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.

We're new to more than one instrument scenario but I can already see the "easier" one becoming a favourite. Practice is still very much piano focused but due to DD being able to read music already the clarinet practice "homework" is becoming quite lengthy as it seems to be hard to find the balance between her level and learning the basics. So for this week she has two pages to practice with the cd which seems to take about 25 minutes including the giggling when the "murdered duck" comes to life. But she loves it.

I hope we'll be able to keep the pace as it is now close to an hour and a half music practice in total. It will be interesting to see which instrument will have to give when the time is not enough.

Waffle great to hear Goo is enjoying the piano and progressing so fast. I guess there is the same situation we find ourselves in where the basics need to be learnt but the knowledge is more advanced.

Can I ask from your experience how fast is an average child progressing to grade 1 clarinet if they have never seen anything music related before and how fast for a child where clarinet is the second instrument. Of course we are not discussing exams, that would be ridiculous just yet, but I am trying to get an idea of what would be expected. Plus DD keeps going further in the book wondering when will she be able to play a certain piece.

Good morning everyone.

I have just dropped my DS (17) off at his new school ( specialist music school within a Scottish state school) for the start of his sixth year - Scottish equivalent of Y13. The Scottish exams have just finished and schools begin the new school year for the last three weeks of the summer term - our schools break up at the end of june. Btw it was 26C here in glasgowshire yesterday!! ( 96 seedlings I had ordered arrived in the post last Saturday on the first day of unbroken hot, dry weather that has lasted over a week! - I will never order seedlings through the post again - I've been rushing around trying to shade them and water them several times a day.

DS is a latecomer to the organised music scene - he took up the double bass when he was 12. He started Saturday school at junior conservatoire last year and will continue there as well as going to the music school for one more year, hopefully as one of the first junior conservatoire jazz bass players, if they manage to get the jazz classes organised. If they don't I don't know what will happen.!!

His very much second study is piano. He prefers to improvise and potter. His sight-reading is dreadful. And he hasn't sat any exams so he is doing G5 theory on 18th to the amusement of his musical friends who of course all sat it years ago.

Newlife4me - I think I recognise you from previous threads from a year or two ago when your DD was thinking about Chets! Hello .

Fleur - DD did her grade 1 in less than a year, and grade 5 in just over two years. However she already had G5 on her other instrument which sped things up enormously. I am not sure her friends who hadn't got another instrument already, took that much longer on g1 but haven't moved at such pace since. Remember woodwind exams didn't start until the later grades for a long time - the early grades are quite a new thing, and many teachers still don't do them. Also we def had to force some technical consolidation time - it is really easy to progress fast and get high marks and then have a technical gap. We changed teachers after G5 and the technical work is completely different. strong fingers - cello, piano etc - also a big advantage when pieces get fast :)

Waffle - good for Goo; maybe a new 'first' instrument emerging.....?

Rogue - welcome!

hello Rogue

Yes, that's us She is there now and enjoying it so much.
I'm not an authority but pretty familiar with most of the Jazz provision in the UK and if I can't help I have numerous contacts.
Obviously I hope they get the Jazz side together for your ds, but please get in touch if you need and further info, only happy to help if I can.
Nice to see your posts again

Hi to Rogue, that sounds very exciting! I think jazz bass will be awesome and hope it is sorted out ASAP.
Fleur I suspect it won't be very long before grade 1 but as others have noted, it's a recent development in woodwind and you could just keep going without an exam until grade 3 - and save a bit of cash!
DS2 has been a bit lucky with his piano exam date - it's in the second week of July so hopefully 4 days away on a PGL trip next week isn't going to cause much of a problem. I am going to keep him to a tight practice timetable this week and on his return, but I do think he's sounding a lot more prepared for grade 3 than he did for grade 2, oddly enough! Sight reading is quite aaaargh at the moment though.

Can I ask from your experience how fast is an average child progressing to grade 1 clarinet if they have never seen anything music related before and how fast for a child where clarinet is the second instrument.

Clarinet is easier than piano and I think that a motivated complete beginner could get to grade 1 in a year (assuming starting around age 7/8 - not talking about very young beginners).

Older beginners with previous instrumental experience would progress much quicker - I got a grade 3 distinction in a year as a child (second instrument). I was reasonably motivated but not particularly talented.

Also, I think like a PP said that G1 and 2 didn't even exist for clarinet when I was a kid. In fact even on piano I don't remember anyone I knew ever sitting grades 1 or 2, most did 3 and 5 then either 6 or 7.

Thank you musicmom and loose!

When the time will come to discuss clarinet exams I will suggest skipping at least grade 1 as it will save some cash and also preparation time. More so as we'll have to pay for piano accompaniment which I assume is not that cheap. It would be nice to be told when she's that level though just for DD to feel she's achieved something. I may suggest when the time comes to see where she is this time next year and take an exam then whichever grade that may be.

Thank you Mistigri DD did grade 1 and 3 on piano and the next one will be grade 5 so I am quite happy she's not doing all of them. I assume aiming for grade 2 or 3 next year is achievable on clarinet with her current commitment. It would be good to get grade 5 piano and 3 clarinet before moving to secondary school which is two years away.

Re favourite instruments, DS much prefers his trumpet to his cello, despite playing at a similar level - he is far more confident with the former, which swings things.

Residential camps - DS will be trotting off to the GAM week in August, having absolutely adored his time last year. This is for kids playing up to G5 level (I think GAM runs a separate residential for more advanced adults and children).

Howabout (at least, I think I have the right poster - sorry if not!) - Moon Hooch are brilliant live! They were busking at Paddington Station last year, drumming up interest for their concert the following night in Camden - literally hundreds of people stopped to listen.

Can anybody help the poster wrt Russian Music School in London?

Fleur DS didn't have formal lessons on clarinet while at Primary, a friend started him off at the beginning of Y3 and guided him occasionally he played in ensembles and self taught. He had formal lessons in Y7 and passed Grade 4 with Distinction in the March. A year later he has skipped 5 and is working in Grade 6.

He started trombone (20 min school lessons shared with a French horn) in October of Y4 and passed Grade 3 with Distinction a year later. He slowed down a bit after that, and is about the same level as clarinet. Piano is a grade ahead.

Fleur 6-12 months to Grade 1 for a child who's never done music before, although I've had one with learning difficulties take 3-4 years. We were both ecstatic when she passed. I had an adult start in January and pass with merit two months later. I think if your DD continues at her current pace, you'll be looking at Grade 3 next year, and Grade 5 the following year. We'll be talking you into NCO this time next year!

I will film Goo's latest piece later, if she'll let me. Teacher thought she'd manage it, but was still amazed - it's 3 pages, and Goo learnt it (on her own, no input from teacher, who wanted to see what she could do) from memory within 2 weeks. She is currently playing Initial Grade warm-ups and Dozen a Day, Grade 1 and 2 scales, Grade 2 sight reading book and Grade 3 pieces. Make of that what you will...

hertsandessex
thanks, you´ve put it perfectly.
DS wants to pursue music professionally but in which form... He loves both classical and jazz the same and listens to both. He also like fussion, blues and funk. He knows he will never be a classical international piano soloist because for that he would have to be in a specialist school and put in 4 to 5 hours a day by now. He has said this himself. He is aware that people like Benjamin Grosvenor were home educated and practiced that many hours by the time they were his age. DS is in a super selective school and ambitious academically. So that's that, a certainty at last! But he loves the piano, will get his Gr8 and may some day end up using it for jazz or for composing which I think are two options still open. He loves performing and the other day was talking about becoming a percussionist in an orchestra, but then he heard how much they get paid and his heart sank. His drum kit teacher thinks he's seriously good, but a life as a drummer also looks like a financial struggle, most of the income coming from sessions and gigs which you have to constantly hassle for yourself. He plays with a jazz trio and has been told there is no money whatsoever in jazz. He's thinking of trying for Saturday JD next year on orchestral and tuned percussion so time will tell. It's such a tough world. I think because of his academic potential too many people keep telling him to opt for a career and keep music as a hobby.
DH and I are not musicians and can't help him much. What we are is self-employed and he has seen us struggle and fight for every contract his whole life

Did anyone use this web site by any chance?
www.mymusictheory.com/

This came up on my fb page today (Leia Zhu, performing Méditation (Thaïs))

drummersmum

You can get by as a Jazz musician but it's certainly not well paid, it's more like playing for your supper in lots of cases.
If you can get Big Band work and are freelance doing weddings as well, this can help.
Of course you can teach too, but that tends to take away from being a musician and is a tight balancing act.
My dh tends to look at Jazz gigs as fun and a bit of pocket money not to be relied on, but it's his one love really.
When you get established though people from all over the world will invite you to play at clubs and festivals, usually put you up and expenses for the week, fly you out first class
Dh gets to go to New York several times a year, they like him there.
Then if you can fit in some workshops at the conservatoires, other good music schools then you make a profit.
Music is usually something you do because you can't think of your life without it. It's hard and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a profession.

Thanks for the insider info NewLife4me!

Only

My dd played this in her comp at weekend
It's absolutely beautiful music. She was sax though obviously, not violin

Raspberry wow, I am impressed with your DS! What an amazing progress, teaching himself also, now that's what I call motivation.

Waffle thank you for the encouragement, I was just asking as I wanted to understand what fast progress means in comparison to a child who has never seen music before IYSWIM. Do you know roughly where in the book (clarinet basics) she needs to be to be grade 1 level?

Goo sounds impressive, I wonder if there is anything she wouldn't succeed at if she puts her mind to it. I bet there isn't, such determination.

Off to listen to what "onlymusic* posted!

I tackle grade 1 after stage 14.

Only - we know a 10yo boy who p,as this so beautifully; it's a real competition winner.

Newlife - must sound great on sax too.

Fleur - the nice thing about the clarinet is that you get to play in lots of ensembles incl jazz from a v early stage. DD plays jazz sax and doesn't do any grades or any method book, just lots of exploration of pieces and improvisation. I really like how that has worked out - a completely different approach and really liberating for her. Ps Waffle is tight re NCO - DD had played for less than a year when she got in......😉

it's a grade 6 piece for sax, but really difficult for breath control as there are such a range of dynamics including ppp. I think it should be a later grade for woodwind She got some good comments though and will find out if she is in the next round this week.

Got to have a bit of this if you like swine pipes.

Didn't listen first though, might be rubbish.

Meant to reply to Cote's post - I don't know any books about Rameau, but was going to cheekily ask you what you are playing! I don't know his works, but was completely obsessed with Couperin's Mysterious Barricade for a good few months ...