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Extra-curricular activities

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

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Original poster

October Music and Musicians Thread

589 replies

Wafflenose · 01/10/2016 09:47

I thought I would start a new thread, as September's is looking unlikely to last for another month.

The music threads are open to all musicians and parents of musicians, no matter what their age or level might be. We have quite a few kids on here who are very serious about music, and plenty who do it as one of many hobbies.

For anyone who's new, I am a teacher of woodwind, and mum to two girls. Goo (10) plays the flute and recorder to a similar level (Grade 7 on both), and started the piano in April - she won't be doing exams on that. She is hardworking, committed, highly strung, and a stubborn little madam. Rara is 8 and far more laid back. She is taking Grade 3 Recorder this term, is a little behind that on the cello, and just this week started learning the clarinet. I don't suppose she will carry on with three instruments in the long term, but we'll wait and see which she loves!

OP posts:

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Original poster

Wafflenose · 25/10/2016 23:49

Fleur this is probably just my opinion, but I don't like using CDs, especially early on in their development. An accompanist will keep up with the child, and the child gets to control any rubato, ritardando etc, but with a CD, the performers decide and the child has to try and keep up. If she must use it, why not download Speed Shifter (as far as I know, it's free) to let you adjust the tempo until it's solid at a slower speed? Having said that, I have some busy backing tracks for incredibly easy recorder beginner pieces (think: B B B B rest rest rest rest, rinse and repeat!) to make them sound more exciting, and the Guest Spot series are great for busking and performing at events once they really are quite far along. I just don't think CDs are the best training tools though. Just my 2p... and I am perfectly willing to accept that other teachers think they're great!

OP posts:

raspberryrippleicecream · 25/10/2016 23:58

only my standard Christmas present is wine, often Prosecco.

onlymusic · 26/10/2016 00:04

Thank you ladies, I was wondering about the present to the male teacher, somehow I managed to get away with it before but not this year I think. It does feel a bit....awkward, somehow it is easier with the ladies :)

I second speed shifter too, we use it all the time with my little one.

onlymusic · 26/10/2016 00:05

Blimey, we also have festival in our area in few weeks time se22mother

raspberryrippleicecream · 26/10/2016 00:21

We've found wine goes down just as well with the men only!

Pradaqueen · 26/10/2016 03:22

Se22mother - no, not beginning with 'b'... Good luck though!!

I could do with prosecco though

NeverEverAnythingEver · 26/10/2016 07:33

We've never given any presents to the teachers. The kids will give the teachers a piece of cake or something on their own birthdays. And the teachers generally come in with a box of quality street at the end of term.

We don't really use CD accompaniments. But you have to be entirely fluent before you can use them, I would imagine! Also they show that a good accompanist is really worth their weight in gold. I sometimes accompany my children for practice, but when you see a really good accompanist at work you realise there is more to it than just playing the right notes at the right time.

Fleur Did your DD then claim that it's the CD that's wrong? My DS would do that! When he is in his mood he would claim that the law of gravity is wrong ...

stringchild · 26/10/2016 07:49

Fleur - we don't use CDs either; dd found them frustrating. She has got much better at practising with a metronome but counting....well erratic springs to mind......

I second how great a really good accompanist is - DD had a very very bad experience of an unknown one last week, at a very critical audition and it is fair to say we will play unaccompanied rather than with an unknown one in future! Amazing what a bad impact someone who doesn't follow the child and adapt can make.

Only - wine and chocolate all the way here :)

Prada - i am sure the audition was fine; we too are still plugging away for the Indie exams over half term. DD has done two, and has another one next week. Good luck with keeping the momentum - we don't finish until Feb but am not sure how much more either of us can face :(

Greenleave · 26/10/2016 07:52

That was our problem regarding to accompanist when we havent had any rehearsal and entered straight to the audition then my daughter was trying to catch/match up with the piano and lost focusing on producing her own sound. We are always told that just focus on the violin and its sound, let the accompanist does his job, the violin should be the lead. We are banned from playing the whole piece now as our teacher said she is murdering it. We do need exams (or festivals/competition) to play pieces in quality rather than finishing them with high quality sight reading.
We didnt give present to our teacher and he has neither. We found out by accident last year about his birthday so we got him a couple of scarfs(her idea)

onlymusic · 26/10/2016 09:32

Thanks again everyone for answering about Christmas presents
Now, may I ask for advice on wine please? Which one would you recommend for a male teacher? Do you reckon that gift vouchers will do as an alternative? The teacher has delivered 200% this year, I feel almost obliged to acknowledge it....

onlymusic · 26/10/2016 09:38

We only used two accompanists and both were quite good, but I guess like with everything - playing with accompaniment - should be learnt. Dd only had one rehearsal with accompanist for her last exam, which was down from 4-5 in the past, which is a good sign I guess

NeverEverAnythingEver · 26/10/2016 09:51

only I have no idea about wine for men. If it's someone whose taste I don't know I'd get a bottle of New Zealand pinot noir. Because I like it.

Our accompanist makes 5yos who can only play one note sound good. He is a genius.

Fleurdelise · 26/10/2016 10:25

We don't generally use the cd either (found it in the grade 1 book in the end, she didn't forget it) her teacher's advice is first nail the piece without the cd and then you can try it with it. However this is one of the spooky sounding pieces (Dinosaur Park) that doesn't have an impact without the cd, the speed isn't the issue as it is quite slow, she wasn't counting at all so all the notes were equal in value which meant the cd went ahead. In the end after a strop (she's the one who wants to play it with the cd due to the spooky effect) I asked her to first listen to the cd without playing but "match" the tempo visually (if that makes sense) so she then played it perfectly still without counting but knowing the rythm.

Her piano teacher jokes with her that this is her role, the teacher's, she sometimes sits next to her in lesson and counts for her to fix certain bars. Grrr!

NeverEver of course she did, we had the "the cd is playing ahead of me!" shouted at the top of her voice. Lol

We're lucky that her piano teacher is very supportive of her clarinet playing so she'll do all the accompaniment needed in exams and festivals later on. We'll pay for her extra time of course, it is just great as it gives DD extra confidence also to have her in the exams.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 26/10/2016 10:33

We are having the Thumping Bach again. And he is resolutely not mentioning the fact that those two bars I made him play slowly yesterday is sounding perfect today.

drummersmum · 26/10/2016 10:54

Fleur this may sound very basic but sometimes basics are basics for a reason... clapping the rythm several times as part of learning the piece?
Neverever the thumping Bach made me smile.
Prada roll over to March. You will feel so relieved and satisfied to have conquered the race course.

Fleurdelise · 26/10/2016 11:08

Oh drummers believe me she does know her counting after three years of piano. It is laziness we have to deal with. With piano it is easier as when I can see the rythm is not right I make her count out loud, with clarinet this is impossible.

In fact she does around 3 sight reading exercises each day and she's meant to count out loud every one of them and she does them perfectly, she just feels she can get away with it, which drives me mad!

I may make her clap the rythm anyway, back to basis (which she hates) just as a consequence of not counting (evil cackle)

Fleurdelise · 26/10/2016 11:12

NeverEver they'll never admit that we can actually give good advice, would they? When DD gets stroppy when I remind her what her piano teacher asked her to practice she turns to me and shouts at the top of her voice "you don't even know piano!"

This is now our family joke.

Greenleave · 26/10/2016 13:54

Thats happening to me too Fleur when I dont even know if she is playing the scales correctly. I had to have whatsapp where I sent our teacher her scales playing video for him to tell if they were played correctly during the week(only started from Monday, hopefully it isnt too late)

NeverEverAnythingEver · 26/10/2016 14:42

"you don't even know piano!"

I do and he still doesn't want to listen. Or at least not want to give the impression of listening. Now and then I do hear/see him doing the right thing but I don't point it out.

He says that with cello. I might not know how to play the cello but I know wrong pitch/rhythm/notes when I hear it.

What is it like to have a know-it-all mother, eh? I do pity them ...

NeverEverAnythingEver · 26/10/2016 14:43

(I'm speaking for myself. I'm sure others could handle this better than me ...)

Fleurdelise · 26/10/2016 15:00

Green I sometimes have to text DD's piano teacher after the lesson as we have a disagreement about how she needs to practice something. I have heard the phrase "she didn't say that!" so many times...

NeverEver I am a know it all too, I have been sitting in lessons for the last 3 years+, kept up with DD, I can read music, dynamics, rythm, you name it. There is only one little detail: I don't play.

So I guess she's right, I don't even know piano!

Mendingfences · 26/10/2016 15:22

I have taken to recording dd1 and playing it back to her. This has dramatically reduced the disagreements (understatement!) About her getting faster and faster as she plays.

LooseAtTheSeams · 26/10/2016 16:41

I agree - I did this with DS2 although he got wise to it and now refuses to be recorded. His nickname is 'I know' because if you try to tell him anything, he says I know! Every time!

NeverEverAnythingEver · 26/10/2016 16:43

Fleur Have you read Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro? There's a story called cellists, i think, that you might find interesring, related to "you don't even know piano!"

NeverEverAnythingEver · 26/10/2016 16:46

Ds won't let me record. He would swear blind he played a C when he played an E. "It's a C" I say. "THAT WAS WHAT I DID!!!!" He shouts.

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