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.

Prada I haven't got a hangover, but am having a very silly party in about 10 days' time, so ask me again after that!

Wow! Lots of really good results. Well done all.

Interesting what you say about not giving 99, 119, 129. Dd1 got 118 three exams running in singing. I must tell her
I'm sure when I was at school someone got 99 though, so maybe they were meaner back in those days. I got 100 and I remember feeling disappointed when the teacher told me, but when he put the notice up I saw the 99 and felt relieved. Maybe I'm misremembering though.

fleurdelise, you are so organised, dc2 has already done grade 5 and not even thought about theory. Well, both she and I are aware about the need to do it, but dc2 shows no interest. My only worry is that dc3 will overtake her, which will put her off even further...

It is the composition stuff that is hardest on the theory side - the piano teacher had to do all that side of it with her. The rest seemed easy enough - so long as they are solid on key signatures.

Sounds good with the theory Fleur! DS2 is doing theory with his piano teacher. They've just finished grade 1 and are planning a term per book I think, with more lessons for grade 4 and 5. I think you're right that playing piano means they know a lot more than they realise! The good thing is he won't need it until grade 6 practical so he has the time to be really thorough. His teacher wants him to get as high a mark as possible, not scrape through it like DS1.
DS1 has just realised how many scales he has for grade 8 bass so he's going to be pretty busy!
Fantastic news from Miniprada I bet she's over the moon!

DD2 still doing G5 theory - even though she will be doing Trinity for her next exam. Bit of a slog trying to fit all in at the moment as it looks likely that they will both be next term. Got to try to get her to do some 11+ practice too.

One of ours definitely got a 99. We entered him the next term and he got 101 (nicer examiner!). I think it was grade 7 French horn.

Good luck with the theory exams. Our 3 older children just did grade 5. I remember their father (a music teacher) took them camping one summer holiday (I was working) and they did an hour's theory in the tent every day - they could hardly escape him as all 3 children were in the same tent with him. It worked.....

With the twins I just did a theory book and exam per term just about at home with them - they did grade 1, 2, 3 (we missed out 4) and then 5. None since (other than what you do for AS music and learn in your music lessons).

foundout I am not organised, I am just trying to talk myself into believing there is enough time.

Dd does theory with her teacher as part of the lesson but quite slowly, she's going through the books when she remembers (dd and the teacher) and giving her homework but I said we will commit to do a lot of independent work once grade 5 piano and 11+ is out of the way. She's currently working very slowly through the grade 3 book.

Dd now has 40 minute lessons with her clarinet teacher so they can do 10 minutes of theory, I'm not sure how well it's working out but dd enjoys it. She's currently about halfway through book 2 so hopefully will have got near 5 by the time it is needed.

Please can I have some assurance to pass on to her that Daisy, Daisy, will be a suitable piece for a beginner class at a festival on the bassoon? She is trying to do pieces which are harder but are not going to be polished enough in 3 weeks.

Woolley' we've never done festivals, so can't really comment on that score. What books is she currently working from for bassoon? Abracadabra? If so, how far has she got through it? Is she doing solo or accompanied?

well, with 30 min lessons a week (and every other week in the past), theory is not going to happen....

Hello I have been sent over to say hello from the "grown-up's" instrument thread. Been lurking on here for a while trying to catch up but never really posted (I think? I may have at one point but you go so fast!). Anyway, Slant Junior2 and I have just got merit in our grade 2 piano (both with 128 so very interesting to hear about the marking) and Slant Junior3 got a distinction in his grade 1 flute which I am super pleased about. We have all come late to music, DS3 is 10 and has been playing just over a year, weekly school lessons then when he'd shown commitment he's had a term of lessons outside school as well. DS2 has been playing the piano just over 2 years, he's nearly 15 but didn't show an interest until he was 12 so I thought 'why not' and got him some lessons and he's just loved it ever since. Concentrating on GCSE's now so no more exams but learning new pieces all the time for the joy of it. I used to do a lot of music in my teens but never learned the piano properly so thought I'd see how I did by putting myself in for grade 2 piano at the same time and teaching myself so I'm very pleased with my mark no I'm not, I'm tamping I didn't get discinction .

Hello MrSlant, great results from you and your kids...huge respect for you in returning to music alongside them!

Welcome MrsSlant and the juniors. Well done for the great results, I have massive respect for adults learning hoping that one day that would be me. It is never too late and I have given myself a deadline, once dd starts secondary in Sept 2018 I am planning to get formal lessons on piano.

Happy Easter everyone!

Thank you ealing, to be honest it's more shamed me that I let it drop, it used to be such a huge part of my life and I'd forgotten how much joy it brings me. Also for the children, DS3 has turned out to be amazingly musical and we never even knew. He played Edelweiss as one of his exam pieces and is in great demand in our village playing to various groups and in chapels because it sounds so lovely. He's known as a sporty boy, always grubby with his hair standing up in spikes, running and playing football so when he stands up with his flute and has such an enchanting tone it really charms the older village ladies . He's starting piano lessons now too but he's already composed his first piece just from playing around and it works perfectly. 4/4 bar structure, 16 bars ending on a tonic chord. No idea how he knew how to do it! Sorry, I get a bit overexcited about it.

DS2 just sits and plays and plays for the love of doing it. We got this honkey tonk piano from someone who was downsizing, it's impossible to tune properly but it was the best thing we ever did! Crammed it in the hall because there was nowhere else to put it and now everyone plays because they can't help themselves when they walk past it. DS1 who is 17 is teaching himself via an app on his phone!

Sorry, babbling excited about music at the moment, it's like finding an old boyfriend and falling in love all over again!

Welcome and well done slant. It's way BETTER than an old boyfriend cause it hasn't gotten old and bold.

Big well done to MrSlant and the youngsters! I love the idea of everyone stopping by the honky-think piano!

Ooh I am loving reading about the Slant family, and glad everyone loves the piano!

Goo is home from NCO - she cried on the way home and refused to speak to any of us for a while, but she's getting over it now and counting down the days again.

Waffle glad Goo had a good time. Ds certainly enjoyed his first NCO experience and was surprisingly normal on the way home ( though he had lost his voice !!) I felt really sorry for him today though as he's exhausted and I had to get him to practice as he has an audition next Monday ( we found out just before he went away) and he hasn't picked the piece he's going to play yet !! I don't think it will finally be decided until his lesson later on this week , but it's a master class type scenario so I'm guessing they have to perform but also be ready to work on bits and improve it in front of their group. We shall see it's amazing he's got to this stage it should be an enjoyable day whatever the outcome

Glad goo and minitrumpet have enjoyed NCO!
How's miniealing enjoying camp?
Deadline to decide on jd looms closer. I feel I have spent the last years of my life researching, filling in applications, forms, emailing and asking for teachers reports, filling in more forms for bursaries, different forms for scholarships, researching some more, taking to exams, penciling auditions, making sure auditions have the right percussion or actually carrying it DH and myself in the car. I am so exhausted. And I get cold shivers thinking university applications are just three years ahead. More research, more forms. And it actually gets more complicated the older he gets because he has to be consulted on everything! Moan is over thank you for listening

Love to hear MrsSlant story and very well done on picking up music again!
Very envy to the NCO students, it might be a forever dream to us!
Drummers: hat off to you! Its so obvious that every person's success there is a whole stroop in the background and for a child there are parents'. We went out with our friends the other day cycling in New Forest. They have a 9 yrs old boy who has been learning violin and piano and trumpet for couple of years and he hasnt got to grade 1 of either instrument. My friend said how come you progressed so fast compare to us. I said only because you havent protitised music as much and you havent put in as much hour and only because I have been sitting down with her 30 mins a day almost every day warm or cold, rainy or sunny, winter or summer. Thats all.
We went to the whole lot of V&A, science, natural museums today then wanted to end our day in Foyles in Covent Garden as usual however Foyles closed today so we stopped in one of the second hand book shops near by and bought few(first time we ever been to any of them).

*Whole troop

Thank you for the lovely welcome everyone! It's amazing to be back in the music community again.

NCO sounds amazing, I loved orchestras so much when I was a teen, between that and choirs I have no idea how I had time to pass exams! How fantastic to get such an experience so young.

Greenleave they have a 9 year old doing three instruments?! What does your DC do? DS3 has only been allowed to start piano (next term) because he showed he was doing well enough on one to take on another. Although we do a LOT of sport, often I put the music on the stairs and he does 5 minutes flute whist I tie his laces and get the rest of his kit ready. He is very good at sports but only because, like you and music, we do sport day in day out whatever the weather. Being good requires commitment and parents who will carry the metaphorical drum kits!

Mine does violin and piano, MrSlant.

Yes, I think the boy is much more academic than us as they focus so much more on it. He is also sporty.

Drummers I feel your pain , green I'm sure your dd will get there she's so young and is doing so well my dd of a similar age is no where near as committed as your dd ( or her brother) and she's still way ahead of most of her peers musically speaking. Welcome mrslant