(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!

Another celebratory household - great results prada's DD1!

Yes .. wise words Fleur
Well done to Miniprada too!

Tick that box and move on Fleur. Providing that what they have is enough to take them to the next step in their journey then it's all good. If it's not enough for the next step it's still not the end of the world, you can resit or move in a different direction. There is an element of Mumsnet (and the wider world presumably) that thinks anything less than an A is a failure of epic proportions but in four years time no one will care what grades they got at GCSE, that will be history. We don't care now at what age they walked or joined three words together, those achievements were hugely important at the time but things have moved on since then.

Fantastic results everyone! Wow! to the 9 in maths and A* in music and Spanish.
Well done in particular to Fleur's DS and good luck in his future business career. Totally agree about not worrying about remarks in sciences if he's got what he needs for sixth form. You get to a point in life where no one cares what exams you did at 16 as long as you passed maths and English. Now he can enjoy sixth form and the subjects he really loves!

Ouch on the rounders - DS survived 10 years as a football goalie without so much as a sprain, but got a rounders bat in the face at a music camp....

DS also got GCSE results today. Better than or in line with his personal predictions except in History, where he was 1 mark below the grade he wanted. He can carry on with that subject to AS and a level, and is taking the 'onwards and upwards' view that once he has those higher level marks, the grade slip at this point won't matter and he doesn't want the 'will it , won't it' of the remark.

A* in music, though :-)

cant that's great, congratulations to him. Not surprised about music

I agree with your sentiments icouldbeknitting. Miniprada's sister was not expecting 9's A*'s but she worked bloody hard for them.

Ouch Ealing!

Ps I can't claim all the credit. I have 3 step children who live with us at the weekends/hols but I do help where I can with sensible advice etc. one out of the three listens to me at least 😂 For the other two I'm sure I'm a moany old bag who on the one hand buys them lovely clothes and cooks yummy food but on the other insists on the dishwasher being stacked/emptied and dirty clothes making it to the linen bin....

Ps well done to your DS can't!

Fantastic news cantkeep; well done your boy!

Wow thank you ladies for all the support you have brought some tears in my eyes, you are all so supportive.

Icouldbe I couldn't agree more, I find it sad that the previous "I didn't get an A* = I failed" is now becoming "I didn't get a 9 = a fail". And that's so wrong as 9 is attributed to 2% of the country so there will be a huge % of pupils feeling like they failed. DS got what he needed to progress and that's all it matters. I am not born here in this country and I have a fairly high position in my company, not once they asked for my qualifications, it has only been about skills.

Well done prada and cant dcs! I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

Well done all gcse aged minis.

Exactly Fleur, it's all about what is required to open the doors they want. Your DS got good grades anyway, but even if he hadn't, there is usually another way. My friend failed her A levels and didn't get into teacher training college at 18, but went back again and took courses more suitable for her, and entered at 20 instead.

Well it seems that I am not worthy of your admiration about closing chapters as something got into me to check the grade boundaries for physics and biology. For a B DS needed 280 (for both). He got 278 and 279 respectively. A C is 240 but he got awarded a C.

So I'm willing to put it to bed if the school doesn't think it is a good idea to remark but I feel it is my duty to ask for remark if they believe it is worth it as it is ridiculously close. They should triple check (and maybe they do) the marks that are 1-2-3 points away. And send a letter saying "don't bother remarking as we've triple checked" lol 😂

Congrats on all those results! DD1 will be doing one a year early next year - Philosophy and Theology - so we'll be having a dry run for the main event. Can't say she's too enthused by the subject, but the school makes them all do it.

I just created a separate thread, looking for ideas for inspiring music for a brand new Grade 6-8 violin trio. (So I can easily keep track of responses!)

Local Strings orchestra was a shambles last year. DD1 refuses to rejoin. I'm hoping some ideas for inspiring music will encourage her.

Any good ideas from you knowledgeable people?!!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/extra_curricular_activities/3015389-Request-for-recommendations-for-cool-music-violin-trio-Grade-6-7

Fleur if it's that close and school advises a remark it is worth a try to check marks were added up correctly. We would certainly do this at my college. However, my advice is to be prepared for the grade to stay where it is. The line has to be drawn somewhere and it can just be bad luck, unfortunately. Two years ago I had one student go up from a D to a very solid C but another student remained frustratingly 2 points short of a pass. Aargh!

Ah ladies you must be so delighted with the not-so-minis. Well done, I'm glad they're able to move on to the next chapters in their lives. I particularly feel for you all in the muddled times with these new gradings and uncertainties. fleur I think You've got a great attitude to it- I can understand why you're wobbling in the "put it aside and move on" resolve now you have the additional information!

Well done all

Thanks ladies, Loose that's my intention, I'll see what the school says I need to contact them today anyway as I received an email requesting to submit his official sixth form application which he did yesterday's morning so I need to check if it was only a generic email.

If they believe it is worth rechecking I'll do it, otherwise, as nothing changes with regards to his path I'll leave it.

No music practice again last night as I was exhausted, hopefully we can now get into some sort of routine. 2 weeks to the 11+ exam now and the MAT.

I got a B for my music GCSE. I got a very good set of results including 7 As (back in the dark ages, before A*s) and have always wondered what went wrong in music. I don't think there was such a thing as re-marks then, and we weren't given any breakdown of marks. I had to shrug it off, but managed to get a B in my A level and a 2:1 in my degree, so it was all fine in the end.

After a couple of days off practice (partly due to laziness, and partly due to such bad behaviour/ mouthiness that I couldn't work with her) I got Rara to do some yesterday and am so pleased with her progress. The camera is coming out today! I'm not allowed anywhere near Goo with it, and NOBODY is allowed to hear her play any more. I'm not quite sure what's come over her.

fleur well with such short difference, why not My BIL is a teacher and once had a student go from a D to an A after a remark. They did ask for a copy of the exam though, so he was pretty certain that it was worth it

hang in there waffle.

And hope you get constructive advice from your DS's school today fleur to help you guys move forward.

Don't worry waffle it's called adolescence. It's temporary and non contagious. We're been spared in this household by some sort of miracle but my niece became the worst person she could become. Now she's a 17 year old woman, mature, affable.

And thanks for the concern for DD - she's fine, DH just gone to pick her up. She's says she's never been to such a "boot camp", but is completely stoked and proud of herself for completing 42 training kms in 4 days, ready for season and has made a request for home made chicken curry to recover.

Now if only she could apply this to her music hours! Back to school on Friday, think we're all ready for normality to resume now.