May/ June Music and Musicians Thread

[Wafflenose]

Welcome, everyone. I can't believe we need a new thread already, but I'm delighted that they now seem so popular!

I'm Waffle, I'm a music teacher and I have two daughters - Goo (10) who plays the recorder, flute, piccolo (a bit) and started the piano a month ago, and Rara (8) who isn't as musically inclined but plays the cello and recorder. She is plodding (very) slowly towards Grade 3 on both.

We're going on holiday this weekend, so will have to have a good read when I get back. For now, I'll wind the thread up and let it do its stuff.

besidethesea as a chorister parent, don't turn your back on the idea just yet. My DS wouldn't have gone for it at 6.5. He asked to try at 8.5 and it has been an amazing experience we are just coming to the end if.

DS started piano first at six he begged for lessons. It's much easier when it's something they want to play. Brass is lovely though, both my DS play trombone and older DS plays tuba too.

The advantage of a band/orchestra instrument is all the groups you can play in

Thanks Raspberry, but the auditions are in December (1 intake only) although they don't start until yr 3. The school he is already at is a Chorister one (with non-choristors too)

Goo lost it tonight, with both piano and flute. She's just realised it's 2 weeks until the exam, and feels under-prepared, but threw a complete wobbly over Bb melodic minor and chromatic scales. She could do them a couple of weeks ago, then went on holiday and didn't practise much. I'm sure it will be fine, but I need to make sure she doesn't do any more exams for a very long time - I think she's had enough. Her piano teacher is trying to find her 'level' so keeps giving her harder and harder things to try, to see what she can do with them in a week. This week's piece is going to defeat her, in that she won't learn the whole thing to an appreciable level. The thing is, though, that it's around Grade 3... and if I was teaching someone Grade 3 piano, I'd expect them to take a term or two to really polish pieces at that level. Goo won't listen though. She is NOT impressed!

Waffle

I think you are very wise with the exams. We are the complete opposite and would have liked at least one more before summer hols.
It can become a treadmill though, as I know you know yourself.

As dd hasn't done any sax or singing exams for ages she has been able to concentrate on so many other things that not only take her beyond the next grade technically but are fun, challenging and different.

She is enjoying chord progressions, harmony, impro, and Scatt singing well beyond the knowledge required for grade 8. She loves being creative and inventive far more than exams.

Goo has worked really hard and she's a great standard for her age, I'm sure some time out from exams won't harm her musical education at all.

Apologies if this sounds like I'm teaching my grandma how to suck eggs, was just offering support and a different outlook to the exam treadmill

The start of pre-teen hormones maybe waffle? My DD has piano meltdowns fairly regularly, of the "I'll never learn to play it, my teacher has overestimated me" variety. Funnily enough she never has strops over guitar.

We don't get to watch piano lessons at all - in fact I haven't seen or spoken to her piano teacher since DD auditioned for her place in September! I do see her guitar teacher though as he is my teacher too. He is ace - scruffy thirty-something jazz musician who seems to be able to play any instrument and any style of music.

DS1 has definitely A LOT more meltdowns approaching his exams. We are going to not do too many exams. He can do performances instead.

Thank you all for the support. It's good to know we're not alone, and yes, the start of hormones (although she has been highly strung from birth!). She's not growing much at the moment, although is tall-ish anyway (4'10" I think) but has gained a bit of weight, particularly around the hips, has a bit of leg hair and the start of buds. So I'm sure the next couple of years will be far from plain sailing! Her flute and piano teachers are both astonished by her maturity - we all think she is more like a 13/14 year old except physically, but she has the nerves to match, worries about letting her teachers down and generally overthinks things. Part of this is personality, but I will request some easier, fun pieces from both teachers for her to enjoy over the summer.

We had massive strops over the Chopin - which she was genuinely convinced she did not have the technical ability to play. Got there in the end though!

Prada - we too have secondary school and scholarship exams this autumn; in our area one school requires a min of g6 to have been taken to be considered and is then selective on who auditions -they only give one scholarship and it's worth 50%! the others tend to be min G4 or G5, but the reality in higher. Some of the expect exams to have been taken and won't accept teachers refs, but there are a few who are a little more flexible. It is a huge focus for what are actually very few scholarships.

Waffle - I think they can all swop growing up stories in the dorm this summer :) but we are def off the exam bandwagon after this term.

Hi, I am new here. I have a 4 year old son who wants to learn how to play a piano or violin. I have never been into music, so I have no clue if it's too early to start him to have lessons. Can more experienced moms please give me some advice about what age is suitable to start and what instrument is better for a 4 year old child?

strong head!!!

strongheaded(awggg!)

Love the picture of your DD! Was this a strop, or did she just fancy a lie down?

mama
Don't do it

Seriously, I would let him enjoy music, play for fun and not start lessons until about 6/7.
I know people start younger but ime and imo there seem few advantages and more disadvantages.
It's only my opinion though, I know lots of people would disagree with me.

Honestly she just cant never be serious, she either jumps like a monkey or rolls around. For some reasons she still had all 3 pieces, scales and aural done today(may be in 15 mins, the other 15 mins was doing what a 10 months old usually doing rather than a 8 yrs old

Mamareptor both those instruments can be done from 4 years, but neither is easy. I would be inclined to go for violin at that age, but I know others with more experience will be along later. You would ideally need a teacher who specialises in teaching early years. I taught my DDs from age 3 and 4 respectively - woodwind. The older one (who was huge, so started earlier) really took to it. The younger one, not so much, but she does still play.

Love that picture Green!

Waffle

I love your house.
No comment about the strops, dd used to be the same if it wasn't going her way.
I used to worry the saxophone would go across the room, or out of the window.
It was then we tried to encourage Piano, but you'd have to drag her kicking and screaming for Piano.

I taught mine quite young too. But it was literally a couple of minutes here and there.

Me too, Never. I won't teach anyone else's child until they are least year 2 though. Everything about it is easier from then on - for them and me.

mamareptor
You will get lots of different advice here which just shows there isn't a set rule and every child is ready at different times. DS started piano at 4 and has never stopped. His dad taught him till Grade 5 then he switched to a teacher. He was keen though, so it was mostly a smooth ride, never rolling on floors Green I want to live in your play room.
Waffle I remember your exam-versus-no-exam dilemma. She'll do well as always, then you can have a nice break while she learns Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto in two weeks

Its not all THAT bad, just received my teacher's email, she has 95%in paper A 2014. I have just sent him paper B which she did today. She likes it so much now, asking to do another one tomorrow. I have 6 papers left, just enough for the test next Sat. We have been consistent over 90%.

Fab average