April Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

We've managed to fill up the March thread, so I give you April's, around 10 hours early. Don't use it all up at once!

The music threads are for learners of ALL ages and stages, including beginners and adult learners.

My kids Goo (11) and Rara (8) break up from school today, thank goodness. Rara is off sick at the moment, in any case, but they both need a break. They did their music exams this week. Goo got a distinction for her Grade 7 Flute, and we are awaiting the results of Rara's Grade 1 Clarinet, plus a couple of my pupils. They will probably come on my birthday - the ABRSM ones often do.

Next term, we have a big community concert at the local high school - all the feeder schools take part. Goo could do Grade 7 Recorder and/ or Grade 4 Piano, but I don't think she wants to. Rara is doing Grade 3 Cello. My Year 6 Recorders have been asked to play in the local Festival gala concert, and I'm sure there will be primary school leavers' performances too.

Congrats to miniWitchend! Hoping for results sometime this week, but depends if the music centre is open and then results have to go through DDs teacher. She did an exam through school in early Dec and it took 5 or 6 weeks to get the result with school holidays and ABRSM's office move.

And congrats to miniFoundout!

Well done witchend and foundout! Time to celebrate now.

I remember when dd was around grade 1-2 and I was reading on this thread of dcs doing 2+ hours a day music practice and I used to think dd will never get to that amount or be so motivated to do it. She was doing a max of 20 min/half an hour and I didn't want to add another instrument at that point as I couldn't see where we would fit the time to practice.

Somehow though the time has increased slowly without realising and we found the time to do what we had to do. Dd doesn't actually realise how much time it takes her to practice, if I tell her she's doing 2 hours a day she'd be shocked. In fact she told her piano teacher she's doing around half an hour practice and I had to correct her as she doesn't practice time wise but task related so she doesn't clock on how long it takes her to achieve something.

My two don't do 2 hours a day between them! Goo is away with NCO this week though, and will be doing around 6 hours a day of orchestral playing. She tends to sound pretty good when she gets home... shame she doesn't keep it up, really!

Anyway, I have fab news... despite various blunders on the day, Rara got a distinction for her Grade 1 Clarinet exam! Her BFF (who's a lovely, solid player and has been learning for 8 months longer) got the exact same mark. My wobbly Grade 3 Flute actually flew through with ease, so I'm really happy. I had been feeling like I'm losing my flair, and wondering why I tend to lose pupils during the middle grades (life, I guess) and why I hadn't been able to motivate this one and get her safely over the pass mark. Turns out that I had.

Well done Waffle and Rara!

That's a lovely confidence boost for you waffle, and we'll done to Rara for storming her G1!

Well done Rara and BFF and Waffle for preparing them.

Congratulations waffle and Rara

And I missed foundoutyet from this morning's news

Fabulous news on exam results! Well done everyone! as appropriate!

Ooh, well done Witchend and foundout... as you can tell, I've only just read the thread properly!

well done for all the results - everyone did brilliantly :)

Great news on the results waffle . Hopefully they are having a great time on the nco course ds was very excited when we dropped him off yesterday

Trying to catch up again....
Fleur, your dd's piano teacher still sounds fantastic even though I am in love with our Russian teacher now :)). What a fantastic plan for practicing...
Talking about practicing time, when I took my ds for an 'audition' to an English teacher, and asked about potential possibility of moving my dd to her too, teacher said, yes, but at this age and level she has to practice not for 20 mins but for about an hour (no idea why she was talking about 20 mins). I was literally laughing - dd never practiced for 20 mins, even when younger, not to mention now when it is so much to play. This English teacher is positioned as a teacher for musically gifted children. So this is an expectation of practicing time in our area :))

Totally agreed with Helenluvsrob about exams, I have heard the same-better to have three As than four but some Bs. And yes, they say Art is ridiculously time consuming and virtually impossible to get A.

We are off practicing for the third week now. First week I let her off the lesson after the exam, last week teacher was too busy with his pro work and cancelled the lessons, this week she got ill and I need to cancel her lesson again 👿 Ds6 says to his sister-you are so lucky (as he still needs practicing 🎻🎶)

Kutik, I am with you. Can never find time for practicing during holidays. Too busy 😂

Green, your new violin teacher sounds good! Mery Poppins type ;)

Witchend, congatulations to your mini 💥

Another fan of Bath here, saying that last time I was going to take my dc there we had a car accident, very luckily no one suffered but I had to buy a new car as mine could not be repaired.
So we didn't get there, still on my plans... Children have never been in Bath...

Well done to mini found 🎈

Massive congratulation to Rara with her results, but I am not at all surprised Waffle as I remember you were saying how naturally and effortlesssly she started her clarinet (was it a clarinet?)

Oh! Well done me! I managed to be uptodate with this thread so far! And btw, it is 10th April and 445 messages already :)

Waffle dd chipped her last clarinet reed and all I have in the house is a thicker 2.5 which I bought by mistake. Can she use these do you think or should she hold off until I can get more 2 strength? Don't want to do any damage

only I am so happy to hear you've found a teacher you really like, I know that was a frustration, it's great to hear of happy parents and great teacher.

Managed to squeeze in an hour and a half music practice in one go, I don't think dd could do more than this in one go as she was knackered by the end. Out of this 25 min was clarinet and the rest piano. Still didn't manage 20 min per piece but you know what, her pieces are starting to sound recognisable, lol, Summertime is definitely the hardest in terms of stretches and execution, but as she has them all now known and in rhythm I am becoming more optimistic that she can probably make it to the next exam session with this level of practice. It's just not leaving much time for polishing but we'll manage I'm sure.

Clarinet two pieces known, third started and all the scales so that should be fine.

With DS's GCSEs in May/June, dd's clarinet and piano exams in June/July and dd's secondary school exams in September I feel I could run and hide, can somebody let me know when 1st November comes.

We will manage to squeeze a two week holiday in Italy in the summer otherwise I'd lose it.

SE22 I haven't got the expertise like Waffle and I'm sure she'll come and confirm if this is the case but I think if your dd can play on a 2.5 then it's fine to use it, I don't think there is damage to be done, she can either play on it or not.

Fleur she was making a good, strong sound but I'm just not sure whether I need to run out and buy new 2 strength tomorrow. Hopefully it is ok as we spend too much time rushing around

Sounds like she can play it but I am sure Waffle can confirm if it is a good idea.