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!

when dc started doing aural practice I used to either dance a walz in my sitting room, or march "like a soldier". (not sure it helped...)

Driving yes some waltz happening here also for aural. The walking up and down the teacher's garden was quite fun, there was some sort of syncopated rhythm that they were trying to get the feel for it, they were laughing their heads so I am sure dd will always remember that particular rhythm.

rogueantimatter Thank you for sharing your precious input. I wonder if it's because Trinity is a bit far from the central London and/or because its aim is more for turning their students a rounded musician who can be employable in some/any aspect of a music career whereas RCM/RAM have more emphasis on solo performance. I believe children at a specialist school are more likely aiming a performance career.

My ds got unofficial 'yes' from a JD. However I was advised by a couple of people that we should look around just to make sure ds is in a right place. I didn't think of Trinity before and now too late to make a visit. I am so disorganised for many aspects in my life...

Has anyone tried the Gamelan taster session at the Southbank? Does wonders for understanding rhythm. At least for me.

Neverever DS wanted to try the gamelan sessions but haven't found the time yet. You just reminded me to try and find time to do it. Thanks.

We were entering a couple of concert free weeks but he has just been booked for a jazz evening next week. He swears to me he wants to do it and enjoys it, so then I'm happy. They thank him with I-Tunes or Amazon vouchers which he then uses to download more jazz

green has your DD heard of a monthly magazine called "How it works"? A friend of DS bought him a year's subscription for his birthday. The last issue to come has a really interesting article on quantum physics! It's all about sciene, how the world works and what the future will bring.

Prada you must be celebrating for a second time

That is great Kutik, hope it goes well!

Haha the waltz and walking up and down the teacher's garden, these are hilarious Fleur, Driving.

Oh that is nice Drummers!

I am googling "how it works" and gamelan tastier now. We are having "first news" which is the only news papers/magazine in this household. There are more advertisements than news though.

Thanks Green. The journey has just started.

We subscribe Weekly Junior for ds - he loves it. An article of Nasa 's mission to explore Jupiter's moon is in this week. Though my ds always goes to check 'On Screen' page first. It features new apps and so on. But this week I found a really interesting one on the page.

You go to tinyurl.com/TWJ-orchestra, you will see a video of the BBC Concert Orchestra playing John William's famous pieces. By using the sliders at the side of the video, you can zoom in on the orchestra and move around from left to right. As you do so, depending on which part of the orchestra you're near, the sound will change. So if you zoom in on the violins that's you will hear.

I haven't done this yet but am going to have a look with ds.

Just subscribed with "How it works", thanks so much, she will love it!

Can definitely vouch for How It Works - DS2 has a subscription and hoards the copies in his room! One day I shall try and liberate a few and read it myself!

Gamelan, I've supported children in workshops at our school. Lots of fun, they are beautiful instruments.

Those of you who have sent your DC to music camp - was that on the recommendation of the teacher? How much do you know about the camps before you send them? >

DS went on his first residential (which involved his first competitive audition) because he had been on a course with someone who had auditioned for it the previous year but failed to get in. To that point he (and we) had never heard of it but after that he was desperate to go. It was a big step for him because he'd had a nightmare of a school residential in Y3 and after that had flatly refused to go away without us again.

He had a great time, everyone had a common interest and there wasn't enough free time in the day to be bored or up to mischief.

Good luck with the JD application Kutik!

I'd like to see dd go on a residential but I don't even dare suggesting it, being on her own without us is not something she contemplates. Maybe when she older.

We spent a lovely evening tonight listening to the grade 3 clarinet pieces and choosing which ones to do in the exam. She has no clue about the C piece but pretty strong preferences for A and B.

Green, I just peeped into this book and I must say it is not easy, I am certain your DD has photographic memory and certainly very high IQ. My 10 years old will put in down just after flipping it through.

Oh Mom17, I am sure she doesnt remember much. We are also loosing our patience because we have someone keeps talking about space travel, about white hole colliding, crushing in black hole which both of us neither have any idea nor interested(she finished all the books we borrowed in library about this subject in a very short time too and when we told the librarian that we borrowed them for her then I did get this glance---she isnt interested in the children/age appropriate physics books). I am sure (hoping) this phase will fade soon (before she finds other things). Now there is something else which bothers me so much more that she is short sighted. (Dont get me wrong as both myself and my husband are short sighted however after we went to Univ). The last time we checked it was -0.25 and -0.5. She hasnt worn glasses. This might be worse now as the other day in the car I didnt have my glasses with me and I asked her to read smth for me and she couldnt. I have slowed her down so much more with her academic life(to an extent that I think we need to do smth now) with restricting books hour(4times a week), encouraging her to play outside as much as I could, no screen, ipad, laptop, online etc. The main reason we follow music is also for her not to be too academic. We had to allow her to progress fast otherwise she might drop it and lost her interest. Really, its really hard to accept that you can never be a good enough mom.

New thread started for March.

Green, thats true. I also have book worm and He had bouts of severe anxiety attacks after reading Hitchiker's guide to galaxy and some young scientist magazine so I know reading something before maturity can be really dangerous. he knows so much about disease etc that he co-relate all symptoms with worst possible and when a child is active, they have one or other injury everyday and everyday u have this meltdown phase - will I get this or that ? what is Dr. is not able to diagnose. Now I have kind of stopped non-comic books.

parenting is no doubt challenging, u try your best and still thinks- did we do something wrong ?

Mom17, I know what you mean. She does bore everyone including her teachers too(mentioned in the meet the teacher meeting recently), its quite an obsession to her these days. She surely must have scared couple of her friends when she tells them in trillions light yrs there will be black hole collision(and I have no idea why she remembers all these light years, star's names). Last night after dinner I was explained about an experiment of some popular scientist with his cat when she didnt die or alive just be in present or past and she drew all these atoms, lights travel in curves...etc.(seriously I have no idea, my husband latter said we should get a dummy book for us to read to be able to understand what she is saying.) I still buy her books though, we always go above my monthly budget for her books. So far I count myself lucky in only way that she has great sense of humour, she is a lively happy child, similar to her sister. She is always happy and lively and still has friends(but no really close/best friend). This phase will pass I am sure.

Wow. So many amazing children on this thread. I look forward to hearing about them when they're famous.

Off to DS' school recital this evening. Mostly soloists which will be fab. DS isn't doing a solo - playing in an ensemble though. He is delighted to be borrowing a brand new bow from school while the lovely repair man wrestles with rehairing his own one.