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Extra-curricular activities

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

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July Music Thread

999 replies

Wafflenose · 01/07/2017 00:12

I was celebrating the end of a VERY busy week with a glass of Wine and realised it's now just past midnight, and therefore July! Have a new thread!

The music threads are for ALL musicians, young and old, beginners and advanced, and every style of music!

I have two DDs, Goo (11) who is currently stropping and eye-rolling her way through her last few weeks at primary school, and Rara (9) who is funny and creative. Goo is working towards Grade 8 Flute, and has been playing the piano for just over a year. She is refusing to take any exams or perform on it though. Rara has her Grade 3 Cello exam coming up soon, and is just moving beyond Grade 2 Clarinet now. Both played the recorder from age 3/4 and got to a really good level, but other than helping out with my school groups, they don't really play any more - they are particularly obsessed with the flute and clarinet.

I am a teacher of woodwind - currently about 80 recorder pupils (many group taught) in two schools, plus two private flute pupils and six private clarinet pupils.

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violinandpiano · 07/07/2017 14:24

Mistigri， thanks very much. Now I have no worries and choose to believe the teacher.

We have learned piano for 3 years and only have one teacher. She does not recommend her student to do exam, so we always have no idea about my DD's level. She does not like us to ask her as well, so we only can check these pieces level to guess. The teacher is very confident and only once replied to us" I will bring your DD to very high level".

Kutik73 · 07/07/2017 14:30

StarStarStar to miniMisti & minigilly!

Easter Smile to drummers and earling!

violinandpiano, sounds like your DD can just trust her teacher!

Oh and, very warm welcome to Charis!

Mendingfences · 07/07/2017 15:14

Charis - dd1 enjoyed spring Song by Frank bridge for practising vibrato. Not too long either and good for experimenting with expression. Should be very approachable at post grade 5 i would think

Mistigri · 07/07/2017 16:29

violinandpiano sounds a lot like my DD's teacher. She took her as a near beginner two years ago, with the aim of getting her to (the equivalent of) post grade 8 level in three years (DD was an older beginner, she only has one year left at school).

DD's teacher sets her repertoire of quite varied difficulty, some objectively quite "difficult" (Schubert impromptus and Chopin études this year), some intended more to develop musicality and interpretation. It probably hasn't been the most rounded musical education, because of the relatively short time she has been playing and her relatively limited repertoire, but by the time she leaves school and stops lessons, DD will be able to "play the piano".

drummersmum · 07/07/2017 17:09

Aaaaahhhhj. He cut his finger in the other hand slicing a loaf of bread. Disinfected, put plaster. Is this starting to sound like a Pink Panther comedy?

Fleurdelise · 07/07/2017 17:19

OMG drummers not very lucky is he? Sad is it serious or will he be able to take the exam.

Welcome Charis!

Waffle sorry to hear Goo has such a friend to make lose her confidence, it must be hard to deal with it. We have a similar situation, Dd has pulled back from the friendship in the last year. Now I have a bit of a dilemma as dd doesn't want to invite her to her birthday sleepover and I am in fact friends with the mum (who is similar to her dd but I am an adult and I know how to deal with it).

drummersmum · 07/07/2017 17:26

fleur he can still play. Says the plaster in one hand and the dressing in the other hinders his playing. So he'll go at it bare skin.

ealingwestmum · 07/07/2017 17:40

I get the impression that no amount of derailing is going to stop Drummer's boy in his tracks Grin. Was this the deferred G8 exam Drummers or was that drums/percussion that's now history?

drummersmum · 07/07/2017 17:45

That was percussion. It's history Grin

Kutik73 · 07/07/2017 17:49

I can almost hear Rambo theme song in the back ground, drummers.

Kutik73 · 07/07/2017 17:52

Sorry, I meant Rocky theme song...

Icouldbeknitting · 07/07/2017 18:27

I can hear "Mission Impossible" playing. In years to come you'll look back on this and laugh drummersmum, it will just take time.

drummersmum · 07/07/2017 18:47

Grin This thread's the best.

Mistigri · 07/07/2017 23:25

drummers perhaps he will get some extra sympathy points if he bleeds all over the piano Grin.

Very good luck to him.

Minimusiciansmama · 08/07/2017 05:38

Good luck today Drummers

Trumpetboysmum · 08/07/2017 06:04

Good luck today Drummers
Waffle poor Goo girls can be so unkind Dd has a particularly difficult time at school with certain girls in her class and I'm looking forward to her being able to make a much wider circle of friends at high school. Hopefully that will do the trick for Goo. ( oh and great SATS marks that's pretty amazing !!)
Welcome to all the newcomers Smile

troutsprout · 08/07/2017 06:45

Sorry to hear about the hand drummers .. hope it goes well today
Waffle..secondary school is as much about a chance to move away from people as meeting new ones isn't it?. I remember that Dd had such a great transition week at hers that she hated going back to Primary for the end of it.

Fleurdelise · 08/07/2017 08:37

drummers good luck for today I am sure he'll do great! And yes, bleeding all over the piano for special effects may also help Grin

Well then, just spoken to my dd's piano teacher about the clarinet lessons moving to the music service. There are only 33 lessons in a year which means 19 weeks remain uncovered. That is a lot of time without lessons. A lot! So I am not certain I will move dd after all. Grrrrr I hate making these decissions.

LooseAtTheSeams · 08/07/2017 09:09

Good luck today Drummers make sure the examiner gets a good look at those poor damaged hands and realised how brace he is!
Well done Goo - that SATS result is amazing. I am so sorry about the so-called friend but I'm sure secondary is going to be completely different. DS1 had an absolute nightmare with one girl at primary school until I found out and told his teacher. I think I've mentioned before another girl who was annoying him but that was a whole different trying to get his attention dynamic! Actually, that little girl turned out to be a star - she quashed someone who was being poisonous to another girl by handing her party invite back! (Small private school, quite intense atmosphere so quite brave to take a stand).
Bit of drama at school for DS1 yesterday resulting in his first ever detention. I'm less bothered about the detention than what led up to it but won't go into details until we've had a chance to talk to the school.
On a happier note, he's playing with his band at Wimbledon on Thursday and I'm going to be there to see him - yay!Smile

drummersmum · 08/07/2017 09:36

Thanks everyone. It's tomorrow. I will carry the good wishes to the next day.

drummersmum · 08/07/2017 09:38

Oh loose the Wimbledon thing is going to be amazing

Doubleup · 08/07/2017 09:48

Drummers good luck to your DS for the exam today!

Waffle DD1 had a similar issue at school with unpleasant and controlling behaviour. Her main 'friend' often thought people were being mean to her and would go off in a huff. DD never took sides but would be there to shore the friend up, although said friend would quite often cut her dead. Culminated in Y6 with the friend inviting people to her birthday party that she had only become friends with through DD, not inviting DD, but then talking about planning the party in front of DD. None of the others realised that DD hadn't been invited. It still stings 3 years down the line.

I was so pleased that DD didn't go to the same school as her as she would have used DD as a crutch and then dropped her like a hot potato when she found someone she thought was 'better'. As it is, DD was the only one from her year to go to her current school where she now has a wider group of friends who are all supportive of each other. And the bonus is that we like them all too! Changing schools was the making of her. Wishing Goo all the best!

Minimusiciansmama · 08/07/2017 10:19

fleur my girls JD lessons will be 35 weeks- her current teacher has already said to them she'll hear her play & keep an eye on her through the holidays, kind of supervised practise/some fun music exploring. Even if they were at full time music school, they would be home for the holidays away from their teachers, I guess.

LooseAtTheSeams · 08/07/2017 10:41

Drummers glad he's got another day to recover a bit more! Smile

LooseAtTheSeams · 08/07/2017 10:50

Fleur just saw your post about the borough lessons. That's the headache we have with DS2's lessons, especially cello. His teacher is great and enforces technique well but we just don't get enough lessons! I am actually thinking of booking some ad hoc lessons over the holidays for him at the music school where I learn piano because the summer break is too long otherwise.
But the other way to look at it is maybe do a music summer school?
Last summer he worked through cello sprinters on his own, which turned out to be very beneficial but I'm thinking I could get someone to bring him up to speed on the scales for grade 5. He finds them hard so doesn't play them much!
Of course, I haven't mentioned this plan to DS2 and he may rebel!Smile

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