, mute or no mute. (Not that he's ever shown any inclination to do so)

DH went on a summer school last year as a percussionist which was entertaining as he's a brass or piano player usually. By the end of the week he was playing xylophone and marimba as well as all the other bits of kit. He enjoyed it for a change, by the end of the week he understood notation for percussion which is what he wanted.

I'm definitely having fun! My digital piano is broken and currently in the shop, so I'm playing the xylophone (well, chime bars for now, actually) a lot, and the DCs are picking out tunes too.

I have entered Mini for Grade 3 Theory today! It's on 20th June, and she doesn't know yet. I think she can cover Grade 4 over the summer (a page or two a day, like we did with Grade 2 last summer), then start on Grade 5, and take as long as she likes over it. We do have a Grade 6 practical coming up later in the year, but with Trinity, so we probably have 12-18 months before she actually HAS to have it (for Flute).

We are all putting our feet up in the lounge. Mini is drawing, Baby is doing her 'Music Theory for Young Children', which she loves as it's full of stickers, and we are all listening to the Classic FM Hall of Fame. Mini is OBSESSED with the radio, and particularly Classic FM, although she recently made us all laugh by asking if it stands for 'Classical Formation Music'! Her favourite piece is Marquez's Danzon no.2, which she's playing in NCO regionals.

Eek at the 5.30 brass practice! That definitely wouldn't work here! we're in a terrace and I want the neighbours to continue to feel friendly towards the music sessions. DS does practise for half an hour in the morning but we're talking soft mallets and 7.30 am!
Your afternoon sounds lovely Wafflenose. I must admit I am relaxing in the lounge. DCs are hiding upstairs. DS2 likes Classic FM, too, he has it on his clock radio. DS1 tends to favour something 'heavier'!
I'm glad to hear Mini and Baby are enjoying the percussion as well, I think it's huge fun!

Oh, and having just watched NCO from a previous year play Danzon no. 2 on Youtube, I can see why it's such a favourite - lovely music!

Ooh Waffle - we love Danzon no. 2!

Dd and her friend rehearsed for a duet (clarinet and violin) they are doing at a festival in May this morning - only rehearsal they get as he is at full time music school quite a long way away; they worked so hard and are so committed to working it out together - amazing for two 9yr olds. However Hungarian Dance no.5 is no easy option for smallish hands on the clarinet!!!

We have just got to feet up stage, DS2 has been singing the Good Friday service at the Cathedral, and I've been chaperoning. Its so cold sitting in there for 3 hours!

He picked all his RSCM pieces after service, so he is all set for that now.

Well done to all those who have passed exams!

Valentine sorry to hear your daughter was upset BUT at least she has not been put off which is very brave and grown up of her. I am shocked by the competitive atmosphere at your school, surely the adults should be discouraging that sort of behaviour not reinforcing it :(

We seem to be heading into a ridiculously busy period. DD announced tonight that she is due to play sax at a jazz festival - at 2pm tomorrow!!! (told us at 9.30pm tonight, which is obviously plenty of notice ~ahem~). And next Friday she starts rehearsals with a jazz group who have asked her to sing for them. Then during the spring holidays (which dont start for another week here) she has extra guitar classes and also a one week residential music course. After the hols she will need to prepare for her conservatoire audition.

On top of this she has school exams coming up :-/

Its a top 5 girls indie school - crazy competitive is par for the course! But I am contemplating mentioning it in passing next time I speak to the teacher...

No teaching this week! Just as well after Easter, in my world. However, I have symphony orchestra rehearsals every evening plus concert on Sat - Elgar cello concerto being the star of the show. The orchestra is sort of pro-am, lots of music teachers and conservatoire students brought over coz we don't have enough local players, with a few key roles regularly held by "proper" pros. Concerts three times a year. It's fairly chilled but the standard is usually pretty good for what is essentially a local amateur orchestra.

Still waiting for results from 24th March. I know it wasn't all that long ago, and we've had Easter in between... but we're so keen to know!

It's just as well you aren't teaching this week JulieMR with that rehearsal schedule. I hope it all goes well for you at the weekend. We're off to Manchester on Sunday for the National Concert Band Festival at the RNCM and I'm looking forward to it. DS will disappear into rehearsals on Saturday and then travel with the band, my mother is looking after the dog so there will be just the two of us in the city where I was a student. I have not told my husband that we'll be getting up very early on Sunday so we (I) can get the most out of our (my) day.

I'm sitting here with a cup of tea and a brass recital (DS needed to check the timing so slips are being glossed over today). I usually ask for music to iron to but I'm out of ironing today. I am enjoying this daily practice lark, long may it continue.

Ds (7) is taking grade 3 violin in 3 days and after today's lesson I have no idea how things are going to go! He is really good and deserves a good mark, but he has a tendency to do strange things (like completely change the end of his easiest, best known piece 3 days before the exam ). Last few days to practise and fingers crossed everything will go well.

Hopefully you've got your results now Wafflenose? DD's exam was 24th too and we got results Tuesday, certificate and marksheet in the post on Wednesday!

A 125 for DD for G5 piano. A good result given where she was a week before exam, but of course, she is disappointed and desperate to see the mark sheet. I suspect pesky scales (again) but there's no point in me telling her, she needs to see it for herself.

One day she'll realise there's more to it than just the pieces, or be content that the result is fair and commensurate with the work she's put in, and be thankful that a little natural musicality sees her through decently...

A 134 for DS for G6 piano. He said he has not done very well in the exam. He is very happy about the result. G7 violin this summer on the way.

Results online for Mini today - she got a Merit for Grade 4 Flute, which is what she wanted. She could definitely have done a bit better - it was one of those cases of having had the pieces for way too long - but I'm not complaining at all. Well done to everyone else on an excellent set of results.

Lots of good results, well done!

We finally have DD's music for her end-of-year sax exam. French system so assessment is via one longish, accompanied piece played for a jury. I have no idea what level she is being assessed for and neither (completely predictably) does she. We bought and downloaded the music tonight and she says it looks "easy enough". Looks quite tricky to me but what do I know!!!

My DD did her exam on Mon 23rd March - no result yet, when can we expect it?

any day now take3! Ours was on 28th...but it can be any time between as little as 4 days to 4 weeks (if the results need moderating). Most are around 2 weeks average I think...

That is ABRSM, don't know about Trinity but most here post they are quicker

Thanks, yes, it's ABRSM... not good at waiting patiently! Only grade 1 and our first experience so I better get used to it.

I wish I could say it gets easier . let us all know how she got on when it comes though!