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.

Quick question: what does everybody do with old music books, such as previous grades or method books? I am tidying up and we have rather a lot of music books to which I believe DD will not go back such as a method book, grade 1, 2 and 3 books abrsm, upgrade 1-2 book and a few more books I bought just for when she'd be ready but forgot about them and now she's past them such as nursery rhymes. So what do I do with them? I don't want to think how much money they costed me . So what what do you do with old redundant books?

Needless to say this is the list of the books I don't want, there are more such as the books in which the alternative pieces were but I will keep those just for repertoire.

Sell on ebay/ Amazon Fleur, or see if the piano teacher can use them, or sell them on to another child for a couple of pounds.

I keep every single thing, and have huge book cases and chests stuffed with sheet music. But that's because I'm a music teacher and think I will use everything again at some point!

Thanks waffle I'll have a look. I guess I'll keep all the graded scales but is there a reason to keep the other graded ones? She's now picking repertoire from different books so not sure she'll ever use them again, unless for sight reading.

Can private people sell on Amazon?

We gave all the beginner music to his music teacher, we didn't know any learners and it was a waste of space.

Waffle we've had some interesting concerts with our county wind band. Their conductor has a tie in with one of the conservatoires so occasionally they do a joint event. Soon they will be having a day of workshops with the conservatoire wind ensemble and on one residential they had an afternoon of being conducted by a succession of students on a conducting course (DS thought that was very good, you can learn a lot by watching people get things wrong). Ours is subsidised to the point of being cheap which is a rare and splendid thing.

If Goo is younger than the rest of the band bear in mind that their procedures will be based on older teens. DS was in a children's ensemble and county at the same time and there were big differences between the two - he much preferred county as he got to keep his phone all day and go to bed an hour and a half after his normal time. It's probably not so bad if there's a range of ages but the audition he went to seemed to be made up of people wanting a line on their personal statement and currently the majority of players drive themselves to rehearsals (the age range goes up to 21 although the majority drop out when they go off to university). I found it a little worrying when he was 13, less so now he's older.

I passed on all mine to piano teacher, occasionally she arrives with a couple of £1. I gave some to a friend, and she went to our piano teacher and asked her to order the next book DS would need on her behalf.

Size wise, 5' 6.5" and DD is just taller than me, to her great satisfaction.

DH is just over 6' and my DS1 is just over 6' 4"

Good job its nearly a new term as we have almost filled this thread!

Next term's calendar is already starting to fill up with unforeseen events, I thought it was going to be quiet, GCSE s and Alevels aside

Fleur I still have all my music from when I was learning violin and I used it to teach my own DC so don't be too quick to discard.

Here's DS singing with his lovely choir at the school concert where he won the award for highest contribution to school music. He's the first soloist
Nice to be able to share here.

Fleur - DD loves dipping back into earlier books now (not do much at the tine!) and it is quite interesting to see the difference from when she first played them. So I would vote for keeping if you can and think dd might enjoy them again in the future.

Noteven - wow!

Raspberry - I can't work out how our summer term got do busy already; DD seems to have offered herself out as a 'spare' cello in all sorts of places. Not quite sure all the logistics will work...

Can't believe we are still awaiting the clarinet exam result from March.....

Noteven: you must be very proud! Congratulations on his big achievement!

Fleur: I keep them all too(with a faint hope that the little baby might use them in the future, also they have her own notes, it would be fun to see them again. We do look at some of her drawings when she was a todler and we still laugh our heads off...

Newlife: wow, all these instruments! You are lucky having your husband who is into it too. I asked my husband to leave her education to me and I feel regret sometimes as I feel lonely and stuck many moments like these. He however is trying to help with all other things(entertain us, keep us happy and balanced).

Waffle, anyone who has music theory experiences, please can I ask if there is an easy way to learn the foreign terms. I was told by our teachers on email tonight that she must learn them by heart. I am thinking I might have to google a list then stick them on the fridge or something for her to learn by heart.

Also second question is: is it true that the higher grade you do the more practice you need? And roughly how much for a grade 3 and/or 4 each day your child is doing?

Noteven

That was beautiful and so different. I loved the harmony and your ds solo was really good.

Greenleave

I don't think she appreciates what she's got tbh, it must be hard for her to comprehend, which is why i may appear about meh about it all.
One of us needs feet on the ground, those two are too much sometimes.
I love them dearly but sometimes it's such hard work just staying sane.
Maybe we could swap just for musical purposes, mind.

Green

Practice should be constant, honestly, you never know it all.
My dh still practises between 2 and 4 hours a day, it's his work.

Dd about 3 hours but it's never all at once, spread out through the day.
It's also about quality as well. If you are doing it right 30 mins is better than 3 hours giving yourself a little concert and not getting to the nitty gritty bits.
Here endeth the lesson on practice/ practise I can never remember.

I feel I am staying sane because I have such a gap between them, I have a massive admiration for parents with any closer gap.

Speaking of height, I am 5'2" too and I thought I was smallest, even on here!:) and I have a secret wish for my children to be taller than us( who is still squeezing fresh oranges to give the kids daily and who is secretly pushing them in their swimming-min 10 laps each time in the pool before fun time)

Greenleave - be careful what you wish for - DS at over 6 foot and still growing rapidly is the tallest in the family, while DD and I see rather too eye to eye for comfort (she's just over 5 foot 5, but as a dancer spends a lot of her life on tiptoe!). I will be the shortest in the family only too soon.

[Goes back to the fruitless task of trying to find school trousers for DS in 26" waist, 34 inch inside leg - or I would take 28 inch waist with button elastic. His size 11 feet with weedy ankles aren't much better]

Green

My dh is 6ft4, ds1 6ft, ds2 nearly 6ft and dd about 5ft2/3.
In the land of the giants, me.

I know about gap with ds1 24, ds2 21 and dd 12
Never thought i'd have another, we thought next baby would be grandchild, obviously not at 13 or 9.

Teacher: wow, he is tall! I dont mind if they are taller than us, I am sick of these heels I have to wear 11 hours a day at work sometimes. For a girl especially a dancer then 5'5 is just perfect, not too tall(long) to be carried-just perfect!

DD's adult height (she's 13) is likely to be closer to me at 5 foot 7, maybe a little taller. As she has been dancing since before there was any idea of what her adult proportions might be, we are just relieved that she hasn't turned out to be quite as large in the chest as my DH's family all are!

I will keep the grade 1 book and a few more that I bought such as easy Christmas carols, theatre piano works the books having the alternative pieces (and other nice ones). Thanks for all the advice.

But seriously, besides her other books (she has 8 music books in use currently, these are in her music bag, using around 4 at a time) about another 3 waiting on the side, I also counted 12 books that I really don't think she'll ever come back to. These I bought as easy arrangements for when she'd be ready but somehow she went past that level, so there is a fur Elise arrangement that I found while she just started complete Beethoven version.

I don't know how it got so out of hand with so many books (it is my fault of course), I guess I was a bit impatient and kept buying attractive arrangements even though Dd's teacher kept saying she prefers the originals.

I am 5'2 also and proud

Newlife: hahaha, that is good, then you never have a chance to carry anything heavy and/or reaching anything too high as you have tall people surrounding you. We had a gap because I was trying to conceive, we were longing for the second child so we are now very happy. I dont think I could/should have a third, I just know that I wont be a good enough mom when I have more( and even if I want to for me its not easy to conceive)

During this holiday period while she was home most days then maximum she spends time on piano was 1hour, violin might be another hour and I feel like its not enough( and in total more than 2 weeks holiday then she had 2 good days like this). At the same time she has so much else to do(and play) and I wouldnt dare to ask her to give anything up to increase her practise time. I have read/heard people playing for couple of hours a day for each instrument and I am amazed. None of her friends, neighbors do grade instruments so I find it difficult to convince her that there are other people who also practise music daily!

Goo does 45 minutes 3-4 times a week for Flute - she's playing Grade 6 pieces.

She does 30-40 minutes about twice a week for recorder, and is Grade 7. She loves it once she gets started, but we have to tell her to practise - it just doesn't occur to her. I know other people do more, but I'd have to fight her over it. She does like her other activities and needs a lot of down time too.

I am hoping this thread will hold out until Monday morning, but I'll make a new one tomorrow afternoon if absolutely necessary.

DS 2 certainly hasn't spent that much time practising!

Termtime he will average an hour a day spread between 3 instruments, with piano (working towards Grade 7) having the most. When his voice changes and his choristership ends he will have more time. Brass in particular could do with more.

Clarinet (working towards Grade 6) is played and trombone (Grade5/6) also get played in 5 different ensembles between them each week though.

ha, oh, Greenleave. dd1 (just done grade 4) practised most days in the holidays, uh, not.
Schooldays, hm, maybe 4 or 5 days a week, 10min.This after a lot of nagging. Her second instrument she practises even less, because she has to take it out of its case...
But in all fairness, schooldays, on some days she is not at home till 9.30pm and then still needs to have supper.
I keep threatening to stop paying for lessons, or just suggest she stops 1 instrument but answer is always NO.