July Music and Musicians Thread

[Wafflenose]

Welcome to wet July (well it's wet here) and a new thread. This is the place where we can talk about all things musical, like music lessons, exams, practice and new instruments. I am a music teacher (woodwind) and have two daughters. Goo is 10 and her first instrument is recorder, although on paper, flute has now caught up. She plays flute in NCO Under 11s, has just received the difficult bits she's meant to work on, so is finally cracking on with sorting out her piccolo. She started piano lessons at Easter and is going fast, currently playing Grade 3 pieces, and working through the Grade 2 sight reading and Dozen a Day books. Rara is 8 and far less keen - we are still currently trying to figure out what she really enjoys so that we can encourage her. But for now, she's learning the recorder and cello, and is between Grade 2 and 3 on both.

Goo did her flute exam on June 23rd, and now won't have any until at least March, or next June if I can push for that. Rara will probably do Grade 3 Recorder at Christmas. I have had a quiet exam term for my pupils - 7 altogether. 4 are already safely through (3 merits and a distinction), we are awaiting results for a Grade 6 Theory, and I have a couple of clarinettists still to go on Monday.

Mad hectic week so have only just caught up with MiniGreen, MiniPrada, MiniMusic and Waffle's young man - fabulous results everyone, you must all be so proud!
Looking forward to the hols, slightly less looking forward to all the music lesson invoices coming in but happy that we're still playing and still loving it!😀

Ha, I can change my name now. Mentioned a while ago I entered dd for grade 1 recorder, without her having had any formal lessons, and , horror, me never having done a piano accompaniment at an exam before. Well, I did a lot worse than expected, but dd carried on and ended up with distinction. She is changing school for year 6 so she can do all future exams at her school, phew!

Well done exampanic for going through with it! And well done your DD!

Howabout DS1 found something on Chrome for composing but it was not very good, so I said I can do better and I did. Old foggie 1, bright young thing 0.

Harp shopping yesterday ... reporting back... you don't need plastic bags of any size because you choose the harp (that took DD1 and her teacher 2 1/2 hours with a choice of only 2 harps the right size!) and then they say, "Oh, well, it'll have to have blip-blip-blip and blap-blap-blap done to make it perfect so we'll phone you Mon or Tues to let you know when it'll be ready."

So after all the excitement DD1 had to leave without it ....

However, it was fascinating to watch both DD1 and her teacher put the two harps to the test and hear how identical models sound so very different. And it was slightly terrifying when DD1 saw a couple of magnificent gold concert grands, played them and chose her model for her future career ...£80,000 Should have persuaded her that a tin whistle was a good option, right?!

We saw a junior folk group playing cardboard harps last week and DS1 and DD are currently planning to buy one between them!

Congratulations on the theory results, and other good news.

Hello all. I haven't been on here for ages, as we have been hunkering down for the winter!
Both my dd's have their grade 8 coming up in November and are sick of scales.
Miss 12 plays violin and for those who remember, we are still hunting for a reasonable full size! Miss 9 has just changed ligature on her alto sax and is hating scales but loving the Richard Rodney Bennett suite that isn't an exam piece.

The great news for them is that the good old ABRSM is bringing out a new diploma with no viva voce or written! Does anyone know much about it yet?

Prada, thats great, so glad now she only has to focus on 11+ and music scholarship.
TRL: whats a shopping trip, the great thing that it will be delivered later otherwise you might need lots of 5p bags
Nothing much from us this weekend and the next coming weeks, we are only away for a week and chill in London with family coming over to stay. Already both me and my daughter said yeaterday that we feel bored with no plan. I havent had any plan for our next step for both violin and piano yet

Massive congratulations on theory results everyone, and to the other minis - it is such a privilege to be a part of this community, and all your minis are truly inspirational

TRL, I could almost feel the disappointment through the screen, hope harp will be done and delivered in time next week!

We are not going away this summer, already spent our holiday allowance :), so there will be music and theory (merely because I find it easier not to stop than to pick it up again after the long break). Both of our teachers here at summer and willing to teach . I was tempted to try couple of lessons per week at one of the instrument to see if it makes any difference, does anyone have experience on doing that? Otherwise just a lot of walking, going out and meeting with friends :)

Thanks everyone. She is deciding whether or not to re-sit Nov as she wants a distinction. Frankly I think we need to give her a break but her decision. Grade 5 piano tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Music doc, we are the same as you, 11+ plus G7 violin this summer. At least the syllabus sounds tuneful!!

Best of luck for tomorrow to miniPrada

Thanks only!

Prada, best of luck tomorrow!

I just received a reply from our County Orchestra, they said the minimum for rehearsal is grade 6 fir string. Well, its good to know, we are still a very very long way from grade 6

Aww Green. Never mind she's only little. Is there a local junior strings orchestra? Miniprada joined one this year and it's been amazing for sight reading but also socially. Sounds like the county orchestra might have older kids so she'd miss out on the social aspect?

Oh, good luck to MiniPrada for tomorrow.
We have a few lessons in the hols but just 2 piano lessons for me and however many drum lessons DS1 can fit in. I told him we can both learn the terms for grade 5 theory over the hols! Apparently he knows most of them. We shall see...

Greenleave, how about Saturday JD at London schools? Like RAM, RCL, Trinity, Guildhall? I think RAM takes children from 8yo and grade 4, why not to set a target and try to get there next year? Sorry, I am making up plans for you

PS and don't forget about that....
www.nco.org.uk/join-in/eligibility/grades
Sorry, I am gone :)

Thanks so much Only, I have never thought of nco, thought it might be too out of reach for us. Will look at all your suggested options tonight

Shaky, new diploma is currently looking lower than DipABRSM, kind of like a grade 9/ advanced certificate, but the Board is still fiddling around with weightings and QCF equivalents. My colleagues and I feel that it's very welcome, but the overwhelming consensus over here is that they probably shouldn't be calling it a diploma.

Green - we did NCO last year at not-quite G3. It was a great experience but I think miniprada was like a rabbit in headlamps about the whole thing. Fast forward one year, two music festivals plus orchestra later and she is like a different child. Much more confident and I think might at least get a regional this year.

I think it was drummersmum who asked up thread about RCMJD but yes, we are seriously thinking about it for this year (auditions) and maybe participation next year. Maybe see how Minigreen gets on at an NCO audition before considering that?

Greenleave, in SW London there's also Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra - they meet in Wimbledon confusingly - which might be convenient once miniGreen has Gde 4 (or does she - I got lost in the thread?!):

www.stoneleighyouthorchestra.org.uk/index.php

And Centre for Young Musicians (CYM) certainly takes Yr 4 violinists with Gde 3 upwards ... and they're brilliant: relaxed, really inclusive but aiming for highest standards.

Really impressed with her theory mark and the time she whizzed through it in ... clever girl

Sorry, I confused everyone, JD is probably not for 8yo, but the department I was talking about is called Primary RAM
www.ram.ac.uk/study/junior-academy/primary-academy

Just catching up! Well done miniprada, dusted and in the bag! And good luck for tomorrow!
exampanic you have all my respect, and congrats to your DD.

CYM is a very relaxed place and inclusive. It's sadly always been too far for us, but DS did a summer course there three years ago and enjoyed it.

Thanks wafflenose. I only heard it about last week and no one has any details here. We were looking at doing the first Trinity diploma then dipABRSM. I wondered whether AB had realised a fair few people did that and decided to put their own in, that didn't have the written and viva.

I also wondered whether doing the new diploma would be a prerequisite to the Dip, the the L and the F. Do you know?

I read your posts with interest -especially about all the county orchestras. We don't have the same set up here. My children are out of age for the orchestras / bands. So currently neither play in one. They sing in my a Cappella group - which is mainly designed to help them with voice requirements for aurals. The A1 aural singing is just nasty! I had some a great time playing and touring with my county groups - and it's how I met my husband!

I don't think it will be a prerequisite. I also don't think they should be calling it a diploma, because it's looking more like the Advanced Certificate, and/ or a watered-down version of DipABRSM. I'll try and link to one of the conversations about it in a minute.

www.abrsm.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=59659

Well done for all the great results! Minigreen's ESP impressive!

Prada - all the best dd's scrape a pass 😏Must admit I would be discouraging a retake same term as entrance exams and auditions - you must be a strong woman to cope! Dd's teachers have sent her away with ned pieces for auditions - silly me thinking we would play it safe(ish). Do your schools have written music tests too? Two of our four do, on separate days to practicals. It's going yo be a very long Autumn, esp starting JD (which kicks off with two sats of auditioning for orchestras/seats)

We are on away for a month (so on here irregularly so everyone have a lovely summer and good luck to all those (like us) and Miniprada) having to do 11+ etc prep in the sunshine 👎