February Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Overdue again, this time due to our local music festival. I put in 32 entries, and am now finished for this year, but haven't had a lot of sleep recently!

I am a teacher of woodwind - mostly recorder and clarinet at the moment - and have two DDs. Goo (short for Kajagoogoo in case anyone was wondering - and no, that isn't her actual name!!) is 11 and plays the flute, recorder and piano. Rara is 8 and plays the cello, recorder and clarinet. We are heading towards a half size cello soon, and I think we might have found a suitable one. We're going to try it out this weekend.

The girls have been entered for Grade 7 Flute and Grade 1 Clarinet this term, and I am really regretting it, as they are so under-prepared. But hopefully after a slightly quieter weekend, we can all get back on track.

Please jump right in, ask questions, moan about practice/ scales/ attitude, tell us about your DCs or your own learning... and new members/ beginners are always welcome!

Icouldbeknitting Than you so much for the link. He is so so musical! Is it euphonium? What' a beautiful sound.

Icouldbe I really enjoyed the video! Wow! I'll be very proud if dd plays with such musicality when she's 16.

Oh the school concert did include the school choir, sorry, but the reality is that the majority of the kids in the school choir are also playing an instrument outside school so it tends to be the same kids with a few exceptions that are involved with music.

This year they have another person from the local borough organising the choir and dd seems to think the concert will be back in the summer.

String, hope you had a lovely time at RAH, so envy with NCO.

Icould, its amazing, thanks so much for sharing, love his smile at the very end too.

I feel ashamed that I have never been to her school concerts. She had a violin lead role(mainly because lacking of players) for Xmas however I missed that too. This year I was only in the school twice for her meet the teacher meeting. I could be named as the worst parent to my school's head as I rushed into the school the other day for meet the teacher meeting(I missed 1 train and was slightly late). He said all meetings are in classrooms when he saw me that the hall, I was stunned, didnt know where to go then he understood he said which class you are going to, I murmured something and he said there isnt such a name, do you know her teacher's name and luckily I do. She does ok at school so thats my excuse for now.

Now DS has moved to college our school concerts have finished. His secondary school did two a year with soloists, choir and a drama group. For one of the performances they brought in a professional sound recording company and the GCSE music students used that as their performance for the exam. The Christmas concert was always very nice. The hall was set up informally with tables seating six or eight with tableclothes and mince pies and wine. At the time he did his last Christmas concert we didn't know that it was his last one as he might have stopped for sixth form, it's probably just as well that I didn't know as I would have been a bit teary.

We still have the music centre concerts and as he's in two groups we get at least four of those a year. I only have another year of those as well, next year I clock off after ten years of clapping.

Green I never know where to go when I go for parents' evening either. Who remembers things like that? I try to get out of going. DS is doing well and usually parents' evening is on a day when EVERYONE has different things on and it's a serious scheduling problem... I don't go to concerts/assemblies when I have work things on either. DS knows the deal. I don't care what anyone else thinks.

Icould I so enjoyed that video! He's very musical, gave the instrument a lot of life and as a young man he comes across as unassuming and nice. Thanks for sharing.

Knitting that is s beautiful concert. Well done to your son

Kutik they're a good audience all right! One year DS2 was doing a duet and his partner was playing a different twinkle variation to the one intended. He stopped, said no, X, we're doing that one! She laughed and said oh yes! And they played it. I was dying of embarrassment but the little girl's parents thought it was very funny and they got a big cheer at the end.
I am still embarrassed!

Knitting - wow! And great personality when performing too!

Ha, greenleave, dh doesn't even know the name of dc teacher...
More fun at secondary school. dd hadn't given me the list of teachers to see, and with 2 dc at secondary school and with different teachers each year for the same subjects I had no idea who to see, so in the end I gave up and didn't bother seeeing most of the subject teachers, just the form teacher and those teachers of subjects there was only 1 teacher for (small school).
At secon school they have a concert for children having lessons in school. Goes on a bit, but I suppose for some it's the only chance to "perform"

Every summer, the music teacher (not at school) that teaches my grandson piano and violin has a concert at her house, All her pupils play a piece, watched by other pupils and their parents. All have their photo taken with their instrument. This is followed by ice cream and cake for all --it's lovely. (long time lurker here)

Frankley That sounds lovely. We've been to a couple where the teacher hired a church hall and everyone had a chance to play something. It's really nice. I'll suggest cake next time.

I don't know how you are supposed to keep track of all the subjects and all the teachers in secondary school. I reckon as long as DC know that's fine ...

Concerts are very informal, but do have a program with names of pieces and performers.

I barely know a couple of names of DS's teachers in secondary. It is usually the names of the teachers he had a clash with, either because DS moans about them or they contacted me to moan about DS.

Parents evening at secondary is crazy, it feels like speed dating and as all the conversations are between DS and his teachers with us just listening I feel like a bit of a perv listening on other people's conversations

Frankley DDs piano teacher keeps wanting to organise something like that and I offered to help but we never get around to do it. I may bring the subject up again for this summer.

We bought dd a new, 1/2 size violin at the weekend so feeling very poor now . Does anyone know roughly how long it takes to retrain the brain to the new size.... when she plays scales she plays in tune but when she plays pieces she gets carried away in the music and ends up playing slightly off b flat not b, C sharp not d...,,,

se22 congratulations on the arrival
DS teachers are all on the school system, a the beginning of the year I always log in and see his weekly timetable with the teachers names... I would think all schools now have that? The teacher name is also written on the cover of DS subject notebooks: DS name, subject, teacher, form. All this doesn't stop DH from mixing them up and forgetting them though, so I guess I'm the NSA in our house

drummers ha! similar situation here when it comes to who remembers the teachers' names! I remember my dad was convinced for two years that I was doing French A level even though I did Classics instead! (He kept passing on books in French from one of his colleagues!)
Secondary parents' evening is definitely speed dating and we're limited to 8 teachers (probably just as well!) This works well for gcse as one teacher does all the science feedback and I don't need to see the RE teacher (it's a half gcse) but for year 7 it means leaving a few out. I sadly won't see DT or Art next week and can't see that being a problem but I made sure I've booked to see music teacher.
Fleur I agree - it's not good when you can overhear what's being said to the parents in front - especially when a certain teacher was saying exactly the same thing to every parent (as predicted by DS1!) No one else did this so he has no excuse!

drummers Our secondary doesn't do all the listing or homework or timetable for parents. For which I am greatly relieved. DS1 is quite organised and can do all this himself and I am very pleased NOT to have to know these things. I know some of the other local schools are very keen on this kind of system.

se22 Both DC seemed to get used to the bigger size quite quickly. I'm sure DD will too since she can already play scales right.

I hate being able to hear about other people's children's progress! In the primary school you are even in the same room waiting while other parents see the teacher. I have practised a studious-indifferent face, pretending to be concentrating hard on reading DS2's work books...

DS has the homework online which we can check but only the teachers initials so I am a bit lost trying to figure out what the initials stand for. As long as DS knows them that's the important part.

Morning everyone! I've just received the loveliest email - miniprada is now the proud recipient of a music scholarship for the London school I am insanely proud! Her head teacher got her to phone home and she had a little cry of happiness. I am really, really thrilled for her as she had worked so hard. The new orchestra being of a much higher standard has helped her sight reading immensely I think. Thank god for county music services....and the competition was incredibly fierce but I do think that the award is linked to an early acceptance of the offer made. The argument is still rumbling on in Secondary Education....

Well done to Rogue's DD and Fleur - I cannot believe that the teacher wanted you to deliver that news .

I also cannot believe how rude some parents are a concert. They are kids!

Our JD challenge is back on the plan after abandoning the idea pretty quickly last month. We have no preference but it has to be in London. I'm aware of RCM, RAM, Guildhall, and Trinity Laban. We know some children who go to the first two but know no one who goes to the latter two. However we have visited Guildhall and met the head of strings so know the place while zero idea about Trinity. I understand RCM and RAM seem to be regarded as the most popular/competitive, but those labels mean nothing and I am sure all are good. So I like to know more about Trinity and may be also Guildhall (as I don't know anyone to ask about those two places). As far as I checked online, Trinity looks greeny and lovely environment being a bit outside, but Guildhall looked a bit too grey on our visit (however teaching looked very good)... I'm afraid I have no time to make the visit to Trinity before the closing date for the application so any information would be very much appreciated!

Pradaqueen Just missed your post. Congratulation to your DD. What's a fantastic way to start a week!

Does anyone have a DC doing Grade 5 Theory this week? Feeling a bit nervous about it - don't know if my DD will pass. She knows the vast majority of the material, but keeps making silly mistakes in the past papers. aargggh.

Anyway, good luck to anyone else.