Spring/ Summer Music and Musicians Thread

[Wafflenose]

My children go back to school tomorrow, and it's my birthday this week, so it must be properly spring in the UK now, and time for a new thread! Please jump right in by telling us about your DCs' learning (or your own), or by asking any music/ music exam related questions you like. We have lots of experienced music parents and teachers on here, as well as lots of new ones.

I am a music teacher, and mum to Goo (10) and Rara (7). Goo started the recorder and flute when she was tiny (age 3 and 6 respectively), has recently added piccolo, but not very well yet, and is starting piano lessons in a couple of weeks. She has no exams this term, but will probably do Grade 6 Flute in the Autumn and Grade 8 Recorder next Spring. She plays in her school orchestra and recorder groups, South West Music School and NCO, and has her first concert with County Wind Band tonight, after a trial course. She hasn't auditioned to become a member yet, and might not for a few years yet, due to age and time factors.

Rara isn't so musically inclined - she prefers to read and draw, and is also very physically active. However, she is due to take her Grade 2 Cello exam this term, and Grade 3 Recorder in the Autumn - she's currently getting to grips with the treble and loving it!

Well, DS2 floored me slightly yesterday by deciding to go to theory after all! And apparently it 'wasn't too bad'. Seems a bit of reverse psychology ('of course you don't have to go, you have a lot going on this term') paid off. DS1 is very enthusiastic about the lessons and he said he mentioned it to his school music teacher who, it turns out, loves theory and has been very encouraging. We're aiming for grade 5 exam before the end of the year for DS1.
The major task now is to get DS2 to stop playing his grade 3 piano pieces at top speed, introducing new mistakes, and to slow down and get it right. This means standing over him when he practises instead of letting him get on with it.

We are off now to 3 hours of music lessons and ensembles...

(Not out of boredom, mind. Late night ...)

We have had a morning in bed because DS has a lunchtime performance so there's no music centre for us. It's been lovely.

Loose that is where DD lost points in Jack is sad, by the comments is sounds like she played it at the speed of light. Probably to get over it faster as she was playing it beautifully the day before.

NeverEver enjoy the 3 hours of music. Sounds good.

DD had her piano lesson that focuses on theory and sight reading yesterday and after about 15 min she asked the teacher "when can I play?" teacher needed to explain again that she is a bit ahead in her playing so theory is now almost a whole lesson focus.

Today is the playing lesson.

Fleur that's the problem with the exams - nerves can make you play faster than intended! There was one bit in Jack is Sad where I'd only just got the timing sorted and in the exam defaulted to the wrong timing. I was hoping that Jack would just sound very emotional at that point but I was rumbled! The examiner liked the rest of the melancholy, though.
DS2 suffers from the urge to play the whole thing regardless, whereas his teacher wants him to focus on the bits that need more work. Actually he's done a bit of unprompted practice this morning and has at least slowed down...
Three hours of music centre this morning here too!

I used to get a lot of knitting done at music centre on a Saturday morning. I'd take the boring stuff that I hate doing (sewing in ends, sewing sleeves in, sewing anything) because when that's the only thing that I have to do then I'll do it. Now DS is older I've graduated to turfing him out in the car park and collecting him three hours later.

Fleur, Loose: same issue here where rushing through all pieces and being able to play them however lost articulations and perfections. This is getting worse with violin now when all pieces are "sight read" and little attention to details.

Loose: till the end of the year isnt too bad, we find time signature, intervals and grouping are hard. Still havent got the basic grasped!

Icould, we are waiting for our teacher now and I havent realised that I have been cleaning and tidy our kitchen the last 45 mins ha ha ha! My mind was all thinking about the lessons, what he said.

My daughter said thus morning that, mom I spoke to A(the boy in year 4 who is doing g6 violin) that how come you are so good and he said, I just practise all the times. Well, that says it all isnt it.

Music centre for 3 hours this morning, too ... I do wonder whether we are, in fact, all in the same place....

It could be worse, we could all be stood on a touchline in the wind and rain attempting to be supportive when all we want to do is get somewhere warm. Music centre has a little snack bar run by volunteers so there is lots of tea, the light is good and there are plenty of chairs. Well there were, parents wait in the school cafeteria and they've changed the seating to stools that are fixed to the tables. Three hours with no back support is a non-starter for me.

I'm not sure whether we'll be going next year. He hit the senior group three years ago and he's bored. I could not in all honesty say that it is adding anything to his playing experience, we go because we've always gone.

Touchline ... that happens on Sundays ....

I am very thankful that the DCs refuse to do sport outside of school except for tennis!

Thank god I don't have a child playing team sports (my younger child cycles and juggles - neither of which requires much parental involvement).

We are quite lucky with lessons because DD's piano lessons take place during free periods at school, and the conservatoire is within walking distance of her lycée, so no waiting around required. Her guitar class is 7-8pm and my own class is directly afterwards, so I go to a café for something to eat while she plays. The main commitment is driving her, because we live in a small town so everything is a car ride away.

Icouldbeknitting is there an adult ensemble he could join? DD is in one of the adult jazz groups now at her music school. She has learnt a lot this year (despite never practising the jazz class pieces).

DS was a sportsperson first and foremost - only really joined music groups after being dropped from local professional football club's junior academy. It is only really over the last 12-18 months that the balance has really shifted towards music - and he still plays football for school + club and cricket for school + club even in the new 'more music, less sport' era.

He's definitely a jazz fan, too - does jazz music centre (weekday) as well as normal music centre (senior orchestra, senior wind group, senior jazz ensemble).

That's it Misti he is already in two adult ensembles and county and a regional youth group (and another regional youth group when it starts next month). It's not as if he's short on playing opportunities. It's the whole "end of an era" thing, accepting that they are no longer meeting his needs and moving on. It's put structure on our Saturdays for the last eight years, it was his first experience of ensemble playing and his first concert (the week after he started, I had a mad scramble for formal trousers and a white shirt - all hail John Lewis). I know it's the right thing to do, it was the right thing to do last year but I didn't do it.

DS likes table tennis and badminton - he has these great long arms so doesn't have to move much. In general terms sport is a four letter word. What he doesn't know is that we will both be having a gym membership over the summer....

No team sports for us either! Though DS1 had football for a short time but they had a nice cafe/bar thing for waiting people to sit in.

We also only start getting more music lately, before was all other things, French lessons, swimming(Saturday and Sun morning), loads of cycling as we live near a very lovely big park. We plan to do rowing every Sunday from next week as it's warmer now.

The extra free lesson today was 2 hr, it didn't feel that long as the teacher started with feeling the pulse from the piano first so they played the violin piece on piano on right hand, left hand was feeling the beats by clapping to the left leg. The lessons were mainly on correct bowing as confusions with basics such as up and down was one of the issue. The ryhm

Sorry not too sure what's the blackberry was trying to do. However only wanted to say that it wasn't too bad a lesson, she was more focused. We were thinking that whether it's because I was presenting during the lesson if so should we do shift our lesson to later on the day during the week so I could be there.

I have a massive admiration to you all ladies, all these years driving, waiting, encouraging, being there. My journey is now only started and I have already felt it's paramount!

We have just finished an 8hr stint at sat morning music, should have been 6 but extra rehearsals needed. And I am done! DD has decided to apply to JD for sept and selfishly I was dreaming of getting sat's back, so am going to have to adjust if she gets in.

Tomorrow rehearsals and Eve concert. So homework needs to be squeezed in. Sorry not up to being a music mom today, and need to sleep :(

We had a nice but busy weekend. Partly music but also some family time which was much needed as I feel how my 14yo DS is distancing himself by the day, which is natural but I don't want to let it happen already.

DD had a good piano lesson, her teacher has such a great relationship with her. DD asked her if she's doing grade 4, her teacher replied by asking her what does she want to do. DD said she wants to be grade 5 before 10 so this is now the goal they agreed together. No exam pieces just yet but she'll have to take the exam next March to achieve this.

Also clarinet lessons now pencilled in for September, I think we have been recommended an amazing teacher, she is lovely and full of enthusiasm. We'll go to a recommended music retailer which does a scheme of renting for 3-6 months and then if you decide to buy 50% of the rent money is going towards the purchase price. We'll probably go there in August, the teacher recommended DD trying the Buffet B12 and the Yamaha YCL 255 the later being a bit lighter.

We are trying to keep Goo's non-musical interests going, so she has other things going on in her life at the times when music is hard work or not going well. She plays chess and netball (badly) at school, and does school athletics club. We're also trying to encourage Rara to have her own interests, as she's not particularly musically inclined. She still has swimming lessons, unlike Goo, and has just started Brownies. She's obsessed with animals, and is a member of the RSPCA. Both girls love drawing too.

Goo didn't have a flute lesson for five weeks over Easter (teacher went on holiday) and now her new teacher (who I trust, and is lovely) is encouraging her to go for Grade 6 this term. Apparently there were some syllabus pieces in the fat bunch of music she got Goo to learn over Easter. So she knows two, and just over half the scales, has done the aural before and sight reading is fine. But it's madness... isn't it? Surely she could just miss it out if the teacher thinks she's going that fast. Goo hasn't got a clue what she wants. It could boost her confidence, or do the total opposite. She had 3 exams in quick succession recently, and doesn't particularly enjoy them. I'm veering towards saying no.

Rara didn't have a very good cello lesson last week, but has picked up somewhat, and decided to give Grade 2 a try.

DD dances, compared with which DS's music commitments pale into insignificance, so today I have been (mostly) either a dancing mum or a 'because dance has eaten all your time there are some bits of your homework we might need to collaborate on' ['create a model showing germ theory' ???!]. type mum.

Oh, and a 'yes, you're Year 10, revising for your school exams is not optional' severe type mum. i am NOT popular tonight...

waffle maybe moving past grade 6 and do grade 7 in December or March? Dd's teacher told us today that the Czerny piece DD is playing (pretty well also) is currently grade 4 alternative but she didn't want DD to know it was an actual exam piece until it was learnt. So she said grade 5 by next year should be achievable but no exam will be mentioned until at least September time.

Depends what Goo wants also, if she's keen for the exam to happen then why not.

DD does dancing and ice skating as extras also, she loves both, she is okish, steady progress.