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.

I hadn't realised that random hotel rooms would have to be added to the music budget.

another to wonder about waiting for theory till Jan....

Music budget; spending the day in another city with dc2 while dc3 is at a music event (which included lunch, museum entrance fees, shopping....)

Thanks all, looks like we need to be patient on results then

DS2's tips for learning theory:

1. Work through the ABRSM workbook, asking a teacher to mark it and explain where you went wrong.

1. Write the musical terms on flash cards and learn them.

1. Then buy a few past papers and do one each week, asking your teacher to mark it and explain where you went wrong.

I've followed this thread for a long time now, rather intermittently, but thought I'd add an interesting comparison of ABRSM and Trinity from our experience. I entered my grandson for ABRSM Tuba Grade 3 and Trinity Oboe Grade 5. He's only been playing the tuba since last Christmas, but has made rapid progress. The scales were the only concern, as he has some memory problems (and tuba scales, playing from the bass clef, are not by any means straightforward: F# major at Grade 3!). The two pieces I accompanied went really well and I hoped that 27/30 for the pieces would compensate for a poor scales mark to give a Merit overall. But sadly no - 11/21 for scales and only Merit marks everywhere else, so a high Pass overall. Nearly two weeks for the result. Oboe - there had been awful last minute reed problems (typical of the instrument) and ensuing technical and other tone problems, but he was well prepared. Scale option not chosen. There were struggles with the sound and some slips in the pieces I heard but - 76 overall, so Merit! And results in 24 hours (no mark breakdown as yet though). Trinity for us from now on - friendlier, nicer venue and piano, and a mark scheme that seems to give due credit. I'd suspected this from previous experiences with both board, but this has rather confirmed it!

Goo's tips for learning theory (tongue in cheek):

Work through the work books, one page per day, in school holidays only.

Claim that you are FAR too busy to ever do any during term time.

Revisit previous topics regularly, due to time elapsed since last session (see above).

Make sure to whine, whinge, complain about how pointless it is, and insult your mother at every opportunity.

Do eight past papers for each grade, with an extra special amount of complaining.

Save the foreign words until the last minute.

Run out of time to learn any of the foreign words from Grades 4 and 5, and guess the exact opposite meaning to the correct one in the exam!

Eventually thank Mum for making you do it!

Thank you! That is what we are doing too! I laminated all the words and so far DD has learned to grade 4. I thought I would only buy the grade 5 past papers. As l'm now sitting in bar with half carafe of wine and prawns, which it technically part of the music budget, I've decided to cut back on past papers.

Foundoutyet, we are wondering whether to skip the November theory, if the test becomes a little easier...

And would have loved to have brought youngest DD, but she is a spending magnet.

Yes, I went to DS's performance with the youth choirs at the Proms last night. It was really magical! He has been lucky enough to sing there a few times now with his choir, it's always an inspiring place.

violinandpiano, she was learning theory with 3 different teachers! The first two teachers and two grades - she was working through the books like this one
www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Music-Theory-Practice-Grade-ABRSM/1860969429/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500150888&sr=8-1&keywords=abrsm+theory&tag=mumsnetforum-21
and then did past papers, usually one, like
www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Theory-Papers-ABRSM-papers/dp/1848497555/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1500150888&sr=8-7&keywords=abrsm+theory&tag=mumsnetforum-21
And she almost self study grade 3 with abrsm book as above and this series
www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/David-Turnbull-Grade-Theory-Time/1844498492/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500151077&sr=1-1&keywords=theory+time&tag=mumsnetforum-21

Then for grades 4-5 third teacher took over and they just did past papers, mostly grade 5. She also read these books

www.amazon.co.uk/AB-Guide-Music-Theory-Vol/dp/1854724460/ref=pd_sim_14_16?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QYYC2RYYBR3XKDJNPN5G&tag=mumsnetforum-21
www.amazon.co.uk/AB-Guide-Music-Theory-Part/dp/B00D7JCTE6/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5MR29Y74YYPSZAY56KKK&tag=mumsnetforum-21

Well, I suspect she read, at least I noticed she liked to flip through those books....

Forgot to write - what they did with the last teacher - she was doing past papers at home and then he checked them during the lesson and corrected where necessary. I also paid for extra 15 mins to do that

Aaaaah, Waffle you made my day!

We also learned Italian terms in the last few days - I even passed grade 4 and 5 books to school and asked them to make sure she is learning those terms during break time. Luckily she has excellent memory, but I have learned my lesson too - not to leave smth like that for the last minute!

Dd is reading the pink book at the moment and is on this book with her teacher (grade 3) towards the end.

Music Theory for Young Musicians Grade 3 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9671000339/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5dOAzbHRBZ5TJ?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Come September I am hoping to start doing grade 4 past papers and see the gaps, fill those in and then move to grade 5 past papers, take the exam in the first session in 2018.

I would personally wait for next year theory changes, the reason we didn't was that we have paid for the exam before changes were announced. Saying that - I somehow became very relaxed about exams-she is 9.5 and has only 3 exams left, what is the rush to do them?

Talking about examining board - just had this conversation with ds's piano teacher-her opinion is that 1)it all depends on exam pieces-some years one board has more interesting program that another 2)also depends on a student-some students are just better off with one board than with another.

This is another good book, but we have never completed it....
www.amazon.co.uk/Grade-Music-Theory-Beginner-Grades/dp/0993447503/ref=la_B003VNH58S_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500152560&sr=1-1&tag=mumsnetforum-21
and answers
www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/All-One-Answer-Book-Alongside-Grades-Theory/0993447546/ref=la_B003VNH58S_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500152560&sr=1-2&tag=mumsnetforum-21

Only and everyone else, many congratulations of the very high mark with theory!!!

Notjust: so jealous of yours and your son experience. We love the venue too.

We had our violin exam today and just last night we thought we might not go for it. Not being able to settle with a teacher has been our main problem(one criticises other fingering styles and it takes at least couple of weeks to get to know the new teacher style). The first time we only hope for a pass and not have to think of a violin exam for a long time. We need to strengthen our technique, learn to vibrate and build our musicianship. She was determined not to take it last night and I agreed then my husband and our piano teacher said not going for it is worse. There isnt a consequence, we will learn from the feed back. We will try better next time. After the exam we did feel good, feeling like we had gone for it and could now completely forget it, its a "finished" business. Even a fail, I dont think we will do G5 again. I told her I only care about G8, if she ever gets to there then a G8 must be a solid one.

We will be back with piano and that is very looking forward to.

We since had a nice lunch out, playing Dominos with grand parents, had her favourite meal with her favourite dessert and a movie is still on now.

Glad it's over and done with, Green. I bet she will do really well - she's so able, and I loved the recent performance you shared. Does she still enjoy playing the violin, or do you think she might get on better with a wind or brass instrument? Have you just had problems with teachers, or do you think her enthusiasm is lacking at the moment? Hopefully a pass will spur her on, in any case. She seems to really love the piano.

Thank you Green!
I understand your worry but I can almost guarantee she will be fine. She is very able girl and I think we, parents, look at totally different things from what examiners look at.

We dont like scales(hate might be a little too harsh) and they might be the thing that makes me consider Trinity. So far, with either piano or violin, scales still take at least 1/2 of our practise time. However, we will stick with ABRSM, we will learn whatever the requirement is.

Waffle, I didn't copy your message, promise!
I think mini Green should carry on her violin no matter what!

In the (more distant) past, I was happy with ABRSM for piano and strings but used Trinity (Guildhall as it was then) for brass instruments as the repertoire and the technical exercises seemed to work well for the students. I do take the point about the different boards also suiting different individuals...

We will carry on with her violin (she is although offered free clarinet lesson from school from next term, I didnt say no however I wont be able to sit down for any of her other instrument practice, 2 have driven me alittle to the edge). We will be back with a teacher whom I will have to travel to her place. We will not think of a violin exam for sometime rather than strengthen our technique and learn new things. She enjoys playing violin most of the time, enjoy the social aspect and musicianship from Orchestras which playing violin has brought her. Had we have a "right" teacher(I dont believe the couple teachers we couldnt carry on were bad/not good, I just dont agree with their style and mine didnt enjoy/learn from the lessons) we could have done ok. Which makes me appreciate my piano teacher more as he has "suffered" us for a long time.

fleur we use that series too, and started with the earlier set of it too which then 5year old her loved for the stickers. We find now it covers the same content as the ABRSM syllabus study book but colours and more interesting layout still make a difference to my 7 year old! She's a bit of a geek for music theory, she loves it when she gets time to sit down and knuckle on with some. But some of it has been slow going to start with as she was learning such as fractions through music before she'd covered them at school but music theory def helped her with that learning!

Well done minigreen for going for it.

Well don to minionly for such a high mark for theory! Well done to miniGreen too to finish off her business! I can't see why you are so negative abut her violin playing, Green. I am 100% sure she will pass it very comfortably. As others said, she is so able! She has already achieved so much so young.