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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Summer Term Music, Musicians and Music Exams thread

543 replies

Wafflenose · 13/04/2015 09:22

Hello again everyone! I know not everyone in the UK has gone back to school yet, and some of you are overseas, but term here starts today, so it's time for a new thread. Please post away about your children, your own musical studies or any questions about music exams/ learning an instrument generally. We have a helpful and experienced bunch of people here to answer queries or reassure you.

I have MiniWaffle, who is 9, and BabyWaffle who is 6. Mini has passed Grade 5 Recorder and Grade 4 Flute, and also plays some trumpet, piano and ukulele. Baby has passed Grade 1 Recorder and Initial Cello, and tinkers with the piano (when it's not in the repair shop...)

This term for exams, we have Grade 3 Theory (Mini) - as a warm-up for Grade 5 which will hopefully take place next year - and Grade 1 Cello (Baby). Both in June. I am doing Grade 2 Xylophone for the NCO Parents' Challenge! We have been challenged to learn an instrument unrelated to our proper ones, and I'm really a clarinettist.

OP posts:
chauffeurmummy · 27/06/2015 10:46

Merit for Grade 2 singing here. I have a rather disappointed 8 year old as she really wanted a distinction. However, the desire for a distinction was in no way related to the amount of practise that was being put in - so hopefully lesson learnt!!

Musicmom1 · 27/06/2015 13:14

Rapidly - I have heard really good things re Pro Corda. I guess if your dec teacher is leading the course she knows that ou child would cope fine? Or is going to adapt a part for her? Also your child might be playing much higher than the next grade? Dd (cello) loves courses - she did do one orchestra last year where she was the youngest and it was g5 to post grade 8 level; she had just taken g4 but had auduitoned and been deemed g5 playing level. It was a big step up for her and she had to work v hard - learnt to play in the other clefs and right down the strings neither of which she had really done. She came home exhausted after the week - def was harder than we were expecting but I think overall it was positive! I would talk to the teacher just to check that she has workd things out for her - you at find there are others not yet at g5 as not all courses get full.

Moominmammacat · 27/06/2015 21:38

Mine did Pro Corda senior and if the teacher wants yours I'd be satisfied with that. They are well organise but heavy duty, at least the senior one was ...
I would though be concerned with too much playing if she's on another course the previous week. Posture/rs issues. I sent one of mine on a post Grade5 course when he was 8 and Grade 4 with his older bother and he just bumbled along happily. Good luck with it.

RapidlyOscillating · 27/06/2015 23:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ChocolateWombat · 28/06/2015 20:26

Just joining the thread.
I have a DS who is 9. He took piano Gd1 just before Christmas and got a Distinction - was thrilled, as we all were. Last week he did Gd2. He wasn't as confident going into it and not as slick with his pieces, but only had a 6 month gap between Gd 1 and 2. Happily, he came out cheerily. I think he actually enjoys the exam experience whilst he is in there.

We had the last lesson of the term the day before the exam. In his bag when he came home, was the Gd3 pieces book and scales book. I think I might email the teacher and say we are fine about him starting on the Gd3 scales, but are keen for him to spend a term on other fun pieces before starting on the exam pieces. Does that sound like a good idea? I don't think the teacher necessarily intends to only do exam pieces anyway or even start immediately, but I feel pretty sure a bit of a break from exam pieces would be a good idea.

Could anyone recommend something fun for over the summer, for someone who has just taken Gd 2 piano? Many thanks.

We break up in about 10 days - do you think we will get the results before then?

JulieMichelleRobinson · 28/06/2015 21:35

Piano time Jazz 1 (easyish) or 2 (challenging). Upgrades series 1-2 or 2-3.

Fleurdelise · 28/06/2015 23:10

Hi all! Congrats for all the good exam results, not long till half terms and the DCs can have a bit of s break.

I am extremely excited as we have decided this weekend to go piano shopping earlier than initially thought and we did purchase a piano. It arrives on Wednesday and I can't wait to hear it's sound in our living room.

Exciting times!

chocolate I tend to run when I hear of teachers moving from one exam to another without playing anything else in between.

Dd took grade 1 in March and she didn't open a graded book yet. She is now studying Bach (at her level of course) plus various other pieces from other books (Upgrade, Czerny, Burgmuller). She is working on 2-3 pieces at a time.

Her teacher said she can start her grade piece next week veeeerrryyy slowly and maybe put her in for the exam in the winter session. But the pieces will run parallel with repertoire pieces and from what I have seen it is only in the last 2 months they concentrate mainly on the exam pieces.

Ishouldbeweaving · 29/06/2015 07:32

chocolatewombat the timing of the results depends on which exam board it was, if it was Trinity then the results are with the centre as the examiner leaves, if it was ABRSM then you'll not hear in ten days.

Fleurdelise · 29/06/2015 13:30

We bought a piano! Grin

So happy and I can't wait to see dd's face on Wednesday morning when it gets delivered! She kept saying it will take forever until she gets it (it was planned for September-November period).

Exciting times and I can start teaching myself as far as I can with what I learnt alongside my dd.

ealingwestmum · 29/06/2015 15:02

Grin enjoy fleur

Ishouldbeweaving · 30/06/2015 11:35

We had a surprise this week - in fact it was nearly as surprising as a new piano. DS has been asked to go back as a mentor on the national children's summer thing that he's done for the last two years but he's now too old for. One of the reasons that this is such a surprise is that the mentors usually come from the youth group, which is the one that DS had a major wobble about last summer and where he withdrew from the audition at the last minute.

There will need to be emergency pyjama replacement (too short), new sunglasses (too lost) and a letter to school for a four day absence.

drummersmum · 30/06/2015 16:26

Congrats to everyone - some excellent results here and fleur I am so excited you bought the piano. Noteventhebestdrummer I would love to hear your DS sing!
Just heard DS got a Distinction in his gr7 drums. I can't wait to see his face light up when he finds out. He's playing a piano concert tonight and I may give him the envelope before the performance as an adrenaline shot. Or maybe afterwards? Hmmm...

Original poster
Wafflenose · 30/06/2015 17:30

Loads of lovely surprises today!!

OP posts:
Fleurdelise · 30/06/2015 18:26

Thank you ealingwestmum is being delivered tomorrow morning Grin

Ishouldbe what a lovely surprise how did your DS react to that?

Congrats drummersmum grade 7 and distinction, wow! You are lucky, dd's teacher doesn't give me the results, she wants Dd to hear it first. Which means that back in March a had a few agonising hours when she called but didn't share as dd was not with me. Grin

LooseAtTheSeams · 30/06/2015 18:58

Drummers mum, wow!! That is a fantastic result, you must be so proud of him! Good luck for the concert as well !
Fleur I bet you are excited about the piano, keep updating us with your progress!

Ishouldbeweaving · 30/06/2015 19:01

Congratulations drummersmumwithdistinction, I wouldn't be able to keep it to myself and I'd tell him as soon as he stepped through the door.

Fleur - it wasn't the best acceptance speech ever, the offer came in person and out of the blue and DS dithered about until I rescued him with "we'll get back to you when we've checked the dates". He seemed to believe that mentors are all very much older than him with superpowers, this is despite knowing a few of them away from the course. In real life they appear to be a year older than him with no magical abilities whatsoever. Once he was over the "I am not worthy" phase he was really pleased, or at least I think he was, it's difficult to tell sometimes.

I am interested in knowing how the piano gets up the front step - is it "1-2-3 heave" or the appliance of science and a step climbing trolley?

LooseAtTheSeams · 30/06/2015 19:02

Ishouldbeweaving - what great news for your DS and you made me laugh with the PJ too short reference!

woolleybear · 30/06/2015 20:26

Well, we are exam day minus one week and panic seems to have set in in the last week. Not for dd fortunately but for her teacher who I think thinks she has lost it a bit in the last few weeks, we have certainly only had positive feedback til now and then this..

We have been to the teachers house this evening for an extra lesson, lessons are usually in school, and I have learned lots about helping with practice that I wish I had known about a long time ago. I am feeling so guilty that I haven't helped with practice as much as I could have done with this little extra knowledge, and can't help wishing the exam had been a month ago, I think dd has just had enough of her pieces and scales!

Ishouldbeweaving · 01/07/2015 08:07

Woolleybear you can't be expected to be a mind reader and know how your dd's lesson is structured. It's useful to know going forward but what's gone is gone. I do know exactly what you mean though, it was a revelation to me when I went with ds to his teacher's house for a private lesson over the summer holidays. He was at that time a reluctant sight reader, when faced with new music he would wail that he couldn't play it because he didn't know how it went. When I sat in his lesson I found that teacher played the new piece for him before he started to look at it. It didn't make sense before and then suddenly it did.

In a week it will all be over...

LooseAtTheSeams · 01/07/2015 09:12

DS2 piano exam is on Monday and frankly I have concerns but I think he will pull it together on the day. Woolleybear, I know exactly what you mean - I managed to gate crash his school piano lessons and had a good chat with the teacher and it really helped with practice. On the other hand it now means he doesn't practise properly (ie not just thumping his way through the easiest piece) without me standing there issuing orders! And I also think it's better for him to do the exam before he gets any more bored with the pieces. I am really looking forward to giving him some fun stuff to play over the holidays!

drummersmum · 01/07/2015 14:21

Thank you for all your warm answers. Ishouldbe I can't just tell him the moment I see him because DH always wants to be there too!
Woolleybear there is always something we could do, there is always more, there is always the sense of "I could've" or "if only I had" but we can't, we are not Marvel superheroes, and when I think how little involved my parents were all through my school years... And sometimes we just have to let our children learn from life itself. So don't punish yourself. Good luck with the exam (I'm sure it'll be better than you feel it will and loose's DS too. If Andy Murray can play under 41 degrees of sun, your sons can conquer their challenges too!

morethanpotatoprints · 01/07/2015 19:11

dd got a good merit for grade 5 singing, she was crying though.
We old her she had done well and she sang in 2 languages as well, not taking a particularly easy route iyswim.
We are proud of her but she's inconsolable.
We haven't got the transcript or certificate yet but will go through it when we do, but it seems like the aural let her down, she got high 20's for pieces and 19 for sight singing. Fair enough mark I would think. Grin

Ishouldbeweaving · 01/07/2015 19:30

morethanpotatoprints it's hard when they decide that it's distinction or failure, with nothing in between. I'm not sure that there's anything that you can say to talk them out of it - DS wouldn't hear it from us but was eventually talked round by a music teacher.

I'm here avoiding writing on envelopes, I've written a two page masterpiece to school explaining the social and developmental benefits of his four day absence and filled in all the forms for the surprise! residential. Next up is envelopes, cheque book (with a side order of online banking to raid the savings account) and stamps. It's hot and sticky and I can't really be bothered.

morethanpotatoprints · 01/07/2015 21:12

I should be weaving, thanks for that.

I'm hoping she will remember this, not because I think it's a bad mark but because at times she thinks her talent is enough. She did put in effort but not to the extent she did last year when she did get a brilliant distinction.
Maybe it's a good thing.
It's a narrow line though because now she thinks she's rubbish.
The next concert she does people will be raving about how lovely she sings, how beyond her years etc. It must be hard for her to know if she is coming or going. I know school will sort her out come September and before this she has sax exam, in 2 weeks. Just time to sort the dreaded aural I think.

What is your ds doing again, is it a summer school, I'm sorry my memory is terrible?

Ishouldbeweaving · 02/07/2015 08:35

Ds is going as a mentor on the residential summer course for a National Children's Thing. He's been twice before but we thought that last year would be his last because he was too old. It's all been a bit of a suprise! seeing as it is in under three weeks. It's timed nicely because it's the week before a summer school that he's going to with his father, after the amount of playing he will have been doing with the children's group he should be really at the top of his game.

DS generally discounts all praise unless it's coming from someone that he thinks knows what they are talking about. It something that they have to learn to deal with though, the correct response to "that was lovely, blah, blah" is not to start listing the slips you made. "Thank you very much, I'm glad that you enjoyed it" is his standard at the moment, it could do with improvement but it's a better response than "mumblemumble" or the classic "I was rubbish".

Was someone supposed to be having a NEW PIANO (raises voice) around here?