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!

I wish I knew it's quite normal to be turned down at fist few attempts. I knew only those who got in at their first go and so did the mother. I encouraged her to let her daughter try again but she was not convinced.

A teacher who helped some children prepare for JD auditions was also there and she didn't say anything. Instead she said some negative things about JDs... Everybody seems to have their own view (quite rightly)!

I agree with Stressedmum* re Guildhall JD as ds had a pre audition assessment there with the Head Of Strings who I though was lovely and he said exactly the same things. Ds needs to be practicing for an hour a day. He is desperate to go there but is struggling to do the amount of practice required. Not because he doesn't want to but because he's tired and does a lot of extra curricular music.
We're waiting for Guildhall to come back to us with an audition date but at the moment we're thinking that we may leave it another year. Ds is 10 and a half at the mo. The HoS said that he could be an exceptional violinist- he just needs to up his practice and refine his bowing. He said Ds is very gifted especially aurally. All great to hear but we're finding it all a bit of a struggle at the mo.
Watch this space!

Disorganised I'm interested in the amount of practice they advise ds does an hour a day but as it's trumpet he would struggle to do a lot more at the moment ( not good for his lips) but on days when they play in orchestras are they also expecting an hours practice? Ds plays in 2 after school and so counts that as his practice on those days as he doesn't get back until 8.30

Trumpetboysmum that is very impressive! How old is your ds? I suspect,though I could be wrong,that they expect them to still practice even if they belong to orchestras as it's a different type of practice. What they do at home is intense,disciplined practice on scales,arpeggios,pieces and the like where as in orchestra it's totally different. As I said,I could be talking rubbish but that's kind of what I've been told. My ds does around 7-8 hours a week in total with orchestras/current local music school. Plus he has to fit homework in around that too. Hence why we're wondering whether to leave it till next year. Then,if he gets in he would have just turned 12. It's so hard,I'm so torn. 😫

disorganisedmummy, your DS sounds like he is naturally talented and very passionate about music - two big factors JDs are looking for. Re, whether auditioning this year or next year, I suppose one year difference for such young age doesn't matter much so follow your first instinct (if I were you).

Ds is 12 today fits in piano before school and then an hours trumpet before or after homework we shall see then what AYM say about his practice without being at a dedicated music school I really don't see how it's possible to do practice on evening orchestra days so until we get told off we will continue with what we are doing

Trumpetboysmum, first of all, happy birthday to your DS.

That's my concerns when my DS moves to secondary school. There are two states schools near us. One is fairly academic but zero music and another very musical but not so academic. One is single and another is co-ed too. We are leaning toward the first one. But I fear we may struggle as it seems all the musical education has to be supplied outside school and my question is 'does he have time for that after homework and other stuff?.

My DS actually likes to go to a lovely local private - they are very musical and very academic. Yay! But it will cause us a different struggle...

Kutik When DS1 started secondary I didn't actually want him to do too much music in school. I wanted him to have something that's not to do with school... But now he does has one instrument lesson in school, plays his other instruments with various ensembles, and does two instruments lessons plus ensembles at Saturday music school. Does he have time? Well ... He could spend a bit more time on practice but he seems to be keeping everything ticking over and still have time to spend too much time on screens ...

Happy birthday, Trumpetboy!

Goo is going to the local comprehensive (well, we find out for sure next month I think, but everyone in the village goes there!!) - it's great and made the Tatler lis of best state secondaries lately... if that means anything at all! Music is very important to them. I suspect she'll be the best one there by Year 8, but she'll also get a good, broad set of GCSEs there and we'll think again at 16. I do think with the longer day and 3-4 bits of homework per night (in Year 7, at least) she will struggle to get the practice in.

Grade 1 Clarinet (Rara) and Grade 7 Flute (Goo) booked for this term (the latter against my better judgment). It's now looking like Grade 3 Cello (Rara), Grade 7 Recorder and a reluctant Grade 4 Piano (both Goo) next term. Give me strength!

The teacher liked the half size cello which we have borrowed for Rara, so we are going to buy it! It's a tiny bit big, but that's the point isn't it...we hope it will last for a couple of years or more.

We are lucky in that ds goes to the local state school ( gets the bus with all his friends) and it's both very academic and has a great music dept ( as well as other extra curricular activities). He's quite able and so being in the top sets he does get a lot of homework but it's manageable. His extra music is county stuff 2 evenings a week and it's really sociable ds has lots of friends there so it works well. Last year there was no music at school which is why he started doing the county stuff we have avoided jds as with the travel as well I think it would be too much AYM is different in that it's some weekends plus holidays which might suit ds better it's difficult and hard to always know what the right decision is I think it's best just to go with your gut instinct about what will work and if it doesn't work out change it !!

A great birthday to Trumpetboy.
Thanks for those great videos, only and neverever

Struggling here too. Last weekend log for DS:

• music practice: 2 and a half hours
• music lesson: 1 hour + 1 hour commute
• homework and revision: 10 hours

And he wants to apply for jd!!!

We are DEFINITELY NOT applying for JD.

Happy birthday to trumpet'sboy

Yikes to the weekend's summary drummers!

Rapidly - :"dd found tuning easier the bigger the cello now on a full size at 11.

Trumpet - happy birthday to dd! We would do AYM if we lived that way - they have the most amazing alumni and dc we know in it are so passionate and well supported

Re practice - dd is at a JD and def doesn't practice on days she is playing a lot; I think Orchestras count as week's worth of sight reading practice 😀

Happy birthday trumpet boy!

Currently sitting outside second orchestra waiting for the performance at 7.30pm - she's so excited even after a day and a half grilling for an academic scholarship. I'm bloody exhausted just driving!

Exceptional level of applicant for the music scholar position however - one child (Y6) who had flown in from overseas on second diploma (piano) made our application of nearly G7 Violin and nearly G6 piano look quite inadequate

I was thinking about you Waffle and the G1 hopefuls that have tried to audition at your school . Still, it takes all sorts...

stringchild, why is your DD auditioning for a JD when she is already in one?

waffle I meant to ask you this yesterday. So your DD has piano lessons with another teacher, and you obviously play yourself. Do you know if her teacher expects you to have a lot of input into your DD's practice?

We sent our DC to the out of catchment Secondary which excelled in exyra-curricular music. Unfortunately 8 years later, change of head, majority of music staff left/ retired it is rather different!

Anyway we've never had a problem fitting in music. DS2(now 9) was at Cathedral Choir after school 2 days until 7, plus 2 Sundays out of 3, played in after school groups most days, and local music service Concert Band. He had 3 lessons out of school (piano, trombone and voice) and clarinet in school.

Schoolwork hasn't suffered. He could probably do more practice, but has progressed very nicely. He may well have progressed faster with less, but he enjoys everything and there is no rush.

Kutik - its complicated; but there is a lot of movement between JDs for many reasons - often when someone wants to move to a specific teacher for example; for older DCs there is often a 'favoured' JD for particular instruments or genres, which isn't the same, obvious or relevant when they start out.

Never that's right. I'm a fairly competent pianist and have taught it up to Grade 5, but I don't any more because I don't want to. I started late though, at 15. Goo's piano teacher has expressly asked me not to help her, as she wanted to see exactly how much she could do by herself. Fine by me!! She refuses to practise the flute without me there though.

Prada LOL - unsurprisingly, the Grade 1 hopefuls were not awarded music scholarships!!

I see waffle. So you leave her alone when she practises the piano?

I find myself constantly telling DS1 to slow down, play these two bars again, slow down, slow down. Is that interfering? I don't make him learn new stuff though, and always ask what his teacher wants him to do.

Yep, I just don't get involved, except by massaging her ego as usual. Why is she so fragile?! Flute is a different matter though - she asks for help, and wants an audience!

Never I don't think that is interfering - it's helping him to practise properly if/when he's not managing to figure it out all by himself.