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.

Loose: is your DS having his exam today? Best of luck to him? I remember it was Musicathome's and also Mistigri's happening sometimes this week, apologise I cant remember all but best of luck and enjoy!

Regarding to your question on composing, I dont know the answer however wanted to say my daughter loves the composing part, she has been practising on the violin pieces which she composed herself(rather than the exam pieces which I have gave up asking her to). They all sound...out of tune(for now) but both myself and my husband have been trying very hard not to burst (out laughing if you know what I mean) so at least she is carrying on doing something. We did our last past paper yesterday(2015-paper A as we will be busy for the rest of the week till Saturday so wont be able to do any more). The result was 97. I am praying for the worst case scenario then she will have a pass as she only failed a past paper once(the first one). We are ready for it now and she is loving it. For once she has never refused any theory task given and did it properly. I knew she would and very pleased she did. Whatever happens this Saturday doesnt matter to me as much. We will resit again in Dec if it turns sour.

Green thanks for the good wishes but no not DS today - he is on a PGL trip and having a great time judging from the school Twitter account! He does have an exam in under four weeks and his teacher was confident all would be well so apart from vowing to make him practice scales like crazy I am feeling fairly calm about this one!
My word! I am so impressed with your DD! I have peeked at the grade 5 book but it was too advanced for me. Best of luck for Saturday and I think she is going to do very well indeed.
Good luck to everyone with exams and auditions!

Green, fantastic mark! Very best of luck to her for Saturday, and to all those sitting exams in the coming weeks!

Green she had done fantastic on the theory paper! Exams here on the 26th and 29th June, still two weeks worth of practising.

Thank you, I was hoping she could do the other 3 past papers as I saved them till the last however I was told last night that someone will watch everysingle evening EURO march with her dad so no time for past papers and very little time for violin practice(happening during the day which I was promised to but in no way I could control whether its happening). Her school allows staying to watch EURO too so she is staying, along with other clubs so there isnt any time left.

I am more worried about violin although there is a good news that we managed to have it rescheduled from 20th to 22nd which is TWO days extra-well, its definitely better

Misti - your dd is amazing and clearly enjoys it a lot; no idea re piano and keyboard but I suspect she would make music in anything!

Sorry missed so m ay days and too many pages to catch up on; good luck to all those doing theory exams this week and practicals this session!

Good luck to all doing exams!

DC have not done any theory exams. But they've been working on the stuff... Probably should do it at some point ...

Phew - piano is done! Audition tonight, went well - not 100% perfect, but for a first performance on piano, ever, in front of anyone but me or a teacher, it was pretty good.

The evening was organised by theme/composer, with the Chopin section last, so it was a bit daunting as she was with some very good pianists, including the most extraordinary child musician I have ever seen or heard. He is 9 or 10, and small for his age - can hardly reach the pedals. He played several pieces through the evening - a Beethoven sonata, a Chopin etude and something by Liszt. The Liszt was phenomenal to watch, especially during the loud bits on the lowest keys - he was practically at full stretch, just barely able to reach the keys and get the tip of his toe on the pedal at the same time. It wasn't just technically impressive either, you could see that he lives for and through music. Not surprisingly, he will be moving to a large city next year for lessons with renowned pianist.

There was another lad about DD's who must be at least at diploma level - he played a very hard Chopin etude and a piece by Prokofiev that looked superhumanly difficult. He is, apparently, a third year student - two years of organ and one year of piano!!!

Puts it all in perspective LOL!

that should say, "about DD's age" in the second to last para

Misti Good luck to your DD! Sounds like good competition!

Lol Mistigiri , they're out there, aren't they? I stopped comparing long ago since DS started at his new school. Your DD clearly enjoys music and has advanced incredibly for two years - and cracked that Chopin really quick. Is she considering a career as a song writer-singer-guiitarist?

Green your DD's marks. Holy mackerel.

drummersmum I've seen a few very talented musicians over the years but this kid was jaw-droppingly good. The etude that he played was the notoriously difficult Op 10 no 2 - and he made it look and sound easy.

I think DD found it a bit intimidating to play in this company - partly because while the rest of the programme mixed students of different standards, the final section was clearly arranged in order of increasing difficulty. She was the third last to play, and was immediately followed by two students playing very difficult "test pieces" at diploma/licentiate standard.

She isn't competitive about music though, she has no desire to play at that level, she's a completely different sort of musician.

Just had a look at Valentina Lisitsa playing that etude on youtube. It does look quite hard though I would have thought it's quite a different challenge from the piece Misti's DD played.

Valentina Lisitsa always looks like she plays everything effortlessly...

May I ask a question about NCO, specifically about girls' concert dress?
Where on earth have you found a white open-necked blouse with three-quarter length sleeves, please?
All the revere blouses I've seen have short sleeves... just struggling now,
thanks!

We use M & S school shirts, not open neck though - just left top button undone. We found some with 3/4 sleeves last year, bought a size up so we can now use again. They can also have long sleeves ironed into place.

Thank you waffle. Of course, like any true MNer, I don't iron!

20% off M&S schoolware at the moment

Even better!

DD has these ones and most of her friends seem to have the same - www.marksandspencer.com/2-pack-girls-easy-to-iron-blouses-with-3-4-length-sleeves/p/p22306102?prevPage=plp

Yep M&S all the way for NCO for us!

We have those exact same ones! I only iron school uniform... and haven't even managed that this week!

Music exams earlier in the week:
Initial Recorder - Merit
Grade 2 Recorder - Merit (unexpected, but deserved and welcome!)
Grade 3 Recorder - Merit
Grade 3 Recorder - Distinction
My best bunch in quite a while, although there was a massive hoo-haa over some sight reading, which I can't go into on here. I spent a lot of time sorting it out, and got there in the end!

Goo has Grade 6 Flute next week, so (naturally) is practising the piano. I think she has practised the flute once since her lesson on Friday, and also played in NCO for three hours. But I told her from the start that she would be putting in the time, not me. I help if asked, but I'm done with telling them to practice.

Waffle - good results😀; sometimes I do t think it matters which instrument they practice - they gain on all of them. But maybe my optimism!

So DD got into JD with Jont 1st studies; pleased for her but still too young to drop and go....,for more years and my Saturday's will be my own....

Green minigreen's theory results are truly impressive! Good luck with the exam!

Misti glad to hear it all went well for your DD and she enjoyed it.

Waffle that is a bunch of good results, well done to you and your students. Good luck to Goo next week for her flute exam.

Musicmom well done to your DD!

Nothing to report here, music practice happening daily, fur Elise almost finished but needs attention in various spots, clarinet going well, less weird sounds, more clear strong notes. 5 weeks till our holiday, we can't wait!

Waffle those are great results, you must be delighted.
M&S non-iron shirts only in this house!
Finally think I am getting the hang of doing dynamics and correct fingering at the same time on Tempo di Menuetto for grade 4 but the only way I have been able to iron out the hard bits is to memorise them, otherwise there are a few telltale pauses as I rearrange my fingers! The first section sounds much better now. I shall persevere. Might just need a cup of coffee and to get back to work, though!