(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!

Fleur it shouldn't need servicing yet. Every few years is fine (my clarinet hasn't been in for 10 years, but both saxophones went in this year, and flute is booked in for next month) so I'm getting there! Here, you have to book a service 3 months in advance, and it takes most of a day.

waffle did you find shoes?

Yes, we got her some sandals from the outdoor shop in a ladies' size 6, and her usual little concert shoes (which tend to come up small) in a size 7. faints At least the sandals (which weren't cheap) will last me for years after she grows out of them. I don't mind them being a tiny bit big.

Waffle - the bass is on loan - we are not that crazy :) the A we did buy as dd uses it a lot. We aren't part of the music service and our school (and new school) and JD don't loan 'common' instruments so we don't have a lot of choice; renting through a shop was v expensive when we did it last year. Also i have no doubt dd will be playing her b flat and A for many many years in ensembles and orchestras:)

Thanks for the flute recommendations Waffle!

Oh yes, most people buy As eventually... I am not most people, and tend to branch out into all the other instrument families, as well as weird and wonderful ones.

Helen loved your DS's singing as well, that was beautiful!
Drummers I may have a posh shed but the house is a tip at the moment! I've just started excavating the clutter in the hall and I think it'll take all weekend!

loose
waffle big feet!!

Hello everyone! Didn't manage to post on july's thread (bloody puppy!) but did read all of your news! Well done to all the brilliant results!

For those who don't know me, miniprada is 11, just finished Y6 and off to big school in September. She is now working towards G8 violin and G7 piano. She is also a member of two orchestras locally and will be off as a music scholar at her new school. We are undecided about trying for NCO this year given that a new school with a commute is probably enough but we'll see...

The puppy has more than doubled his body weight in 6 weeks and is 21.5kgs. He is likely to reach 80kgs 😱 Maybe more...

In other news, new school uses schoolblazer.com which is a revolution in school uniform supply! All online, it has an 'intelligent sizing' system so after you enter measurements it works out what your child needs. And the best bit? It arrives with all of the labels sewn in!

Nice to see you, Prada. Your dog weighs nearly as much as Rara, who is 9 and skinny. I love the sound of that school uniform system! We had to buy all ours for the school, except they were all out of Goo's (perfectly ordinary) waist size in the skirts, so we have to collect it on August 31st, and sew all the labels in ourselves!

Thank you Waffle good to know I can "save" some money, I am used to the piano where it is every 6 months.

Nice to see you here also Prada and just to confirm the puppy also weighs as much as dd who's turning 10 next month but is petite and skinny.

I am cleaning the house at the speed of light, it is DS's 16th birthday tomorrow and we're celebrating with family and friends, I cannot actually believe he's 16.

An I the only mother who doesn't know what their child weighs?! I'm off to weigh her in now 😂

No idea what Goo weighs. Rara was 3 stone 10 pounds on her birthday, which is 23.5 kg, apparently!

Wow, Fleur I thought she looked a fair bit bigger than Rara, in relation to the clarinet.

34kgs... Now I don't feel like a crap mother!

Waffle I'm 5'2 so no chance of her to be so tall. She's slightly heavier than Rara at 25,5 kg and around 135cm tall.

Prada dd jumped on the scales herself last weekend, that's how I found out otherwise there are months on end without any knowledge.

I think Rara is just over 130cm, so they are on a similar trajectory. I measure and weigh them on their birthdays... when I remember. I have measured Goo more recently because she is about to grow past me. We are both 159cm (5' 2.5"). She is around 7 stone. I'm not!!

Lol Prada!

Waffle what strength reed would you have your pupils dd's level? She's on 2 vandoren the blue ones but she started squeaking more often recently and I know that last time she was squeaking her teacher increased the strength. Obviously I don't want to do more harm than good, I wonder though if we should try a 2.5.

2.5 Fleur. I am a fan of the harder option, if in doubt. I moved up to 3s aged 10, and 3.5s aged 30. I plan to stay on those.

Thanks Waffle I'll order some and see how we get on when we get back from holiday.

Hello Prada! And wow on the "puppy", we dream of having a beagle one day!

Loose: fingers crossed for the result!

Only, Fleur, Niggle, Double, Waffle, we all have similar age daughter, mine might be the heaviest, just weighted her before going out tonight, 35kg! ( and I am on the same height as Waffle, 1.59cm).

Hello. I love reading these threads, I rarely post anything as we are very much just starting off but I thought it might inspire other newbies to join in if I did ! I have 7 yr old dd who is approaching grade 1 standard ish violin. Taken a while to get here - not massively musical but a real little grafter currently has violin on holiday with us as didn't want to miss a weeks practice. She is also dyspraxic and dyslexic but her violin has been brilliant for both - It makes it harder but it's fab OT. Her little brother is starting violin soon age 5 as he wants to be like his sister. She is very very excited about this ! Her other brother loves drumming at school and has zero interest in learning anything formally. I used to sing and play clarinet many years ago. We have a surprising number of instruments considering the lack of music currently happening in the house - piano, Bb clarinet A clarinet, tenor sax, 3x cheap recorders, guitar, full size violin, 1/8th size violin and soon 1/4 size violin. And small djembe drum !

Hello Didip. Your little DD, same age as my youngest is doing well. Can't get mine to do more than 10 minutes without lots of faux wailing about arm hurting. Doing any music with focus at 7 is an achievement. Some children just do really love the violin! More challenging with both dyspraxia and dyslexia certainly, so more impressive. My DS has both diagnosed , and I appreciate that DCs have to put in so much extra effort to get results.