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.

string we are quite naughty and DD has moments when she practises till almost 9 pm. But I asked the attached neighbours and they said they're fine with it and they can barely hear her (guess they can hear her loud and clear now as she has some ff bits in one of her pieces) even though the piano is against the wall that separate us. Piano isn't a worry though, it is the clarinet that worries me sometimes and if it is past 8pm I make her stop.

Only hmmmm... yes and no to your question. Our piano teacher is fantastic and I wouldn't actively change her but I do wonder sometimes what benefits a new teacher could bring. She has a mentor which is a professional pianist, she sometimes goes to her to analyse her playing (as in our teacher's playing) discuss new techniques, critique her teaching methods. She sounds Devine (the mentor). Bear in mind our teacher is not young and the mentor is even older, no idea if she's teaching. But what she tells our teacher sometimes transpires in the lessons and I am grateful.

We are lucky to live in a detached house (but up North so more affordable than London!), but still fairly close to neighbours on a cul-de-sac. I worry more in summer when windows are open, next door once told me they'd been singing along to one of the DC (think it was Disney songs).

Thinking about it, I have pondered whether to change teachers - but this was mainly related to the situation with teachers coming to school. This had definite drawbacks but actually the situation is much better nowadays and a lot more progress is being made with the same teachers in a different setting.
I think sometimes change is good anyway - DS1 was very sorry to lose his last drum teacher until we found the current one and he can see the benefit of a change in approach - a lot of focus on technique that has inspired him to practise more!

Fleurdelise, didn't even think about you for a second when asking my question as your teacher worth weight in gold!

Feel for you Green (and welcome back, even if it was/is only a brief return)! Definitely look at options for the chimney breast if that's where the noise is reverberating...and talk to the neighbour to agree flexibility. You sound really considerate and thoughtful to her side.

It makes me feel really fortunate. Typical mid terrace living here, Irish professional fiddler on the one side - only upset him once when he was REALLY drunk (vs just drunk) and piano was back to back to their bedroom temporarily, and 97 year deaf neighbour on the other. She beats our noises hands down with bagpipe music all day (I work from home), the carer does ask if it's too loud from time to time, and of course I respond with a it's fine! It's not, but she is 97.

The summer makes me happy though, windows open in our road is actually a joy. There are so many musicians from professional to young, all bellowing their different instruments. And if I'm really lucky, the teenager across the road turning up the volume when playing his Bowie LPs (obviously his dads, or grand-dads? yikes) Yep, that house makes me feel like a teenager again

DoubleUp, that would be amazing if you could pass on details of the bassoon reeds, the cheapest ones I have found so far have been a touch over £10 so that would make a massive difference. Fortunately dd is not as fussy with the reeds yet as she is with the clarinet ones!

The bassoon is going well, and she has started playing in the Junior wind band with it. She has started learning scales etc but I have decided to leave the exams alone unless the teacher suggests the group work toward it together. We may also have to try and get one sat if we decide to go for music scholarships next year.

Feel for you Green - - we too live in London in a terraced house, and I live in dread of the neighbours complaining, especially when a tricky bit/scales is causing 8 year old meltdown

Only there is always room for improvement . I appreciate her more that she is actively looking to improve her methods.

Green I would tell her when practise time is, but unless you're playing before 8am (10am at weekends) or after 9am then I don't think you're being unreasonable.

We have neighbours but there is a garage between the piano and the quiet elderly set of neighbours, and the other side are reasonably (but not anti socially) noisy themselves because they are five adults in a terraced house. No one minds a bit of guitar or piano noise. The house we are moving to soon is detached and I might convert the garage into a proper music room.

Sorry, typo - meant 9pm

Interestingly quite a few internationally famous musicians live in a apartment rather than detached houses. As long as I remember Perlman lives in an apartment, and Nicola Benedetti also lives in an apartment. She was talking about her lovely old neighbour who apparently complained her late night sessions so she wouldn't make a noise after 10pm since then! So it seems to be an endless problem for musicians young or old!

I recently pushed the boat out and practised up to 7.30pm and felt quite guilty ... Our neighbours are lovely and never complained but I sometimes feel a bit guilty inflicting all the instrument practice and all the shouting on them...

Thanks so much everyone for your usual wonderful advices and sharing(I like the bias I have here as we are on the musical side, its very difficult to make other understand how important it is to hear the "real"sound during practice and the first time I actually having her sitting down on her own enjoying it as I wasnt asking for it). I will put the insulation at the back of the piano between it and the wall as suggested this weekend and come and ask her to check if it helps to reduce the noise. Its an upright so another way is to open the trunk for the music to travel freely through the trunk which might help to evaporate the noise around and she would hear it less. I am dreadful to think that she might not back off and we will then have to make difficult decision as there is absolutely no where to more the piano in the house(I wish I had a bigger house).

(Runs through thread panting)

Would somebody be so kind as to start the February thread and link to it here, please? I don't have time to do it justice this week! Things are going, very, VERY well here though! :D

Great news waffle !
We also live in a terraced house but we have debated moving over the last year because the trumpet is hardly quiet!! I love our house but i really don't think ds can practice in it for more than an hour a day so we will once again be looking at houses ( and posh sheds!!) for him to practice in this spring.
School agreed to him having the day off for the Alison Balsom workshop which is great news !!

Kutik73 and yet violinists can use mute!

We have a silent piano but it's just not the same not being able to make a racket.

Woolley, bassoon reed contact details: David Lock. 01473 327738
I don't know if he has raised the price as I haven't ordered any for a while, but if you give him a call, he can tell you and give you payment details, address etc. Usually have to allow 3-4 weeks for delivery and he doesn't take orders in July and August.

Sounds like your dd is enjoying playing the bassoon - is she still ahead of the group?

Waffle when you get through your huge number of festival classes you will have to share the results!

Green we used to live in a semi and the walls were very thin. Had a few years of the neighbours' son playing drums on the top floor which would travel two storeys down the wall. He went off to uni and then we started with the oboe (which sounded like a strangled duck to start with) and more recently the bassoon which sounded like a ship leaving port! Very puzzled neighbours as they couldn't work out what it was. No complaints though. Recently move to a detached house with a bit of a buffer on either side - and thicker walls to start with!

OK... the short version... we (my pupils, my DDs and I) have so far won 17 classes!! Some only had one or two entrants, but some had 10, so we're all delighted.

Great results Waffle! How many more classes to go?

Well done Waffle!!!👍👏🏼

Are we still in need of a new thread? Happy to do one but I feel like I am stealing the tradition.

Well done waffle!

Fab news Waffle

I vote we wait for Waffle for the new thread, there's still room on this one!

Also great news 'trumpetboy'. And I am in awe of practising trumpet more than 1 hour a day!

Only four more classes, but one involves a coachload of 44 children, 10 pieces with bells, whistles, cowboy hats and farmyard noises. I've entered five groups in that one.

Go on, Fleur, you know you want to!

waffle nah, I'll wait for you, I think it is now a tradition for you to open new threads and introduce yourself, more so considering how long you've been doing this for.