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.

Well done mini green.. I'm sure she's done better than you think

I did read through the ABRSM wenbsite a while ago, but can't remeber. The theory books are the same but just the format is changing??

I was hoping dc2 to do thory before dc3, but I now suspect it may be the other way round.
And no, I will not let them both do it togetgher

Ah, yes it is, in which case I will start getting some books.

Green well done to mini for going for it. I'm sure she'll pass and hopefully will enjoy her learning again with a new teacher. Waffle your theory learning plan was spot on for what goes on in this house although currently the gaps between bits of learning are so big that he hasn't got round to doing the exam yet. I've now put my foot down and told him that he has to get on with it next year ( before GCSE's which start in year 9 at his school) wish me luck

Last concert of the school year today! Her first with this band, outside at a country hall and it's a gorgeous day.
First music lesson back with her lovely teacher on Tuesday. Shes so ready for back to normality!

Green, we have first vibrato lesson on Tuesday as our teacher said it should be there for grade 5, but I think she means she prefers it. Hands are such an issue for violin aren't they! And teachers can have very slight differences in positioning. Slightly worried that vibrato will ruin left hand position, but also it might help loosen her grip which is good, as shifting did. But if not shifting, she still holds the violin too hard and gets a red mark on her neck (either that or metal allergy to rest).

I hope you find the right teacher.

Off to DD's concert.

Well done to minigreen for taking the exam. I am sure she'll be fine she's so able with both her violin and piano that I don't think there's anything to worry about.

minimama dd loves those books and they do cover everything in the Abrsm books but they're not that dry. Dd started with Lina Ng, did a couple of pre-grade 1, then grade 1 and 2 books and now she moved to this one but the format is the same. I think if we want to do the exam in March next year we'll have to do a lot during the summer and then do some past papers to identify the gaps.

Soprano, our teacher starts after grade 4 exam so hopefully there is a little in grade 5, but she said you really need it there in grade 6 or it could effect marks. But that is our teacher, I don't know about others.

There are lots of vibrato finger exercises and many on YouTube. But I was worried about getting it wrong and having to explain to the teacher what on earth I had been doing...

Sounds so much fun, Minimusicians!

DS is in the middle of his performance relay and today he plays the piano in a church. His piece is not quite ready to be honest. He has just finished the reading alongside with some other pieces. He will enjoy it nevertheless as the setting is casual so no pressure whatsoever. He has never say 'no' to any performing opportunity anyway! And..., he always thinks he did well no matter how, cough badly cough, it went...

He has tennis (private lesson) and football (daddies & sons fun stuff) every Sunday morning. He will have a quick shower, put some smart clothes, bite something quickly, then off to the church.

Vibrato was mentioned after G3. We hoped to start a little, naturally at first. We started in Yr2 with school lesson for a year and she was near to give up as it was very slow and boring for her,then my piano teacher said he used to play violin too, he could help with the basic for her to start. Once we did G3 last June we had to find a "proper" violin teacher. Around Sept-Oct I brought her to a teacher however work, childcare with our toddler stopped us. By end of Nov-March we had a teacher who was "loud", I do often scream in this household and this one beated me(I although believe she is genuinely a nice and kind person). From April till 4 weeks ago we had a teacher whom my daughter asked not to have violin lesson for almost every lesson. She said she was told that she was misbehaved, lying in every lesson. My husband and me did attend a lesson each and we agreed that the whole lesson wasnt about learning, our teacher was challenging why my daughter said this and that and she didnt believe what my daughter said was true, it wasnt mentally healthy for her. My daughter was too worried not having a teacher and she even downplayed what actually happened during her lessons. (We do long hours, full time so do not present in either her violin nor her piano lessons). My piano teacher since stepped up and help her the last couple of weeks with violin(meaning we stopped piano lessons).

When I brought her to a teacher that we have to travel to(on Friday night, just before the exam) she suggested that we could postpone till later the year and we could have a distinction as without a vibrato then distinction for G5 is hard. On top of that 5th position, shifting havent been most fluent(I am completely non-musical, not too sure how to describe it). I also asked about vibrato however we were told that it will come naturally(we will learn it...later). I reckon our problem is neither of our teacher know us well enough and have had a routine set up for a well-planned routine and perfecting vibrato is a life time achievement to string players, it cant just be learnt over night. After changing teachers for 5 times( including the first one with school) I find that each teacher does have their own way, they almost always try to correct the student positioning, bow holding, violin holding, fingering for at least 4 lessons before the learning officially starts. Its time consuming, costly and causing confusion to the student. (Especially when the child is young and only at a starting point). Thats why I feel for my daughter and have been being negative about learning violin because we love it however got stuck.

Well done Minigreen for going for it and I'm very confident she'll get a good result!

Just saw your last post Green and very glad you found a new teacher. The lesson you described sounded very unhealthy but lucky you were able to see it for yourself and make the change.
I liked your comment about practice nearly sending you to the edge with 2 instruments - I can definitely relate to that!

Green, I am so glad you finally found a teacher you are happy with after all the stuff happened. I know changing a teacher is a pain, but one thing I can tell you, though not sure if it cheers you up, is that DS's current teacher is no saint at all too... I like him, but I can confidently tell you he has some (big) problems and for that reasons he loses some pupils every year (but he gets new ones constantly so his business is running fine). I stayed with him for several reasons but I can't deny that my laziness played the part... DS suffered for a long time because his lazy mum ignorantly chose the convenience... So you are a great mum and miniGreen is a survivor and there is only a way up, not down, for her from now on!

OK, DH and DS were supposed to be back by now. DH is not very supportive towards DS's music. This is not the first time he didn't care to bring DS back in time for a concert... Sigh....

Hi, I'm ringle,

I'm somewhat intimidated by this thread! It's like a window into South London life

Are the children happy/enjoying it? I guess that's what matters.

I work one morning a week as a community musician -we are quite well known locally but only about two children per school year would be working alongside their parents on a daily basis like this.

My own fourteen year old is a competent songwriter, band member electric guitarist and decent cellist. I have no real part in his practice any more , though when he and his brother were little we did piano practice before school each day.

Hello ringle. I'm in the South West, and teach mostly recorder and clarinet. There are some very accomplished young musicians on this thread and we parents cling together like a life raft! We get a steady stream of beginners and random questions though. I don't want anyone to ever feel unwelcome.

Thanks Waffle.

Hi ringle
Not south London but rural scandinavia here! This is a very friendly thread 😊 full of useful tips and support and it's lovely to have new people join

I'm just an ordinary mum doing my best - my chaotic and slightly disorganised daily timetable is on page 3 of this thread. I now think of you lot when I'm making the sandwiches and looking for the water bottle lids each day! The girls get on with a lot of their own practice - I have been giving Rara considerable help with the scales and musical knowledge for her cello exam, but hope that she can be more independent now it's over. She gets on with the clarinet just fine. Goo does piano alone, and likes an audience for the flute, but I'm weaning her off it!

Hello everyone
We are just back from 2 gorgeous weeks hols in South of France. No practice for over 2 weeks.
I managed to keep up with the thread for once. Congrats to many on great results and achievements.

I just notice that DD1s violin has popped its A string. I left it on violin stand, I guess I should have put it into its case. So DD1 will get a few more days off practice until I can squeeze in getting to music shop. She prob needs full set of new strings anyway.

DD1 will be sad to cut her nails for violin practice. They got so long over the hols and look really nice. It's always a battle with the nails. She never has them short enough, her teacher is always telling her to cut them.

Hopefully DD2 will do a little practice anyway. Even 10 mins would be a start.
No problem with DD2s nails, she bites them so they are really really short!

I must look into the theory books above. We haven't done any at all. It would be good to have Grade 5. I'll have to convince DD2. DD1 would be big battle, not a battle worth having.

Since there is no rush with gettin through theory grades, DD2 probably back with Suzuki method for next 2 years, which of the earlier theory grades should we consider? Sounds like the work will need to be covered for all grades anyway?

Nigglenotes all familiar problems, apart from violin mark on the neck-you know why? Because dd still tends to place her violin on her chest and not on her neck!

Kutik73 thank you!
Love your ds's lifestyle!

Waffle you sound great. I really enjoyed reading your daily timetable. I take my hat off to busy instrumental teachers, especially those who cycle.

Ringle Hello. I'm in a suburb in Scotland and am also finding it interesting, though my 'DC' are 18 and 20 so I'm at the very end of the organising lessons, instruments, lifts/general juggling stage. My DS is a jazzer - off to London to study in September, which is exciting but also absolutely terrifying. Until very recently there has been a desperate lack of jazz training in Scotland. DS rants on and on about is very interested in the differences between classical music and jazz; emphases, training approaches, group dynamics etc etc etc It's been fascinating after seeing his older sister go down a purely classical route.

I teach beginners piano despite not having a degree in music. I probably specialise in working with 'average' children and keeping them interested by trying very hard to be kind, patient, encouraging and enthusiastic and trying really hard to identify what will benefit each individual child. Lessons with littlies are increasingly child led. (TBH, this has some frustrations as well as advantages) The level of parental input they get is very variable. I encourage it as much as I think the parents can stand without feeling lectured to as I recognise that every family has different priorities and circumstances. I'm very happy to chat about their children. Many parents of secondary age children I talk to are frustrated about their DC's lack of practice.

I do recognise the narrowness of what I have to offer however and often organise/recommend a more expert teacher for pupils who need one. I had a good system for a few years where I passed on many pupils to one particular highly trained teacher. Sometimes I have to boot them out and on to another teacher as they have become far too comfy with me. I agree with pps that choice of teacher is very important and have observed that it can be a jolly knotty dilemma.