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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:
TheRachel · 21/07/2015 14:13

Thank you! She worked hard, but I didn't expect such an amazing score!

Ishouldbeweaving · 21/07/2015 14:27

Congratulations TheRachel (or rather TheRachel's dd). Well done Wafflenose too, I thought of you this week when I was listening to a percussionist letting rip on what sounded like a xylophone. S/he sounded as if they had at least four hands, it sounded very impressive. Congratulations too to Pavlova junior on his piano result.

I'm sorry if I've missed anyone, I have a teeny little window of free time this afternoon which is better than my usual excuse of being idle.

The music centre cellists don't bring their own stools, I watch them come out on a Saturday morning. The double bass carriers do - as if they didn't have enough to get in the car each week. I have seen bows marked with small pieces of yarn wrapped around one end, we had one Christmas concert stopped while they worked out who had X's bow. That was fun, they were all small string players and the identification started with "all hold up your bows". There was then a bit of a sidetrack as some of the cellists had violin bows and vice versa. The missing bow was identifiable by having red wool at one end.

drummersmum · 21/07/2015 15:06

Been away and just catching up. Congrats to everyone and enjoy well deserved hols.
Back to practice today for DS. Most of his friends are just free all day. That's music for you..

RapidlyOscillating · 21/07/2015 16:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 21/07/2015 19:56

Congratulations to the amazing DCs who scored 136 and 144 at such high grades!! Fabulous scores!

Baby's cello is customised with a bit of green masking tape on the spike, because a piece kept coming off. We are not trusting the superglue, so have taped it as well.

I am thinking of carrying on with Xylophone and doing Grade 4 or 5 next year, but it depends on my workload next term, and how much practice time I can get in at work. I'm joining a steel band for mums and dads though!

Mini threw a fit today when she realised she will be doing practice and Theory every day of the holidays (well, we'll have the odd day trip and Sundays off, but she doesn't know that yet). I'm only asking for 15 mins or so of each (rec, flute, theory), but she knows exactly how to push my buttons, by making me feel bad about being a Pushy Mother. Which I'm not - it's just that they hardly did any practice during the second half of last term, and need to make up for lost time. I ignored her, helped Baby get on with hers, determined to show Mini what happens to good children who get their jobs done.

She did it in the end! We also went for a hot chocolate in a local cafe, and a bike ride, a spot of geocaching, and the girls went to church holiday club for a couple of hours. They then played computer games while I cooked dinner. I'm such a wicked parent. Hmm

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Ishouldbeweaving · 21/07/2015 20:09

Wafflenose my son came back from a residential last year full of good intentions to practise. One of the tutors had said that he'd missed one day's practise in the last (many) years and that was only because his instrument was out of reach on a plane. I remind him of this every time he's spent three hours on a computer game but has "no time" to practise.

I have his personal statement in sight, when he sits down to write it DS will find that all the right things are there to write about.

It's still term time here, we don't break up until Thursday.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 21/07/2015 20:11

My children broke up yesterday. I finished for the summer (officially) today. But a couple of keen ones are going to keep coming!

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WhereShallWeGo · 21/07/2015 20:40

woolleybear - we used the usual ABRSM books. I had also bought Lina Ng's theory of music books G4&G5 just in case DD didn't pass; I was going to persuade her to keep working on it with different books during summer. They don't come with answers. Happy to send them to theory enthusiast, to the parents or to a keen music teacher on this board.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 21/07/2015 21:00

Thanks Waffle. I'm very impressed with your tuned percussion result too, and all the other adults taking exams.

We all broke up from school on Friday. DS2, after returning from band trip at 4 in the morning early Saturday, sang on Saturday, Evensong on Sunday then spent 2 hours at a final intensive singing session last night! I have allowed him today off, he is still in his PJs.

He is going to attempt his Gold RSCM award next term so over the holidays, amongst other things, he has to write 800-900 words of programme notes. There simply won't be time in September when eveything else starts again, it will probably mean Grade 6 theory gets put aside for now His clarinet and trombone teachers have told him to practice enough that he doesn't go backwards, but can start September ready to move on.

DDS alto sax has been brought out of its case and left on a stand for easy access, which bodes well. No sign of DS1 trombone or tuba though.

Dc go back seven weeks today, I go back six weeks on Thursday.

TheRachel · 21/07/2015 22:13

Thank you waffle.

I do not recommend taking an exam in the last week of the school year (especially for a yr 6 pupil) - it was a very busy, stressful time! I have eased up on the practise a since the exam, but dd does need to start working again to get ready for the next nco audition in september!

TheRachel · 21/07/2015 22:14

And thank you everyone else!!

EssexYumMum · 22/07/2015 00:56

Great results. Must be a relief. I'm still waiting for DD's violin results but DDs' piano results are in - two merits - 125 and 120.
I hadn't realised people actually did get above 140 in grades. Was this piano and how old was the student? Impressive.

TheRachel · 22/07/2015 08:09

It was violin and she is 11! I have heard of results in the 40s, but dd had never gone higher than 134 before this! She got full marks in two pieces Smile

Original poster
Wafflenose · 22/07/2015 08:44

I got 141 in Grade 8 Saxophone, and a pupil got 140 for Grade 3 Saxophone in the same session. The highest mark I've heard of is 145, for a very young child in Grade 8 Piano!

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LilyBolero · 22/07/2015 16:36

RLP, ds1's Gold award programme notes took less time than I thought they would - was 3 or 4 sessions of writing/editing for him, but I had worried it would take much longer! And the service plan didn't take long at all.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 22/07/2015 16:58

That's good to know Lily, thanks. He is notoriously bad at extended writing tasks, ace report from school but with comment he needs to write more!

I didn't think he would be able to have a shot at Gold this year, neither did he, and next summer will probably be too late, so he is prepared to put the work in over the summer.

Pradaqueen · 22/07/2015 17:00

Long time lurker on this forum but once I had found waffle's inspirational advice re: small children and their achievements I realised that my DD wasn't motivated or pushed by her music lessons at school despite practising every day so.... I hired new teachers at home and she just gained 138 in her Grade 1 piano and 92 in her GD1 theory. She as practiced for the same amount as before so I am very pleased for her Smile Piano teacher now suggests gd3 at Xmas and her violin teacher has moved her from gd1 to gd3 pieces and has entered her for gd3 in November. She is just going into year 5 so thanks to you waffle and to everyone for all for your inspirational stories and Rachel, congrats to your daughter for such an amazing result!!

morethanpotatoprints · 22/07/2015 17:04

My dh pupils regularly get mid to high 40's. His best pupil ever got 149 for grade 8 saxophone.
This time his highest was 146 grade 8 sax, the girl is off to same school as dd Grin

Original poster
Wafflenose · 22/07/2015 20:28

149... wow! Do you know what they lost the 1 mark for?

So glad these threads have been helpful, Prada! Very well done to you and your daughter.

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maggiethecat · 22/07/2015 22:57

TheRachel - amazing result! Well done to her.
Which orchestra is she in?
Dd is in U12 and said a number of them at the spring course were hi fiving at having done their grade 8 (dd said she just kept quiet Smile

LooseAtTheSeams · 23/07/2015 08:12

This is making me a bit Hmm about music lessons at school to be honest. Not the lack of 140s I hasten to add, more the feeling that not everything is getting covered that needs to be. However, lessons at the music centre do seem to go better so I think part of the problem is lessons at school get interrupted by school trips, illness etc whereas lessons at the centre seem to run smoothly! After year 6, school lessons stop anyway so we'll be switching for post-grade 3 piano and post 2 or 3 cello.
I'm sticking to the rule that computer time has to be earned in music practice this holiday! Also trying to sneak in some theory...

morethanpotatoprints · 23/07/2015 10:19

TheRachel

Well done to your dd, fantastic results. You should be very proud.

Waffle

Grin I'm not sure what the remaining mark was for, iirc it was something of not much significance, just so they didn't have to say she was perfect.

I must add that reading my post back it doesn't quite read like the facts.
My dh doesn't teach for a living, he doesn't have many pupils as his methods are a bit unorthodox. He is honest with students though and will gladly recommend a teacher from the LA who teaches privately if they want just the graded approach. He has a teaching portfolio of over 25 years though, so there are some blinders in there, including dd of course Grin
She is counting not only the weeks, but she has a countdown on her phone that is to the second.
Waiting for her gr 5 sax result atm, she took it July 16th so a wait yet I suppose. We are only expecting a merit though as exams are not her thing really.
Give her a new song and its up to performance standard in a couple of days. Ask her to sing back in the aural tests and she hasn't a clue Grin

Original poster
Wafflenose · 23/07/2015 22:06

After two days of tantrums and boundary testing (boundaries are firmly in place! Grin) Mini got up and got on with it today. She's getting into the swing, enjoying the progress she's making, and knows she doesn't get any screen time until it's done! We tend to go out in the afternoons, so they can both play computer games when I need some peace to sort out dinner.

In another day or two, Mini will be halfway through the Grade 4 theory book. She glanced at the Technical Names for degrees of the scale once today, and memorised them immediately. I muddled them all up, and she still knew. I wish my brain still worked as well as that!

OP posts:
Ishouldbeweaving · 23/07/2015 22:58

DS has been away on a music course since Monday, if it hadn't been for photos on Twitter I wouldn't know he was still on the planet.

Ishouldbeweaving · 24/07/2015 09:44

Sorry about that - I'm less miserable this morning. I'm on a downer as I found out yesterday that his school no longer offer A level music, I had a suspicion that they'd stopped doing it so I rang and asked. He will have four other choices, although it's not much of a choice as three of them are over ten miles away. I even looked at the local private school - they don't offer music A level either. He's very definite that he wants to take it at A level so it looks like I have a range of sixth form evenings to look forward to in the autumn.