New Year Music and Musicians Thread

[Wafflenose]

Morning all, and Happy New Year. I decided it was time for a new music thread too. I really enjoy hearing about what everyone (and their DCs) are up to each term, and it's great to hear from new posters too.

I have two DDs. Goo (10) - the child previously known as MiniWaffle. She's not very mini any more... she's 4'10" and catching up with me. Anyway, she plays the recorder, flute, piccolo and a bit of piano when it occurs to her. She is doing Grade 5 Theory and possibly Grade 5 Flute (if the new teacher deems her ready) this term. Next recorder exam will be Grade 7, but possibly not for about 18 months! Am hoping the new flute teacher will also do a bit of piano with her... we'll see.

And Rara (7) - previously known as BabyWaffle - plays the recorder and cello. I was thinking of putting her in for Grade 1 Theory, but she's not keen, so we'll wait. She is in the blissfully calm position of no exams this term - yay!

We all have the local music festival next month. I think Goo is doing 11 Classes, and Rara about 7 (plus possibly helping with some percussion parts). I have 27 groups, pairs and individuals entered, so am going to be busy for the next month or so.

Clarinet G5 done this week; end of exams on that instrument for quite while as we start with a new teacher who wants to do a lot of technical adjustments. DD seems up for it. G7 cello in the summer and then we will also put more exams on that into the distant future.

However we do have 11+ and entrance exams and music scholarships from sept this year to Feb next!!

Sorry to hear that sunnydayinmay it must be quite upsetting to see your DC in tears over something like that. I would do the same thing and stop exams completely at least for a while until the desire to play is back.

Today I suddenly realised that DD will have 2 weeks off piano after her exam, not sure what she could do, maybe start one of her "fun pieces" on her own.

Good luck musicmom, the mention of 11+ and secondary school entry exams gives me shivers. For us it is Sept 2017 but we do need to start seriously think about it once the summer holiday is out of the way.

sunnyday Your DS may find moving away from exams liberating. I think my teen pianist must be a similar age (she's 14) and she doesn't do formal exams. She's not the most rounded pianist ever (can't sight read piano music to save her life - it is the one musical task I can do better than her) but she is a very musical one. I did exams as a child/teen and got distinctions, but DD is far more of a musician than I ever was. Don't let your son believe that his exam performance defines him as a musician!

Good luck to the remaining exam-takers :) - not long to wait now.

Second week of DD's radio slot tomorrow - she has recorded an Ed Sheeran cover for tomorrow's show, we are not talking high brow music here ;)

Fleur, I guess self learning pieces can definitely boost up sight reading.

Congratulations to Waffle and everyone on fab results! Good luck to those waiting on results. Currently sitting in miniprada's violin lesson losing the will to live on correcting bowing technique on a Vivaldi piece... The teacher has the patience of a saint! We are planning on maybe entering gd5 special visit in April and Gd5 piano next term. Waiting on the G5 theory (we'll take any pass on that...) we are also in an 11+ area so hoping to get Music out of the way now to concentrate on the educational arms race that is the 11+.....

Good luck to everyone waiting for exams or for exam results! Particular sympathy to Fleur and Green who I am sure never, ever want to hear Stormy Coast again.
Need to check with teachers but I think we have percussion grade 5 and cello grade 3 exams in May and I need to check dates before booking so DS2's exam doesn't clash with year 6 SATS. It's also occurred to me that as he's leaving primary school I will need to sort out lessons for next September - I am hoping to keep the same teachers somehow.
I have also paid for DS1 to go on a music tour in the Summer, which cheered him up slightly after he forgot to go to his bass guitar lesson - because he'd fallen asleep! I didn't have the heart to tell him off, he was so upset! He's about to start his grade 6 book and is very excited about it.

Loose Stormy Coast is in fact the one I don't mind hearing as it is the last one she's learnt so the less played on repeat piece. It is the Haydn that drives me insane, more so because it was perfect a week or so ago (as perfect as it can be for an 8yo to play however I don't think they have the maturity at this age to really do it justice) and now DF started to miss some quavers when she plays it. So 2 days before exam and the Haydn piece needs focus on one bar. Oh and because of this mistake DD decided to play that part (about 8 bars) without any dynamics as she is focusing on the mistake.

Good luck to all the DCs waiting for the results and those who are still due to take the exam!

*DD not DF

Just feel so proud I could burst. Ds2 (15) played a violin duet last night in his school concert. He got grade 8 distinction last term, so I know he's a good player, but since year 6 he has refused all solo/duet opportunities and will only play as part of an orchestra. He lacks confidence. County youth orchestra has helped him a lot I think.

Somehow his school music teacher persuaded him to play this duet. Oh my goodness. He looked like a totally different child. He looked and played so confidently. It was such a difficult step to take. I was so proud. He wasn't worried about the music as he said it wasn't hard. He just does not like standing in front of an audience. He goes to a bog standard comp. It's not an independent school with hundreds of ensemble opportunities and I thought the whole lot of them did wonderfully well.

I tend to browse this thread. Dd1 (12) has grade 3 clarinet on Saturday. She's just announced she wants to carry on. Aargh. Getting her to practice is a nightmare and this exam has been touch and go. Dh just rolled his eyes - he's a musician so things can get very stressy in this house when she doesn't put the time in!

Well done to him, schilke - that sounds like a massive achievement! He is still young to have Grade 8 distinction too. He sounds fab!

My DDs are going to go to an ordinary comprehensive too. We moved here before we had children, partly because we fell in love with the house, but partly because of the schools. The local secondary is good academically, instills confidence in the kids, has a great music department and plenty of sport. I get asked up to three times a day if Goo could get a music scholarship to the private school I work at - of course she could, but people don't realise that that would only give a 5%-25% discount. An All-Rounder scholarship (three things - in her case let's say music, art and academic - if she were even to succeed) equates to about a 30% discount. There's no way we could find the rest of the money for her to go there, then potentially 100% for Rara! So they will go to the local school with their friends.

Well done schilke's DS2. Proud Mummy moments are to be savoured and beat any amount of exam certificates I reckon. I hope this will be the start of more performing confidence and success for him. Mine had the county schools concert last week. All of them did great and it was a lovely night out.

Waffle my dh teaches in private schools and I think he's spoilt by them! It's always a shock when he turns up to our dc's school. State school pupils are rare in the county youth orchestra.

I didn't mean to sound like I was knocking private schools. It's just such a shame that our local authority doesn't offer subsidised lessons to encourage more kids in to playing. £200 a term for 10 lessons here. We've got 4 dc. Dh does complicated lesson swaps with musician friends so we don't pay in money only dh's time - we're lucky. No way could we afford £1000 term on lessons.

howabout Absolutely! He needed the exam results to prove to himself that he could do it. I sometimes sit outside his bedroom door listening to him playing. He won't play in front of me! Well done to your dc too.

Congrats schilke you must be so proud! What a great achievement!

Congratulations Schilke, did you breathe at all during his performance?

schilke I don't know any of any state educated DCs in our regional NCO either, except for DD. I suppose there must be some, but the overwhelming majority are from private schools, including around 5 from the school I work at. Of course it would be lovely to send her to my school, but we can't. She doesn't want to think about secondary school at all yet, but will be there in just under 18 months. Scary!

Hello
This may be a silly question, but why is it that most of the children in these orchestras and the ones entering the Music Festival that my DS enters, are from private schools?
He is at a State Primary and about to go to a normal comprehensive (although didn't get his preference of school). He has lessons through the local music service and compared to other children at his school or local state schools he is of a high level (particularly as we, his parents have no musical clue), but when up against children from private schools, he seems to be behind.
He applied for the NCO and didn't get a place-we pretty much knew he wouldn't. He did get a place for the Pro Corda residential, but when we were there, he was the only child not from a private school.

Waffle, I think your daughters sound very well grounded and a credit to you. I believe wholeheartedly that talent is irrelevant of schooling but private school children do have more exposure to extra curricular activities such as music than most (not all) state counterparts usually as part of their school day so no parental input is required. It is the same with many sports particularly rugby and cricket. Re: secondary private schools affordability, if you think an independent school would suit either child better than the state options available locally, don't forget most have a bursaries fund. Miniprada's violin teacher has this year helped at least five girls achieve music scholarships to various schools (some very prestigious) with 80-100% scholarship/ bursary combinations. Bursaries are private between parents and the bursar and not disclosed to the teaching staff. Just a thought.

chica music lessons are expensive! And music is seen as aspirational by some middle class families. I don't think it's much more complicated than that.

Private schools also provide more ensemble playing opportunities.

We live in France and my kids attend ordinary state schools. DD does piano at a "conservatoire" (selective, publicly funded music school). Where we live most of the conservatoire students are from ordinary families, although private school pupils are proportionately overrepresented. Costs are low: about £50 a term for 3 hours of tuition a week, making it very accessible, and many students enter via aptitude tests at age 6 before they have ever touched an instrument.

Loose: thank you, she is indeed worst with Stormy coast at the end even we thought she was much better with it at first.
Fleur: breath, breath, only couple days more togo. We are going to a concert this weekend just to lift the motivation up
Prada: is your daughter in yr5? She is very advanced compare to my daughter state primary school too

Schilke: I could totally understand your happiness, I would too. My daughter has never played in front of an audience either. I am dreaming of one day!!!

Regarding to fee, we pay £65/week for piano and violin too so it isnt cheap

Hello all. It's been a busy few months for us with family from the Uk out to visit us over here in NZ. We had some more large-ish earthquakes which has damaged the house some more. But the children seem to be just getting on with things.
Miss 11 is well into learning her grade 8 violin scales and has just started her pieces. I'm back running a choir -this time it's SSAA a Capella- to help with those pesky aurals. I do like that the singing part is considerably more important in aurals, but it sure takes a lot of work.
Miss 9 has learnt all her grade 8 scales already and has all pieces chosen but has been ill, so unable to play for a week. Being a saxophonist it will take her a couple of weeks to get back to where she was with breathing, her lip, etc.

I can't decide whether it would be good or bad for both girls to sit in the same exam session, which is looking increasingly likely. I've delayed miss 11's grade 8 theory exam until next year, as when she did her grade 5, she sat the theory and practical in the same session and I vowed NEVER AGAIN.

Those violin scales are taking a lot of practise to get to the minimum speed, whereas sax scales are already there. You can just imagine how well that makes them get on with each other.

I forgot to add congratulations to schilke! That sounds marvellous!

Greenleave, yes she is yr5. We have been fortunate with the music teachers outside of school who have provided much encouragement and allowed her to fulfil her individual potential very quickly rather than in a rigid formulaic format. It should be said though that it was this thread and all of the contributors that made me realise that she was being stifled in school music lessons and inspired me to do something about it!

Schilke that's a lovely story, well done to your DS!
Interesting question about state schools and music festivals/orchestras.
DS1 goes to the local boys' comprehensive where most of the musical boys play piano, guitar or drums - far fewer play orchestral instruments, and I suspect that trend may be typical of many state secondary schools, or at least the boys' ones. Football is a lot more popular than music! It is changing slowly as the school catchment is getting smaller. The primary school DS2 goes to is more relentlessly middle class and there are definitely more classical instruments around! A lot depends on parents and their own musical background. My own unsubstantiated theory is that it's not the type of school so much as the mother's level of musical knowledge that is the biggest factor!
Whatever, one thing I do know is that I have learned so much from the wise people on these threads that I just wouldn't have known otherwise, and my DSs have definitely benefited, so thank you!