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've caught up with the videos really enjoyed both minidisorganised and Goo playing. I've seen all the others before but all the kids are so musical!

Really sorry Fleur, think I've got it...... doh!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for sending the link, I will enjoy watching later! I may try and get a recording of dd if I can do it sneakily!

Thanks also for the advice re music scholarship, in my heart, I think in another school year dd would have been fine. This year, no one from her school got a music scholarship anywhere, in dd's year, I'd give them to at least 4 above her!

I go to bed between 10.30 and midnight. I spend at least an hour on the laptop before bed - on here and another forum, and playing Scrabble. DH works shifts but has Wednesdays off, so he does a big clean up then, and we do it together at the weekends. I cook more, but he did a roast yesterday and we ate the leftovers today.

Woolley if it makes you feel any better in our area I know of kids that were grade 5/6/7 who didn't get a chance to audition as they didn't get past the music aptitude test. Not because they aren't musical and didn't work hard but because they had a bad day or didn't hear something right, it is we'll know that the Bentley test (used as the music aptitude test) is not actually accurate.

I haven't got high hopes with mine but it is worth trying isn't it?

wooley DS was g5 on piano and drums. He got offered a scholarship everywhere he auditioned, 4 indy schools plus ine music aptitude place at a state schol. Maybe just got lucky in his year, I don't know. But I always use it as a positive sample that it's possible.

His mother's typing on the other hand...

Loved to see minidisorganised and Goo pieces, thank you for sharing.

I skyped home today and felt glad that they sat down and had a nice, hot dinner. Thats all I hope for for a week like this.

Music scholar, I was very firm toward not trying(1. The school we aim dont reward much numerically for music 2. Commitment which we might not be able to meet 3. Mine isnt that much of musical or as passionate, this one can drop music for almost everything else now). I have now been slightly changing my mind. Main reason because if she is selected then she will has more opportunity/expectation to play better and longer and oneday (hopefully, soon), I wont have to sit next to her during her practice unless she begs. Even though, there is a very small chance. We almost wont qualify for an audition.

Drummers: you are too kind and generous.

I am very much hoping to see the more of fellow violinists who are ahead of us for us to look up and learn too(miniPrada, miniOnly, MiniKutik, Minipianoandviolin etc.)

A different perspective from the Waffle family... Goo is currently year 6 and could probably get a music and academic scholarship, maybe even an all rounder if she was having a good day with sport or art? It was an easy decision not to try, even though she wanted to (we still can't afford it, especially for two of them, and Goo needs a big school with bunches of friends) but it's been annoying having to justify our decision up to 20x per week to colleagues, neighbours and other mums. Everyone seemed to assume we'd send her to the school I work at. We are pretty lucky with our catchment secondary though.

We're in a tricky position scholarship and music school wise. Both ds's are at a non-selective independent school that goes up to 16. Ds opted out of 11+ due to his Aspergers and also the fact that he is not Grammar school material. The comps round here aren't great. One offers a music scholarship of sorts but a girl ds knows through orchestra has said it's not worth it and the standard is very low. Ds's violin teacher advised us not to go there. Our only other options are specialist music school like Purcell or Yehudi Menuhin but we felt it's too much pressure on ds and this stage when he doesn't cope at all under pressure. Plus he would have to get a scholarship as fees are astronomical and I don't think he's good enough for that (no disrespect).His current school is not good for music but hats why he does so much outside of school. He's in 3 orchestras,string ensemble and local Saturday music school. In September we are possibly going to look at the Centre for Young Musicians- they have a local branch in our county and they have already said they will offer ds a place without audition.
So hard isn't it 😩

Attempting to catch up - a busy day for the thread! on the new videos:

Misti - i am amazed by your DD's piano playing (and esp given how short a time she has played); utterly natural and musical, and lovely.

Disorganised - love the Vivaldi in particular, you can really see him let go with his musicality:)

We went the scholarship route for this sept (and have one since yr 3 in junior school too) - we are very lucky in that they are substantive amounts, but also at the schools DD really wanted to go to. She was offered 4 and the standard varied hugely as did the number of awards given out and the value. Def worth going for it if you meet the min grade level, and even more so on instruments in high demand. We wouldn't chose a school based on the scholarship, but didn't have the sort of fantastic non-paying choice that Waffle had unfortunately

My first choice for dd is a state school, she has it as second choice, possibly pushing to 3rd but we are no means certain to get in and don't really have a second choice (ironically, our other state choice is a boarding school, though dd would be a day pupil, so would still cost us).

The scholarship is more for the reasons Green stated above, increased opportunities etc much as dd likes performing solo, she lives to play with her bands at the present!

I have met with the bursar of dd's first choice and should she get a place she is likely to get a substantial bursary should she get a place, she is also well aware that without it she won't be going there. A scholarship, musical or academic, would be nice but won't be the difference in whether I can afford it or not as they are minimal amounts.

Woolley if it makes you feel any better in our area I know of kids that were grade 5/6/7 who didn't get a chance to audition as they didn't get past the music aptitude test. Not because they aren't musical and didn't work hard but because they had a bad day or didn't hear something right, it is we'll know that the Bentley test (used as the music aptitude test) is not actually accurate.

Weird way to select, using an inaccurate test, unless music is really just a proxy for something else (e.g. a way of selecting bright kids with highly motivated parents). Why not just a short audition? In my experience, a good music teacher should be able to spot a real musician very quickly - even when they have an off day.

My kids are both in ordinary French high schools though DD is in a selective bilingual programme. She turned down a place at a selective private school. No regrets. She loves her class.

Green I also work f/t and have to travel too, so the kids have to manage lots of stuff themselves. I only look at homework as a last resort, and rarely have time to nag about music (hence DD doing way less piano than she probably should - but she's not going to be a professional pianist and life is too short!). The positive side is that they are both - and especially DD - very independent. Perhaps too independent - in the past couple of weeks DD has signed herself up for another instrument and arranged an audition in Paris - a 6 hr train ride away .

Green, we don't have many videos as DS is not big on being filmed. Besides, DS even hasn't taken grade 5, so not sure if he can be a good example! But anyway I asked him to play something quickly for my dear (online) friend Green just before he went to bed tonight so managed to get a very short clip. He was pretty knackered from playing a football match with a long journey x 2 this evening - we got back home at around 9pm. So he was being a bit lazy (vibrato and other details) but I'll PM you anyway so you have at least something to check out!

He has quite a few concerts this month. Photos and videos are not allowed for orchestral pieces but I may manage to film his solo piece. He is playing an exotic piece given by his teacher (the one I was talking about in the past if anyone can remember...). If I manage to film the whole thing, I'll upload it on our shared channel!

While I was looking for Goo's secondary school booklet (again!) I found loads of clarinet books that I had been using with a good 10 year old who recently gave up. Rara thought Christmas had come early, gobbled up the old blue grade 2 book, followed by the Sicilienne by von Paradis. I asked her to see if she could play any of it, and she sight read the whole thing! I love the piece, so we will enjoy playing it together properly. She then said she wanted to be better at the cello than the clarinet... maybe she needs to work harder thrn? I think the relative amounts of practice on each has caused the clarinet to have almost caught up!

Alexandra, are you sure you are not talking about my DS? Mine even asks me the item in front of him...

DS is also playing Dvorak 9 twice this month at a different venue. He absolutely loves it.

Unfortunately I have to go to the concerts alone although I got two tickets. I double checked DH's availability in advance and got the tickets for us. But guess what? He is in Italy now. He always go there to take part of a famous cycling race. Apparently it's the hardest cycling race in Europe and the strange DH loves it (more than coming to see DS playing).

Misti I agree. However the reason behind it is this: being state schools they need to offer equal opportunities therefore identify the REAL music aptitude regardless if the dc has music lessons or not. Fair enough I say. If there was an accurate test to measure music aptitude, the Bentley test is the only known test and has been proved not accurate enough to actually measure aptitude.

What's more "amusing" (even though annoying) is the fact the yes, let's say a dc with a good ear but without having any music lessons may go to the second round, the audition, he still wouldn't get in (unless he can sing naturally) as there will be kids impressing the adjudicators who can actually play instruments and managed to obtain the right mark. Meanwhile a grade 4+ didn't get through for various reasons.

For example I've done 4 sample tests with dd (just to show her what's about and measure her scores as you can't really prepare for it) she would need about 45 to go to the next round she ranged anywhere between 38 the lowest and 52 the highest. So a lottery.

Alexandra I used to hate food tech with a passion. DS would only realise in the morning of the cooking day that he needs x y z ingredients. And the lesson was on a Friday which meant the fridge was more empty than usual so less chances to find ingredients. The amount of time I went to Asda first thing in the morning to buy the ingredients... and then the dish would return home in a plastic tub ready for us to eat...if we would have known it is there. Oh trust me, by Sunday we'd all find out where the dish was, the smell would lead you straight to his school bag. I never felt more relieved in my life like The moment he dropped the subject.

Alexandra It could be my DS too apart from the "I lost my bus pass". That wording assumes responsibility for the missing item so here that would be "someone has moved/stolen my bus pass".

I've also seen the VW Folk Song Suite this week, the wind band version is different to the brass band version which should be entertaining if DS goes in to autoplay.

Icouldbe, my DS's line would be "not sure why but somehow it's disappeared" with genuine surprised expression....

Alexandra The Boys playing was great in the video. A very enjoyable 10 mins spent watching that.

DD1 doesn't do food tech any more, but in her German class last Friday was making Black Forest gateaux following a recipe in German. Got the text saying "I couldn't find my apron and I need a container" at 8.30am. Not really what I needed half an hour before I had to leave to get DD2 to her bassoon exam! DH happened to be working from home that day so took pity on her and took stuff across to school. Not a great fan of chocolate or cream myself, but by all accounts, it was worth it!

I'm impressed with all of you who have dc that practice in the morning. We had to do morning today as we were out last night and have people over tonight. So many errors and slips, not really concentrating. Breaths in strange places on clarinet. Violin scales sloppy with no real care for finger patterns except the favoured g minor and the dominants. Tears when I said tonight's meal with friends would be cancelled unless we tried harder. But she still couldn't get things right that she usually does except the violin pieces. Too much like hard work, she must be a natural night person

Goo has gone off to secondary school for the first of two transfer days. Rara has gone up to Year 5 for the morning, which seems so wrong - she is short, currently underweight and still has almost all of her baby teeth, so she looks about 7. I dropped Goo off near her school and she looked a bit lost walking off into the distance, but she quickly spotted someone else from her primary and ran to catch up with them. The allocation of forms/ houses is a complete lottery. They used to promise to keep them with one friend, but this is no longer the case. Goo desperately needs to start over, so I kind of hope she won't be with loads of primary school chums and will be forced to talk to other people. She has agreed to cycle there with some other girls from the village tomorrow, aargh, my jangled nerves! (It's 2.2 miles, along a main road at first, then cutting through a housing estate and on to a cycle path, ending with a huge main road to cross. Safety in numbers, eh?)

I'm sure she will be fine Waffle, but it is scary as the parent I know ds is keen to cycle once we move as it's quite a long walk ( but he will only be able to do this on non trumpet days!) I'm sure she will make loads of new friends ds is very sociable and so although he does have possibly his oldest friend in almost all of his classes he's actually ended up mostly hanging out with a totally different group who share his interests. I'm a bit sad that he spends far less time with his lovely primary school friends now but it was kind of inevitable. Can't wait for dd I go to high school she will definitely benefit from a new group of friends but like Rara is going into year 5 so two more years of primary school friendship issues to endure first