OK, we are not a musical family, but I have encouraged kids to learn an instrument.
dd2 is learning clarinet, she is 9, year 4 and has been learning for about a year. She is very conscientious and practices for 15 minutes every single morning, but is making slow progress.
I used to play the clarinet 30 years ago, only to grade 3 level, but I do play other things and currently play in the training part of a brass band with dd1, I only say this to show I can read music etc, but not to a high level.
dd1 has her clarinet Prep test tomorrow. At her last lesson, the teacher told her she wasn't ready and didn't know the pieces well enough. She has practised and practised and I can't see how she can play them any better really, she isn't always note perfect, and she sometimes gets the timing a bit off, but they are fine, and I am sure good enough to pass. On a good day, they are perfect, with good dynamics and sound great, so she can do it on a good day, just not every time.
One piece is supposed to have a piano accompaniment. There is no piano at school. We live round corner from school and have a piano, but it needs tuning. Teacher has failed to make any suggestions or arrangements for her to practice this with a piano. I am willing to take her to the Music Cente etc and teacher knows this. Her final suggestion is that she comes to the exam early tomorrow and they will practice the piece with the piano then. I am pretty sure this will be a bad experience for dd as she won;t get it first time and it will dent her confidence for the exam.
Then this morning, I noticed in the back of the Prep test book, it says the examiner will play these games with her, clap and repeat rhythms, beat time to a piece of music, play 3 notes and sing them back, and comment on dynamics of a piece. I asked dd if she had practiced these with teacher. No.
I tried one or two with her. She hasn't a clue, can't sing the notes back, can't beat time. She can repeat the clapped rythmn as they do it at school.
I am so cross. She could have learnt these. If I had realised earlier I could even have done them with her. She needs to be taught them, she obvioulsy isn't a natural musician, but she loves playing her clarinet and I wanted this to be a positive experience for her. Never mind that it has cost enough to enter her for it!
Is this my fault? dd's fault? Teacher's fault?
I am I just being precious considering that this exam isn't marked anyway? None of this is helped by the fact that dh will take her to the exam, so he will need to talk to the teacher, not me.