Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

May Music Thread

784 replies

Wafflenose · 01/05/2017 15:59

Hello, and welcome to the May thread. It's a public holiday in the UK, but my school is open and I had to work today, which is why I've only just got round to it! This is a place for parents of musicians of ALL levels, and adult learners, to chat about lessons, practice, scales, concerts, exams, and whatever else they'd like to! We have lots of regulars, some occasional posters, and sometimes people who just pop in to ask a question. It's a friendly place.

I have two daughters. Goo is 11 and in her last term at primary school. She's working towards her Grade 8 Flute (some time next year) and playing from the Grade 4 Piano book (currently refusing to take any exams, and putting off the first proper performance!). Rara is 8, may or may not be doing Grade 3 Cello this term, and is approaching Grade 2 Clarinet.

Both of them played the recorder for years, starting as preschoolers. They reached Grades 7 and 3 respectively, but sadly neither has really played since the music festival a few months ago. They are obsessed with their Flute and Clarinet, and really enjoy Piano and Cello. There won't be many opportunities to play the recorder at the secondary school they will attend, so much as I love it, it's probably a good time to quietly drop it. Recorder has given them both lots of opportunities, confidence, reading skills... and festival prizes!

Goo does NCO and South West Music School. Rara isn't that level at all when it comes to music, but is gifted with her hands. Instead of practising the cello and doing her school spellings today, she completed a lovely sewing kit without bothering to look at the instructions, and also made a lovely crafty construction from card and coloured paper. Both girls are keen on drawing and playing computer games. Rara swims and Goo plays sodding netball and dodgeball, which have both been responsible for multiple injuries over the past few months!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Fleurdelise · 30/05/2017 14:32

Welcome back Misti and good luck to your dd tomorrow! Happy to hear news from you. Smile

Kutik73 · 30/05/2017 17:14

Hello Ladies! Just to let you know kutik family is enjoying the surprised holiday in Cornwall! No much music I'm afraid. Instead we are enjoying golfing, body boarding, rock pooling, fishing... I brought a roll-up piano and violin just in case, but no sure if we have time for any practice! Luckily both piano and violin teachers never expect their pupils to practise during holiday so we won't be in any trouble.

disorganised, not sure if our experience is of any help but just wanted to say DS has never done any violin exam. He did a few with piano but violin is his first study so more important. So far we haven't had any problem with it and to my eyes he is progressing very well and very happily (free from exam related stress). Smile

Fleurdelise · 30/05/2017 17:18

Omg what's a roll up piano?!Shock (off to google)

Fleurdelise · 30/05/2017 17:19

Sorry, enjoy your holiday kutik family, I am under shock to hear piano practice can happen on holiday Grin

Kutik73 · 30/05/2017 17:37

Fleur, if you google it you will see lots of different models and grades. We have one with a pedal. It's not great, but ok with sight reading or scale practice. I must say it's more like a toy for DS. He loves making mad noise with it....

drummersmum · 30/05/2017 21:34

I'd never seen it in my entire life 😧🎹

drummersmum · 30/05/2017 21:49

fleur and Icould when did you DC have to choose A levels options? Before Easter? And what have they chosen - this second question is just being nosey and interested Grin

Greenleave · 30/05/2017 21:50

Hello Mistigri, nice to hear from you, best of luck with your moving.

Have a lovely time Kutik! (And I just googled roll up piano too).

Icouldbeknitting · 30/05/2017 22:26

If DS had stopped at school he would have chosen his A levels in the December before he took his GCSEs. They had option blocks so the
choices were limited by what could be timetabled. As they didn't offer A level music among the options he looked elsewhere and ended up at a much larger sixth form college. When he went for the interview in March he said what A levels he would like to take, the students had a two day taster session after the GCSEs had finished based around their choices. When he enrolled in August he made a firm decision as to his choices. As it is a much larger set up they run multiple classes in the more popular subjects so there are no option blocks and less chance of a subject clash.

He chose music for obvious reasons, law because it looked interesting and english because I strongly advised something that he could teach at GCSE. It was a close thing between english, history and biology but he didn't fancy dissecting fish and when he looked at what they would be covering in history he decided that english was the least worst option. He also took music technology to AS, when he starts back next week that will fall from his timetable.

So far it has all much more laid back than the grind of GCSE, he has hours of free time (or "study periods" as the college and I like to call it) and the exam period has been positively chilled compared to last year.

Icouldbeknitting · 30/05/2017 22:26

and I looked at roll up keyboards too

Fleurdelise · 30/05/2017 22:30

Kutik found quite a few on Amazon, going on my wish list.

drummers definitely before Easter, the offer came through mid March so if I remember right the application was done in February. He can still change it though in September.

DS chose Biology, Geography, Business studies and English as back up. He now thinks he'll give up geography seeing that his strong subjects are the sciences (predicted A*/A in all of them). He has no clue of a career path so it is more around what he is enjoying to study.

I am finding hard to hold my nerves with dd, one of her pieces is still rubbish and I am slowly panicking, tonight we decided to break it down into small bits to get it better. It was supposed to be the easiest one. Hmm

Slow Air and Summertime sound pretty good, I'll record her next week and send it to any of you wanting to hear her.

Clarinet is also flakey, she squeaks randomly in the middle of her pieces. Confused

Oh God, I'll be rocking in a corner on the 13th seeing that DS has a maths exam and dd her music ones same day.

Fleurdelise · 30/05/2017 22:35

Icouldbe how is he finding English? DS is seriously considering it but I am laughing about it as he started secondary with maths strong subject (sats level 6 end of primary) and weak subject English and now it seems like it is the other way around due to the new maths GCSEs. He got an 8 in English mocks but 4 in maths. Shock

Shall I tell DS to stay away from English or is it achievable?

foundoutyet · 30/05/2017 22:46

We also had to chose well before easter but I think some changes possible in sept. ha Fleurdelise, dc has also chosen two sciences and geography. But after his last geo exam not sure of an A* so thinking about English.....

raspberryrippleicecream · 30/05/2017 23:50

I also googled roll up pianos.

DD had to choose Jan/ Feb before her GCSEs. She is enjoying English Lit, despite some problems with teachers and is really looking forward to writing a book comparison for course work next year.

She is also doing French, History, Maths and Further Maths and will drop both Maths, hopefully as soon as she goes back after study leave.

I've just pre-ordered Hamilton easy piano for a reward after her AS exams.

Mistigri · 31/05/2017 00:04

I am finding hard to hold my nerves with dd, one of her pieces is still rubbish and I am slowly panicking, tonight we decided to break it down into small bits to get it better. It was supposed to be the easiest one. hmm

Two weeks ago DD hadn't finished her compulsory piece and the second half of the Debussy was still shaky. What I have her do with longer pieces when she has a deadline is to break it down into chunks starting from the end and working backwards to the beginning (because inevitably the start of a longer piece gets played more during the early stages of practice). We then gradually add chunks onto the front of what she has already worked on. Maybe that would help your DD?

DD found her supposedly easier piece (the contemporary one) the hardest, probably because she doesn't like it that much and it's harder to memorise (because it basically does not have anything resembling a tune).

She usually plays better when performing so I am keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow, as none of the pieces is really stress-proof. She won't get a distinction (called "félicitations du jury" here - it's a jury not a single examiner) but I would be surprised if she didn't pass.

In other news, her other music school was recently approached by the French version of The Voice for potential candidates, so they put forward DD and two other students ... Heard tonight that DD has been selected for the regional heats. Mixed feelings as a parent but she wants to do it so we will support her.

School choices so much easier here ... DD has to opt for one speciality in her final year (she is taking maths) but she doesn't get to drop anything, and DS going into senior high just has to choose two "taster" options (he is taking engineering and economics).

LooseAtTheSeams · 31/05/2017 07:29

I realised to my horror this morning that I'd done no practice for a week - got up early and did about 45 minutes and just about regained where I was a week ago!
Misti lovely to hear from you and best of luck to your dd!
Kutik I have googled roll up pianos - you learn something every day!
Fleur I feel some of your pain - when DS2 and the piano briefly meet up at the moment some familiar mistakes have crept back in. I have to loom over him to make him focus on the tricky bits.
Would love to hear your dd again!
A level choices at our school are made in December of Y11 and forms go in for January. However, if DS1 is interested in one particular sixth form college he'd have to make a provisional decision in September! DS1 doesn't like making decisions!

Trumpetboysmum · 31/05/2017 07:46

Good luck to your ds today Misti. Hang on in there fleur I'm sure she'll be fine ( I think we worry more than they do) ds still has some real issues about sight transposition but he seems to be taking it in his stride and can see that he's made progress ( even if it's not enough progress to do particularly well in this section in the exam Grin)

Fleurdelise · 31/05/2017 08:06

foundout good luck with the remaining GCSEs it feels like we're on a hamster wheel doesn't it? DS did 11 exams and only completed three subjects, 12 more exams to take in the next couple of weeks with the hardest towards the end of week two.

raspberry that's a long string of subjects, is she doing AS as well? No more AS for DS so whatever he's choosing he'll have to keep as he can't drop any at AS. I think I'll tell him to stay clear of English I can't see DS writing a book. He can barely have the patience to write a shopping list. Grin

Misti good advice thank you. We'll follow it as I did notice last night it is the second part of the piece that the tempo isn't right, to be fair I did tell her to break it into small chunks, in phrasing. Good luck today and good luck with the voice selection, I know why you have mixed feelings but it would be an achievement.

I decided last night that we'll ease off on exams after this one, I want dd (and she agrees) to do more festivals, learn more pieces she really likes and take an exam in a couple of years time be it grade 6/7/8, whichever she's ready for without trying to fit it all in.

We have an establish festival in the area won in the past by BBC young musicians finalists, dd's piano teacher wants her to do it but she needs to be at least grade 6 level, preferably towards 7/8 to stand a chance. So we'll work towards that as well

Pradaqueen · 31/05/2017 08:13

OMG! Roll up pianos - how did I not know?! Last year I hired a music room on holiday in Dubai in a music college and got a taxi each way every day for miniprada to practice her G5 pieces as her exam was supposed to be when we got back (then she damaged her fingers and we had to move it) I think in all it cost me around £250 for the week 😱 As it was Ramadan and so no public music allowed and she couldn't use the hotel piano. If only I'd had one of those!!

Fleurdelise · 31/05/2017 08:14

Loose when are you planning your next exam? When is your DS2 taking the next one, is it this session? Completely forgot.

Trumpet you are so right, we do worry more than they do, her piano teacher tells me I have nothing to worry about but I feel like banging my head on a wall when I hear that particular piece. She won't get any special results (merit/distinction) unless she magically improves in the next two weeks, I had to explain that to her to avoid disappointment.

Anybody has any experience with music lessons taken at the local music service? I am tempted to switch dd's clarinet lessons to the county music schools, still one to one lessons, she's in the wind band with them and I think it would help her more to have it all in one place, as in the teachers doing the wind band being her clarinet teacher too. Not sure of the quality of lessons though.

Fleurdelise · 31/05/2017 08:17

Prada the things we do for our dcs music development! Grin

Luckily this year we couldn't go on holiday this half term as DS has his GCSEs otherwise we usually go to Cornwall for the week. Only the thought we could have been in Cornwall now with no access to a practice piano and the exam in less than two weeks makes me shiver.

ealingwestmum · 31/05/2017 08:22

Hope today goes well for your DD Misti; and for the forthcoming voice audition!

Mistigri · 31/05/2017 08:22

Fleur you never know, sometimes it just all comes together. Two weeks ago I really didn't think DD would be ready (and she lost four days' practice because she went to see her boyfriend in Paris!). Now she can at least play the pieces even if they aren't perfect.

I'd never heard of roll-up pianos but tbh now she had a decent acoustic pinao DD doesn't like playing on anything else because it feels too different.

ealingwestmum · 31/05/2017 08:26

Nothing much going on here other than revising for year end exams, 90 mins music practise then 2 hours swim training each day. She's even fitting in some Netflix down time so all is harmonious in the house...for now...

foundoutyet · 31/05/2017 09:09

Struggling a bit with practice here, as dc1 is still in bed in the mornings, and as I know he has been revising late at night I don't want him to be woken up.....

ha ha, I also looked up roll up pianos.