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.

Going to a festival sounds great. I will research and engage my daughter if we could manage it

Great advices on the rehairing the bow. Saved it for whenever we need to have it done. Thank you

Wasn't going to mention this as I was convinced I'd failed but I actually passed my grade 3 piano exam! Regretting the dry January thing now but so relieved to have scraped through!

x 3 I think for getting through that! Well done loose, I don't seem to have the courage to restart an instrument as as I think it would get too competitive (if our parallel french learning is anything to go by)

Congratulations Loose!

How was it? I am actually freaking out about Dd's exam now, some practice sessions I think she is totally ready, some others I think no way she should take it this session. But the alternative would be another 6 months of playing the same (now boring) pieces. Grrrr...

Thanks! It was a surreal experience. I had a major hand brain meltdown on one of the scales so after 2 false starts it was utterly wrong going up and perfect coming down! Haven't seen mark sheet but suspect lost lots on aural due to brain freeze after scale incident! However I also don't regret it and I would say if pieces are usually good it may well be worth going ahead rather than risk going stale in 6 months. That is a long time to play the same pieces.

Oh and just to add I am carrying on and beginning my grade 4 pieces!

Congratulations LooseAtTheSeams, good for you for carrying on after it all went wrong. We've had DH's mark sheet back, funnily enough it doesn't say anything about "candidate went to pieces after music slipped to floor". He was
certain he'd failed but I think the examiner must have added in a few pity marks.

Fleurdelise I sat outside my son's exam, listened to the slips and blips in the second half and started planning where we could possibly find time for the resit in between mocks and GCSEs. Fortunately I didn't tell anyone this because I would have looked like a fool afterwards. Go for it!

loose, you make me feel for my life, you deserve for being a In this life, there are things [santa] brings but the really good things are a gift to yourself through sheer....(no emoticon for guts mumsnet!!????)

Congratulations, LooseAtTheSeams!

I have just taught a clarinet lesson to an adult who hasn't played any instruments for 30 years (gave up the violin in Year 7). She managed to play a few notes, and seems pleased! I have two more clarinet beginners starting in the next few weeks - aged 7 and 9.

My dad is 80 and having his first piano lesson next week.

Loose: congratulations, you are so brave and have done so well, I could never do the same. Everytime I sat down with my daughter I was thinking she isnt doing too bad as if I was in her shoes I dont think I could learn a note. Its quite terrifying, exams, practise etc.

Oh wow, drummersmum! Good for him. It's never too late. My oldest beginner was 72. He passed his Grade 1 (Clarinet) a couple of years later.

Icouldbe I went through the same stages last year and she scored distinction so at least I now know I am just neurotic and I need to keep my opinions to myself. But I do secretly make plans that if I think she's not ready by exam date I will just not take her to the exam centre.

My FIL is 80, he played guitar all his life and taught himself piano. He now practises every day even though he is not progressing much but finds it so enjoyable.

Hello all, can I join too?

My ds (12) is working towards his g7 flute next term after getting his g6 (90/100) in November

He also plays tenor recorder and starting on piano to help his compostion and theory skills.

Will join in properly!

Eldest son is taking G7 kit this term.

DD2 is 10 and working on G3 piano after starting late. Her first instrument in violin and she attends one of the music schools as a specialist musician. Strictly no grading at the insistence of her lovely teachers.

DD3 is 8 and G5 orchestral percussion is on the horizon for June/July and music theory will be on the cards for same time.

DS 2 is 7 and is tinkering with Trumpet, on G2 kit and G2 violin.

So a quiet term for us! Which is good as I have A2's ad GCSE's for DS1 and DD 1 this year.

Thanks for the lovely messages - I just caught up with the thread again! I am so impressed drummersmum with your dad and with waffle's clarinet beginner. Congratulations to icouldbe's DH and I'm glad the examiner was kind! Good luck to all the DCs with exams this term! 😀

Hello everyone, can I join in again this term? As I said on the Autumn term thread, DD (9) has had a disaster with Grade 3... but I am learning loads on this curve we find ourselves on.....firstly she broke her finger playing netball last term so we had to move her piano exam to the special visit at her Violin's teacher's. What I didn't realise was although a great idea in theory, the piano wasn't really of a suitable standard and she only had one run through on it the night before. A bit tricky for the dreaded 'Stormy Coast' Then.... she ended up with a reaction to the flu jab at school and was running a temp on the morning of the exams with an extremely bunged up nose... so we ended up with a pass (two marks off a merit) - unsurprisingly the aural was the worst score. She sat Grade 3 piano and Grade 3 Violin back-to-back (with a tea break in between) and got a really good merit for the Violin (again aural score the worst) - really pleased for her as I have said in previous threads she has gone from Gd 1 in Violin/Piano and Theory to Grade 3 in a term after changing teachers from 15mins at school to an hour on each outside of school... She also got a merit in Grade 3 theory which she was chuffed with. She is now working through the Grade 4 Eric Taylor Book with her piano teacher. She is working towards her Grade 5 in both Violin and Piano. We are also doing our second music festival which is exciting! Although she is confident in both instruments as a pp said, she also is a terrible sight reader because she too memorises everything. Great for learning theory and vocab, terrible for scoring well in sight reading! Oh well, we can't all be great at everything ...and I am extremely proud of her for working so hard in the past 5 months. Will keep in touch if she enters anything but likely to be a special visit Gd5 Violin exam in April I reckon, too much work required for Piano and she has such tiny hands, choosing suitable pieces is a nightmare! Good luck to everyone for this term!

Pradaqueen those are great results, and grade 5 at the age of 9 is impressive, at least by my books.

Once the exam is out of the way I think the plan is DD to skip grade 4 also but not doing grade 5 next year but take longer (maybe two years) of playing lots of pieces at grade 3/4/5 just without entering the grade 4 exam if that makes sense and give her a chance to play various pieces, various styles and enjoy it really.

At least that was the plan discussed last time with her teacher.

Welcome to the new posters!

Superbag that's an impressive amount of instruments and lessons, I couldn't deal with so many

Oh my god, Prada, your daughter did so well given her circumstances, it must be a very stressful time for you. Your daughter is so advanced also, is yours a musical family(I am finding excuses for mine). We hope to be in your shoes(g5) by end of primary(also end the theory test if possible), fingers crossed

Hi Greenleave and fleurdelise thanks for the kind messages! Yes she is a bright little thing, weirdly good at languages (we found this out by accident neither her father and I speak any other language beyond je m'appelle Pradaqueen'! ) so that does make the theory much, much easier (she's also doing Her Spanish GCSE in May) she also doesn't get stressed and isn't upset if she doesn't succeed at the first attempt (she tried for NCO for the first time this year but didn't get in) so that does make life easier. No, we're not musical although between her father and I as children, we played the violin, piano and clarinet between us but we both hated music lessons! I could't play a note now despite reaching grade 6 piano.... Her interest is self driven and she does practice every day without fail so she is quietly determined I'd say ( she's not a show-off sort of kid) my job I see as helping her use her time wisely and encouraging her to do a little bit of theory a couple of times a week. I am very proud of her, but I must say full credit must go to her teachers who are extremely encouraging and it does help that they know each other too (her piano teacher is her violin teacher's official accompanist etc) so it feels much easier and neither teacher is pulling her in 'their' direction. I've always said though, that if she wants to stop she can, but at the moment she has the but between her teeth! As we have older (non musical ) kids too I know to embrace any period of enthusiasm before they hit their teens.....!

Hello to all the new people! Everyone is welcome here.

I realised today that I'm in the presence of someone very gifted. A little 8 year old who has been learning with me since she was just turning 6, in Year 1. She's got to Grade 2+ Recorder in 2.5 years of lessons with me, which is good but unremarkable, but got a Treble for Christmas, and has taught herself to Grade 3 properly in just 14 days, reading the new notes and so on. She has also been learning the clarinet with me for a year, and has now mastered the Grade 3 scale requirements over the holidays. One to watch, I think. Her main asset is that she is extremely self-motivated, unlike my two!

Wow, your kids are all doing amazing, I agree that grade 5 whilst still at primary is brilliant.

Loose Well done, you are truly an inspiration, it isn't easy either when you have other musicians in the family.

I am still managing to fit in a few mins here and there, but not counting my chickens.
I am playing pieces which I dated when I last thought I'd have a go again. They were October 2010
Maybe this time is the time I won't stop again

So the key for success here is self motivated, cant agree more, then they dont feel they are working hard rather than know their aim and working toward it(without the feeling we are nudging them). The issue is when will they reach to that stage is very much dependent on each child. My daughter for the last 2 months has been better. Before that it was...really hard. We had super slow and lazy 2.5yrs. To be honest now looking back I dont think I could do more as I was exhausted everyday after work and she went to bed just after 7 so we never had time. Now she goes to bed later which helps and also she is less tired(then there is the little sister who is still a baby)

I can remember many years ago trying everything to keep our older dc interested in music.
During their primary years we must have had most instruments throughout the house and we encouraged, praised, paid for lessons etc.
Now ds2 sees the life that dd has and asks why we didn't make him practice and keep it up.
Believe me, apart from beating him with a stick there was nothing else left

Then came dd and she has known what she wants from being about 2.5, she is relentless, ambitious, determined and motivated.
Her instruments have been her toys when she was younger and music is now her life, including social life.
The best way I can describe it is freakish, but in a nice way as it brings her such pleasure.
Only like minded people seem to relate to her and her to them.
I don't know what we'd have done without her school, it fits like a glove musically and socially.
Sometimes I would like normal, just for a day.