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!

Speaking of boys and girls, my daughter came home last night and said"mom, A didnt speak to me today when I asked him about this week Orchestra, he said he is busy and run off". She was worrying why he didnt speak to her. I said "well, it could be because he is busy, it could be because around this age it could be embarrased to be spoken to by a girl in younger class infront of his friends, they could be very shy about it". She accepted it but I dont think she fully understood what I meant. (She is quite boyish and plays with boys mostly, still carries her male friends around the playground and hanging up side down on tree's branches/rob when ever she could. She doesnt understand that boys could be very different to her yet). Regarding to boys vs girls arguments, my whole life has been going to schools where boys dominated heavily and working in teams where most of the time I am an only female. To be honest I think boys are more easily to handle than girls. There are many great single sex schools near where I live and I am nervous at the thought of a "girl only" school(if she ever gets a place)

It's the turn of the defence !!!!
As you all know I only have one DS and I must say I love boys. They're easier to read, more direct, less complicated and less concerned with what the world thinks of them and therefore more ready to laugh at others and themselves. Of course there are exceptions!! I'm also lucky DS is not grumpy, asocial, smelly, unempathetic, or any of the things I hear people say about their teenage boys. In fact I call him "The Empath" from an old Star Treck episode.
My whole life I have liked working with men and hanging out with men. Maybe because I move in the arts world and never encounter mysoginistic pigs, repressed weirdos or psychopaths of which I know there are plenty. With men I never doubt what they're saying in a meeting, women always seem to be thinking five things at the same time (including wondering what impression they're having on you and everyone else in the room) and you don't know which of their thoughts they're sharing with you.
When I was young I also enjoyed the sexual tension which I find very creative and energizing. These days, less so...hum...
I hope I have convinced the jury and I won't be linched.
I do love being a woman

haha drummersmum! Having started a moan about boys (but not all!), I am in TOTAL agreement with you!

DD was in an all girls environment for 7 years before going co-ed, her wish to move as well as mine, even though she could have stayed where she was until 18. DH took some convincing but got there in the end.

Converse experience of men, I spent many years in the financial industry where I did encounter the mysoginistic cliches in droves, but still, had better experiences working for men vs women (in that industry). The women, disappointingly, became worse versions of the men, driven by the power. I have since found the light and joined the creative gang also after 30 years of corporate life .

I know DD will look back and agree moving was the right thing. And I think she likes the friction and competition when it doesn't tip into nasty, but really values the friendships with the non-neanderthal type more . There will always be boys who don't get the creative thing, know how to engage with girls decently, don't get boys that love to dance can be just as athletic (more I think) etc. And they grow up to be men with the same traits. But, how attractive is the musical, creative man, that has emotional intelligence, that has a sense of humour, quietly confident, geeky...oh I could go on!

So, no linching here! Our kids will encounter all types in life, and knowing how to deal with them is as equally important (and having a little patience along the way, note to self :). And yes to those that say some girls at school can be equally catty (or instigate trouble), much down to the luck of the cohort also...

Just to add, those going for all girls school options, nothing against them at all. In our case 14 years in one was just not appealing for DD.

ealing
As the Chinese say, you need the Yin and you need the Yang. They make up everything there is!

I spent 14 years in a single sex school. The truth? We were all desperate and obsessed with boys (but it was the eighties). When I left I thought boys were Gods (far away, mysterious, all mighty and not for us to understand). A few months into a coed sixth form all mystery was gone and I saw the less scary truth

By the eighties I mean we teenage girls were a bit more sheltered than now. I think.

drummersmum I have both - a girl and a boy-and I totally agree.... Oh, little madam is such a hard work, her brother is soooo much easier....

My DS was a very easy child (and DD very hard work) but that's largely a matter of personality. He's Kevin the teenager now though lol! DD at 15 is quite civilised and mature. If you met them, you'd probably guess at an age gap of 4 years rather than a year and a half.

Re languages, it's largely a matter of opportunity. Everyone can learn a second language given the chance, although some learn more easily than others. My experience of bilingual kids is that confident verbal kids do learn quicker, probably because they are prepared to have a go and therefore get more practice. And musical kids probably benefit from their listening skills.

Vocabulary is the key though. Grammar mistakes rarely matter, but you can't express yourself without a decent vocab.

I have got both and I feel a bit overprotective over DS from an emotional point of view. I feel that throughout his life he always bottled it, started school at 4 being a summer born and never cried for mummy, moved whwn he was 4 and had to make new friends, never complained, and now I can never truly guess what he is feeling. Maybe not much because he seems to be a straight forward person.

DD on the other hand cried her eyes out when she started nursery and school, always had the same friends, she is drama overall but she shows you clearly how she feels.

I wouldn't change either of them, I would like DS to open up emotionally more to me. But he is a teenager and he has always been like that.

Interesting discussion indeed! I was going to say earlier that DS1 had a pretty bad experience of primary school for some time, partly due to some pretty nasty teasing and comments from a couple of girls. It got so bad one day he was sick because of something one of them said and the next day I went in and told his teacher what he told me. It was very well handled and the last 2 years were better.
He and all his friends felt that the boys were always blamed, often unfairly, and put down apart from one female teacher who was more sympathetic. I could see what they meant. One problem was no male teachers, I suspect. So, feminist though I am, I have a lot of sympathy for boys in our education system and despite preferring mixed schools, I totally supported DS1's choice of a boys' school where he has made lovely friends and, just as important, he has had his confidence boosted.
DS2 is another kettle of fish. Naturally sure of himself and quick to answer back! But in his year, there were a lot more boys than girls so the dynamic was very different.

LooseAtTheSeams sounds like my dd There is a boy in her school she would not leave alone. Tbh I think she is in love with him - I am a woman and I just feel such things . But obviously at 8yo- she cannot handle it very well. She comes to him and says nasty things and of course he is very upset. I had to talk to his older brother once and to explain that probably there are some feelings involved.... He looked at me like I was totally mad. The complication is that the boy is black and of course there is always a worry that he may take her comments as racist's which I also had to explain to her. I was very pleased to see how upset she was by the fact that some people could be discriminated by the others based on their color skin - it has never occurred to her of course.
Oh, god, will they ever grow up??

Its all so complicated!
Glad to hear that Loose's son is now happy in new school
Only: the first time I heard a story on the otherside and they are still so young to be fully aware of all this
All: I had sorted myself on maths over the weekend and tonight I was in an eager mood(toddler went to bed early, hubby wont be home till late) that I will have an hour with her for maths. It has gone downhill, we havent sat down together since this April. She made many mistakes, simple ones! She needs to do some small arithmetic exercises daily to be able tobe back on track. We dont have time!!!! So hard to keep up with everything. We are not even in yr5 with 11+ prep yet! How did you do it all?

Ah, only I know what you mean! And I think your DD is much more like another girl who was more amusing. She once managed to mouth something silently but clearly from her mum's car from some distance, which impressed ds1 no end! They complained about each other so much that her mum and I were convinced they would end up married! it is that age and they do grow out of it!

LooseAtTheSeams, aaaah, cannot stop laughing at the marriage bit . Dd calls that other boy her enemy but giggles all the time when she talks about him and I already know that he likes chicken, bananas, apples, ABBA, etc.... I don't think she knows that much about her own brother! I asked her if he attended summer concert at school where she played violin. She said no because he didn't like concerts. Obviously she missed her chance to impress him with her talent
She knows too much about him taking into account they are not even in the same class!

Alex: that's very nice!
Only: it's lovely that they tell us everything now isnt it!

alexandra how fabulous. You can now play two piano pieces.

green 11plus we had to do sunday mornings and whatever ww could during the week.

Alexandra I have terrible piano envy now! I bet it's lovely!
Only at 'doesn't like concerts'! He's just playing hard to get! Yes, that sounds very like DS and his little 'friend' when they were in year 4.

Greenleave ha-ha, this is what I thought yesterday :) The boy is getting famous :)

Alexandra Two pianos!

Poor Dd2 feeling frustrated with her current orchestra.

Under previous years rules she would have moved up to higher level orchestra based on ability. But now, not only has she stayed down (decision to split by primary/secondary rather than ability), a lot of younger kids with no prior orchestra experience have joined her orchestra, and it is back to square one.

Happens every year, but previously she could (just about) tolerate it for a few weeks as she moved from thirds to seconds to first.

This year she is so fed up. I have spoken to orchestra manager to see if they can do something to continue to challenge those poor kids who they kept back.

She will do exams for first time this year so she can audition for more advanced orchestras for next year.
Fingers crossed that tomorrow is better than last week.

Morning everyone. Waiting outside the first 11+ exam. Miniprada has had a wobble this week as my Dad is seriously ill so I think we won't be passing but never mind the music dept is not great and we are out of catchment so only an extraordinary score will get her a place. Anyway, just bought this birthday card for my friend which I thought you guys might find equally as amusing...

Alexandra two pianos, I would love another piano in the house. And a harp. And a marimba. Oh and a cello.

Prada at the card. I'll have to buy it for my friend. It is perfect!

Is miniprada taking the SW Consortium today by any chance? Good luck to her! DD will be this time next year and the thought fills me with dread. I can't decide what to stress about more, DS's GCSEs or her 11 plus.

Pradaqueen You can sell this as the test run so she gets through the newness of the process at one that you're not heavily invested in.

I am sorry to hear about your dad, it must be a really stressful time for you.