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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

September Music and Musicians Thread

653 replies

Wafflenose · 02/09/2016 20:18

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!

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Greenleave · 05/09/2016 22:52

I have a book case full in her room, a whole library room with 1 wall is a bookcase till the top, my living room has book cases, they are all my daughter's books as between myself and my husband we have 3 kindle, its cheaper on kindle and easier, faster to buy and easy to carry during our daily journey on trains

Greenleave · 06/09/2016 07:31

I received my teacher email late last night and he said that I have to make up my mind about exam this term as everyday is counted now, there isnt much time left. I think he still remembers when I told him that we would skip all theory grades and try the grade 5 straight away (plus violin exam). I have both grade 4 and 5 books and we have been focusing on aural, dictation, sight reading(or what my teacher said: "musicianship"), we have learnt all grade 4 scales. I think I will enter her for grade 5 piano this term

LooseAtTheSeams · 06/09/2016 10:06

Green that sounds amazing - go for it! You can always withdraw her if not happy nearer the exam but MiniGreen is likely to rise to the challenge!
DCs back to school today. DS2 wearing his new secondary school uniform (sniff!) got himself up without any nagging, got in a mild panic about his tie but all was well. DS1 was a disorganised mess. Even tried to take books for subjects he's dropped. Was sticking art project back together at 7.30 am because bits had come unstuck. Nearly didn't take music homework even though it was staring him in the face. aaaargh! And breathe.

Pradaqueen · 06/09/2016 10:52

Go for it green! Sounds fab.

CoteDAzur · 06/09/2016 10:55

Have any of you had trouble motivating DC to practice their instruments this summer? DD literally didn't touch the piano Sad

Original poster
Wafflenose · 06/09/2016 11:00

Yes, Goo's recorder hasn't been out since June 19th! She has been learning with me since she was 3, but neither of us really has time any more, so I think it is moving towards the 'just for fun' category.

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Fleurdelise · 06/09/2016 11:57

Go for it Green! I wish sometimes DD's teacher would allow exams when I want to but she is quite inflexible in that respect. She has a clear plan of the repertoire DD needs to cover before grade 5 and even though she's learnt all the grade 5 scales and arpeggios she won't budge for this term, she said maybe in March but only if she covered the other pieces she has in mind.

DD practiced around twice a week Cote as opposed to everyday normally. Now we are back on track.

Fleurdelise · 06/09/2016 11:58

Oh and she only practiced piano twice a week, didn't touch the clarinet until 2 days ago. Hmm

Greenleave · 06/09/2016 12:00

Loose, your ds1 sounds like me in the morning, pls remind me whether he is going to the local nearby school, I remember you mentioned that you didnt want to do 11+ which means the daily trip is easy for him. My neighbors mentioned before when their kids starting secondary when there was travelling involve, busy day activities, homework...big change for him. Wish he will enjoy it and do well.

I was reported this morning that there isnt any breakdown, someone is very very happy to come back, 6 weeks holiday was long, she misses her school, teachers, friends

Cote: I know my daughter was doing something with the piano during the day however our few holiday lessons were on dictations, aural so we didnt have any homework, task to work on. She was told to repractise couple of grade 3 pieces violin for the audition last week however she didnt want to do it, she was thoroughly bored with them(even she only learnt them for 2 months for her exams). I instead chose to forget about the audition, made it become very unimportant and taught her our native language and we read every night together. In the end it was a holiday so I thought I'd let her to rest (with hope to recharge for a new school year-could be busier than the previous year). She only practised violin for the audition 3 days before with 1 lesson for it and went for it in a very relaxed mood(I thought we failed, I made it become unimportant so I almost forgot about it and it did become unimportant)

Greenleave · 06/09/2016 12:01

Fleur: deadline to register is 23rd, we still have time

Fleurdelise · 06/09/2016 12:07

DD would love to green in fact she pestered the teacher two weeks ago about "when is my next exam, what are my exam pieces", every time the teacher starts a new piece she asks "is this for my exam?" Lol. Nope she gets a lecture about how she needs to do the pieces on her list before looking at the exam pieces.

Pradaqueen · 06/09/2016 12:08

Fleur - some teachers like to be able to say 'I entered 30 candidates of which 25 got a distinction' or whatever. Personally I know miniprada found G3-5 in piano a big jump because of the scales and arpeggios. We are lucky though that the teacher goes with the flow as to when is more suitable to enter in terms of homework load. This time, I'm holding back whilst she thinks miniprada should go for it. Violin is completely different as miniprada will be doing G7 this term as far as she is concerned Grin there is no arguing with a determined Russian...

Fleurdelise · 06/09/2016 12:15

Prada it isn't that, I know for grade 3 she gave her the option when to take the exam, she told her that if she wants a merit March was ok, for a distinction she should have waited for July. She chose March and got the merit the teacher predicted. It is just that she has a certain repertoire she wants DD to cover before the exam, different styles and technique, to be fair I could probably push for it but her clarinet teacher was talking about an exam this term so I thought I'd better not push for two exams in the same term. Good luck to miniprada for her grade 7 violin, I am impressed!

LooseAtTheSeams · 06/09/2016 12:37

Green so glad mini was raring to go! Yes, ds2 is following his brother to local boys comprehensive. Neither wanted to travel! It's worked very well for ds1. The music lessons are good in school but music extra curricular is a bit meh as a lot of boys (not ds1) would drop band practice for football! As DCs do so much outside school it's not really an issue for us!
As for practice - ds1 did reasonable amounts. Ds2 played piano a lot but not any scales. The cello didn't come out much, going to revamp practice now term's started as lessons might start next week and definitely the week after!

hapsburg · 06/09/2016 13:24

Is mine the only one who has done much more practice over the summer - simply because there is so much more time? It is so much more enjoyable for her to be able to play for as long as it takes to sort out whatever needs sorting out than to try and squeeze enough practice in around school. It is also better for my sanity and our relationship to know that stuff for imminent audition is sorted and will survive 'ticking over' and a couple of sessions with an accompanist once back to school. She has had a couple of lessons on each instrument over the holidays to give her some focus for her practice. Seems to me to be much easier to do this and then not to stress when it takes her a week or so to get back into the swing of school demands on her time and her brainpower!!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 06/09/2016 13:56

I always think mine will do loads over the summer (and before Grades 3-5 Theory cropped up it was true, they did do loads of practice) but they both spent a few days at my mum's, we had a few days in London as a family, Goo had her NCO course and we never really found a rhythm. Two days into term, and they are already doing more, ironically! We have piano and cello in the the morning, flute and recorder after dinner, and Goo's recorder has been forgotten about. Never mind, as of Thursday she will be playing it once a week in my Year 6 school group. She is around Grade 7, and the others (who mostly only play once a week, but have been learning as a group for a few years) are Grade 2! Grin

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Greenleave · 06/09/2016 14:09

We tell our teacher what we are aiming for and our teacher tell us if it is doable and how to do it. Mine needs exam otherwise I dont think she will ever think of practicing is important and serious. So far, our teacher always say: "it might be doable, why not try!". I hope there will be a point in the future playing is for pure pleasure and there isnt exam, I dont have to pay for lessons(and exam) and sit next to someone if practice needs to happen

ealingwestmum · 06/09/2016 14:38

You're not alone hapsburg. Loads done in summer here too vs when at school.

Back to school nearly a week now. She was raring to return. Until, last few days where new subject teachers have devised new seating plans (girl, boy etc). And the boys laugh when one draws the short-straw (yep, my DD, their words).

Aargh, why is it only musical boys are nice to girls at 12/13? Sweeping assumption I know (and I don't actually mean it). Just frustrated at having to keep repeating the mantra they're not boys worthy of your friendship Sad

hapsburg · 06/09/2016 15:07

That is rubbish for her ealing. I was always the 'short straw' at school and it was miserable. Hopefully she has lots of out of school musical stuff where the boys are not so mean. Mine (12) still thinks all boys are fairly stupid - at school there seems to be a big divide between the boys and the girls whereas in orchestras/ensembles they all mix together and get on really well.

ealingwestmum · 06/09/2016 15:23

Thanks hapsburg. Absolutely does not have this issue with her musical/swimming boys, thankfully. She's always got on with them so is confused as to why this is in class, keeps it together at school, then wham, I get the emotional backlash.

I know this is a maturity thing and it will pass. I'm just not very patient and whilst not wanting to minimise how this makes her feel, don't want her to shrivel into a wallflower for the sake of a few meat heads!

Greenleave · 06/09/2016 15:29

Oh Ealing, this is rubbish. Please pretend as if its a joke, its nothing, and the boys were having some silly mean moments(it could come from girls too). Hopefully she will forget their stupid remark soon!xx

NeverEverAnythingEver · 06/09/2016 16:16

Ealing That's really rubbish. Teachers really should stamp on this sort of behaviour. Would it be worth complaining to school if DD is upset by it? I'm sure she's not the only one, and if school doesn't do anything it's sending out the wrong message. Angry

Fleurdelise · 06/09/2016 16:17

ealing sorry to hear that. DD had a few similar experiences but in our case is the queen bee of the class, 3 girls who are meant to be really popular in DD's words who would exclude her and have a mean behaviour. They used to laugh at her for doing ballroom dancing and not modern as they do. Luckily there are other girls that she gets along with so hopefully she understood where the real friendship is.

ealingwestmum · 06/09/2016 16:24

You're a lovely supportive lot. Thank you. I'm hoping it's start of year teething and will get better as things settle.

On a positive note, she got an invite to join symphony which she was really happy about - this will make a nice change from strings alone. More music opportunities should stop the derailing from other stuff...

onlymusic · 06/09/2016 19:11

hapsburg dd did a fair amount of practice over the summer, and we also had 2 violin lessons and 1 piano lesson/week + I made her to do some theory.
Now, reflecting on how our summer was-I expected a lot of tantrums and unsetlleness over the summer, but it went pretty well-I now contribute it to the fact that she was relatively busy with her music.