(Mostly) August Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Here's a new thread for August, but we're starting it a few days early, because you lot have managed to be super chatty this month! I wonder if things will slow down in August due to people going away... maybe or maybe not?

I'm Waffle, a teacher of woodwind - mostly recorders and clarinet, but I have a couple of flutes currently, and teach saxophone, piano and theory when required. I am determined that the music threads should be open to ALL, including complete beginners and adult learners. It's a good place to discuss lessons, practice, concerts, exams and our generally hectic lives!

I have a DH who plays the guitar for pleasure (no lessons) and two girls. Goo is 11 and has her Grade 7 Flute (March 2017) and Grade 6 Recorder (December 2015 and now pretty much stopped ). She has been learning the piano for 15 months, is refusing to perform in any way, shape or form, but will probably take Grade 5 next year. Rara is 9 and has Grade 3 Cello (July 2017), Grade 3 Recorder (December 2016 and also ceased) and is working towards her Grade 3 Clarinet... probably next spring. Goo is off to NCO Under 12s on Sunday, and we need to pop out to get her some shoes and general supplies in a bit.

I have just realised that we will probably have Grade 8 Flute and Grade 3 Clarinet going on in the same session, Spring 2018. Oh dear! If Rara bothers with Grade 4 Cello, we'll probably have that at the same time as Grade 5 Piano, next summer. Double oh dear!

Raspberry, sorry to hear about the injury and teeth problems.

I know absolutely nothing about trombones, but I do know with braces that the teeth feel slightly numb and sore after each visit to alter the tightness of the tracks. This lasts 1 to 2 days before the teeth adjust. So maybe just for a few days after each 6 to 8 week visit, it might be more troublesome.

Niggle pleased the teacher apologised hopefully it's all sorted now . Sounds like the autumn term will be busy for your dd so no harm in waiting till spring for grade 5

Niggle glad to hear all is sorted. Maybe she just had a bad day, we all have one from time to time.

I sit in dd's piano lessons at her request, it started that way because she only ever had private lessons, initially because her teacher advised so as she was 6 when she started, her teacher believes in initial parental support when they are young, as the time went by I tried to stop attending but dd asked me to stay. Then I thought as dd is turning 10 next month I should stop attending now, dd again said she prefers me there and the teacher just said "it's working well, why changing if there's no real reason behind it?"

We do share a joke between the three of us that I am dd's PA, sometimes I am asked to take the notes in lessons, sometimes I just make a mental note of some requirements when the teacher is teaching dd something new. This then enables me to ensure dd is prectising as her teacher asked her, as an example there have been occasions when the teacher said "practice only bar 19 very slowly" and dd is trying to ignore it and plays through the entire piece, I can remind her what she asked.

Of course this can be done through the practice diary so there isn't a right or wrong answer, it just works for us so I'll wait for dd to instruct me to not attend lessons when she's ready. She does love her teacher, she actually said so last night when doing her practice.

The down side of this is that sometimes dd feels that my presence enables her to be more vocal in lessons such as acting a bit silly, closing the book when she's had enough of a piece practice, an attitude of "my mum is here so you can't tell me off". I know this wouldn't happen if I wouldn't be there as there have been occasional lessons when I didn't attend and the teacher's feedback was that dd is very quiet when I am not there. But that is why she said it is better when I am there as she does want dd to be vocal as she's an introvert.

As I said I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, it's whatever suits best.

Same here Fleur - DS2's piano teacher likes me to be there as I make notes and we can decide on what DS2 should do at home! He is probably just as cheeky whether I'm there or not, to be honest! I think his teacher really understands him, though.
Niggle glad she apologised but I would start the long search for another teacher!
Raspberry I do hope your poor DS recovers very soon.

Raspberry: all the best to his treatment!
Kutik: no experience and never thought of it. I dont mind to blow my savings if she is keen and into it though. Its more a pleasure to pay.
Niggle: could be because your teacher was stressed and feeling pressurised. We usually try to hide our excitement about learning for the next exam for couple of months. There are usually non-exam pieces for couple of months. Hopefully your daughter doesnt feel disappointed/confused. Mine loves exams, she got excited for it and practise for it. I am lucky my piano teacher understands and talks to me. My previous violin teacher never answer my emails and dont talk to me. They say all is written in notes(to be fair they did write detailed notes). For non-musical mom like me, their notes are foreign language to me. I want command, tell me where she is, what I need to do to supervise and check on her during the week.

raspberry all the best to him
We have been shopping for mallets and sticks this morning. We happen to live 10min walk from London's best percussion shop... As DS said this morning, "isn't it amazing?". His timpani hard mallets cost 37 pounds, the marimba hard were 33 pounds. The cost. And he's now paying everything from his own pocket money savings! Grandparents are buying him a cymbal bag as reward for his end of year grades (we never reward, bribe or anything but they do lucky for him )
I have never sat in a music lesson. Only when DH was teaching him piano of course, I was at home. But never sitting there. I don't think any of his teachers would've liked it. In drums, I sit in the next room when I go, now he mostly goes alone.

I have never sat in on a lesson either ( the odd bit when his teacher wants to show me something) if I sat in on lessons it would only lead to arguments with me and ds afterwards if I corrected what he was doing - it's bad enough now when I remind him to follow his teachers instructions ( rather than give himself a little concert when he's practicing)

Niggle - glad all sorted!

Drummers - that sounds bed like a lovely day. We've been shopping also but for school shoe and bag shopping today. Even this early in the holidays, Clarks was like Dante's 7th circle of hell. We left and went to another shop!

Oh yes Prada I know what you mean, I used to get his Startrite at John Lewis and it was hell before the school year!! I'm so happy he now buys men's shoes in regular shops. The time will come for you too!

Oh yes, I certainly don't miss the Clarks pilgrimage. One year, back when my boys were 5,6 and 7, we took our ticket and got in the queue. There were loads ahead of us.
We went to a cafe over the road, had a sit down meal and came back to the shoe shop without missing our turn. In fact I think there were still half a dozen to go.

Truffle and I'm putting it off - for now anyway will need to go soon though

You can book an appointment at Clarks I think. I have sorted out DD2's school shoes already. Partly because she needs smart shows for NCO - and partly because she had actually worn a hole in the sole. And her feet had grown a whole size. Oops!

Shows=shoes....

Shoes are now Converse-alikes in summer and walking shoes in winter. It's brilliant, although he still needs concert shoes he doesn't have to buy them at back to school time.

I received requirements from jd recently. The shirt for orchestra is white but for percussion ensemble it has to be black... His black trousers from Easter will be small now. So we also have to visit some shops...

Drummers we have the same here different outfits for different ensembles ( ds quite often has to quickly change between groups when they are performing - which then means that he doesnt look as smart as he could )

We have the white/black shirt thing, the only real issue is keeping track of who plays in what. What with that and the ties/bow ties I'm glad that he's of an age now to sort himself out. We still have the odd occasion where he comes down, takes one look at his father and swings round on his heel to change shirts but it doesn't happen as often as it did.

trumpet you mean the " shirt hanging out and collar turned in" look?

I also quite like the "bow tie at 30 degrees to the horizontal" look.

icould I actually visualized the whole thing

Thanks for reminding me about shoes, I have a hobbit here, only 1.45cm or something and shoes size 4(I am size 4 too). We need new school shoes too as hers has a hole. I might just do it online tonight.

Drummers that's exactly the look I mean

Wow green your daughter is tall! Dd is same academic year and 13 cm shorter

Happy little lady... got her 3 octaves on her clarinet and did her first proper pedalling on piano (her wee legs only recently got long enough). Change of mind for one of her NCO pieces too.

fleur until very recently, literally a matter of weeks, I sat in on every lesson. Now, she decided she wanted them on her own. I am in hearing distance of the lesson still so have some awareness of what's gone on but need a bit more in the notebook now. Til then, like you I was "lesson scribe"!