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.

We've had a successful music practice day today. She did about 45 min this morning and ... an hour and 45 min this evening. I think she suddenly feels motivated when I said she has 7 weeks till the exams begin so theoretically she could get week 1.

It is a lot to practice, all the scales for both clarinet and piano, sight reading for both, all the pieces, practice the bars that need more work and then the rest of the piece....

I didn't even ask her to do so much, that is how much it took to do all that her teachers asked for.

It isn't sustainable for the rest of the week though so we'll have to become more efficient somehow.

Very impressive MrKutik and also miniFleur that practice is a marathon in itself. Loose your DS may soon be charging for party entertainment

Indeed a marathon practice drummers but not sure it can be replicated again till next weekend.

Today I had to register dd for her secondary school exam and MAT. It now feels so real that I hyperventilated when I received the email from her primary school reminding us to do so.

Fleur she will be fine- I think we worry about these things much more than our dc's.

Fleur I tend to react the same way. I get the diary and start making notes of dates, things to sort out, info not to get caught at the last minute. But Trumpet is right... Ans here's a quote for you:
“Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.”

Ooof, been away for a week and no music has occurred whatsoever. Felt very odd being away from the piano. DS3 has his first piano lesson tonight so we are very excited about that. It's going to be hard when he already plays/composes but he HAS to start right at the beginning and get the proper technique, I feel a battle ahead . We get our certificates from last term though so I'm really excited! So between us we will be doing grade 3 piano (me), piano for the joy of it (DS2), grade 2 flute and looking at grade 1 piano as well because he's beyond he prep test already for DS1. No exams this term though so no pressure and just enjoy the music. Then straight out to squad swimming for the youngest two as well. Holidays have been great but it's nice to have the structure back.

Well done that MrKutik...can see where Master K gets it from now! Kutik, if I've give the impression that DD gets the balance just right between swimming and music, then I must have posted on a good day

By the sounds of it, she may have company for G7 piano? Going to try and push back the exam to Autumn with teacher this week. She's caught us all off guard by grasping her pieces quicker than previous, but time to hone them well for this short term with stuff may not work. Just hate the thought of carrying them over through the holidays though, we are a classic household of under/over-cooking if timing's not right!

Fleur you just reminded me to check secondary school open evening which turns out to be this week. Nearly missed it!

Drummers I like that, I should print it and post it around my house, I do feel my stress levels are sky high with DS starting the exams in 3 weeks, dd's music exams and secondary school exams. I know I sound like a broken record but I do find it too much at times.

“Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.” ... and repeat...

Doubleup happy to hear I helped indirectly.

So today's audition went well I think and it seemed like they all had a creative day of music making and ds thoroughly enjoyed himself , now we just wait and see....
oh and ds is definitely doing grade 7 this term just when I thought he could have some pressure free practice, but he seems quite upbeat about it ( so fleur I will stress and worry in the background and he will just get on with it !!)

And thank you for the reassurance Trumpet I do agree that sometimes we stress more than the dcs, a great example is DS who just came through the door after playing some football while I expected him to be revising. He can't see what the big deal is.

Trumpet good luck with both the audition and grade 7.

Well done mini2nd! Time to celebrate!

Great news 2nd and well done to your dd
Thank you fleur

Congrats to mini2nd! Still waiting for results here - 4 weeks tomorrow since dd took her exam....

Well done to Trumpet and 2nd's DCs!

Goo's piano teacher asked if she could enter her for Grade 4 today, and was told ABSOLUTELY NOT. I wasn't there, but I'll support her in that and save myself approximately 60 quid at the same time. Rara's cello teacher was planning to assess her readiness for Grade 3 tomorrow, but Rara seems to have gone off the idea. She just wants to play Harry Potter and True Colours (given to her at orchestra) and is obsessed with her clarinet. Goo did 70 minutes on the flute tonight (partly giving herself a concert, but she is trying) and Rara did 60 minutes of clarinet. Her scales last about 5 seconds, and some of her pieces last about 30 seconds, so she probably played about 100 things! Quite a combination of Paul Harris, Abracadabra, What Else Can I Play?, scales, everything from the Grade 1 book and a passable version of several tunes from the Grade 2 book. Fleur what Disney book do you have? Rara likes the Disney tunes in the What Else books because she knows them, so she might like some more.

well done mini2nd :)

Great news for mini2nd! and well done minitrumpet! Also well done Goo for being assertive.
I have started a grade 5 piano piece today and we'll see how it goes. I am definitely not thinking about doing an exam for a long time - if ever - also I've seen the scales requirements!

of sorry Trumpet - missed you! well done - sounds like ds had a lot of fun as well as a great audition

Loving the idea of Rara just spamming herself with whatever music catches her fancy, surely the whole point of the joy of music? DS3 is now learning from scratch on the piano AND one of my grade 3 pieces at a much, much slower pace than tempo because he loves it and because the difficulty is in the speed not the fingering quite do-able slowly.

Congratulations 2ndSopranos DD, we got our certificates today which are beyond pleasing.

DS2's piano and DS3's flute comments sheets were just lovely for their pieces, nothing lower than 26 for either of them. So insanely happy that they have picked up the love of music. Also very glad I nailed my scales or I'd have had the lowest mark because my pieces were hampered by nerves and were around 24-26. Would have been ridiculously gutted if they'd both done loads better than me.

Welldone mini2nd!
Trumpet: hope you will have the offer you wanted!
Fleur: I feel for you! its an important term for you, fingers crossed for everything. The application for secondary is scary.
I didnt get home before 7pm today so missed seeing our teacher. I was told that they chose A and B pieces. Th

Hit the post button too fast. Anyway, wanted to say we had some violin practice today as I roared...I was just stressed with work and everything else and I think she could see it. Then we ate alot of water melon together to destress, hopefully there are not too many loo trip tonight!

30 min on clarinet and an hour on piano tonight. Still good but didn't get a chance to practice any scales on piano. She needs to polish the pieces but I'm sure she'll get there. And the sight reading... she's obsessed to correct the wrong notes so she doesn't keep the rhythm. No matter how many times I explain to her she just can't, she will not continue until she first corrects the error. It will be a lottery in the exam, sometimes she plays it really really well, sometimes is a disaster.

Waffle these are the books we have. The first one the teacher says is around grade 3+ the second is easier. Dd loves both, she played more tunes from the first one though.

Disney Movie Hits - Clarinet (Book/CD) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0634000942/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gyN.ybWND7H7J?tag=mumsnetforum-21

EASY DISNEY FAVORITES FOR CLARINET CLT BOOK/CD www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0634006061/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KzN.ybWCYE2J4?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Thanks Fleur! The blue book looks familiar... we had the flute version when Goo was little. I think Rara would enjoy that one and be able to play some of them right away, so I might get that now, and the other one next year.