December Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

A new thread for December! Musicians and parents of musicians of ALL ages and standards are very welcome! I do try to keep up with the threads, but am struggling to remember who plays what sometimes. Might it be helpful to have a different thread where we could list them all (for people that want to?)

I am Waffle, teacher of woodwind, and mum to Goo (11) - flute, recorder and piano, and Rara (8) cello, recorder and clarinet. Rara has her Grade 3 Recorder exam on Monday, and I have quite a few other pupils entered, but no other exams for us this term. Goo has had a crap time recently, with a wrist injury, mangled fingers and now new braces, so I've pretty much written off any musical progress this term. We have the music festival at the end of January, so maybe she'll be all healed and ready to move forwards in time for that!

Musicaldaughter what is she doing with the bow??!

Good news here miniprada got a really good merit in the school LCM Musical theatre Grade2 exam. 2 marks off a distinction which is a miracle for the child that is not 'all jazz hands' and doesn't like singing

Prada I don't know! She is 15 and very responsible, so don't think she's being careless. Yesterday she came down and said that the hair just popped out of the bow when she was playing a tricky passage . Have given it to local violin repair shop, apparently there was a fault with the bow anyway.......hopefully get it back at least a couple of days before NYO

Forgot to add a big well done to minprada!! She'll be very pleased indeed. And my DD does have a awful quality lovely spare bow

Prada well done to miniPrada. I'm amazed at what she daughter can fit in a day!!!

Wow Prada, many congrats to miniPrada, great results this term all around isnt it

Well done to minispaghetti and miniprada :)

Apologies for not posting much, it has been manic here. DD played a very big solo concert on Wednesday, supporting a reasonably well known artist, and it was a huge success, couldn't have gone better - though I could have done without the sore throat stress in the run up!!!!

Big (800 people) and very attentive/ supportive audience, and she played and sang beautifully. Pretty nerve-wracking for me - especially with all the hanging around for stage set-up and sound checks - but she looked and sounded very comfortable on stage and says she really enjoyed it and wants to do more. I'm pretty confident that she will get more invitations now, though I think she might be waiting a long time for another opportunity quite as good as this week!

Oh how fantastic Mistigri so pleased it went well

Mistigri, thanks for reporting back, wonderful to hear, please share the video, anything?

Wow mistigris! How fab!

Thanks everyone for the lovely messages. At the end of term thank God. Miniprada has had a week full of those girly bitchy and totally unnecessary weeks from a kid who is obviously insecure in herself but sadly the teachers don't observe the behaviour and awards are still dished out at the end of term... Sigh. As they say, apples don't fall far from the (same insecure) tree

Prada, how did it happen? Never mind, only another 2 terms then they might not be in the same class again.
The good thing about mixed primary is miniGreen has fantastic friendship (with boys mostly). Mainly because she isnt girly type(clumsy, quirky, messy hair-blaming my husband who prepares mornings and the least thing they care is hair combing). I havent heard any jealousy story at all(probably because the girls dont categorise mine as their "group"). She plays with all 29 kids nearlly equally however doesnt have bff and doesnt bother about it.(which on other hand concerns me that she is missing something as I do have close friend from early childhood and we are very close still).

P/s: cant believe it I am lurking 11+ forum however such a newbie that I need time to understand and sink into any discussion.

Oh poor miniprada dd has an awful time at school with the other girls I just hope that in the end it makes her more reIliant 😞

Alex, yay!!! If you see someone wrestling with a 2 years old then you will know its me. We are so looking forward to it(we might find each other by the end of the concert both with panda eyes:))

Aww thanks ladies. Funnily enough Green my DD is friends with the boys at her school too and has some lovely girl friends. It is the self proclaimed 'cool' girls that are the issue. Although I am certain that being a wannabe wag really isn't cool... Miniprada is rising above it but it really makes your blood boil when someone attempts to make your lovely child feel shit about themselves (even if it fails) doesn't it?!!

Anyhoo, Green step away from the 11+ forum except to lurk for the scores. It is verrrrrrrrrry intense! Trust me, you don't need it with a kid that bright. Stay sane and do bond/cgp at home maybe with an hour a week with a multidiscipline tutor.

Well done to your DD, Misti. What a fab opportunity, and I bet she was as cool as a cucumber.

I have finished work, with another carol service, two group classes and a Bronze Music Medal today. Goo missed two of her three carol services because she's ill. She felt better after two days on the sofa and went out to a friend's house for a couple of hours tonight, but came home really poorly. She became dizzy and uncoordinated towards the end, glassy eyed, and her temperature is 39C. Friends gave loads of drinks, we've given ibuprofen and Calpol, and insisted she doesn't wrap herself in a fleecy blanket under her duvet! Poor old Goo. Anyway, DH seems to be on the up (at the moment), Rara is in fine form, and I'm happier now I'm on holiday. Time for

Ooh green do we get to meet another real person????

We need a secret mumsnet sign!!!

Ooh suggest carnation in lapels a la 1920's crime novels...

Not sure I have clothes with a lapel!!!

Waffle, hope Goo will have more rest over the weekend.
Yes Petra! cant wait!(and its the shame that pizza is only for the kids, was thinking about pizza all day today).
Prada, thought miniPrada is on a single sex prep. I thinking I was reading wrong post because everyone is saying they dont tutor their kids and all is naturally bright and the ones tutored will be carrying on tutoring the rest of their (educational) life. Coming from South east Asia, I am not against tutoring at all. We were all heavily tutored years ago and did ok at schools back in our home country and/or gained scholarship on top univs here. No one feel ashamed of it or have to lie about it.

Green - mixed prep. Tutoring is rife but honestly? I think if you are reasonably educated yourself you can do it at home successfully.

I am truly lazy, I do need professional help, trouble it, I need to learn how to get a good one. It might be too late to get a good one now. Will keep looking.

Well done to your DD Misti! She's great!

Waffle poor Goo, I hope she feels better today!

Well done to Mistrigri's DD - I bet she was amazing and I am sure more concert offers are coming her way! Also well done to Miniprada! I do feel for Goo, that sounds like a horrible infection and just hope she is better very quickly so she can enjoy Christmas.
Bit of a manic week and I never did get the theory result but either someone will pop into the music office and send it or dS1 will find out in the first week of January!
Incidentally, he's keen to do a music course in the Summer holidays, so if anyone has any ideas let me know. There are some possibles on the Guildhall junior site but the listings are for last year so I think I've got some time before I need to book anything! Something percussion, electric bass or drum kit related - jazz would be ideal but his interests are pretty broad.

Misti it sounds so amazing. Will you post something?
Green IMHO the biggest myth around 11plus is that the children who were tutored will need to be tutored all through secondary school "to keep up". That's utter rubbish and I can elaborate more in a pm not to bore people here, but I'm so sick of hearing lies like that .
loose the Guildhall jazz summer course is a pain for drummers because they have to bring their own drum kit. Have you heard of the Rythm Studio? DS and his mates really enjoyed it last year: therhythmstudio.co.uk/ They were allowed to do their own jazz funk stuff.
DS is revising Spanish everyday, IGCSE mock after the hols (he's taking it a year early outside timetable).