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.

Oh Prada, wonderful news, miniPrada is so brave and did so well.
Juggling: many congrats on nailing a grade 8, its a huge achievement, infact if I were you then I would be lost at the next step for it at 14.
Exampanic: we dont know him too well, only recently listened to couple of his pieces(we like Nightbook)
I am so coward, we have had any practice done this week and even the incorrect dictation hasnt been redone and I feel like we would like to skip the next week lesson. I find its no point having it while she hasnt practised at all

Forgot to say well done minijuggling!

Thanks Greenleave and everyone - you are all very encouraging!
A friend is coming to stay this week so thinking a celebration evening out (probably a nice curry) could be in order.
Also DD getting back today from her trip to Finland.
So a general celebration seems called for!

aaahh, just spent £33 on buying new piano books. Both dds want an "alternative" piece for their next exam...(I must admit that for both it's the one I like best as well...)

I share your pain exam panic. My last ABRSM spend was more than £60

Loose remember that article you mentioned about percussionists' perception of reality? This is my conversation with DS yesterday as we were strolling in a park:
DS - When I go up the stairs or walk with someone else, I do a hemiola.
Me: - A what?
DS: - A hemiola. A rythm of 3:2. Most people when they walk or climb the stairs they do it keeping a steady pace, so if they are the 3, I do the 2. Or, if I want to change, sometimes I step on the offbeat.

drummersmum
Although I think my brain just exploded!!
Will try this out on ds1 later...

drummersmum DS.

Hahaha Drummer, thats so true in their musical mind isnt it

drummersmum - this is a very enjoyable conversation!

We have two lessons per week now but hardly manage to practice
Don't understand this - so much free time and no time to practice at all!

"...so much free time and no time to practice at all".
That happens to us ALL THE TIME. It's a mystery, the Bermuda Triangle of music practice.

NeverEverAnythingEver

HaHa, yes it definitely seems harder for them to squeeze in the odd half hour of music practice during the hols doesn't it. I must suggest it sometimes.
Though DS does have an extra lesson arranged for next week so hopefully that will give us a little encouragement and structure, and he can go over his recent exam and have a think about what he wants to do next.
And then he's taking part in two music summer schools, so hopefully he'll be playing his trumpet at some point during the hols!

Juggling If it's not nosey, which summer schools is he going to? (Ignore if this will out you!)

One's with school NeverEver - the first year they've held one - and the other's a city wide initiative for young people, with a week of training together before a concert in a city church on the last day. Again a fairly new thing.

Oh OK. I'm just thinking about next summer for DS1. He's getting a bit big for your ordinary summer activity camps now and I think he would enjoy a music camp if he would only go!

Sounds like a good idea NeverEver. I think there are quite a lot of summer music activities going on so well worth looking around, and asking friends, and MN! Some of them seem to be a bit expensive though, so am particularly pleased to have found this reasonable, subsidised one locally - to be a part of our city youth orchestra - open to anyone grade 6 standard and above.

The one his teacher mentioned is really pricey! But it's a specialist instrument one ... I'll start saving now...

Only, How, Prada, any string player: how are you getting on with vibrato. We started however it hurts the fingers without making any proper sound(although just started the last couple of days after threatening that without any improvement in technique then there isnt a chance for a grade 3 to have a place in the Orchestra, so we probably need to be (much) more patient)

Greenleave, I think it is only introducing vibrato in grade 4, so no one expects it to sound professionally. Dd struggled for a while before she managed to produce more or less reasonable sound, it still requires plenty of work to sound proper.
We are learning sliding now (is it the same as shifting? not sure...)

DS2 (about gr3-4 level) has just been given exercises to start learning vibrato - something to do with moving the wrist ... He learnt shifting before Gr2 and is quite comfortable shifting to 2nd and 3rd positions now.

Hi Green, we mastered shifting for the last Grade (5) plus adding vibrato to accent the correct notes on the grade pieces. Teacher recommended doing the vibrato action wherever she was sitting - school car etc. No complaints about fingers hurting so could it be Minigreen is gripping too hard? We too don't sound professional (yet) but the combination of the new (old) violin bought at Easter plus more accuracy means that very occasionally when I am out of the room I'm not sure if it is the teacher or miniprada playing....

She is doing a lovely Gershwin piece off the alternative ABRSM pieces. Looking forward to hearing that one completed. Meanwhile on the piano, I have Cruella DeVil constantly as an earworm!!

Hi Green wrote a long wordy reply last night then scrubbed it out cos I wanted to see what others would say first . I didn't do / teach much vibrato before grade 5 and even then only for helping the tone on sustained notes.

I agree that if it is hurting there is too much pressure / tension in the wrist and fingers. I read a good article in "All things strings" (I follow them on FB) recently all about left hand finger pressure. The best description I got for you from googling was "float like a butterfly sting like a bee - just like Ali". The reasoning is that you need to use the minimum finger pressure on the string necessary to produce a pure note in order to let the string "sing".

Relaxation and security in intonation are the key to this and then the vibrato should start to come when there is enough confidence to allow freer hand articulation. After 40+ years I am still working on this, as are most professionals I know of - what makes violin playing addictive - there is always a new mountain.

Correct me if I am wrong ladies, but I understand there are few types of vibrato (two? don't remember) - may depend on what is exactly taught too?