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.

Glad you've got the diagnosis you need waffle. I hope you get the support needed at school.

Waffle interesting report which makes sense to you, doesn't it? And the school is on board to help so all's good and I'm glad for Rara.

Yes, it's all good. I queried whether she might have ADHD, and was told no. The school has ruled out SLDs, so we think she's just a creative nutbar with slow processing and a few issues surrounding speech. She has her talents for sure - very artistic, amazing with words and very, very funny. I hadn't twigged how intelligent she is, because she's some way behind Goo at the same age. I will investigate the FB group - thanks for the suggestion only (I think). I'm already part of a private gifted group which I was invited to when Goo was 6 - the founder 'rescued' me from the G&T forum here, which can be a bit of a horrible place at times! Sorry for going off topic and I'm honestly not trying to brag or anything - I have always found Rara a bit of a mystery because she doesn't think like Goo and I do (we're quite alike, although Goo is outgoing and I'm not) and it's been easy to worry about Rara after having such an able one first. Anyway, she has nothing to feel unconfident about, so hopefully things will improve for her from here.

Rara's recorder exam is in 12 days, and we just need to put the finishing touches to everything now. I'm trying to persuade her to just play it a bit for fun after Grade 3, and concentrate her efforts on the clarinet (which she clearly LOVES) and the cello of course, but she's having none of it.

I am so very, very glad I didn't let Goo do any exams this term. Her practice has been awful, due to her wrist injury, her finger injury, general disorganisation... and she is losing the blocks braces and gaining train tracks next week!!

Yes, I suggested the group Wafflenose.
Ha-ha, the G&T forum here is a nightmare. But fb group - well, there are some occasional proud mum posts but 90% of it - problems. Anxieties, perfectionism, ASD, ADHD, dyslexia and so on, sensitivities, sensory problems, , poor sleep, problems at school, how to choose right school, etc. And PLENTY of support!
If anyone else feels that they would benefit from the group like that (support of parents of G&T children), please join. It is called Parenting High Potential and it is on fb. And their home -site
www.potentialplusuk.org/new_parents_main.php?contentid=318&webid=235#.WDYPe7KLQdU

Thanks, only!

If anyone is interested, feel free to pm me about the closed group. I've been there for 5 years, the women on there are some of my best friends, and we chat every day.

Waffle: great news that Rara report was as expected!
I am so so so tempting about violin. I was told by our previous (experienced) teacher that she doesnt need one for the next at least 6 months. Will try to stay put.
I wont have time on fb group to ne honest as I spend my lunch, train time on mumsnet and thats already a luxury.

Apologies, long time no post ... life is very busy right now for both me and DD.

waffle I mainly came back to say that I'm glad you got help for Rara. She sounds a lot like my DS. He has always had trouble finding his words, and there is no such thing as a simple version of anything, ever. Also sensory issues, slow processing. He's not creative in the artistic way like Rara but has a very instinctive way of reasoning esp in maths.

Anyway, music has taken a bit of a backseat this term here because of school and to a lesser extent boyfriend. DD has a very heavy timetable due to the course she is doing (a regular French science bac, plus additional classes in Spanish and Latin American history, and Spanish literature, taught in Spanish). She is still doing piano and guitar but practice time is suffering and she's had little time to write.

Piano is going ok - she has a Schubert impromptu finished and up to speed, and she's starting to work on three pieces for a competition next year. She will play something by Debussy, a Chopin nocturne, and a modern work (no idea what yet).

Guitar is just keeping on keeping on. She has a support slot on 14th December opening for this singer (I'd never heard of her but apparently she's had a Billboard hit in the US): en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yael_Naim

I won't be there (sob - gutted) - I am away for work that week so going to have to beg the organisers or one of DD's friends to get someone to film on a phone.

Waffle great to hear you have a better understanding of Rara's way of functioning. I am sure it will help you and the people involved in her development to tailor to her individual needs. It would be so great if we could adapt everything, learning, play, work, by understanding each person is an individual in their own right and stop trying to fit everybody in the same "shape".

Waffle - sounds like a really helpful report/process; eccentric=good - who wants to be all the same! how is Goo's finger? i hope she has a better time with train tracks then we; started really well but the last tightening was horrific and the clarinet teacher has told us that progress will now slow right down, and even may go backwards as dd can't bear to play long enough most days. Has also changed the saliva quantity in the mouth - also not helpful. I am hoping the next tightening will go better....

Re the groups - how do you know if the child is G+T? dd is in a selective prep, and they don't identify in this way? i occasionally peep at the G+T forum, but feel a bit of an interloper really. I guess the obvious answer back to me is, if you have to ask if they are G+T they prob aren't....(which is my assumption anyway)

audition day again tomorrow.....

I do sympathise - I am a clarinetist and went through it all too, although starting at age 12. Rara has to have them as well, oh dear! Flute with braces can also be the ultimate pain in the bum... maybe that will prompt her to pick up her recorder for a change. She tried to play the recorder with her friends in assembly this morning, and struggled. I have told her to not try to play netball tonight!

G&T isn't really a thing in the UK any more. Year ago, schools were supposed identify the top 10% (and now don't) but it was pretty ludicrous because they were really identifying high achievers, not genuinely gifted children who for one reason or another were in lower sets. I started off asking some questions on the forum here though, when Goo was quite little. At 3, she was reading, and also reading music, which I thought was unusual. In Year 2, the Headteacher tried her on some old Year 6 SATS papers for English, and she flew through those, so we knew she was quite ahead. (scored an old-style Level 4A), But anyone whose child is advanced in any area, or who feels 'different', or anyone in NCO or a selective school is more than welcome to join the private board, and I'm happy to refer them on. I talk about Rara on there, and she's not all that advanced!

thanks Waffle - interestingly the Sax has been a slightly better experience through all this, as has softer mouth piece (or so i am told)?

so NCO results within the next two weeks i guess - i have nightmares of all the school and nco results arriving on the same day :(

I think it's probably to do with the different angle against the teeth, and the position of the lower lip too.

I am telling myself we'll hear by 10th-12th December, so sooner will be a bonus. Now it's coming up, though, I don't really want to know. I don't think Goo will get in (she made a mistake in the all-important sight reading) and I can't imagine how upset she'll be. She lives for it, is on a mission to buy every bit of merchandise they sell, and whenever she plays computer games, she names herself NCO. Probably a bit unhealthy, really...

Good luck on the NCO - I really hope it's all good news. The braces just sound too painful for words.
Had a funny moment this morning - email popped in from Rockschool. For one crazy minute I thought bass guitar result was in after less than a week! In fact, it was just to tell me the closing date for Spring exams is only a week away!

Ha ha loose we received the same email and had the same reaction because it's now almost two weeks for us.

stringchild if you didn't do formal IQ testing, just look through the FAQ in the link I gave above, otherwise Waffle described it very well.
Waffle what is platform for the private group (like fb, mn?) I am tempted but I hardly ever read even fb group nowadays - struggle with time management, hence "onlymusic" - try to find time for music but cannot find time for anything else :)

Btw, when I read about children in this group, quite a few sound as G&T to me .

thread, not group, sorry!

Forumotion, only. It's closed, so can't accidentally be stumbled upon, or read by non-members. It's my safe place to talk about everything, child related and not!

Thank you Waffle, I will have a look on platform
Btw, do you know that siblings of G&T children are usually fall into 10 points to G&T one on IQ curve? I find it quite fascinating...
Off to school now....

Another week, another entrance exam here.... Today one of the first rounds for the London indie options. We have also have a rather nice conditional offer from one of her two boarding options so pressure is off a little. Last exam before January madness begins!

Ooh, what is it conditional on?

basically not ballsing up the written paper 😂! She'll be fine. She has to do the music scholarship for it yet though... Fingers crossed!

Ah that's good! Good luck for all the upcoming exams and auditions. It's so easy here! We just apply for the only school that anyone in our village gets to go to, then we wait until April-ish to be told yes. We could have chosen from another four schools (there were five on the list) but nobody in the village ever gets allocated to any of them, due to catchment reasons. So at least we know what we're going to get.

What a nice thread. Apologies for skim reading and posting hastily before I forget.

I am almost at the end of the youth music journey as my DS is 17 and has just been offered a place on an undergrad jazz course at a conservatoire. I have loved being a musical children's mum.

drummers my DS has aspergers too. Slight but official. I wondered how he would get on at Saturday school at a conservatoire - aged 15 - he loved it. He recently got a massive book about jazz - practical/theory by Mike Levine. He loves this book.

As he was late starting - 12 - and didn't take it seriously until he was 15 he hasn't done any exams - passed G5 theory. I wonder if he should do G8 classical in case his BMus doesn't work out or if it would just be a nuisance.

Good luck to everyone taking ABRSM exams this month.