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.

Hello EssexYum

Welcome to the music threads and Mnet in general.
The boards can be local, check out the essex boards, but some threads have global appeal as do these.
I think its because if people are discussing music exams they can, depending on the board be available globally.

You don't just need to post about exams though, anything at all you have to say or discuss.

I just talk loads of rubbish most of the time, or lurk a lot.

Do you play an instrument and/or do you support children playing?
We are all either parents and/or teachers on here.

Thanks, ishouldbeweaving and morethanpotato.... (LOL, loving these names!)
My children play...Piano, violin and singing but we dropped the singing as the teacher was retiring and I couldn't find another teacher who could teach from our home.
I looked on here because I'm trying to find out about local music festivals/competitions for my kids as it motivates them. Eventually, from Google I found one in Kent called the Bromley Festival of Music, Speech and Drama so I registered. I don't know how organised it is or what the standards usually are like.

great result for your DD shedding, definitely worth the wait!

Hello essex, lots of lovely people here very knowledgeable and share great advice (and support when needed)

Essex -

Leigh Music Festival may be worth a peek?

Thank you, JMRobinson. I hadn't noticed the Leigh one. The deadline hasn't passed so we may well register for that as well....That's if it's before the ABRSM exams.

And thanks for the welcome, Ealingwestmum

Congratulations on the cello result Shedding, I imagine those six weeks just flew by (not).

JulieMichelleRobinson, do you get a chance to have the composer speak about his work or is it all stick waving? The times when DS has had a session with a composer prior to a performance he's come away full of enthusiasm and with some insight into the piece. It's a fantastic opportunity, I hope you have a great day.

DS was entered for G5, I can't wait. I keep telling myself that I'll miss it when it's gone but I won't you know.

hello peeps

I was on the last thread- got a lot of useful advice

placemarking now- have two DDs doing grade 1 piano in March

don't know quite how they're going to turn out- but I won't be hearing The Lincolnshire Poacher hourly after April

also a grade 2 harp

Shedding congratulations to your DD, that is an absolutely fantastic result! Worth the wait, but 6 weeks even longer than ours took! Best of luck to MuddhaofSurburbia DDs with the piano grade 1. Two at the same time sounds incredibly stressful, especially if you have to listen to the same pieces twice over?!
I was incredibly proud this week, I got two stickers (yes, 2!) for my sight reading in my piano lesson! DS2 thinks this is hilarious. I, on the other hand, feel strangely motivated. However, if I carry on powering through Improve Your Sight Reading Grade 3 at this rate, I fear my main reward will be Book 4!

MuddhaOfSuburbia I've some bad news for you. It's seven years since my son did his grade 1 and I can STILL hear Postman Pat. I can't remember what the other two pieces were but I heard Postman Pat so many times that it will be with me forever.

I've just looked and it's still on the Trinity G1 brass syllabus so someone somewhere will be listening to it over and over again.

Shedding congratulations to you dd! What a great result! You must be very proud!

Muddha for me is Minuet in G! I am so tired of hearing it over and over again. More so as when she is frustrated with the other two pieces dd plays Minuet in G just to feel better, as she knows it really well.

What other 2 pieces are you dds playing?

Loose well done for your sight reading skills!

Shedding well done your DD.

Weekday evensong is generally quiet in our Cathedral too, especially on icy cold January nights. It is busier in summer. Plus many other events, some are standing room only events during the year too. Christmas is amazing. DS loves the whole thing. He especially loves the fast moving repertoire each week.

It is a wonderful opportunity for the right child but it is a huge commitment for the whole family, especially if it isn't attached to a school.

Hi Shedding. Furious waving from another girl chorister parent! Hope she gets in, it's a fantastic experience all round and the skills they gain are huge in so many ways ( not least of which is working at an appropriate level whilst holding a serious commitment out of hours- my uni kids can study, sing and socialise and balance all three!)

We have been through the transport issues etc and solved them in many complex ways over the years (we've been doing this for getting on 12yrs now as DD1 started at age 11 and DS at 9) . Now 15yr old DD2 is a " mother hen" for her little chickens of yr 7s and 8s on the bus from school.

Weekday evensong here the choir pretty much outnumber the congregation all the time. With allowances for the odd homeless chap who shuffles to the front lights a candle and shuffls out and the odd tourist who doesn't seem to think before barging in staring and going " oh" and leaving LOL

JulieMichelleRobinson, my son would be appearing for LCM G-1 Piano this yr ( not sure summer or winter) and wondering How is it in comparision to ABRSM as I see most of the parents/teacher talking about ABRSM in this forum ?

No going back here now - Grade 1 cornet cheque just went in... Can anyone recommend any sightreading help please? They say there's an ABRSM app - but it's only for iPhones and we're Android users!

Hi Shedding. Although he had begged for the chance to audition he wasn't overwhelmed at first, he didn't want to give up youth orchestra and school gardening club! However probationers only did 2 x 1 hours at the beginning, which didn't clash with orchestra, so he agreed to give it a go for a term. Within a month he was fast tracked to attending more often but I negotiated for him to finish the term with youth orchestra. By the end of term he was hooked and when invited to be made up to full chorister at the start if the following term he was very happy to make the commitment.

I can see that if you have to change schools it isn't that simple though, you can't have a trial to see if it works.

I still have to take DS although he is Y7, my fault for our school choices, but I am very fortunate that my job allows me to do so very easily.

I just posted a question and then thought maybe I should've posted it here instead...
Hello. My kids are taking part in a competition/festival soon and we have to provide "one" copy of each piece to the adjudicator. Photo copying is allowed, according to their website, providing an original purchased music is used by the applicant on the day.
Our original books have scribbles all over them and we'd like to give the adjudicator a clean copy. Does anyone by any chance have clean pages of ABRSM grade 4 and grade 1 please? The songs are "Arietta" (grade 1 piano), Estampie Royal (grade 4 violin), Scherzo (grade 4 violin) and La Lutine (grade 4 piano).
Any help would be very gratefully received.
thank you.

Mom17...

LCM and ABRSM are supposed to be roughly equivalent. The requirements are a bit different for scales etc and Trinity is different again. I'm only familiar with LCM jazz really, and they don't send us examiners. LCM grades are recognised by OfQual just like the others.

EssexYumMum, I'm sorry I can't help with the copies, but good luck getting them. The adjudicator amused me at one Festival by commenting that if she was provided with copies with scribbled playing instructions, then make sure you followed them, because she could obviously see if you weren't playing it as you were supposed too!