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!

That's incredibly unlikely! They're more likely to start her on a C clarinet. It's a very usual thing to do. But unless she really is absolutely tiny (girl I've just started is under 125cm I think) it will probably be a Bb.

Just seen your other question... I do group lessons with up to 8 children (not my choice). I don't give them any individual time, but they are ALL playing at all times, and I will make corrections as they go. As an example, my Year 5s who started in Year 2 are all between Grades 2 and 3... and then there is Goo, who comes along too! I don't think they practise very much though. I would go for private lessons from the start, but if you're not sure that she'll take to it, do group lessons for a term. They will be slow to start with, because some will need to learn to read music.

Thank you Waffle I think I will stick with one to one lessons as she'll be able to read music so she may get frustrated if held behind. Also the idea is to see how fast she could progress with the skills transferred from piano with regards to sight reading.

She is 130cm so not tiny tiny, not even the tiniest in her class but she's not a big one. :)

Waffle, I'm surprised Rara manages a treble. dc3 (9) has been trying out mine but feels her fingers are getting too stretched out,. ( It may well be that she just likes descent better, so that's an excuse).

My descent Aura recorder has the german fingering but she has been learning it on a different on with BAroque fingering. Do you have the same differences with a treble. If so, my treble would have the German fingering as well, so she might be better of with a different one anyway, if she ever wants to try it?

Dd is a smallish 7 (128 cm) but manages fine on a bb clarinet, except the lowest notes as waffle says

I have to share:

Dd1 passed Grade 1 violin with distinction. I'm dead chuffed for her.

Well done to your DD 2ndSoprano

Where else would you share?

Had news today that mini starwars passed his grade 2 piano with merit!
So pleased as he worked really hard.
Well done to all the children who've taken recent exams.

Heard that ds1 (aged 12) passed grade 3 piano (116), despite coming out in floods of tears over the sight reading and aural.

He had a stinking cold, hates sight reading, and is in the midst of puberty with a breaking voice, so was convinced he'd failed. Haven't seen the result yet, but apparently he did mess up the aural, so must've done okay on the pieces.

Well done to all those passing.

Well done on the exam results - I bet you're all glad the waiting is over! Great results all round! hope mini sunny is feeling much better.
Also good news here as the music centre has got a 3/4 size cello for ds2 so he now has no excuses for not getting his left hand position right! He has a lesson tomorrow on the old one and then we'll do a switch on Saturday when the music groups start up again.

Congratulations on all the exam passes
Loose where would any self-respecting string player be without the odd left hand position to sort? At least he is not negotiating with his teacher about which nails he can grow as I always did

Congratulations on all the exam results, tea and celebratory cake all round.

Congratulations on all the amazing results!

Rara (nearly 8) and her friend (8) are both around 125cm. Rara doesn't have particularly big or small hands, but can reach all of the notes. I only use recorders with Baroque fingering, as that's the system I learnt with, and it's expected for exams. I'll try and make a video of her soon, if she'll let me. Her friend is managing a Bb clarinet, which wasn't my choice, but she's doing OK. For what it's worth, I was far smaller and a little younger when I started, and I did well. I got hurt because my teacher wasn't aware of that small possibility, but turned out to have an underlying connective tissue disorder anyway. 130cm will be completely fine, and MiniFleur has another few months of growing to do if she's starting in September.

Congrats to all the DCs for the fantastic results! Time to celebrate now!

As I decided to keep to private lessons on clarinet I have turned to Dd's piano teacher and hurrrrrayyy she does know two clarinet teachers and will recommend us to them to start this September. Yaaaay! I know it is a long time till then but hopefully we can meet them (well, one of them) and get some instrument advice so once September comes we are all set.

se22mother you give me hope. I don't know anything about the instrument but I intend to become an expert how much music can they play without reaching certain notes? What happens if they do need to play those notes?

I know you were really asking se11mother... but I actually think she sounds more than big enough to reach them all. She'll have grown by then anyway. And usually it's just a matter of a few weeks or couple of months, if there's any doubt about reaching comfortably from the start. If you're really worried - just let her start on a C clarinet for 6-12 months. They are small, light and comfortable! I would gladly measure her up and let her try both, but we established that the distance is prohibitive!

Sorry, typo! se22.

Two DDs here.
Dd1, aged 8- violinist- done gr5, now catching up with theory- booked in for gr1 (maybe gr2) on summer exams. She may also do gr3 singing sometime this year.
Also gr2 piano exam in summer.

Dd2, just 7 yrs old, drums gr1 in summer, and piano gr1 - probably in December. She has also just started violin.

waffle I was asking everybody with the knowledge, thank you for your answer. It does sound like she should be fine.

Congratulations on the fab results coming in! Working on making miniprada understand she can't ignore the aural completely and just play the prices really well......!

Great results (guess we really are last now) !

Fleur - DD could reach all she needed to from the start (from memory I don't think they play all the notes straight off...?) btw even if you are having private lessons, the teacher may have loan instruments (dd's did)

Waffle - happy birthday for this week!

Loose - hope ds enjoys the up-size! it really does make a huge difference in sound quality and loudness.....

Thanks Musicmom, it's on Wednesday. I will enjoy this one, because the next one ends in a zero!! I will be working, so we had a day trip to the lovely donkey sanctuary last week, and I treated the girls and myself to a trip to Bristol to see the Main NCO on Saturday.

Howabout My piano teacher still tells me to get my nails cut! DS2 bites his so no nagging there!

Musicmom1 thanks - he will be delighted about being louder!