January Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Happy New Year!

Sorry I'm a bit late starting this thread - I've been away for a few days without internet access. Anyway, this is our monthly thread for musicians and parents of musicians of all ages and all abilities. It's a great place to chat, or to ask questions about lessons, practice, exams, auditions or anything music-related.

I have two DDs: Goo (11 and in Year 6) who plays the flute, recorder and piano, and Rara (8 and in Year 4) who plays the cello, recorder and clarinet. I think we have Grade 7 Flute and Grade 1 Clarinet coming up this term, and also the local music festival and Junior Young Musician competition for Goo. Grade 7 Recorder and Grade 3 Cello are tentatively pencilled in for the summer, but we'll think about those nearer the time. Goo is also in NCO, and lives for it... it's all she talks about, she loves writing to and texting all the friends she's made there, and she is in Under 12s this year. I am a teacher of woodwind and have a little clarinetist who's just got into Under 10s. I hope to have a few more trying out next time.

@drummersmum and @paulwellar11 the pieces in that book are G4-8 so theres a good mix. Courante is G8 and my daughter learnt and played it with relative ease in a short space of time. Arrival of the Queen of Sheba is G6 so not that unreasonable for someone who has played czardina. Clementi Sonatina is in their too and that's G4 if I remember correctly.

@paulweller11 My funny mallets by Zivkovic is G3-4 standard so I would be reluctant to play down unless you are looking to work on sight reading. My daughter is 9 and dabbling in G6 and upwards and we haven't looked at the Zivkovic book in a long while now.

Ok great thanks, I've ordered both anyway so will have a look when they arrive : )

No exams here just competitions and anAYM audition though ds can't play at the moment as he has had a bad cold which is now affecting his ears so not great for trumpet playing. He has a history of ear problems and had surgery age 7 to repair a massive hole in his ear drum sometimes I think it would be better if he played violin he has decided to do loads of piano while he waits for his ears to sort themselves out ( fingers crossed it's soon he seems a bit lost poor boy)

loose great cello story!!
only percussion g8 exam this term. Hope you feel less lonely
superbag ok

No exam this term here but a festival in two weeks time and I find it quite stressful, I thought we'll do festivals rather than exams so it is less stressful, it turns out it isn't. There are no scales/aural/sight reading but it is still stressful nevertheless. DD's teachers wants the pieces to be beyond perfect and I am sure that we would still work on them a year on if the festival wouldn't be that close. I am sure there is something new to improve/work on every lesson, a lot is now down to interpretation (do you prefer it to sound this way or that way) but I admit I'd rather DD do an exam now.

And once the festival is gone we need to focus on the potentially two exams in the summer, grade 3 clarinet and grade 5 piano. Then 11+ September and then fast tracking theory. And there goes another year before we know it.

Nothing exciting here (no exams, no festivals, and no auditions). Will just keep enjoying the turtle like progress I will keep reading to see how all of you are getting on. Those challenges can be stressful but it's so good to have an opportunity to work pants off!

I was going to say that we had a load of nothing coming up but that's not true. DH has G3 jazz piano and G1 jazz brass. I can't even narrow to an instrument on that one as he wants to take it on an instrument we don't own and the ones he can borrow he's sniffy about. He can sort himself out with that. I did suggest he go in at G3 but he seems to want all the certificates and as he's paying the entry fee he can do what he wants.

DS keeps being offered interesting playing opportunities - would you like to play with our chamber ensemble? (the honest answer would have been "no, not really"). Would you like to pop along and play for us at a lunchtime concert? It's not an endless list but it feels that as soon as he gets one nailed down another pops up. It's like whack a mole.

We are also still instrument shopping. I think we'll be done with that during half term. He thinks he's seen The One but because we are mean and teaching life skills that will be applicable to buying cars and houses he has to play all the ones on his list.

Prada (and anyone else on edge about Y7) I hope you get what you want. I laugh whenever politicians start up on parental choice because for so many parents there isn't a real choice to be made.

Icould I guess in theory, we are waiting to hear about our Year 7 place, but in practice there is no choice whatsoever! Yes, we could choose from a list of five schools to write on the form, but in practice EVERYBODY in the village goes to the same school. You can write what you like, but you get the local comprehensive! Which, IMHO, is the best school in the world. We are very spoilt, but we did move here partly for this school, long before we had kids.

It's our music festival this week, and I've pu in 32 entries. I've just counted up the pieces being performed... 59! I've had to make copies of everything for the adjudicators, also packing lists, instructions for parent helpers etc etc, and will be starting my packing today. I'm about to bash out a couple of quick arrangements for our Family Music class, which is on Thursday and we haven't started working on it yet!

Rara has swapped (at the last minute) from two easy peasy clarinet pieces to Syncho-Rock 2, from the Grade 1 book. It sounds fab!

Waffle I only put one school on the form. I know that usually this is a really bad thing but here children attending named junior schools will be given a place at the senior school. It says so in the admission documents and that was good enough for me. We live on the county border and the school bus passes through a neighbouring authority for several miles - there are many out of authority children living closer to the school than we do. The next closest school (which was at the time the "better" school) is in the other neighbour authority and he could have got in there but then he would have lost his peri music teacher. Keeping connections with the county music service was a big factor in our school choice, I thought the continuity there would help bridge the transition to secondary. As it was I was worrying over nothing and he jumped straight into secondary with no trouble at all. I spent so much time agonising over whether we'd made the right decision, whether he'd manage socially on the school bus, whether he'd handle the huge school and none of the things that worried me were a worry to him.

You have a busy week ahead - we'll see you on the other side.

Yep - see you on the other side!

I only put one school on the form too. I know full well we're going to get that one, no matter what we decided to write! It recently made a semi-famous national list of excellent state secondaries, more for being a good all round school than its academic results, although they are good too. Goo is apprehensive, but she is also older in her year, very bright and very mature. She would have more than coped, had she been born prematurely and ended up in Year 7 this year instead of Year 6.

It's like whack a mole Icould

Only G5 singing here this term. DD auditioned badly for her school music competition last week and thinks she'll fail the shortlist. Was really disappointed with herself, but the reality of juggling is really kicking in, compounded with short in-school music lessons that strugle to get much covered. Not ideal for advanced level development.

Busy periods ahead for some of you - good luck with it all, including securing those school places!

Icould that sums up DS2 brilliantly also!

ealing it may well have gone better than she thinks - I will keep my fingers crossed. I know what you mean about short school lessons. It's not easy to juggle.
Waffle I put 2 schools down for DS1 (the second one was out of borough) and just one for DS2! I knew he would get the place on sibling rule and distance. It's not in your league but it is a good school. In our area of London there's actually more choice at sixth form, I think, but even then you have to check what options and subject combinations are available.
Icould best of luck to your DH with his jazz exams and I am intrigued to know what brass instrument he will choose.

Ah, thank you Loose.

It will be a tough lesson, as I keep gently reminding her results are commensurate with the effort/practice you put in now (bar those exceptionally gifted ones), and that winging it just doesn't cut it. I will be more disappointed about not seeing the finals as you get to see some incredible performers, but all's not lost just yet...

ealing I think it's so hard for them - especially as your Dd is probably not ready to drop other activities. DS1 has a number of things he loves but I wouldn't say he's good at focusing on all of them at the same time and they can all suffer as a result. Also, he is the prince of last-minute panic!

They sound like kindred spirits loose

Oh, there is a small company for exams then :)
It is pity Green is not here, her dd was due to do gr5 violin too....

Thanks, Alexandra (which is Goo's middle name, BTW). I think I have 45 children in the festival - many in various groups. Goo is doing about 13-15 classes and Rara about 10. I forget the exact numbers. I am doing a solo class too, to keep my practice up. I arranged a few tunes for the Family Music class today. We are doing a Drunken Sailor-Hornpipe-both together thing with recorders, piano and guitar, an arrangement of Banyan Tree (from Cello Time Runners) for flute, cello, guitar and piano, and Sword Dance for two clarinets, flute and guitar. It was a nice half hour, and we should really do it more often!

I typed a long post earlier which has disappeared. But the gist was Good luck with week ahead Waffle, looking forward to hearing how you have got on.

Just to report you back the outcome of the recent conversation with my DS's teacher on the piece he disliked.

The teacher said it was totally fine to drop the piece! He said there is so much music to choose from so no point of risking DS's enthusiasm. I am so glad I asked you guys whether I should tell the teacher - I would have been still thinking of this matter with no action otherwise! I am sure there will be the pieces DS cannot avoid whether he likes it or not. But it seems it was not the case this time. Thank you for your advice.

By the way, I'm not sure if it's any of help, but thought I would share the information especially with those who have young cellists. While searching for 4/4 violin, I found a nice cello specialist shop called Stringers Music. Well, they sell viola and violin too but the owner and their children are a cellist.

good luck Waffle - what a week you have! hope it all goes smoothly, and you get to enjoy it too:)

Kutik - we go to stringers for all our cellos; they are great but a little pricey sometimes.....

Ah, Kutik, Stringers was where we went on Friday! They were lovely to DS2, I must say, and he really enjoyed his visit. They are pricey, which is why I didn't want to be too hasty. The one DS2 really liked was the 'solo' outfit and comes with a good case, strings and bow. (The one I liked best was more expensive and all those were extra!) I would definitely go back there for accessories.
I need to see the other one we've been offered and check with our teacher before doing anything else.