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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Autumn Term Music and Musicians Thread

322 replies

Wafflenose · 02/09/2015 09:47

Hello everyone!

I know not everyone is in the UK, but my children went back to school today, and I have found that having a new thread every few months works well. The school terms sort-of coincide with music exam sessions here - I will shortly start preparing the pupils that I plan to enter for November/ December.

As there are quite a few people reading/ posting on these threads, I would find it really helpful if people could remind us what children they have, how old they are, and what they play. If you don't mind, of course! Please feel free to ask questions and talk about your own learning too!

I'm Waffle and I'm a teacher of woodwind - mostly recorders these days. I have Mini who is 9 and plays the recorder and flute properly, and a bit of piano, trumpet and ukulele for fun. She is a member of South West Music School and NCO. I also have Baby who is 7 and plays the recorder and cello, and would like to play the piano.

For exams this term, Mini is doing Grade 6 Recorder with Trinity, and Baby is doing Grade 2. Next term, they are doing Theory exams - Grades 5 and 1 respectively. I know Grade 1 is utterly unnecessary, but Mini found it helpful to have a practice run by doing her Grade 3, and I can think of worse ideas than sending Baby in for the first time with her big sister. The next Flute and Cello exams will be Grades 5 and 2, but not yet.

I need to change their names at some point - Mini is not mini any more. She is 4'8" and up to my top lip. Baby is clearly 7, so I need to think again.

OP posts:
Helenluvsrob · 03/12/2015 11:03

ARRRRGGHH

DD2 singing exam postponed at the last minute " no examiner available" message after the end of school the day before. doesn't look like it'll be before Xmas now. Such a pain as she'll be wrapped up in academic stuff in the spring

raspberryrippleicecream · 03/12/2015 17:25

That's rubbish Helen. Really unfair too.

Icouldbeknitting · 03/12/2015 17:57

HelenLuvsRob oh no! Can't they squeeze her in at another centre?

We had a postponement due to snow and the rearranged date was about three weeks later. It was hard, DS was ready and I was more than ready for it to be over and then he had to keep on practising.

Helenluvsrob · 03/12/2015 20:05

Sadly we are rather reliant on her doing it in school both to miss as little school as possible ( which as she's lower 6th is important but more than that staves off the nerves) and also to have her music teacher to accompany her.

Sadly she's missed the exam day at dh school ( which we have used before - gives the examiner a bit of variety, they must be tearing their hair out after 12 initial singing !)

Had a good parents evening tonight . 4 A level is hard hard work but she's coping ok. More suggestions that she should do music .... She's think possible but only as joint honours. That's something she'd written off as a possibility... But then again she's v good at it lol

Noteventhebestdrummer · 03/12/2015 22:00

Helen

I have a Special Visit arranged in Dec and another in Jan which you could come to if you like? Could find you a great accompanist too. Manchester!

Helenluvsrob · 04/12/2015 11:18

Noteven if we had the capacity to take a day out in Dec I'd jump at it ! It's just all Xmas concerts / services etc pretty much from now on...
( dh already done his pre prep production of " hey ewe ":)) )

Greenleave · 04/12/2015 21:38

DD has violin and piano grade results today, both passed with merit, we expected more with piano but we did focus more on violin as she was slightly ahead in piano. Oh well, a relaxing weekend for us all and with a relieve to know from next week we could start new grades for both

raspberryrippleicecream · 08/12/2015 00:27

Well done Greenleave's DD.

Noteventhebestdrummer · 08/12/2015 07:42

Congrats Greensleeves DD SmileAlthough please don't start new grades next week! Play something else!

Icouldbeknitting · 08/12/2015 08:08

Congratulations Greenleave although I'm not at all sure that there is such a thing as a relaxing weekend in December.

We're in the waiting period, DH is expecting a big fat fail and DS thinks he deserves the equivalent of a merit. I can now start with Christmas, I hope I'm not too late to catch up.

drummersmum · 08/12/2015 10:23

Well done Greensleeves DD.
Good news this end too as we just heard DS got a Distinction in his g7 piano. Told him on phone and heard a big YAY!!! Happy for him because he worked really hard. Don't have the breakdown yet.

SuspendedinGaffa · 09/12/2015 11:39

Hello, hello!

Lots of amazing results being posted yet again - congrats to your respective DC Drummersmum, Greenleave, Uhtred and Raspberry. Star Star Star Star

Helen that really is incredibly irritating that no examiner can be found in time for your DD2. I'm not sure how this situation should even arise, unless illness has intervened with no cover for the initial examiner.

Shaky it will be fruit salad on Christmas Day for us next year - and our family will be the reverse of your own in terms of experience, seeing as I grew up with cold cuts, seafood and trifle while my kids are very much used to a roast with all the trimmings. We move back to NZ in August and fortunately there is a music school in the town where we will be relocating, so that's one thing checked off my list of things to research.

My DS has, as of earlier this morning, completed his G2 trumpet exam, playing Skye Boat Song, O Jesuleim suss and The Nuthatch. He has been playing very well these past couple of weeks and so I hope he has been able to replicate these performances in front of the examiner. We will go out to celebrate his efforts this evening.

Wishing everyone with upcoming exams the very best of luck!

teacherwith2kids · 09/12/2015 11:44

DD did Grade 1 cello this morning - first ever music exam, though she's a hardened veteran of 18 or so dance exams.

Is it just my imagination, or are the first grades in strings much harder than the first exams in woodwind? DS's first exam was Grade 5 clarinet, and although what he had to do was 'harder', it didn't seem '4 grades harder' than what DD had to do this morning?

Anyway, she messed up 1st piece with nerves, and said she couldn't clap the rhythm, but feels she is likely to have passed, which as music takes a very second place to dance, is fine with us.

idsisatwat · 09/12/2015 11:52

Am currently sat in the waiting room while DD does grade 3 violin. (We need a nail biting emoticon)
She passed her grade 1 piano in November, so hopefully will be OK for violin too. As that's her main instrument.

Greenleave · 09/12/2015 17:55

Thank you everyone. The tests were only 3 days apart so it was stressful.

Icouldbeknitting: I could understand your situation well especially with Xmas coming. Hopefully it will all be good(do some shopping, cleaning, cooking to kill the waiting time. I was working and I kept checking the result every couple of hours from day 6. She is only just 8 yrs old and I wasnt dxpecting her having any fail as it might kill her confidence. She did scales really well during practise but not in real exam)

Helenluvsrob · 09/12/2015 18:01

Some grand results here! Fabulous :)

We have news in that the exam is now next mon or Tues which is ok, but there us a lot going on!

Dd said the 6 th form spent their free lessons today making decorations for the school Xmas tree - I said this was a lovely idea and she did a " hermione pout" and said... But but I have WORK to do!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 09/12/2015 19:03

My two had their recorder exams today. Baby had Grade 2 and the bits I heard (as accompanist) were really good. She said she made mistakes in the third piece and the aural, but I'm sure she will do fine. Mini had Grade 6 and I paid someone else to accompany her! He said she had some uncharacteristic slips but that her second piece was still lovely, and the third one also went well. The exams were with Trinity, so not long to wait.

I also entered six very young and inexperienced children at work. I was hoping they could all get merits (not that I would tell them that) but they won't - some were a bit accident prone and squeaky. Oh well.

OP posts:
Icouldbeknitting · 09/12/2015 20:22

HelenluvsRob I'm really glad to hear that the exam is this side of Christmas, it's bad enough having it rescheduled but the prospect of having it hanging over the holidays doesn't bear thinking about.

Greenleave I'm good at waiting for results, as well as exams we're waiting for the outcome of an audition in June. The last time he did that one we chose a location with a November audition just so he had all summer to work on his scales. This time I thought it would be a good idea to get it out of the way early and we went to a different regional venue, never thinking that this would mean nearly a six month wait for the results.

Wafflenose when DS was taking his exam this week the three candidates before him were small pianists and they all had at least one restart in a piece. There's a lot to be said for not being able to hear what your DC is doing.

Greenleave · 09/12/2015 21:04

We are still at the beginning of our journey, starting with grade 3 piano now and grade 2 violin. Practising on violin was hard as it was screeching most of the time. She had 3 terms or smth at school without any progress so I pulled her out and had a tutor come then the progress has been significant. She learnt grade 1 in just 4 months. No (or very occasional screeching/out of tune now). She had 27/all 3 pieces for both violin and piano but the scale was dissapointing(11 on both even she was ok during practising). The tutor said we over practised and she rushed through it. In her diary(which I am still allowed to read) saying due to too much hand cream so very slippery fingers. Whatever way we wont: rush on scales while practising and apply too much hand cream before the test

Greenleave · 09/12/2015 21:12

Everyone pls can I have a question here. Is there a mini music group, a mini concert etc and what would it be called in English that a 8 years old can come and play with similar age children for both piano and violin? We live in Richmond, London but I am a foreigner so dont know how it work in uk. I went to council library but there wasnt an advertisement or similar for music group. I am hoping there is one so she could have a chance learn and play smth else as both violin and piano now are at home with a tutor and only on abrsm tests

raspberryrippleicecream · 09/12/2015 21:46

Probably not piano, but in my area there is Junior orchestra, one of the LA music service groups. Keep looking,

raspberryrippleicecream · 09/12/2015 21:47

Also look for local music festivals, although a competition they are fantastic playing opportunities

Greenleave · 09/12/2015 22:24

Icecream: thank you so much, will keep an eye on both!

Icouldbeknitting · 09/12/2015 22:56

I searched for the Richmond music hub and it's here

www.richmondmusictrust.org.uk/richmond-music-hub

BUT they cater for children over 11. If you contact them I bet they will know where 8 year old violinists can play. (I don't think that pianists get out so much)

NewLife4Me · 10/12/2015 19:16

Please tell me about all the running about you are doing? Exams, shows, concerts etc.
Suddenly feeling redundant as only one concert to attend Sad no ferrying about to rehearsals Sad
Missing all the build up to xmas with children for the first time in 24 years.
Feeling strangely redundant.