November Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Let's have a new thread for November... I'm not sure if the old one will last long enough. This is a place to talk about music lessons, practice, exams and anything to do with learning instruments/ singing. We have beginners and advanced players of all ages.

I am mum to two girls - Goo (newly 11) - Flute, Recorder and Piano, and Rara (8) - Cello, Recorder, and one month of Clarinet so far. She won't put the clarinet down, so I think we've found The One.

Icouldbe good advice indeed re school and I shall follow it with DS in Y9!

I have DD in Y12 who plays alto and Bari Sax in school and in three bands out of school. She also learns clarinet and piano for fun.

DS2 is almost 14 but is hanging on to his choristership as his voice has not yet changed. He has Grade 7 piano in 4 weeks. Also plays trombone and clarinet to around Grade 6, but doesn't do grades at present! He is going for an NYO Inspire residential next year, we should hear by the end of the month. Also plays in bands in and out of school.

I also have DS1 who has just taken his trombone and tuba to uni and having a great time with them there.

Thanks for a great thread Waffle.

Raspberry the challenge with school was that the performing arts department loved him and were proud of his achievements but the rest of the school seemed to think that his music was a bit of fluff that was in danger of interfering with exam performance in "real" subjects like history. It didn't matter that he was/is planning on studying music at university (maybe conservatoire), in school terms music does not have the same weight as other subjects. During Y11 they did find out how many hours a week he spent playing and I spent the rest of the year dealing with the fallout. It would have been a much easier year if they'd been kept in the dark all the way through.

Bassoon - lovely instrument. We had one over the summer and it was beautiful to look at and a source of continuing wonder as DS found out the same key did multiple things depending on how/where you depressed it. It was also a pig when it refused to come apart and had to spend the night in the garage (teacher's recommendation) and then the airing cupboard which fixed it (all hail Google).

drummers composing sounds so good! Please tell us your experience going forward, I'd like to get DD into composing but I don't even know where to start. Her piano teacher said she'll teach her some basics but she's not great at it.

We're doing hard practice in this house, I am very proud of DD's efforts, what she does in piano is really hard but she seems to do ok and work really hard to achieve what is set.

Clarinet exam prep seems to be ready, just the arpeggios are a bit wobbly sometimes when the clarinet squeaks and she gets angry and keeps blowing. Not all the time though, thank God!

DS's school is very supportive of music studying and they take it seriously, I mentioned before, they offer all the 1-2-1 lessons for free once you chose music GCSEs and a levels. Unfortunately DS is not interested in music but we have hopes of DD going there so she'd benefit of it if still interested in music.

She is back to becoming a famous pianist tonight. I didn't have the heart to tell her how competitive the world of music is. But hey whatever makes them happy.

Icouldbe he sounds really busy this season! School should be supportive, anything else is old, stone age thinking .

Only DS composing takes two forms. One, with jazz piano, because it includes improvisation, it really opens up their musical imagination and sometimes he will start improvising a solo at home and branch out into a new piece, or kind of. I really recommend jazz for this reason. The other is more classical composition and is through school. They have a visiting composer (quite well known!) who meets a small handful of students a few times a year on a 1-2-1 basis. A task is set, then feedback is given in the meetings and this year they will put on a concert of their compositions. It is a very unique and truly precious opportunity for him. Not to mention helpful for music GCSE.

Fleur Minifleur could already at her level start freely playing melodies that come to her head at the piano, changing them, or inspired from the pieces she's learning, etc and having fun then show her teacher who would give advice. DS started coming up with stuff at your DD's age, he would notate it by hand on a stave and call them names or just Prelude number x, etc. As her piano is becoming harder work and she sounds so disciplined and dedicated, this could bring a new element of freedom.

Glad I've found the new thread.

1 week until the theory exam for DS2.

Goo is still playing the piano non-stop - around 30 minutes in the morning, which is nowhere near long enough to do everything (all white note major and minor scales with seperate hands and then together, all white note arpeggios, Dozen a Day, Sight Reading exercises and usually two pieces of 1-2 pages each) so she then has several more 5-minute bursts when she's passing. However, she has to be told to practise the flute EVERY single time!! I've found it's better to not give her days off, as she then gets stroppy the next day and starts to try and negotiate with us. We're just about back into the swing of term time though, and she knows what's expected. She's not in exam or festival mode, so it's 25-30 minutes a night. Next lesson is on Friday, and she has at least learnt all of the scales (and oddments like augmented arpeggios, whole tone and pentatonics) for the next grade. No idea when she'll take it, as she's getting fixed braces at the end of the month. We are almost through with her 9 months of huge plastic blocks.

TheSecond did you come across the Quizlet app during last year's GCSE revision slog? There are ready made card sets for G5 theory if he has (or can borrow) a smart phone.

Icouldbe that is exactly what I'm concerned about with DS2. So far they've been great and authorised absences for all sorts of things. But I think it will be best to fly under the radar when possible!

We found mymusictheory website was really helpful and they sell photocopied practise papers however it might be too late for the coming week exam. Best of luck everyone!
I read miniWaffle and miniFleur practise spirit and I am full with envy. Mine still happily never practises if not being nagged. I got home tonight and tried to remind her about piano practice, then I had someone brushed her teeth and spent time in the loo for nearly the whole 45mins when I performed bedtime routine for our toddler. I am now sitting by myself in the dark kitchen writting the next 6 weeks daily plan grrrr!

Came across this book-
"The Music Parents' Survival Guide: A Parent-To-Parent Conversation"

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0199837147/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_128?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Did anyone read it?

Icouldbe we spent the whole of Sept/Oct struggling to get the bassoon apart due to the change in humidity in the weather. It spends the week put together on its stand and just comes apart to go to the lesson/bands. Can be a two person job twisting the bell and long joint in opposite directions. Used to worry that we'd break something with all the keys and levers, but now used to how much force you can apply.

Still amazes me how dexterous she has to be with her thumbs! So many keys!

drummers thank you for your advice. I'll encourage more freedom on the piano.

Waffle I found exactly the same thing with DD's music practice, skip a day or two and then the assumption that we can skip some more and the strops begin. It is much easier to create a routine with DD and she never questions it.

DD works from 9 separate piano books (and 4 clarinet now including scales) and what I do though from time to time is exclude a book or two from practice when I see that she is tired, I ask her to do the essentials.

We've finally implemented the scales jar as practising all the scales now is just not possible, she would probably be at the piano for over 2 hours and we don't have this time. It is working just fine.

Green I am sure minigreen will be just fine for her exam and you have nothing to worry about. And you can make a decision last minute before the exam if you feel she needs more time till she's ready.

only that looks like an interesting book I may purchase.

Scales jar?

doubleup we were talking a few threads ago that once dc get to the higher grades and they have to practice all the scales there is no time to cover all every day. Rather than miss scales and practice them certain days only you can create some cards with the scales written on them and put them all in a jar. You then pull three (or more depending on your available time) and if dc can play them correctly three times you leave them out, if not they go back in the jar.

When the jar is empty you start again.

Fleur Good tip! Did something a bit similar with cards for all the Grade 4 bassoon scales. It was a huge number for her to get through when that was the first exam she'd done. Breaking it up made it much less daunting and she was far more willing to do them. Much less stress all round!

Hi,
Hope it's ok to join you. I''m mum to a ds 11 who plays trumpet and has recently started piano and a dd 9 who also plays piano, but mostly likes to sing. She is also supposed to be learning the trumpet at school but isn't keen ! Ds is fairly obsessed with music and considering he has only being having private lessons for a couple of years is doing really well and has got to around grade 6 / 7 standard. We spend a lot of our time transporting him to various bands and orchestras and trying to supervise his practice. He auditioned for the NCO last week which he said went well so at least it was a positive experience for him, he really wants to get in I guess we shall see. This is all totally new to me. He can't do any more abrsm exams at the moment as he hasn't got his grade 5 theory, but he seems to have hatched a plan with his teacher to do grade 5 jazz instead, it looks really complicated but he will probably find it more motivating than revising for a theory exam. Looking forward to following this thread.

Hi!

Marking place.

Grade 2 flute exam coming up at school - but no idea when.

And various other instruments not being practised enough ...

Such a fast moving thread and growing community...thanks Waffle!

Have a DD here, 13, Y8. Plays violin around G8 (no exams for 3 years now), piano at G7 and sings. Lots of prep for forthcoming concerts, but other than participating in 5 x weekly ensembles at school, 15 x hrs weekly swimming, I can sit back and cheer you all on for your DCs' exams and auditions.

Some days I suggest she takes out a 3rd school locker to keep her duvet in as she can remain on school premises for a straight 16 hours on swim training and concert days

Yep, very fast moving and growing! If we ever need fortnightly or weekly threads, some of you are going to have to help me.

Welcome to the new people.

drummersmum thank you for the info re composing!

TheSecondOfHerName one week to theory for us as well

Wafflenose same with my dd-one day off practice - and it feels like she never practised before-no interest, problem into getting into practicing mood, refusal to practice. Grrr

Ha-ha, Fleurdelise just read you have the same problem, ah, nice to know I am not alone :)

Re practicing jar - we didn't learn all the scales and arpeggios yet, so at the moment she plays one of those - all scales detached/all scales slurred/all arpeggios detached/all arpeggios slurred/all scales+arpeggios detached or slurred - depends on time. But she only plays them once

Trumpetboysmum welcome!

And finally books....

Ordered the book above yesterday, could not resist....

The other interesting titles I found are
"Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music"
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0195382595/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

also ordered yesterday (it has very good reviews on american amazon)

and
Producing Excellence: The Making of Virtuosos
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0813570050/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
Didn't buy it yet, as book is a bit expensive but there is an article about it if anyone interested
newrepublic.com/article/123167/how-make-virtuoso-violinist

Also wanted t mention the very last post from Mumswallet in October thread - I found it very informative -I highly recommend to have a look if someone missed it.

and our his life it's just totally crazy and he can't be happier with it!!

This, Drummersmum just sums your DS up wonderfully. I know you have a lot of soul searching to do, will support him in every way possible (whilst sharing your real concerns here when needed), but your boy is both very bright and musically talented. With his drive, he will make his future work, for sure...

I'm really impressed with all of you juggling multiple instrument practice, we really don't have much spare time once we've done an instrument each for 3 kids.

There have been musings that DD1 should start piano as a second study if she is going to continue with music the way she is heading, but this poses a number of challenges, finding the practice time and getting hold of an instrument are not insurmountable but various 'political aspects' that would prevent her from having lessons in the district music school where she has violin lessons (on a 'guest' place as our district music school does not offer violin) and would require her to travel 30 minutes by car each way (no public transport at all) at a time point when both me and DH are at work (me 2 hours away and DH 30 mins by ferry in the district she studies violin....). Pigs might fly (and thereby solve the problem), but 10 year olds not so much

other than that Christmas is clearly coming and we have carols and other festive tunes in abundance

ealingwestmum I know what you mean there definitely aren't enough hours in the day ( although my children seem to think so !!)
I will definitely be looking at those books, it's hard to know if I'm doing the right thing half the time. I was talking with his teacher about my ds's plans and hopes the other day as he has decided that he wants to be a professional trumpet player !! Obviously there's lots of time for him to change his mind and as long as he's enjoying it that's the main thing, but I also don't want to miss out on doing the right thing and giving him the right sort of opportunities. So pleased that I've found this thread