March Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

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!!

Kutik- people will always have an opinion about JD's and specialist music schools, and not always good.
What does miniKutik want- I would go with that.
Different environments suit different types of children anyway.

Kutik - i agree with Paulweller - there will always be pros and cons; but a perspective from DD - she loves JD because of the atmosphere, the busyness, the ensemble opportunities - she is in 5 different ones currently on a sat incl orchestras - , and v importantly the friends she has made. The playing level is much higher than at her fairly musical school - being led by 17/18yos getting ready to go to study music full time, really is an eye opener. Yes there are sometimes compromises around teachers and it can be hard to flex timetables during the course of a year, if things need adjusting. I believe RAM will let you keep teachers, and i know some at RCM that seem to have negotiated that too.

Kutik73 DD has only been at the JD since September and I'd say we're very happy with the experience to date. Prior to that, she'd been having lessons at school (via the LA music service) and was being well taught but we were aware that the peripatetic brass teacher at her secondary school was rather unreliable. Her playing has improved no end since joining the JD and I like that her teacher pushes her (not that her previous teachers haven't!). She recently missed a weekend as she was away with school and her JD teacher came to our home to give her a replacement lesson - I guess that's an advantage of being local but it was the first time we'd met him too. In fact, it's only the second time I've ever heard one of her lessons! If anything, I'd like her to have more opportunities to perform on her instrument rather than with the choir but I'm so pleased to hear her singing with a decent choir (something she hadn't really experienced before the JD) that it's not really an issue.

My son survived singing bass (choir) today - first time reading bass clef (his instruments are all treble clef), first timing singing a lower part and first time not singing treble in the choir (his grade 7 singing was a treble). It was Handel so not too hard; lots of logical tunes around expected chords. I was singing too. It was probably our last concert together before he leaves school. I heard the end of his orchestra rehearsal when I arrived and that was nice too. The concert is this coming week before term ends.

kutik I have heard that changing teachers within the jd may be a bit tricky because of scheduling and egos and sensitivities involved. You will also have to give a reason which will put the teacher in a situation, etc. Maybe that's what they mean. You have less freedom than outside where you don't have to explain to anyone except teacher. The quality of the teaching depends on who you get. There are some great teachers and some more concerned with their careers.

Kutik - it is also quite normal to have trial lessons but make sure you do that this as early as you can this side of the summer, as once timetables get locked down over the holidays, it may be hard to change for a year

Really appreciated your kind advice. The one we got an offer told us that DS would be invited to have a trial run before accepting the offer. So we will go for it then think again... We like our current teacher. I think the thought of losing him made me a bit wobble...

string I'm quite surprised that RCM allowed to keep the same teacher as its website clearly states it's not acceptable. Maybe it's a very rare case. I know RAM will be more flexible for younger children.

Enormous it's strange isn't it, hearing the different sound! I could always pick out DS2's treble from a big group of choristers, but am having difficulty finding his tenor in 2 or 3. Enjoy these last concerts.

drummers

Easy to forget that behind every musical child are tired but forever supportive parents (and siblings for some) making sacrifices.

Thanks you kind ealing! Did you know Dave Weckl, drumming God, still dedicates his books "to mum and dad". We sat at a drumming masterclass given by him and the first thing he said was: "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my parents". Buddy Rich, another God, said the same and Marc Juliana, the hottest new drumming thing out there (you should see his solos on YouTube), dedicated his first book to his parents!
Yesterday DS came back from a jazz rehearsal with his jazz ensemble, which more or less manages himself now (organises rehearsals, reminds everyone of arrangements, repertoire, etc) , with a smile on his face.: "We're sounding great!", "It went better than I expected", "I wish you'd been there" etc. It's those moments isn't it, when you see the light in their eyes, that make it worth it. Then of course at 9:30pm he finished homework, uncovered the marimba and I'm like, OK, wind down time. And he says "No. I haven't done tuned sight-reading yet." And I just feel inside me a voice that says "tuck in bed and read a mindless Marvel comic instead. Be a child!". But of course I say nothing. I will forever go from one feeling to the other, like Foucault's pendulum. Anyone else out there feeling this emotional mix?

Goo says it would be good to look around, and agrees that going at 14 would be good. She would not be doing NCO or SWMS or the two evenings of music lessons she currently has, so it's perhaps not as crazy as it seems.

It's 7 days until Rara's exam and 9 days until Goo's. Both are now very ready. Rara has gone clarinet CRAZY, high notes (started around Christmas) are suddenly sounding lovely, and she wants to play every day. I find that the content of Paul Harris' Stage 16 comes a bit too soon, and can't find my Really Easy Clarinet Book (which would bridge the gap nicely) so I'm getting her to figure out things like Sword Dance, Ode to Joy and Jingle bells using high CDEFG instead of the low ones. She LOVES it!

drummers

Cross post, drummers. Aww, he sounds so very mature, and dedicated.

Good luck with the forthcoming exams, Goo and Rara.

Ds has a music concert to participate tomorrow - rehearsal all the afternoon, then concert in the evening at a lovely venue. I bought two tickets for me and dh and told dh that it's a wedding anniversary gift from dh (singing at the concert) and me (the tickets!). Just got a text mssg from dh telling me he may not be able to make it (he is away tonight and may not come back tomorrow neither). Boo!

Foucault's pendulum - that's me, drummer.

Oh Boo Kutik. But think about all the concert to come in next years. DH will surely make some of them!

Waffle nice hearing about Rara's high notes and sudden compulsion to play! Good luck with both exams x

Cross posts Kutik Thank you for reassuring me I'm not insane or suffer from multiple personalities

Drummers I feel for you ( but also feel reassured that it's not just me) we are still very much at the start of what could be a really full on few years but when ds seems so excited and motivated it makes it worth it

Great to hear Goo and Rara progress!

Drummers: loads of flowers to you. Now you might feel better as I wish my daughter could be one day like your son. Right now the only thing she always does without me reminding her is logo playing. Yesterday I chocked when I heard her said: oh there is 1 hour before leaving for the concert, I could do school homework(we had a concert last night with our Orchestra). It was a school homework so it took her 20mins. I usually forget it too, I have never looked at her homework since she starts school, many times it involves doing something fun with parent help and she always has her dad volunteer. He is up for any fun stuffs(so he could avoid the weekend chore).

Mr Weckl sounds like he's humble as well as talented and successful drummers. You have one of these in the making

hello, apologies for crashing this thread but though all the relevant parents are here, rather than posting separately.

Is there anyone here whose child attends the junior strings programme at the Guildhall School? Would love to hear more details. My child is in the kindergarten programme, we will find out in the coming 2-3 weeks if she has been accepted into the strings programme, it is a big time commitment, so would love to hear more details about it if anyone has experience. All the posts on mumsnet so far seem to be about the Kindergarten programme only. thanks.

Oh thank you all, I now have so many flowers in my room!!!
Ha ha a Weckl in the making. I think every drummer dreams of that but thank you so much Ealing
green you will find that as she gets older she starts taking more control and think of homework, etc. On the other hand, enjoy her silly years, the bouncing around and reading about black holes then stretch on the floor for some Lego, the forgetting what's not important for a 9 year old, etc. Those are things you will remember with fondness in years to come. (I do love children, even in planes!).