September Music and Musicians Thread

[Wafflenose]

Hello to all musicians and parents of musicians, both old and new, beginners and advanced! Feel free to share whatever you like, and ask away about anything to do with music, exams, concerts, repertoire, practice, etc.

We are all heading back to school and work this coming Monday. My daughters Goo (10) and Rara (8) will be going into Year 6 and Year 4 respectively. Goo plays the recorder, flute and piano (just took up piano in April) and I have slapped a ban on exams for about a year - she has been doing too many. Rara plays the recorder and cello, and will be doing whole class brass lessons during Year 4. She's taking Grade 3 Recorder this term, and is about two-thirds of the way through the Grade 1 Theory book, doing it in her own sweet time and bloody annoying unique way. Goo's main project will be NCO and county auditions... not that she's busting a gut currently!

Back to thread after a work trip abroad.
Loose how long is the lesson anyway ? Sounds to me like your DS is at the level he needs at least 45min or preferably 1 hour. The advanced rudiments eat a lot of time then the pieces etc. Is this a school day lesson? Teacher seems unprepared. Probably expectex lots of beginners. Doesn't mean he will be the same next week that will be the test I suppose. But if he's unambitious, and the lesson is 30min then I would look elsewhere. We hit gold with DS' teacher and it makes a world of difference as you know. RE gcse, DS is enjoying lessons as they've been listening to Beethoven's Heroica and discussing it in quite a deep way. He also enjoys the composing lesson. Does your DS have Sibelius or Garage Band at home ? He may enjoy going ahead of the others in his free time...

DS1 has decided to signed up for flute exam at school. > Well, it's his responsibility ... I just pay up, it seems.

Thanks for reminder about drums loose! DS2 hasn't practised all summer. But hope your DS finds a good way forward. I agree with drummers about giving it another week.

drummers thanks for the wise advice! I think you're confirming what I'm thinking. I could get him a 45 minute or an hour lesson with the music school near where we live. I don't blame the teacher, ds1 says he was told they were all grade 1/2 standard (not quite true). I just wish he'd been a bit more forward-looking! But he'd been at school all day in the heat and saw DS1 last so maybe not great.
I think I might suggest to the school that ds1 is a bit of an anomaly and we've realised he needs a longer lesson.
Good idea about GarageBand/Sibelius - will point him in that direction!

I too could never dare to add up the cost of the music lessons, theory lessons, holiday orchestra plus not to mention swimming, drama and dance lessons. The thought is enough to turn me green. Back to school now though and battling with the agenda for music bags and sports bags. We seem to have three music exams and two dance exams before February. More cheques to write . Glad our corner of London doesn't do 11+ but good luck for everyone practising for this as well as music

Loose: I would def give him a benefit of doubt for at least 2 weeks, Its nervous having a new teacher especially after a great one(glad to hear he enjoyed his ice cream later and we too love your sticker idea)

Fleur DD decided she wanted a new challenge for sixth firm, after getting her Sax Grade 8 last March. She was considering trumpet or clarinet. Also, the school woodwind teacher retired (part of the reason for her switching) and as school broke up they hadn't appointed a new one.

Green after a good night's sleep, DS agrees with you! He's going to go along next week and see how it goes. In the meantime, he's going to ask head of percussion at music centre for advice and to see if he has any room in his teaching schedule.
What I'm getting from DS1 is that he loves being challenged and doesn't like to like to revisit what he's already learned. I've suggested sometimes it's a good thing e.g. With GCSE music. What's really great is that he is so happy generally with his timetable and the teachers and I just hope this continues!

Hello! I never posted on this thread before, but I had great advice from some of you on the other thread.

My ds has been learning piano since February and has been really enjoying it. Lesson is at school, so term time only. So, he is still learning very basics.
Unfortunately, his piano teacher had to quit because of her personal circumstances. He was really looking forward to his lesson, so really gutted at the moment.

I don't know if school will try to find alternative teacher or not, since it was quite sudden decision.(very understandable reason.) So, we are a bit stranded.

What should he do to practice while he has no teachers to teach him? He was working on new pieces through the summer on his own(homework), but I don't even know he has been playing correctly or not. I have no music background, so totally lost.

Any advice appreciated!

Loose: nice! Hope it will turn out well
Irvine: wanted to say hi only as I cant offer you any advice on technical practice. Usually for grade 3 or below a digital/keyboard is good enough meaning you cznt go wrong let him play and expose whatever he likes. If you are looking for a speed improvement then def look for a private tutor, some could come to you if you live remotedly or bring him to their place. Good luck!

Welcome Irvine!

Have you looked on you tube for a teacher playing the piece? If it is an Abrsm piece plenty are posted with fingering guides and slow speed then at correct tempo. Might be a start?

What a shame about the teacher. I hope she is replaced soon!

Thank you green and prada.

I will have a look at you tube.

If the school isn't finding another teacher, we have to find somebody out of school. It's tricky, since we only have keyboard, and he definitely feels the difference from real piano, so we have to find somebody that we can go to.
Or maybe I might ask school to let him play piano at school sometime.
He was really progressing well(IMO), so it's really a shame.
But I am really worried he may get bad habits practicing without proper guidance.

Loose sorry to hear about your DS being disappointed, I think your decision is good, give it another go and then if it is the same then better look somewhere else. DS is not stressed about GCSEs, it is I doing all the stressing part, he seems quite relax.

raspberry good luck to your DD and her new challenge, the clarinet. I am sure it isn't such a challenge after sax but there is a change.

irvine if he really enjoys it I would look for a private piano teacher. Reason being that it is sometimes easier to keep in touch and talk to a private teacher than a school one. But then again our school doesn't really do music lessons so I may not know how dedicated some schools are to their music teaching.

Hello, just seen this on Active threads. Nice.

DS1 is in yr13, studying music, maths and physics A levels. He plays electric guitar, is in a band and plays with the Jazz band at school.

DS2 is in yr3 and I've just signed him up to learn drums!

FV45 good to hear of another drummer - let us know how he gets on! And all the best for the A levels!
Tipping down with rain today so I think I will splurge on taxis to get DS2 to his piano lesson. All the good intentions of cycling there and back have been washed away!!
Irvine it's normal to have a bit of a delay replacing a teacher at short notice as they have to do background checks but I hope it gets sorted out soon. Ds2 had a change very early on but the same teacher after that in peri lessons at school and is now going to her as a private student.

Is anyone else using the ABRSM apps? They're relatively new. My DCs are loving the novelty. We tried the scales one yesterday, it really broke up the monotony of that part of practice. We also use the 'Practice Partner' one for violin (have downloaded the piano one, not tested yet). It's great for the slower pieces, but for the faster ones, even on the slowest setting, it plays too fast for them, so I hope they release an update with a slower speed setting at some point. It does help us realise they will need to increase their speed before the exam mind!

Rara has started whole class brass lessons (they're compulsory) and isn't keen. After watching a woodwind demo at school, she fancies clarinet or saxophone, but is refusing to give up cello or recorder (which she doesn't practise enough anyway!). I think three instruments for her is already one too many, so have said no for now.

Goo insisted I buy her some new recorder music, after not playing much since June. Remarkably, she hasn't gone backwards too far - playing the flute a lot probably helps - and she is currently picking pieces for the next eventual grade. She wanted to do Grade 8 before leaving primary, but now isn't content to scrape through, so has settled on Grade 7, which she should sail through at some point next year. She is doing NO exams this term, and none next term either, if I get my way.

I have entered Rara for Trinity Grade 3 Recorder this term. She can play the pieces fine, but finds the memory work and aural hard. I might switch her over to Musical Knowledge for this grade, because she just can't hear some of the differences between the intervals.

Fleurdelise, Alexandra, and LooseAtTheSeams thank you.

Lesson at school was very handy since teacher came and taught children before/after school or during break so no need to worry about logistics.
I will ask the school office what's their plan is. The teacher was not member of school, she just came on certain days of the week.
Since there were about 10 children across the school who were taking lessons(piano/violin), I'm hoping school would sort it out soon.
If not, have to start finding one myself.

Someone very kind on here has introduced me to a new violin teacher and we tried her last night. She is great. My problem is someone was rolling on the floor right the moment the 3mins lessons finished. Can I say I should give up on my own child. How can I make a nearly 9 years old sit and behave in even 5 mins

Green you can't, that's the beauty. She'll grow, want to sit all day and you will miss these times!! Trust me!! Very very happy for you on new teacher

Waffle nice to hear how the girls are doing. I smell you loosing the battle and Goo demanding that G7 exam next term cuz she will be super ready by then... But we'll see who wins

Thanks drummer, I had no where to hide(typo earlier it was 30mins at her place). Our new teacher didnt understand why someone at 1.4metre had to roll on her floor right the moment the lesson finished.(similar to our recent guests who came for dinner and said; 2/3 of the whole afternoon she saw my daughter hang upside down on the swing, just hardly step on the floor).

Irvine: use this opportunity pressing for a private tutor, thats the best way! He could progress real fast!

Waffle: Goo def will get it before and of primary, just the matter whether she wants it. I am thinking the other day that once you have finished grade 8 then as a child(say less than 15yrs old), what will you do, how to track for progress and improvement(thinking stupidly too far ahead however it might happen oneday)

green are you sure you don't have a future gymnast there? Sounds like what they used to say about Nadia Comaneci.

Greenleave I think she'll do Grade 7 in the summer, or possibly the spring. She won't get Grade 8 before the end of primary - she's in Year 6. She would rather wait until she's 12, or 15, or 20, and get a really good mark. After Grade 8, I don't know... the secondary school she's going to is more interested in her flute and piano, so she will probably drop recorder at some point, or just play for fun in the local music festival each year. I imagine Grade 8 flute is a couple of years away, so she'll be maybe 12, early 13? I imagine her teacher has LOTS of interesting things lined up for then - she's throwing millions of pieces her way currently.