July Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

I was celebrating the end of a VERY busy week with a glass of 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.

Very well done to your DS drummersmum that is excellent!

Wowee Drummerboy - three grade 8 distinctions! He is brilliant! Is he still only 15?

No Waffle, he is 25, didn't you know that?

drummers, your boy may deserve some sips of champagne! What's a star, he is!

Just out of interest, and because I am tragically aware of money matters, what do you think the average cost of getting to Grade 8 is? Obs there would be differences in the timescale for lots of children.

I am starting to wonder, with two DDs, youngest about to start violin (have the books already, yeah!) and would also probably do piano like her sister.

DD is on 3/4 rented violin (lovely old instrument), and her teacher originally said sometime ago that when she needs a full size one (around 12) I would need to spend around £500. But last week this has been revised up to £1,500/£2,000. Apart from the money (!), I was thrilled, as DD must be good enough for such an instrument. I think. But maybe that isn't a lot for a good violin, I have no idea.

I currently drive a car worth less than that..

If you take £30/hr average lesson price (sometimes less sometimes more as you start with 30 min lessons and then increase to 1hr) over 40 weeks a year at a progress of one grade per year, so 8 years in total, it will be close to £10k.

On top of that instruments cost so I would say £15-£20k

Per instrument!

Omg did I really do the maths? I may cancel lessons now and start saving!

Niggle that is par for the course. My dd has a 1/2 worth £700 or so which is in keeping with her peers.....I've just read Gone, now the violin in that is worth serious money

niggle Omg I have never started to count because I would have a cardiac arrest at the final sum. In our case if it wasn't for his music scholarship, well nothing of this would've happened. We just couldn't afford it.
waffle he is 15 and was nowhere near Goo's flute level at 11 and even Rara's g3 at 7 I am so sure Rara will be fine btw. I am beginning to think some children cry after exams as a way to release the tension. They're probably not aware themselves. Because it's so common...

Oh callme about your DD exam I agree with ealing. I can just imagined how you felt when you heard the music stop though! It will be OK.

Oh my god Drummers, miniDrummers is such a star!!! Such a wonderful news for the wonderful results. Proud is a super modest word!!!

Yep Drummers, you and he have every right to feel proud!

Well done to miniLouey and I'm sure that those who had exams today will be just fine!

Just back from DD2's last bassoon lesson of the term. She spent the lesson going through the NCO purple patches. The teacher then came out for a chat saying that they are incredibly hard for U11 and that there are more of them (and they are harder) than for the Main orchestra! She has had a lot of her pupils do NCO over the years and says that she "could count on two fingers" the number that would breeze through it. She thinks that all 3 of her pupils that are doing U11 this year (3/4 of the bassoon section) are likely to struggle a bit even though they are all around Grade 6 to 7. No break for us over the summer then!

Got the certificates finally. I am so proud at the sight reading improvement dd made from grade 3 last year when she got 11 marks (she's a memoriser) compared to grade 5 where she got 17. The comments say she identified the key signature, rhythm and articulations. If she wouldn't have stumbled on her pieces she would have been a high Merit which reflects what her teacher expected. The comments are very good but reflect the stumbles in pieces, it talks about beautiful dynamics and mood realisation but the mark reflects the stop start. She didn't even get a low pass as she expected so all well and a happy bunny.

Clarinet comments reflect what you told me by PM Waffle she did get a merit but indeed mentioned tone control. Funnily enough she got a merit due to the dynamics and articulation in her pieces.

Thanks all, and well done to drummers boy, amazing result!!!! Well done to all the kids, practical exams are very tough!

fleur really good on the sight-reading. And the stops you know it was nerves and doesn't reflect her playing. She should feel very pleased.

Fleur bet she is really happy now! Well done to her, once again.

Drummers Rara recently turned 9, but yes, she's doing well. She's not NCO material or anything - so many string players seem to be Grade 5-8 at a similar age!! - but she didn't start ultra young, and doesn't bust a gut with practice. Her teacher thinks she has great posture and a lovely bow hold, but she falls apart on big occasions. I think she will fail the scales but pass the exam!

Ooh I just remembered, she did get a Grade 3 last year, on the recorder. She wants to do Grade 3 clarinet next year, to get them all in line. Ha ha!

Thanks Drummers and Waffle. She wasn't bothered with the piano pieces because knew she made the mistakes but when her teacher read the sight reading comments and praised her she was over the moon. She only said once "couldn't I have got 3 more points to get a merit?" Her teacher put her mind at rest asking her if this was the worse exam experience she ever had. Dd agreed and her teacher then explained that is how hard work and dedication shows, on a bad experience and disaster exam you still pass with quite a high mark.

She got home, framed her certificates, and the declared "piano is my life".

Drummers I hope you'll still be around even when notsominidrummer leaves the nest to go to Uni so you can list for me my stressful music exam timeline and put my mind at rest.

Aww @ "Piano is my life"! You can tell her that the national average score is 117.

Good to know Waffle. She's still changing her mind on and off about exams, today was the "I don't think I'll take exams anymore". I said she'll decide when the time comes there's no point to talk about it now.

piano is my life
How sweet is that.

Well done to all the juniors out there, some amazing stories and results, you should all be so proud of them.
I love these threads and for those who aren't necessarily surrounded by children having music lessons it helps to put into perspective that children throughout the country and indeed the world are practising to become proficient.

Just getting over a bad bout of a fluey like cold, so we haven't done much recently, apart from our trip to Llangollen Eisteddfod which was amazing . we have Llandudno Jazz festival at the end of the month, but feeling ultra guilty as can't afford a holiday abroad this year.
We are saving for verona next year, for the Opera season.

Wow gilly jazz fest sounds just like my kind of holiday not to mention Verona next year....Enjoy!

Fellow music mums-in-arms, there's some' new on the channel and it´s funky.

Well done Drummers!! Amazing talent.

Just dipping in from hols - Gilly we are headed to verona this summer but only for one concert. Our first time - we did find hat you need to book cheaper accom v early rap if you want to be close to the arena (in case you haven't booked yet)

Gilly enjoy Llandudno, it will be lovely!
Had a lovely time at Wimbledon tennis watching DS1 play bass in his concert band. Fantastic kids all of them and a great preparation for their trip to France next week!
Fleur - loved your dd's response to her sight-reading triumph! Well done to her!

Thanks guys, I will have to remind her next time she's frustrated she can't do something during practice and she shouts "I hate it!"

drummers you know I am your DS's fan anyway but he is so so good! I hope I get first row tickets when he'll perform at the Royal Albert Hall.