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.

Videos are also a really good way of seeing progress. I just watched a video of DD playing the Chopin nocturne she did this time last year, and it's like night and day. She could play the Chopin but it didn't flow like her pieces do now. It will be interesting to see what she makes of the Chopin étude.

Green

Give over, these kids really aren't any different or more advanced than the kids on here.
They just auditioned and showed promise, perhaps more want to be musicians than other schools.

Thanks for the youtube info, and I agree about seeing progression through recordings. This was the main reason I wanted dd to record herself, it wasn't really to show off to others, only family and friends i suppose.
We have found that when she was with county ensembles they were able to see concerts but now it's a bit more complicated for gp's and her siblings to get to her concerts.
So, I'm going to bully her into recording concert pieces for them

We are nearly there with the Chopin Nocturne too. My teacher although said we need to step away, play some other things, them come back to appreciate the piece in a different way.

Fleur, love miniFleur matured attitude and commitment, mine wont "practise" without me sitting near by. Its a massive grin and holiday mood in this household right now as mommy wont be home next week.

I am afraid after this violin exam then I will need to switch my mentality back to her academic side as her 11+ is looming. We seriously need to start, people call it super selective or something and I am worried.

Green

You have my sympathy.
I am always mindful that the academic side isn't important for dd, not sure what I'd do if she was expected to be academic.
Although it comes at the cost of her stressing out because she feels like a failure.
I tell her it doesn't matter but I can tell she worries a lot, I'm confident as I have the full summer holidays to work at it.

I can't load the youtube channel not sure why, you can see who she gets it from.

gilly are you using the app or the website? For the app after you logged in you click library and then there's a camera symbol at the top right of your screen, press it and it takes you to your videos.

From the website after you logged in I believe there is a big red arrow to upload. I really want to see your dd so please persevere.

Green I need to sit next to dd as well. She just made the statement of the fact that she missed her lesson and she should do extra than her teacher asked because she has a two weeks gap.

She also loves the clarinet more and more and spends a lot of time on it, she has studies she likes to play but also some fun Disney music and Mamma Mia.

I agree on videos too regarding progress, in fact I had a Facebook reminder from two years ago when we bought her piano and she was playing some Bach, she sounded good but quite a beginner compared to now. I do post videos on FB of her playing as I have a lot of family around the world (Europe and Canada).

I just find it fascinating when I remember the hard work she put into preparing for grade 3 and the other day she pulled that book out and started sight reading a random piece. I couldn't believe she literally played a grade 3 piece in one go (albeit slower than expected) when she only did grade 3 last year. For some reason even though she played the other 3 exam pieces on and on since March, this grade 5 piece she started recently she'll learn much quicker. Maybe is because she really really wants to learn it? She only really wanted to learn Summertime out of the other 3 pieces and she still plays it for pleasure.

Mine all like a practice audience 😊
In the case of the girls i sometimes wonder if my purpose is to be stropped at rather than anything else.. ..

Dd1 had a bit of a breakthrough this weekend and really got into proper mindfull practise , long may that continue

My madam is 7, lot of the first 18months of lessons were spent helping her learn how to practice properly, very spoon feeding her practice sessions. I've liked seeing the dividends of that the last six months or so and she's loved taking ownership of more of the learning and practicing. Her teacher sometimes gives her a piece to learn totally on her own and she takes a lot of pride in that now. There are many days she still needs me beside her though! Just nice when they show the progress and growing up a little, isn't it?!!

Mending I am definitely here to be stropped at though having nowvsurvived a year of what seeemed like constant practice under pressure I'm now looking forward to taking a back seat and for ds to just enjoying playing lots of stuff. I know he will still have auditions competitions etc next year but I'm hopeful that next year will be less full on ( and that as he's a bit older he will be able to take on more responsibility himself!?!)

I will catch up with the clips! Mad busy here as I am marking Access students' essays up to the deadline (their fault, not mine!) and I mark GCSE English exams so I have my own deadline to meet!
I have a sixth form open evening tonight, DS2 to chivvy (scales -shudder!) and unfortunately family business to deal with as an elderly relative sadly passed away last week.
Roll on August...

Trumpets, that sounds similar to here, although with DD2 being a couple of years behind your DS in age, I think the responsibility/maturity thing will take a bit more time! DD1 at 14 is much more responsible; I just hope I don't have to wait another 4 years for DD2!

I loved the new videos! Keep them coming. Hopefully we'll have a cello one for you soon.

Rara is trying hard with her practice. Her pieces sounded quite nice this morning, and she managed not to have a go at me (which is unusual). I suggested much more dynamic contrast to lift them a bit. She also knows all of the scales (finally), including 'poo-poo' D melodic minor, which has no patterns/ repetition whatsoever. Musical knowledge and sight reading will be fine!

Those who work full time yet sit with their DCs for their daily (?) practice and possibly also help school work/exams such as 11+, while their DCs wear clean & correct sized clothing, eat nutritious meals, have sociable, active weekends are...., SUPER-HUMAN to me. I have only one child, work just occasionally (freelance), yet sometimes manage to forget school events, realise no milk in the morning, totally forget about bin day, still haven't found time to find out why our oven stop working.....

So I should have more time than those super-humans, yet I am exhausted because there are tons things to deal with and my desk is almost always covered with documents to sort out.... I tell DS he has to learn to be more efficient and to prioritise things as he constantly has to deal with multitasking. But it may be ME who has to learn that...

Kutik I'm not working until 3 today, so have set myself some small goals... and am so far failing at all of them!

1 - find a booklet Goo needs to take to her secondary school transfer day tomorrow. Nope, it's disappeared.

2 - send some documents off to claim for Rara's recent cello repair. Nope, got distracted, and now panicking that Goo's new flute might not be insured, so looking for different documents instead.

3 - Mark four music medals. Nope - I watched one, then had breakfast, then rememebered about item 1. And round and round we go!

Kutik I work full time although I have a blackberry which helps keep on top of emails, it is exhausting- often dd practices at 8-9 pm as I've don't end up eating till 7 ish. Most of my annual leave goes on watching concerts, and taking to and from music courses. Espresso is my drug of choice

But you are still superhuman to me, Waffle. But it's quite comforting to hear that superhuman also has this 'distracted, round and round' cycle. I have a to-do-list otherwise I get carried away with other things then remember what I meant to do it later and have a heart-attack near the deadline. There are always a few tasks which stay on the list for a loooooong time and just disappear at some points (basically abandoned completely).

se22, you are officially on my superhuman list.

Anyone can give me a breakdown of an example day? I seriously wonder how you guys manage things. Do you have time to sit down? I don't. Yet I don't work full time. You guys must be flying instead of walking. Totally utterly admire.

I can't find the booklet. I spent over an hour looking for it. Goo won't want to start off on the wrong foot, so I've contacted the school, they are going to make sure some spares are available for tomorrow, and somebody has written her name on one of them. I think I love this school already! (I am certain that she won't be the only person to have lost or forgotten the booklet... the intake is 240 children).

On with my music medals.

Ticked one job, Waffle! I will get on with my (rather boring) admin stuff now!!!

I don't work - it helps no end. I have a paper to do list and an electronic one with the routine periodic cleaning jobs on. My part time role as personal assistant to two musicians, one of whom doesn't drive yet would be at risk if I worked for money and I don't really miss being a higher rate tax payer. I call in on my mother (mid 80's) every day but one and on that one I call in on my MIL. Even though I don't work I still have many days where I don't have time to sit down until dinner and run from one thing to another.

Practice happens at 630 am here, with the odd bits in the evening. That's the only way we can keep on top of it. School run involves me looking at the clock "oh crap we should have left ten minutes ago" and her running from the piano/clarinet. My working pattern is set around music and dance commitments. Her clothes aren't necessarily the right sized at the moment, mind, as she's grown like a weed the last month and I've just had to tell her we will deal with it in the summer!

A sample day, Kutik? Hmm. Well, I don't work full time, and every day is different, but here's a medium sort of day (Thursday)...

6.45 Get up, put the kettle on, spend ages looking for water bottles and their matching lids. Much swearing.

7.00 Make everyone's drinks for breakfast, fill four water bottles for school, locate and fill two snack pots and two lunch boxes (takes around half an hour).
7.30 Tell Rara to stop reading (she gets up at 6.30 and reads a novel per day) and EAT. Spend 10 minutes shaking Goo awake.
8.00 Finally prise book off Rara, nag Goo to get dressed. Feed them breakfast.
8.15 Tell them to practise their piano and clarinet. Rara will get on with it. Goo will realise she's still not dressed, and won't get around to it.
8.35 Frantic hair brushing, tooth brushing, packing forgotten items.
8.45 Leave for school.
8.50 Squeak in just on time.
9.00-9.30 Play piano for school assembly, and help with singing and crowd control.
9.40 - 11.30 Free time - wash up, straighten things, pack anything required for Brownies in the evening, go online, answer emails, chat on here. I sometimes get my shopping delivered on Thursday mornings too.
11.30 Early lunch, and pack for work.
12.10 Cycle back to the village school, and teach two group classes.
1.30 Cycle to the private school for one fixed lesson!
2.40 Cycle home, quick sit down if I'm lucky.
3.15 Pick up Goo, Rara and Rara's friend - Clarinet pupil 1
3.30 Rara on computer, Goo doing homework, I teach the friend.
4.10 She's gone home. Unpack school bags and cook dinner. Get Rara off computer and changed for Brownies.
5.50 Take Rara to Brownies, or get Goo to do it for me, if they're not out and about for the evening.
6.00 Goo on computer. Teach Clarinet pupil 2
6.30 Clarinet pupil 3
7.00 Wash up, tidy up
7.30 Collect Rara. They're usually really late.
7.50 Short DVD if they're lucky.
8.30 Realise Goo has done no practice today. Send her off to do flute. Piano will have to wait... AGAIN. Rara happily gets on with whichever instrument she didn't do this morning.
9.00 The nightly shenanigans begins. I'll spare you the details.
9.30 They're in bed! And I'm too knackered to tidy up properly or pack anything for tomorrow.

Monday and Wednesday are worse than this, because I work long days at the private school. Tuesday and Friday are quieter than this! We cut corners... house is usually a bit untidy, I don't do loads of proper cleaning, and don't bath the girls every day. They don't really need it though.

Morning all. I'm trying desperately to upload videos of ds's playjng but seem to be struggling somehow 😡. I'll let you know how I get on!! Neither of the two pieces he did are his best performances. They are littered with mistakes but I would appreciate some constructive feedback if poss.😬

Success at last! Please have a look.

Kutik, I am with you!

I am a full time working single parent with only one dc. I get up and leave the house before dd wakes, at about 6am so nothing is done before school. When I get home I have often been out 12 plus hours and I am tired even if dd is not!

Fortunately this last term or so dd has really come into her own on the practice though it has all but been abandoned in the last week or so due to end of term type things (one week to go!) and having no real aim.