(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!

Saving already for secondary school uniform here. Thankfully primaries have no uniform, but — insanely in a country where 1/4 children grow up in poverty— secondary uniform is like something out of Enid Blyton here, all of it special and completely ridiculously expensive. We can choose from the state schools that demand boys play at least 4 sports each, as well as having ordinary, dress and PE uniforms; or the private school that demands slightly fewer sports uniforms but the dress uniform is a kilt at $350 each and the blazer costs $300... even the sodding socks are $30 a pair...

Kutik my son is a tall 12.5yr old and went into an adult NCO tie this summer. The youth one was fine for the last two years.

Thanks Misicdoc. In that case I may go for youth as DS wont be even half way through 10 years old at the time of the concert. He is 145cm though. How tall is your DS?

Hello! Need a bit of advice please.
We got a new piano teacher around April, just around him taking grade 1 exam. Soon she suggested he start practicing grade2, which he did.
End of July, she had a baby but reassured she will start lessons again in Autumn. Now we received the email she isn't coming back until at least new year, so we are stuck. Similar happened last year, the teacher suddenly left for personal reasons, and he had keyboard teacher for while, and prepared for grade 1 DIY.

He isn't bothered about doing exam later, maybe spring or summer next year, and says he wants to wait for this teacher to come back rather than trying to find a new one.
But this means he would be without a teacher for quite a while. I am worried he may develop bad habits etc.

Do you think it's ok to carry on practicing on his own without any teacher for quite a long period of time? He says he has quite a lot of list of songs he want to learn including grade 2 songs and others.
One thing really worries me is if the teacher decided not to comeback after all.
He loves piano and practice daily but it is just one of his hobby, so I am quite happy for him not going further in grades.

ealing loved the vid too! Nice rhythm and humpf, she's doing so well in spite of the hours swimming!!
irvine is he the type to keep up practice in spite of not having lessons? Some children need a teacher for practice not to slip...?
misti great news on guitar, lots of raw talent then.

irvine I think it would be fine to just keep going if he's a motivated kind of chap, but if it were me and mine, I would overrule them and just find a new teacher. The start of the academic year is a good time to do so. It's possible that the other teacher might not want to return to teaching when the time comes, if ever.

irvine, if your DS is so attached to the teacher, you could wait but I would say within a definite period of time.

The exactly same thing happened to my friend's son a few years ago. His teacher had a baby in August so they had a term break as the teacher said she would be back after three months. She didn't come back. My friend innocently waited without any research for a new teacher so she finally started searching for a new one after the long wait. It took a while for the boy to settle with a new one. My friend still talks about it and feels bad that she didn't find an alternative teacher sooner.

As a mother myself, I can easily understand the teacher's change of mind. Having a baby is a life changing event. No one can predict how things go after the birth.

So I would let DS wait if he really likes her, but would start researching now just in case.

Did I miss the video from miniealing?

Thank you for advice.
I really can't decide what to do. He has been learning piano about year and half now, but I realised he only had proper teacher less than half of that time.
I will see how it goes, but I think I will take advice and start looking for different teacher as well.

It's still on the channel Prada; and thank you Alex and Drummers; she's relaxing a little more now!

Morning all!

irvine personally I wouldn't leave him without a teacher for so long even if you find somebody and explain that come January he's moving back to his old teacher (only if 100% happy with her, personally I wouldn't be so happy being let down so last minute).

I think learning on his own for so long is inevitable he'll pick up bad habits at such an important stage of learning, it is in my opinion more important to have a good teacher when the foundation is being laid than later on.

I'm off to the YouTube channel to see all the new uploads.

Impressed with miniealing and also the violinist (not sure who she belongs to but she's really good).

That's all the new stuff isn't it? Nothing else shows up on my side.

Knowing how difficult/how long it takes it is to find a good teacher, I would definitely start looking now. For DC3 I have found even the summer holidays (too) long without teacher. I wonder how many noticed mistakes she has picked up....

Mine are moaning about the lack of lessons now. Rara says she has nothing to practise on the cello, but I am getting her to rotate through the scales for Initial, Grades 1, 2 and 3, because she missed out grade 2 and then struggled with them when she came to do grade 3. She has a nice Tarantella which she plays every day. She started it a year ago but has recently returned to it, so it's better now. Her teacher asked for Vamoosh 3 so I got that, plus a fun book. She hasn't got very far though. I have been trying to give her some clarinet input, and have now realised why she has been hovering at the same level for ages (slightly post grade 2)... she doesn't want it to overtake the cello!! She is working very hard at a difficult (for her) piece though... the Sicilienne by von Paradis, which is lovely, and nearly there. We have started the grade 3 scales and we're using pieces from previous grade 3 exam books for sight reading, until her next tutor book arrives. That will cover the notes and rhythms in detail.

Similar situation with Goo - piano is fine because she has had two lessons in the holidays and there is a difficult new piece to learn. On the flute, she's doing the bare minimum and says she needs a lesson. I look forward to her getting back to them in 2 weeks, as I don't have a clue what she is doing for NCO. They might decide to do some of her Grade 8 pieces as a little warm up for the following term, but I would prefer it if she went down a level for the audition.

Back from hols and caught up with the lovely piano playing by Miniealing, I am jealous!
After a week without instruments, DS2 scampered up to his room to play guitar and bass boy was reunited with his bass guitar and practising this morning. He's now wading through his geography homework but with frequent snack breaks!

I love seeing them after time away from their instruments. Our holiday this year has been to family, who are very musical, so she took her clarinet and had access to a piano (and a beautiful acoustic bass guitar, double bass etc etc) and yet within minutes of coming through the door, she had slung everything down and gone to her piano.

Had a piano lesson last night and the focus will be on one piece till the potential audition in 4 weeks time factoring in the fact that her teacher is also on holiday for a week.

Woke up to the news delivered by a friend that there's been a death (17 yo) at Reading festival. She was asking if DS is ok and I had no clue, the following 20 min until I managed to talk to him have been a nightmare!!! He's fine thank God! If anybody has DCs there I hope yours are ok also, such a sad news.

How dreadful Fleur and what a fright for you Was it drugs? I haven't been on the news today.

Grandparents have stopped clapping during practice thank God. I think my mum has even fallen asleep in the drums room while he's playing right now which is just inhuman - she is wearing the pneumatic drill headphones though.

drummers the death is unexplained but I can only assume is drugs... The Boy is now safe in his bedroom sleeping. He's been really good and I trust nothing too much went on as he texted and sent pics 5-6 times a day but you never know what can happen, you can't keep them locked forever.

Hahaha at your parents clapping for everything, my IL do the same, dd practises, I can hear when she's not following what her teacher asked her to do and before I open my mouth I can hear "brilliant" and they clap excited. she could play ba ba black sheep for all it matters, they are extatic.

Fleur oh gosh, dreadful shock. So glad DS is back safely and that he had a good time - and I'm impressed he mostly kept in touch. Mine is hopeless - he basically thinks his phone is for Spotify.
I really love the clapping grandparents and their pride in the grandchildren! My ILs are just the same!

Hm, yes, DH and dc were abroad in a city when a terrorist attack happened in a nice park. There is me trying to contact them without much success. He hadn't even realised about the bomb explosion till his sister (same country but different city had contacted the place he was staying at).

Fleur, glad your DS is OK. Heartbreaking for the family involved and for any friends that were there with him.

On the subject of grandparents and their appreciation for their grandchildren's music making, My mum came down from Scotland to see the NCO Under 11 concert yesterday and was sitting with tears coming down her face at the end. I think she enjoyed it....

foundout that must have been so scary! That's what drove me crazy, I asked DS why didn't he text me first to let me know he's fine but he didn't know there's been a death. His phone was off also as the battery went so you can imagine the feeling when I called and it went straight to voicemail. Luckily I had the numbers of a couple of his friends and called them immediately, they assured me he was fine while he was queuing to get a portable charger. When I've seen his text and then called him 20 min later I burst into tears instantly. Then I had to go and pick him up which meant 4 hours spent on the motorway but somehow it didn't matter anymore.

Double that is sooo sweet, I bet that's how my mum and IL would react if dd would get into NCO. It must make them feel so proud!

Spent far too much on music over the weekend - just realised how much as dispatch emails started popping in
Lovely to hear about the grandparents enjoying DC's music Make the most of the clapping and crying, my parents have never seen DD play in public - they have had many many opportunites, 5 years of NCO and lots of solo/small ensemble things and masterclasses etc all over the country so some have been within easy travelling for them. I have offered to buy tickets, they have a car, are not too old, in good health etc just don't seem to be at all interested.
My Dad took it a step further last time they stayed with us - when DD was practising he would ask how long 'that racket' was going to last and at one point even turned up the volume on the TV as she was disturbing his viewing (she was playing in a different room but our house is very small)! Sadly this has resulted in DD refusing to go and stay with them this holidays as she didn't want to miss out on practice with auditions coming up, but she didn't want to take instruments to their house just to get that reaction.

That is so sad to read hapsburg