NCO 2018

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The new annual thread for those interested and/or auditioning! Ask questions, update your news - lots of nco parents on board and those hoping to be :)

so all the regional concerts are done (dd's was yesterday) - guess everyone had the email today to say that results are 1st and 2nd week of Dec and by email this year?

Yes will be so much better by email- hopefully we will hear sooner rather than later
Good luck to all the DCs who auditioned

It's hard enough, wondering if DS has got in - I can only imagine how hard it must be for those of you with DCs who are hoping to keep their place/move up...at least DS doesn't know what he's missing.
Everything crossed for them all.

Hahaha I just read the email and thought "ohhh there'll be some relieved people, glad to not have to go through the torment of waiting for the postman" /it getting lost.... which is good, but if it's still spread over the two weeks, there's surely still two weeks of torment and constant pressing refresh?!

One of DDs friends had moved house last year and their letter took 3 or 4 days longer to arrive. More difficult as she knew that DD and another friend had places. E-mail makes sense.

Yes, got the email. This is a good move, I wonder though if all the emails go out together, or maybe by year group.

I read last year's thread, and had mentally prepared myself for feeling the weight of the envelope (thin for thanks for auditioning, please try again next year, and thicker for congrats and here is lots of further info). Am currently reprocessing..

Is it true once you are in the age banded orchestra, even when you are not successful for a certain year, you'll still be invited to the regionals?

Kutik -that certainly used to be the case, but the website doesn't mention it anymore so i am wondering if it has changed. On the other hand we know a lot of children who have moved from age banded to regionals (and very often back to age banded the next year) so i would have thought there was a good chance of it happening

Email is definitely better as I want to be the one to open it! We will have to speculate about size of attachment rather than weight of envelope.

Anyway, I have uploaded a video of DS2 playing his Vivaldi at a school concert a couple of days ago, to the YouTube channel.

Love the new videos of Goo, Rara, mini musician and mini-double. Mini-double looks so tiny in comparison to her bassoon! They all play really musically, although I don't know enough about wind instruments to fully appreciate all the technique!

I see. We would be more than delighted with repeating a regional place. The less than monthly rehearsal during school term works well for us. Fingers crossed!

Hahaha niggle I had got the same ready in my head!

Taggie - I can confirm that DD is taller than the bassoon, but not by a huge amount. She always looks tiny in comparison to other bassoonists too.

double your girl is my DDs inspiration that she can soon have her own bassoon. She's soooo nearly there, she just needs the tiniest more stretch so she can both blow it and use her right hand! She's playing well with just her left hand and is VERY excited

I didn't realise there was another budding bassoonist on here Mini! Have you considered a mini bassoon or a tenoroon? That is what DD2 started on. All the right fingering, just smaller and the instrument transposes. They are great at getting kids started and doing the right things early on. I think they can take ABRSM exams up to Grade 3 on them too.

I was at sunday’s London regional with DS2 as well. I was very impressed - some really tight and accurate performances. So much energy for the conductor - v inspiring!

double ohhh yes, definite aspiring bassoonist here. Her teacher is a bassoon teacher by specialism so she's been excited to learn for a long time. They're watching ever centimetre that she grows! She's said her preference is we wait til DD is big enough to go straight onto the regular instrument because she's so close to ready that she doesn't want her getting used to the breath required for a tenoroon. She's able to nicely play the full size bassoon so she's recommended we ride it out. Also, she's said DD will likely get from nothing to G3 in under a term so there's not much point with the little instruments in this case, in her opinion. So we wait! But DD gets very excited every time the bassoon comes out for her to have another little play!

Mini, DD2's teacher is well known for producing really good young bassoonists (not saying that DD can be compared to some of them!) and is firmly in the camp of using smaller instruments early on. DD2 had just turned 8 when she started on a mini bassoon in the January, she moved to a tenoroon in May of the same year and then onto a short reach, full sized bassoon by the end of July. It did mean that she was confident in the finger and thumb work as well as the blowing technique before she moved to the bigger instrument. She took Grade 4 in the May of the following year, that being her first exam.

Mini - I have sent you a message with a link. See what you think.

DD did 6 months on a mini-bassoon before moving on to a 'proper' instrument. Certainly gave her a good start, but my goodness those little instruments sound awful! Needs to be a very determined child to carry on whilst making that noise.

Hapsburg, I agree they can sound awful, but not always . DD1's original oboe on the other hand made my ears bleed! Two oboes further on and a lot of technique under the belt and it now sounds lovely .

Not long to go now..

made you look though!

Right, I must find some work to do.

Hahahaha niggle that made me chuckle. Not long at all. A fortnight's time and people might be starting to find out.....

We have the winter course and concert next weekend. DS is really looking forward to seeing his friends then. Hopefully we'll hear very soon the following week...

I hope so too

Bassclef - really looking forward to watching the Winter Concert; hope your DS enjoys it!

bumping in readiness