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.

CrotchetQuaverMinim I know someone who has a private teacher from one of the JD, and the teaching happens at home. The price is reasonable too, but this teacher is not very high profile I believe.

I was in a similar situation where I wanted to approach a local college teacher but was not sure if he was giving private lessons, in fact I was told that most probably not. It happened that he did but to a limited extent and at that particular time he was available. The fee I pay is lower that college students pay too.
I would definitely recommend to approach "your" teacher, you will not know if you don't not ask. I was very nervous too and almost ended up with someone else, but luckily I did it and to the best

Crotchet not at all! I would contact that teacher and said that she was recommended to you by a friend and you were wondering if she was giving private beginner lessons to adults. At the end of the day it is her job! I was very scared of our teacher, because he also looks a bit.... reserved, but he turned up to be very approachable and great fun. Sometimes things look more scary than they are! :)

I went to the local piano shop and ask if they knew of any piano teacher locally. I psyched myself up to phone - wrote down a script and more or less read it out - and have never look back. Do it!

thanks, that's encouraging to know that it can happen, and the money need not always be a barrier. I know it would be very good for me if she did, but I just fear making a faux-pas because she's probably totally out of my league. Even the children that she teaches at the JDs or specialist schools who might be at a similar level are very talented children briefly passing through that level on their way to great things! And any adults are actual conservatory students who are amazing. She might well be too busy anyway, if she has to be going from colleges to schools to academies to JDs on Saturdays, don't know when or where she might fit private pupils in! But then, just because she's listed at all these places, doesn't mean she has dozens of students at each, I suppose, since it's not that common an instrument, so maybe it's not quite as full on as it sounds.

Crotchet, I am laughing because I can almost feel your fear through the screen!

I have a friend whose dc are in the college where our teacher is teaching. And she told me he is not giving private lessons. And I didn't even have his telephone number, I had to be .... inventive to approach him. Honestly, it is doable, and I am sure that teachers have dozens of different people approaching them, and it doesn't matter what ability you are-you are there to learn, not to compete with the rest of the students. And at the end of they day she may be fed up with all these prodigies chidren and will be more than happy just to have a normal adult for a change!

Goodness me this thread is whizzing along! I wanted to quickly respond to thank Mistigri for posting the clip of DD - I love her performance and talent shines through whatever the keyboard! I am inspired to play Chopin - one day! Also, have to confess to liking Mozart as well as Bach.
On examiners' marks, I have always felt ours were very fair and the comments very helpful for the future. The only mild surprise was one piece that DS played in his grade 1 cello a couple of years ago. His teacher was a bit flummoxed as well (she accompanied him). It might just have been that a non-strings player expected something a bit beyond a normal grade 1! Or the fact that something had happened to his car on the way to the exam centre and DS was the first candidate!

yes I think she might feel my fear too!! Even through an email. She actually kind of knows who I am from the workshop, well she wouldn't know me now but as soon as I sent an email she would remember, and then I'd feel awkward seeing her again. I guess I don't feel so much scared about competing with the other students (though that is part of the embarrassment), but more at the idea of approaching someone who is obviously very good and teaches at the top level if they teach such children/students, especially at academy or guildhall level. I feel so arrogant asking, and potentially putting her in an awkward position of saying no. But I guess there's no harm in asking. In some ways it would be much easier to see her at one of the colleges; on the other hand, home would feel more normal, but it would have to be a weekend.
well maybe I will work on drafting an email at least...

Mistigri I loved watching your DD playing the piano! She is very good indeed!

I love both Bach and Mozart, to listen to that is. But my taste in music is quite novice, not an expert at all.

Not sure how advanced is DD with regards to music within her school, I'd say in her class she must be the most advanced as the other DC who started piano early does not enjoy it and has now moved to once in a while lessons just to keep at it but not taking graded exams. The others started later than DD and at the last school concert they were about grade 1 in year 3 (I have even recognised the exam pieces )

But maybe there are some hidden gems, I don't talk much about it as I work full time and I am only able to pick DD up from school once a week so not many occasions to make real friends at the school gate.

I only know where we are with music in our school because until last year school organised summer music concerts... The closest was a girl who looked around 10yo and was doing violin for four years and played from Fiddle Time Runners... Dd was 7 at the time and was doing Fiddle Time Sprinters after three years.
But then again-not every parent wants/can afford to pay for private tuition and I am aware of it. It is not that I am very proud of her being ahead, just mentioned it a matter of unfortunate reality....
The good thing is that school has cheap lessons with such a variety of instruments and I could see that there were few children taking it seriously.

The other thing I noticed-when parents at the beginning of the musical journey they are too inexperienced and think that they can get away with friend or neighbor teaching their children/very cheap tuition/small child is practicing on his/her own/very basic instrument esp cheap keyboard as a substitute for piano/etc. And funnily enough I was in a situation with my friends for few times where I advised against such strategies, was dismissed and then sometime later they would come to me and say - you were totally right, I had to listen to you in a first place (as if I don't know this from my own experience!) Basically I am trying to say that this also affects progress

onlymusic totally agree reg music done privately vs at school, at least from my experience the music taught at school seems to be in groups and the progress is quite slow. I am talking about state schools here, of course it isn't a rule but from what I have heard it is mostly the case.

Dd's school is only doing recorder in year 1-2 but this has just been introduced, DD didn't have this facility. Then they do brass in year 6.

It is far more expensive to educate DCs musically privately and indeed not everybody can afford this.

Oh and I also have a friend that currently is looking for piano lessons for her DC and thinks they'll be fine with the tiniest keyboard you can imagine. Just until they realise if they like it. I did suggest that they may not know if they like it if they play piano on a keyboard but I was dismissed probably as a snob because not everybody can afford a piano like me. I wasn't even suggesting an acustic piano, just a digital second hand one...

We are very fortunate that our state primary school is a feeder and has an agreement with one secondary school, who provide cellos and violins for free (completely, only need to pay insurance of £20).
There are violin and cello teachers who come to the primary school once a week and give free group lessons (cello group of 3 kids 7/8 years old when they start), then followed by a hour lesson as a big group in the secondary school. The commitment is that the child will practice and parents will support at home. The idea is that the secondary school, which is a music specialist will grow their own orchestra with time.
Also the county music service provision is great, individual school lessons are £120 per year for 20 min weekly.
With this provision my 12 year old was Grade 5 (horn) on leaving his primary school. But even with all these very accessible lessons and instruments, children mainly get to Grade 3-4.
Now in my eldest selective grammar school, there are some extremely advanced children so much so that he in Year 7, is not in the first orchestra and band with grade 6 in horn and guitar.
But I am extremely impressed with the music provision and how accessible it is in the state primary school.

Wow musicathome I am impressed with the music provision in your area!

onlymusic I wonder if you are my friend in real life.

Mistigri she plays beautifully
I might try to sneak a vid of Dd playing Für Elise... She's done quite well with it .. Even the fast twiddly bits
Although I haven't got a clue how I would attach it here

My music taste runs to the darker side and I hardly ever play things in major keys though I make exceptions now and then. But in RL I'm of quite a sunny disposition.

Our primary school has seriously bad music provision... The local state secondaries have quite good music provision though.

Although I haven't got a clue how I would attach it here confused

Upload to YouTube (do it with restricted access, ie the video is only available for people with the specific link, it can't be seen by people randomly searching YouTube) and then just post the link here :)

On the subject of school provision it's close to zero here but there is a good network of municipal (subsidised) music schools. These mostly teach woodwind and brass because there is a local band tradition and a constant need for new players coming up through the ranks. There's also a "conservatoire" system in bigger towns, these recruit on merit (tests/ auditions) and provide a broad music education - instrument, theory, orchestra, chamber groups. It's very different to the UK because there is no national exam system - I guess partly because the vast majority of musicians are taught in conservatoires where there is a degree of standardisation that you don't see between private teachers in the UK.

Nice playing Mistigiri
Get a piano, be crazy , one finds the space (I never thought I could fit a piano, drum kit, xylophone, marimba, cello and guitar) and when you move, the piano moves with you! Our piano has moved countries three times. But I have indeed sacrificed many other things in order to have so many instruments and we don't have any games consoles, tablets, IPads, cable TV, etc...

That raises a very interesting point Mistigri because the teaching definitely isn't standardised here and I'm not sure people always appreciate just how much you gain by paying a bit more for experience and the knowledge of how to teach music, whether to adults or children.
Schools in Merton are non-selective but the local music hub does send teachers to the secondary schools as well as primaries and hiring instruments is quite reasonable. Payment for lessons is quite expensive and although there is financial assistance I think this still puts off a lot of families that don't already have a parent who plays an instrument.

Drummersmum one thing I have learned is that guitarists will always find room for another guitar!
A friend's husband is a percussionist and something very similar has happened in her house - she says sometimes she has to hide upstairs because the whole of the ground floor has been taken over by various instruments!

That's DD's room - four guitars, a synth, a piano, a percussion thingy whose name I don't recall (South American box drum thing), three amps, pedals, mike stand ...

But guitars are portable and pianos aren't; to get an upright in the living room we would probably need to bring it in via the balcony. I might consider that if we were going to be here long term but we're not.

Mistigri - what a beautiful piece. Thanks for sharing. Back from hols and now getting back into the practice regime here. Bit worried we've left it too late for a good pass (or any pass ) on the G5 piano but she's keen to have a go anyway. G5 theory next stop.....!

Fleurdelise I wonder that too

Mistigri I was very naughty and looked at some other videos at your account .Your dd sings beautifully and her covers are better than original versions! She could easily make a recording, I am personally not a big guitar fan, but can imagine myself listening to her CD in a car :)