October Music and Musicians Thread

[Wafflenose]

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!

Gilly - there are auditions at least one of the 'schools' this year.....would she not audition on clarinet?

Mmmm, I love these threads but I always feel that my child is so behind all you lot! She is 13 and yr 9. been playing piano since she was 8. Did her grade 4 and passed in March and is learning theory (grade 4 book at mo) and practices daily. All the kids on here seem to be grade 6,7,8 (at 8 to 9 years old). Is it worth her continuing? As I say she practices daily, but the leap from grade 4 to grade 5 seems huge. At her age now, is it worth carrying on?

She also plays in no orchestras or auditions anywhere. :-(

call does she enjoy it??? Because that is the most important thing about playing! If she enjoys it and plays for fun then don't stress about the grades etc..get her playing fun stuff and learning to play by ear as well! I'd love to be able to hear a song and sit down and play it!

New thread, yes it is October already! Thank you Waffle

I have DS1 (12), who plays electric guitar, Eb horn and piano. He is also in the county youth brass band with his horn. No exams this term, but he is preparing Grade 8 guitar, Grade 7 horn for next year sometimes and Grade 6 piano in June/July. Also this year he and friends have formed a band, where he plays his guitar. Luckily, for now at least, band practice is at another boy's house...

My DS2 (8) plays piano (preparing for Grade 4 in March), horn (also in the county band) and cello. He is also working on his theory and inspired by miniGreen will hopefully sit for Grade 5 theory in March, but lets see how it goes.
My youngest (almost 6) plays violin. I'm also learning violin, but struggle to find time to practice.

Call your DD sounds like she's doing absolutely fine - see drummersmum's link for why she is actually quite exceptional. Year 9 can be a difficult year... Also, she is ahead of me and I am decades older!
DS1 excited about possibilities for his marching band to take part in competitions so I definitely would agree with the article about performance opportunities. The concerts I take part in are part of the music school I go to and I do the one for the nervous adult learners so we don't get shown up by the tinies playing our exam pieces better than us! Have noticed adults are much more nervous than the little ones!

Hi callme. Your dd is not behind at all. The average time to sit grade 8 is age 16 according to ABRSM. My DD1 and DD2 both did grade 5 piano aged 13. I agree it is a big leap from 4 to 5 and all of a sudden you need to be confident about reading music while playing and there are so many scales. The good news is that it really does lay the foundations for the later grades, especially in conjunction with theory, and for properly being able to play. So I would say now is the time to encourage your DD to dig in and get it under her belt. Both my DDs almost instantly started to enjoy playing and to progress faster once they had cracked it.

My only issue is that I am much better at encouraging them than I am at motivating myself and DD1 can be a very harsh taskmaster. She is chuffed that Loose appreciates her even if she did chuckle at all 5'10" of her being described as "mini". DD2 has taken a different approach to teaching me theory. She has been so resistant to getting on with teaching herself, as DD1 did, that I have had to learn it along with her. We are identifying cadences now though, so the end is in sight.

callme I don't think your DD is behind at all! Mine at Yr8 is about grade 3/4 level. He practises almost daily and plays in groups in school and enjoys it. My aim is that he should continue to progress and do as much with other groups as he wants to only. But he seems to enjoy it all.

"The average time to sit grade 8 is age 16."

I look back and wonder if I played too many pieces beyond my understanding ...

Thankyou all, phew was a bit worried

I certainly don't think you have anything to worry about, some countries manage perfectly well without a grade system at all. It sounds like your daughter is doing very well.

I keep telling myself (in terms of my own playing) that it's enjoyment that counts, because quite frankly I'd come out looking pretty crappy if I measured myself by anything else

callme welcome to the thread! I don't think there is such thing as behind in music. Music is an art that needs nurturing, it isn't like maths where you need to do your times tables by this date and done, you then know your times tables.

I think as parents we are of course proud of their achievements and tend to talk about them a lot here, but the truth is, what is most important is things that maybe we don't always mention, such as my DD's looks last night when she managed to play a hard bar in her music, the satisfaction I could see in her eyes was priceless.

So if your DD enjoys it that is all that matters. You may find that 20 years from now on she will still be playing the piano.

Hello call , I second what others have said, your DD is doing really well. Also, it's very normal with piano not to play in any orchestras and to, unfortunately, have less opportunities to perform in ensembles. DS piano playing is the side of his music people get to listen less to, (except jazz piano, which he can play in his trio). Tons of pianists, some of the most famous ones, just worked and worked at home - no ensemble playing, no public appearances - till they were ready to play concertos. The piano is like that...
That said, does her school ever give the students a chance to perform a solo piece, whatever the grade? A lunch concert? An end of year event?

only having to practise on the days you eat Ha, I love this one Humphrey !

I love the only practice the days that you eat also.

I may make a poster of if and hang it around somewhere.

Piano is a lonely instrument indeed, one of the reasons I am looking at festivals with DD's piano teacher is for the performance benefit of it.

Yes Drummer, school are fab and have asked her to perform at special events.

Now I know how tall not-so-mini-Howabout is I am taking even more notice of her! I quoted her wise words about practice not being a mini concert to DS2, who looked daggers at me. Then again, he is the master of the misguided practice session!
I think in this house Year 9 is instrument grade 5. Year 10 is the year mum makes you take your grade 5 theory exam. Actually, I think DS2 will get there sooner but that's because I know more about these things now!
I don't know about the ABRSM average but I'd be chuffed if I got to grade 8 before retirement!

"Master of the misguided practice session" I think there might be a contender to that title in my house...

It is so nice to read about all your children. I definitely agree that it is not a race to the top. Music brings its own rewards at whatever level you are playing.

DH supervises all practice. It never ceases to amaze us how many people we know are willing to pay for music lessons and then leave practice entirely up to a young child. No one would do that with reading.

We are now having a where do we send the oldest to school dilemma. The nearest excellent comp sadly has a music dept obsessed with popular music which is FINE, but not only that, surely? We might get him to audition for the Junior Conservatoire in Cardiff next summer, but that means one of us giving up every saturday and driving a fair distance. Still, that is the price of rural living.

I think that apart from seriously dedicated children (there are plenty on here), it's really good to get Grade 5 or 6 while at secondary school/ by age 16ish. At that level, they could sail through music GCSE if they wanted, and maybe go on to take A Level.

Humphrey, so with you on the price of rural living. Next weekends talent development session is 2 hours (including a ferry) each way.....

goodness! That is true commitment.

What is a talent development session?

The dc's violin teacher has talked to us about NC orchestra but she said that it is quite a big jump to spending a week away without parents. I am not sure DS is ready. What are the experiences of those on the thread?

DC go to a music school on Saturday and I was initially intending that they don't do music in school ... After all, it's not a bad thing to have something that's not to do with school. But DS1 has got himself involved in all kinds of musical things in school (classical and non-classical) and DS2 has got himself into definitely non-classical stuff in school... I don't really care (!) as long as they continue at the Saturday school.

string

Aw, thanks for the suggestion but she's nowhere near on clarinet, not been playing long and it's a bit of a side study to keep her going until end of 6th form, just slow progress. She doesn't really have time for regular practice but will do it in bits every now and again.
I think she was being silly, maybe testing me for a reaction. Or she has seen/ heard her friends practising for the orchestra.

Hi, thanks for the new thread. As a quick intro I have ds (7) who plays double bass and does a bit of recorder and singing. He doesn't really do grades but might do a grade 1 for experience next term. He has started doing ensemble playing and is getting to grips with that just now.

In response to callmeadoctor's post - I don't think it matters whether high grades are achieved at an early age, it's more what you can get out of an interest music for life as a hobby or as an audience member.

What a brilliant start to a new thread, lots of new posters, or one's I've just missed before
Dh teaching today, why can't pupils show up at designated times? Just answered the door to a man who is 15 mins early, we have no waiting room.
luckily he is a Doctor and we have a hospital very close, so he's gone there for a cuppa. I bet he's late back and tea is always around 7.30 on a Monday Arghhhh, I'll be starving getting on to 8pm.

Anyway, have to agree with Waffle but will add, even the most dedicated aren't being pushed to complete exams and grade 5 theory isn't really that important tbh.
I find it hard getting my head round this and expected that the school would be very exam and assessment orientated, I couldn't have been further from the truth.
Continual assessment/ exams seems the main focus from most teachers and I appreciate there are different reasons for this. It becomes difficult to shift this focus when it has always been the default you are used to.