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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

March Music Thread

999 replies

Wafflenose · 01/03/2017 07:36

Here you are - a new thread for March! I can't believe we are now up to 700+ posts each month. Thank you all.

I am Waffle, Mum to two girls. I have Goo (11), short for Kajagoogoo, which is 'short' for Kaj, which means... well, that would be telling! Her younger sister is Rara (8) - Rara is what she used to call herself when she was learning to speak. Goo plays the flute, recorder and piano. Rara plays the cello, recorder and clarinet. We have Grade 7 Flute and Grade 1 Clarinet booked for the end of this month. I think we might have Grade 3 Cello and Grade 4 Piano coming up next term. Goo is off to secondary in a few months, and I really don't know if she will ever manage to fit in her last couple of recorder exams. I'm all for saving money though.

I will try my best to read everything and follow this month. Last month's thread moved so fast!!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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EnormousTiger · 14/03/2017 12:45

If people want they can be just as good at two instruments. When my 3 who won music scholarships applied I suppose there just happened to be one instrument they were better at. I am a better singer than pianist but I started singing first. I have grade 8 violin too but it was never as good and I learned it from mid teens. My son just won a first prize in two categories. It can change over time too depending on what you prefer.

Fleur could your child sing at home? We have always sung at home, in the car, at church, at family events. Singing in some ways is easier as you don't need to buy an instrument - it's just there and good fun. Nothing beats it for me.

Kutik73 · 14/03/2017 12:53

ealing, sorry my memory is very blur but I think you mentioned that you opted against jd (or becoming more music focused) as your dd enjoyed other activities so much? I know it must be hard to keep all balanced, to make sure things to be done in time, etc. But it sounds like your dd has been managing to enjoy all her opportunities, being stretched and challenged in a positive way. So encouraging hear that.

raspberryrippleicecream · 14/03/2017 13:19

DS would currently say 1st piano, 2nd trombone, 3rd organ, 4th= singing/clarinet.

The order started was piano, clarinet, trombone, singing, organ.

Fleurdelise · 14/03/2017 13:26

Thank you ealing we'll probably look into something available in Year 6 once the secondary school admission is out of the way.

EnormousTiger she does sing constantly. Since she could speak she sang. My FIL is a musician and they used to babysit one or two days a week since she was 9 months old. He used to sing to her and later they'd sing together all the songs in musicals and unknown to him he'd do some sort of aural test on her: he'd play a game where she needed to guess what song it was as fast as possible, sometimes she'd guess from the first couple of notes.

She sings all day long, in the car and at home but only in our presence (myself and DH or the GPs). I was quite amazed she asked for singing lessons as we've tried it before but I felt it wasn't right for her, she was singing pop songs in a group at the age of 7 and somehow some of the lyrics didn't feel appropriate for her age.

She doesn't want church choir so not sure what we're left with to be honest. Except 1-2-1 lessons but where is the joy of that?

drummersmum · 14/03/2017 13:30

Kutik one of the reasons we didn't consider jd all these years is because they were asking what's 1st and what's 2nd and at the time DS was absolutely unable to choose between instruments.
woolley sounds like she did well, congrats!
only when you talk about "cv" for secondary schools, remember they don't usually ask for one. It's a standard application form. In most cases, it has to be the head of the current school who flags music etc in her confidential report and your child in interviews who makes sure the school learns of all interests, etc.
midlife that would kill me - good luck and stay calm Wine
Hurray for miniealing the aquatic queen Star
kutik I think all boys in primary school think that 15 year old boys look cool - nothing to do with the instrument Wink

stringchild · 14/03/2017 13:48

Kutik - dd is joint first study at JD but wouldn't necessarily recommend it as has been a real time ranking and practice nightmare.

Woolley - our secondary schools also had v simple forms, but most people seemed to attach cvs and a wide range of music refs. Really depends on how many are applying I think but does get over them just looking at grades. 32 got auditioned out of 50 scholarship applicants at one school!!!

ealingwestmum · 14/03/2017 13:49

Smile Small steps drummers, small steps...

Kutik, your memory is good. It was the junior teacher that was pushing for it, though there are no guarantees that she would have been accepted, had she tried.

To reconcile decisions with a girl that wanted to try everything, but then later, was paying the small price of culling stuff that she couldn't fulfil properly, I now ask her if an activity (and the commitment required to achieve its potential) has a time critical element. This really helps her to know what to focus on, and ultimately, whilst music has taken more of a back step (compared to where she was at at junior school), the ability to know that swimming has more of a peak than music helps her be at peace, because she can still participate in music to a good degree.

The other thing about sports is that things can change so quickly, body development, injury, lack of form, teenage apathy etc. Music is more a constant and can be taken up/down a notch at any time, so remaining flexible helps with an all rounder type child like mine.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 14/03/2017 13:51

Driving we went to a playing day when Goo was 7 and Grade 4 descant/ Grade 2 ish treble. We had a really fun day, and they invited her to go on one of their Easter courses the following year when she would have been 8 (I know somewhere it says age 10, but they can and do bend the rules). Then she became obsessed with NCO so we never did go. We'll probably try her out for their Training group if she doesn't get into NCO next time.

OP posts:
Kutik73 · 14/03/2017 14:14

To be honest I never really thought about what's 1st and 2nd until I had to fill the form for jd. I thought we had more focus on piano (but ds had a different idea), but really nothing was obvious. Perhaps, we could have missed this year and waited one more year, then his violin could have been in a better place as his 1st. But whether he gets in jd may affect our choice of secondary school, and also ds is so keen to try now, so we decided to go ahead this year.

drummer, your ds didn't just win my 9 year old's heart. I also become a secret admire! He really is cool...

string, I know how hard to keep up two instruments as 1st study at jd level. We know one boy who does that (I thought he dropped one to 2nd but no he hasn't). I don't think it's for my ds, and anyway ds doesn't want piano at jd... He even doesn't want to play at the audition.

ealing, dh is very keen to keep ds in his sport at competitive level. Whether ds can find peaceful balance if he gets in jd is unknown. But if he couldn't get in this year, dh will do everything he can to persuade ds to throw him into sports!

Greenleave · 14/03/2017 14:50

Ealing: thanks for your kind words, I hope mine will follow your footstep and I will then ask you to help on schedule management. We although really dont do well re academic. We really dont do anything about it, there just isnt time)I am such a moaner). I just think it can be delayed till next year, I could be wrong and there could be a price to pay for the mistake.
On instrument order, I personally think that piano is a basic instrument that we must know how to use it, violin brings her to Orchestras, musicianship, team work, musical social life. For us, right now, thats all we care.

drummersmum · 14/03/2017 16:11

He even doesn't want to play [piano] at the audition
kutik if he really doesn't want to, then fine, but I have been told by someone quite knowledgable that DS should offer piano as 2nd study even though we weren't intending to, because it gives the panel a full musical picture of the child and keyboard skills are then transferable to composing, etc...

Drivingmadness · 14/03/2017 16:26

thank you helen and waffle. dd is 10, started lessons in Sept. done grade 2 treble, planning grade 3 descant in June. A lot better in descant as we used to play informally together before starting lessons.

there is one coming up in April. Not sure whether to go for full day or half day, as she isn't that much into music as some of you, and worried she may struggle amongst the older/better players. But there aren't many other changes for her to play recorder around here.

stringchild · 14/03/2017 16:47

Kutik - one of the JD s you are auditioning for specifically asks the dc to play their other instrument even if you don't intended to move your lessons to the JD - as Drummers has said, it gives them a full picture of musicality etc. Of course it's fine if there isn't a second instrument (bad if dd really doesn't want to play it!)

stringchild · 14/03/2017 16:47

And not bad!!!

Kutik73 · 14/03/2017 17:38

I do think ds should play piano since his violin may not be anywhere near other candidates (the standard of young violinists is scarily high...). It will give him a chance to show them his musical potential. However, he doesn't understand what I am saying and stubbornly decided not to play. I hope one day he learns to take advice...

Helenluvsrob · 14/03/2017 17:43

Hi driving. Plan on going for the morning but ask in advance if dc can stay if they are liking it? It'll be such an exciting opportunity I bet they'll want to stay. The sessions are well managed so the better kids don't dominate. Your dc sounds like a really good standard to start going on the days ( dd doesn't do the days or the Easter course anymore as she's just way too busy with music and a2 exams sadly - she's made some brilliant NYRO friends over the years so has friends at conservatoire locally that she meets up with and a couple of others that she's stayed with at different ends of the country).

Greenleave · 14/03/2017 20:21

Read this news today, a lost violin was found after many years and a talented hard working student( Mira Wang) still needed a great (popular) teacher(Roman Totenberg).

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39262166

drummersmum · 14/03/2017 22:08

Loved it green

Pradaqueen · 15/03/2017 07:11

And I'm behind again....in all fairness it was miniprada's birthday so had the party to deal with at the weekend. We had a bushcraft party at the house so the whole class came to set fires and build debs etc. It was great fun for them after the 11+ stress....!! Also mumsnet doesn't seem to have the mobile site working atm so the writing is too tiny for my -ahem- advancing years....!

We have the date for G6 piano - 31st March. Fingers crossed. Violin we have put back to May when the special visit happens at her teachers house (and also because her teacher missed the deadline for this term's entry but didn't tell me until it was too late to do something about it but that's another story and not entirely her fault so I can see how the mix up happened) aural continues to be an issue and the scales in both are rubbish currently. Kids love to throw away easy marks don't they?!!

I have enjoyed reading everyone's threads though!

Drivingmadness · 15/03/2017 07:43

thnks, Helen, it's either whole day or afternoon. But I may indeed contact them. Dd wants to stay whole day....

stringchild · 15/03/2017 08:36

am so behind on this thread have no chance of catching up

Singing - DD started lessons in yr 3 but didn't really enjoy them and the repertoire was not v interesting....so we stopped and she joined a really good children's choir; that has been brilliant and she has learnt so much about sight singing, harmonising, etc etc from that. I think she will go back to lessons much later on (she will be a choirester in senior school so i don't see the need for additional lessons then),

Fleurdelise · 15/03/2017 09:31

Happy Birthday to miniprada! Good luck with grade 6 piano.

Fleurdelise · 15/03/2017 09:35

sreingchild that would be ideal for dd. She is in the school choir but an external children's choir would be fantastic I'll start looking soon.

Kutik73 · 15/03/2017 10:07

Ds is also in the school choir. They have lots of lovely opportunities to sing at a fancy venue. However, they constantly lose the teacher, and sometimes parents or class teacher teaches in the gap while they are looking for a new teacher. They learn by ear so they don't learn how to sight sing. I don't think they learn any technical thing in fact. I accompanied a rehearsal the other day, and found a huge difference between our children and others from other schools. Our children hadn't even learnt all the lyrics so seemed a bit lost in some songs. They have a concert next week at a great venue. I bought the tickets and am so looking forward to it. But not sure if they can sing all the songs. Not great!

Fleurdelise · 15/03/2017 10:42

Same here Kutik no sight singing or anything it is all learn by ear, this year they have someone that is running the music workshop including the choir from the LA music school, not sure what they are doing exactly but from what dd tells me it is in the form of making their own instruments and banging about plus choir. While I am sure it is fun and it offers some sort of musical exposure to all the children, and with all modesty, I am not sure it brings much to dd who plays two instruments and can read music IYSWIM. Nevertheless dd finds it fun and that's what matters.

The school also sent an Email stating they are selling the piano at a very modest price, it is old and on the various occasions I could hear it you could see it needs tuning and it is at it's life end. I do hope they will replace it though, it does make me wonder if that means there wouldn't be a piano anymore and the little exposure to music the kids have at the moment is gone completely.