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!

Hope it helps!

Can't believe we are on page 9, on day 6!! If we start to need more than one thread per month, some of you lot are going to have to help me stay on top of it all.

Fleur fantastic. But not a surprise!

Second a great result.

Waffle really good news all round. So pleased for you.

Only music that is a great result

You got it drummers! I don't have the finesse to shout DYNAMICS or less forte as everything is just well, forte!! She sure knows to murder a good piece though

I can't even read music anymore, I wish I had more drive to do what you lovely lot are doing and just try!

You should try Ealing I went back to singing after years away and it's great. It's better that it's with other people as I find it difficult to find the time to pick up my guitar ( but love it when I do and then ignore the family for hours)
Glad your dh is on the mend waffle and well done with the results

DS2 now needs to keep up the momentum for his G5 clarinet exam in two weeks.

He is enthusiastic about the clarinet and tries hard, and I think he plays beautifully. However, he lacks confidence because there are several quite accomplished clarinet players in his year at school. including children of professional concert soloists

He has recently reached the dizzying heights of 3rd clarinet in the school wind band.

Lively exam News everyone!
It is now looking like the kids will get to continue with their music lessons in january although the bill may be errm substantially larger than previously. At least a house move seems to be off the cards 😀

I went out till(very) late last night and only caught up with all the wonderful news now. Many congrats everyone, such great results.

Mending glad to hear you managed to avoid moving house for the DCs music lessons. 😃 Not so great seeing that your bills will increase.

TheSecond when visiting secondary schools this year with DD I have to say I did wonder what would be better, the school that has a reputation for amazing music facilities and various orchestras (where she'd be probably the 8th clarinet if she's really good) or the one with quite good music facilities but less reputable in terms of students playing instruments which may mean that if DD is lucky she may be one of the only 3-5 kids playing clarinet in the school so automatically taking a more important role within the orchestra/wind band. Still don't have the answer, we'll probably let providence decide.

DD2's G5 theory in - 88. Not bad for an intensive 2 day course having done no theory beforehand and then 5 or 6 papers at the most!

All these results and dd has her exam today!!! Piano G3....wish us luck!

Good luck mini Petra!

DD's G5 Theory was a Merit which she's pleased with. Something to cheer her up today as she currently has laryngitis and was supposed to be singing every day from now until Sunday

No more exams until Easter...

Good luck miniPetra!

Impressed with the theory results, well done to your DCs double and WhatHaveI!

Great news on all the theory results coming in!

Hello everyone! Congratulations to everyone on their theory exams results, and hope the poorly people recover quickly.

My DS (aged 8) is doing his first exam next week for grade 1 clarinet. I wish I could get him to practice more. I can just about get him to run through the songs and scales once a day, if that. I sat in on a private lesson with his teacher the other day (he normally has group lessons at school) and he played for her so nicely. The quality was a lot better too. It's just at home he's a pickle! I gained a few tips as well for helping him along, and now know which part of the aural he struggles with. I didn't know that clarinets need "tuning" and warming up before being played either! I am certainly more nervous than he is!

Technical question! I am going through the Aural Training in Practice CD and book ready to go through it with DS for extra practice. When it talks about sudden and gradual for grade 1, does sudden = piano/forte and gradual = crescendo/diminished?

MrsWombat yes from what I can remember it is a sudden change (soft to loud) or a gradual change (crescendo). I may be talking rubbish though as I haven't gone through it with DD for her clarinet exam.

What pieces is your DS doing for grade 1? DD did hers on the 26th Nov.

Slowing down at work so as you can see I am increasing my presence on this thread.

Best of luck miniPetra, pls let us know how it goes, she can share her result anxiety with miniGreen this weekend rehearsal. We dont want time to move as I am arming myself with (loads of) how to deal with failures.
Mrswombat: well come!

Good luck minipetra

Green - I'm sure minigreen will be fine in all she's doing. We've got a no from NCO. Can't say I'm surprised, false start in one piece and she's a dreadful sight reader. Comments confirm that the notes were all correct but terrible Rhythm.She'll be disappointed as she so loves the local orchestra but I have told her generally it's the one thing she needs to concentrate on so maybe she'll listen now.... busy year so something had to give. Maybe next year! Still no theory news to see if she's got the improved score she wanted....

sorry to hear that MiniPrada - but the feedback is really useful for spurring them on :)

Help! I really need some good advice regarding a situation at my DCs school and the school teacher she has. She has a music scholarship. I would really appreciate a confidential chat with someone either outside of the south east or in west London who could speak to me...if there is anyone about happy to PM me I would be so grateful.

Fleurdelise Thank you! His teacher has written the proper terms in the back of his book, but when I looked in the book I noticed they use the simpler terms. He is doing Ar Hyd y Nos, Seriously Now, and El cortejo, and I am counting down the days until I don't have to hear them again, and I think he is too. The toddler was sung to sleep last night to me humming Seriously Now.

Hi Prada, if it makes you feel better then we have a no here too. I havent had the letter with me as our Nanny read it and told us( asked her to watch out for it in the post). Plan a way to announce it tonight. Never mind, lets try again next year. With this bad news, I am now worried about the next week looming G5 piano result too.

Green - I'm sure the piano will be fine. But occasionally it does them good to fail at something (Miniprada failed G5 theory by a couple of marks first time). As we speak, I am in a violin lesson and the violin teacher is NOT happy with the comments about the sight reading so for once I don't have to play bad cop