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.

Fleur all sounds good for the exam I have also paid but fear that at present ds is very unprepared

Sorry, I have been so absent that the thread is nearly full!

DS2 (clarinet) got his braces off yesterday! His teeth look lovely, but I keep doing a double-take every time I see him, because I was so used to seeing him with braces.

I don't feel dd is prepared either Trumpet but then I never feel she's prepared. And I think with both piano and clarinet I feel these exams are such a milestone.

I remember when her piano teacher said to me last year that she thinks dd will be ready to do grade 5 at the age of 9 I thought she is joking and then Waffle said to me last year when dd started clarinet that she may be grade 3 a year later.

I know it isn't about grades and I know that there are 9 yo out there on grade 8 or with diplomas but on a personal level I still remember the day she started playing the piano when she was a tiny 6yo playing little one note pieces and for some reason grade 5 stuck to my head, I used to say that if she gets to grade 5 then she is good enough to play for pleasure and she can give up the lessons.

And here we are...

PS apologies for my nostalgic post.

No I totally agree fleur exams do become milestones. Ds's problem wont be the pieces it's just the speed with which he's progressing ( grade 3 to 7 in 2 years ) which means that when it comes to exams there's always catch up to play. so we will just see and hope his teachers right

grade 3 to 7 in 2 years
The same here, Trumpet. DS did grade 3 two years ago and now thinking of grade 7 this year. DS likes to take the exam as he is not noting the effort he needs to put in for the preparation.

I, on the other hand, think things more carefully and need to see if he really needs to do it at this stage of his life.

He is studying violin not piano at jd from September. So I'm hesitating to fix any plan for piano for now.

Got DD1's certificate and mark sheet last night. Finally got her to admit that she now appreciates that learning your scales can make a big difference - that's a milestone for us! She's had distinction in oboe before, but not since G2, always getting a solid merit and letting herself down on scales. 19/21 on her scales helped to balance her aural which wasn't so good and she scraped a distinction with 130. I think the examiner may have bumped her aural up a mark to ensure she got there (thank you!) Still, a distinction is a distinction and it doesn't give the mark on the certificate.

Trumpet quick progress here also, grade 5 piano after 3 and a half years of piano and grade 3 clarinet after 1 year. I think this is where my nostalgic post came from, when she started, 3 years ago, I envisage grade 5 as a "when she's 12-13" kind of thing which was good as I felt I was prepared to let go and if she wanted to give up she had good enough skills to play something on the piano as an adult.

The idea that she'll probably leave primary school on at least grade 6 piano (even though her piano teacher has these crazy ideas so I won't be shocked if she says grade 7 next year) and probably grade 5 clarinet is "wow" to me.

Bear in mind that dd doesn't have musical kids at that level in her class or school and the school doesn't care so it is an even bigger achievement.

Double a distinction is a distinction 🙂

Any point is worth scoring, I am not hoping for a distinction in dd's exams more so as she does them the same day and it will be probably hard to have everything nailed in both instruments at the same time but I am pushing for all avenues, scales, sight reading in particular.

se22 sorry I meant to reply and I forgot, if the certificate is not shown anywhere at school or in public and there is another exam in the autumn then I personally wouldn't bother. I always have this thing where I consider a higher grade certificate "cancels" the lower grade one if that makes sense.

Oh and sorry if my post appears show off, it really isn't meant like that, it is just my expectations were so much lower.

When dd started learning her piano teacher "lectured" me to warn me that she doesn't like parents who push for grades after grades without repertoire and if that is what I am after she's not the right teacher. She then proceeded to give me a rough timeline, around 18-24 months to grade 1 and then a grade a year if the child is practising but there are exceptions, if a child doesn't practice much it takes longer and if a child is musical the progress is faster. So obviously I've set my heart on the normal average progress which would have now put dd somewhere around grade 2. And there we are...

Fleur you are allowed to show off here!! And I totally get where you are coming from we aren't particularly musical, ds's primary school apart from providing whole class lessons on trumpet for a year were rubbish ( music at secondary is much better thank goodness) and I had no expectations whatsoever when ds started . In fact when he mentioned doing his grade 3 I was really surprised ( I hated music exams myself) but here we are, who knows where ds's musical journey may take him next ( or he may turn into a stroppy transfer and give up) but he's learnt loads and is now good enough to play in orchestras etc and enjoy music so that suits me fine

Double a distinction is a fantastic achievement whatever the mark !!

That was supposed to say stroppy teenager!

Thanks Trumpet!

Well dd's school doesn't offer any music lessons at all as "it takes time away from the academic teaching". Well I can say the same about swimming but they have done 2 years of that (which I do appreciate as I find it important).

Last year at the Christmas play they sang Christmas carols (year 5&6) and at one point the teacher who was playing the piano swapped with a yr 6 kid who played a very easy arrangement on the piano. It was lovely. However there's been no "audition" to give all the kids learning an instrument a chance to perform. It's one of those schools that unless the parent pushes to "show off" their musical kid they don't actually care.

I've decided come September I'll approach the head teacher and "show off" dd's achievements as they celebrate sports "X got a medal in gymnastics/swimming/dancing" but they never celebrate any musical achievements.

Right off to clarinet lesson, I can't believe how much I've posted here today. Sorry

Yeah Fleur, using all the posts that have to last us until Monday!

On the musical children front, I would still say that DD1 is musical, but her teacher has made her do every grade, usually about two terms apart. Not one of the high fliers that many are here. DD2 didn't seem particularly different, starting on a mini bassoon aged 8 in a group lesson. When she grew taller than the others and switched to a bigger instrument, she ended up having individual lessons and with the teacher giving her huge amounts of different music to play ended up doing her first exam (G4) 16 months after starting on the mini bassoon. A year later and she is preparing for G7! Where did that come from?! I'm still not convinced that she is mature enough for it - both physically and emotionally. Need to have a word with the teacher.....

fleur our secondary school was the same with sports - if X plays for the county in Y sport then it deserves a mention on the school website and in assembly but making a county (or even national) music ensemble is not worth a mention. It's behind us now but it was really annoying at the time.

I am hoping the secondary school will be more supportive as all the schools we're looking at offer places on music aptitude so fingers crossed.

Primary schools are required to get children to a basic level in swimming, so...

DD's primary were a bit like that, expect it was based on the HT's quite stupid brand of social experimentation. One one hand the promise of a good peri was a factor in why she went there, but the school were experts at talking down anything above average and by upper-KS2 she refused to take anything to their weekly 'achievement assembly'.

Not that I cared a whit about 'Here's my shiny certificate [now clap for the 27th time this morning]". I wanted her to have a go at inspiring some of those doting little 'Reception Buddies' who used to run over to hug her every morning i.e. perform a piano piece, or give a little presentation on scary climbing with giggles getting one of the little ones into the climbing gear, or house captains looking silly in a quick fig-8 knot tying competition etc. Perhaps I'm wrong but my theory is that peer influence is a strong force and having someone in your immediate life, especially your big friend at school, doing something will make it seem much less distant and much more possible.

Secondary Music folk inevitably get wind of her grades and embarass DD by announcing them in assembly. Deep down she likes it though and approval from someone with a good understanding of what she achieved is quite helpful.

DS was lucky to attend a lovely primary where music was very appreciated. They had regular lunchtime concerts. DH and I made several trips to it with the drum kit in the car till they repaired their old kit. He was a hero when he rocked on it. When he was seven years old his class mates asked him for autographs. When I picked up in the afternoon I found the teacher dying of laughter. In Y6 the Head came to me celebrating the music scholarship, she was so excited for him. We were so lucky!!!! And his secondary sometimes feels like a specialist music school, it's just non-stop as long as you want to.

We went to a concert today. The boy who my DS adores dearly performed. He was absolutely delightfully musical. Like some of your DCs, DS goes to the school with pretty poor musical provision (although he is fortunate to be in a class with a few musical kids). Knowing this boy has been an absolute gem for DS. It's so nice to have someone who he can look up. Sometimes a real child has more impact than a famous figure.

Just missed your post, drummers. My DS may ask your DS for autographs also when he gets to know him personally! DS is a kind boy who cannot hide admiration!!

Ha ha, I think there will be more people worthy of admiration at jd than DS, Kutik. Get ready for it!!

Your DS is worthy of admiration!!!!

According to DS2, 130 is the best grade to get in a ABRSM practical exam. He says you get the kudos of a distinction with no 'wasted' effort.

drummers I'd ask your DS for his autograph to be fair, I know I'll learn his name at some point.

TheSecond I like the reasoning!