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.

Hello everyone, I think I last posted a few threads back. It's lovely to hear about everyone's progress.
I have DS1 playing organ and piano, DS2 clarinet and sax, DS3 piano and a newly acquired guitar (see below). DD plays clarinet and piano. They are at specialist music school, DD boards and is pretty serious about it all. The boys are day pupils, DS1 is serious about the organ, for the other two it is a hobby really.
Only one music exam this term, DS2 grade 7 sax.
DS3 potters at his music and asked for the guitar as a birthday present. He asked for lessons but we said no, at this stage, as he has a history of starting something and doing well but then giving up when real work is involved. So he is going to use the Internet for tuition and see how it goes. The kit arrived, complete with a DVD whose title made us laugh: The Complete Guitar Player - 6 lessons!
If only I had known that a complete player only needs 6 lessons I could have saved a fortune over the years!

Ha Truffle I was watching the hairy bikers (the teenagers/old people pairs program if anybody watched it) last night and basically one of the old people on it always wanted to play the piano as a kid and his dad didn't allow him so the teenager surprised him with... 1 (one) piano lesson. I thought, gosh, all that money I have spent and one lesson seems to be enough. (Disclaimer: I do know it is the thought that counts so it was very sweet).

*I spend way too much time on this thread...

A quick word about requested exam dates: you can ask for whatever dates you like, and ABRSM reckon they manage to give the requested week 75% of the time. BUT there are some centres where this just isn't possible. My local one, for example, runs for 2 weeks at Christmas and 3 weeks in the summer - so I could write whatever I liked on the form, but in reality am only ever going to get one of the weeks when it's actually open. I think this term they are using week 3, 4 and 5, so anyone requesting week 1, 2 or 6 won't get what they want (I think I asked for week 4). It might be worth people contacting local centres to see when they are going to run, prior to requesting preferred weeks with ABRSM, who then try to run everything from London.

My work has a termly visit from Trinity, and we are told at the start of term when this will be. So I have known since mid-April that exams will be on June 14th and 15th, which is useful. Anyone I'm not sure about will wait until next term (or miss it out).

Fleur there's a huge box in the porch, the ten week delivery period on the new instrument turned out to be a total fabrication because it was delivered this morning. That's something else to add on to the insurance cover.

Hope that's not too much of distraction Icouldbe.

It sounds like a euphonium but it has french horn valves and it has two rings on the back and a shoulder harness for marching. We have not exactly perfected the shoulder harness yet, at the moment he needs a squire to aid him. The challenge is that it has an offcentre bell so it won't stand on the bell - it won't stand at all.

My dining room now contains a piano, euphonium, euponiumalike, cornet, flute, bassoon and a tenor horn.

Truffle for guitar chords and a wealth of other stuff (contemporary guitar styles, not classical), take a look at the justinguitar.com website. My dd then aged 11 used it when she first started (she was self-taught in the initial stages). An older beginner with a musical background should be able to pick up the basics this way.

Hi there! I have a musical DS (15) and a dancing DD (13) who also dabbles in a little music in her extremely limited spare time.

DS is, as we speak, in his audition for the county senior jazz band, having started in the most junior of the junior bands at the age of 10. he's auditioning on the calrinet, because he took his Grade 6 on that first, but if he fails to get in the plan is to accelerate Grade 6 Alto sax and audition on that at the next session. he only does exams that he has to, so i think after this ()if he does grade 6 sax) there will be a long pause before hwe aims to do grade 8 on both before leaving school.

DD plays cello, having played clarinet at primary but then deciding that a more ;'whole body using' instrument would suit her. We're debating at the moment - she dances 12 or more hours per week after school, plus all sorts of extras, and so music practice is a low priority. However, she likes doing SOMETHING not dancey. Another option would be to shift to / add singing as that fits naturally in with dance, and she can sing but has v. little confidence.

Thanks Mistigri, I'll pass that on to him.

Prada: thats great having a chosen date, now I am really gutted( only kidding!)
Icould: another instrument!!!:)

We have a melt down tonight with someone storming their feet and retreated to their room for an early bedtime without even brushing their teeth. Well, that person chose sleep over over the Orchestra rehearsal and pondering with the bow for 30mins before all of the above happened. Well, I am happy if I dont have to pay or worry about it anymore for good, although I reckon there will be tears "mommy why you didnt nag me to practise!"

Argh got DS2 and DDs piano exam dates and they are on the only day I warned the teacher we could not make. It's the last day of term 8th July when school is only till noon. It is Ds2 last day at this primary school and so if I take him out he will miss all the fun and games and part of the prize giving assembly. I have e mailed the teacher and said unless it can be moved I will have to pull him out. DD can do hers because she will probably only be watching a DVD in class. But DS2 will miss out on all the shirt signing and stuff. I guess waiting for Xmas wouldn't be the end of the world either as he is struggling with the pieces a bit....
Someone asked about cellos. DS1 (taking G5 this session) has just moved up to a full size from a 3/4. He had a Stenor 2 with Dominant strings which the teacher suggested as being good strings.
When we bought his full size one we spent a fortune at the local(ish) string instrument shop because this is his forever cello. It is a Caswell's Maestro and the shop keep said it would do G8 and beyond. Luckily his teacher is pleased with its tone. Although not always the way DS1 plays it!!!!
He played others when testing which one to buy and the strings that seemed the nicest sounding were Jargars.

We don't have exam date yet, but we have week. All of a sudden it is getting very real and a bit scary... (for me, not for dd, she loves exams, she calls them fun activity ).
I downloaded aural app couple of days ago and discovered that we have more problems than I anticipated .
There going to be few very busy weeks....

Ah yes G4 aural....the dreaded sight singing! Not DCs favourite!
Not sure how DS1 will get on with the aural at G5 he is supposed to be going to an aural club at school but it is a bit hit and miss.... He assures me he can 'name the era' I remain to be convinced!!!

Surprisingly, our largest problem was echoing! She constantly misses few notes or sings out of tune. Sight singing is almost 100% hit on the other hand. Not sure what to think....
I already delegated problem areas to the teacher.

Really, singing in Grade 4, we will def fail the singing session, except the 2 years old none of us can sing in tune!

Quickly dipping in to mark my place

Re Cello strings - we love Larsen Soliosts

Hi all, I've been off the forum for a while but have got a busy few weeks coming up with my two. DS(11) is taking G6 Cello (Trinity- until he gets to G5 theory), G3 singing and G2 theory, whilst DD (8) takes G3 piano and G5 theory and is preparing for G7 violin (in the hope that she gets the theory passed).

In the middle of this we are moving house which could fall on the same week as G3 piano/singing or G6 cello!
Good luck to you all!

Musicdoc moving hous and exams puts everything into perspective - I will never complain about exams again!
Green - sympathise with the meltdown. dS1 at age 14 is still capable of them and the last one was the night before his exam! I notice that DS2 is absolutely shattered at the moment and desperate for half term so I wonder if MiniGreen just crashed? A good night's sleep hopefully made all the difference - to her. I imagine it was a bit stressful for you!
DS2 is taking his keyboard on holiday next week - I am hoping to get a few goes on it as well! Luckily we have headphones!

Musicdoc(and everyone new), your children are really advanced, so much to look up, well come, this is a great place for sharing and ...like me usually moaning.

Loose: I was shocked when she canceled her rehearsal night without telling me(b'cos she has a sleep over planned). She normally does practise very little however is well focused. Thats ok by me to have a break, she only needs 30-45 mins being focused a day and with violin, its portable, we can practise anywhere we go.

Good luck with the move Musicdoc! If it helps, we moved three years ago during dancing exam week (three DD's doing exams!) and I was obsessed with knowing where 'the ballet box' was at all times which had everything for the rehearsals and exams (we had 6 exams in 2 days). Maybe Pack a music box and take it in the car with you during the move? Wishing you every happiness in your new home.

green - lol about the date. I have the G4/5 ABRSM CD for the car which got us through the melody singing. Miniprada was fine with sight singing (amazingly as she hates singing) but really poor at the melody singback. Many a school run listening to the CD...I'll be glad to see the back of it come July!

Oo have just ordered to Aural book. Great idea. The instrument teachers at school do not cover aural (DS1&2 strings) so they have to go to a 'club' which DS1 particularly is prone to 'forget'. His echoing is also dodgy. Will play in the car on our five hour plus journey to Devon this weekend!

All the advices on the singing I have saved until the future, thank you. For G3 and below we have only "la la la" alittle bit and we normally failed aural so I am not too sure because of the singing "la la la" or because of other things in aural.

I was called this morning that someone woke up at 7 this morning(usually 8) and practised violin for a good 30 mins. Apparently someone must have been worried that the lessons will be cancelled for good (favourite toys were in the bin, books were given away and dancing lessons were cancelled for good in the past so they know I am very serious). No point crying that "mommy I am no good when not putting on any work"

musicdoc good luck with the move and exams, that does sound like a difficult situation to be in.

We borrowed the aural cd from Dd's teacher and it worked a treat, in the car, in her room quickly before bed time.

DD is rushing through her clarinet practice, gets annoyed if I remind her anything like "don't puff your cheeks, take your time, slow down". I hope this is normal for a beginner, I decided to stay out of it and leave her to it.

I have also decided that 5 min clarinet practice before piano practice and 5 minutes after piano practice are worth more than 10 minutes in one go. So she does a bit before starting piano, then when she's frustrated that her puffs are not long enough we put it away, do piano, then go back to clarinet at the end for another short session. She still love it though which is good.

Question: can I leave the clarinet in one piece for a whole week? How do we clean it without taking it apart?

Musicdoc, good luck with the move and all these exams. I'm amazed at 8 years old Grade 7 violin. Well done to her!

Do I need to get this aural CD for Grade 5 piano? I did not know that they existed but will look it up, maybe it will help him.
Green, as others have said miniGreen maybe tired before the half-term, but good that she knows she has to practice :).
Now that we have the exam dates (still waiting to hear for horn Grade 6 date!) lots of practising in our house.