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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

NCO 2018

991 replies

stringchild · 23/08/2017 19:07

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 :)

OP posts:
Nigglenotes · 07/10/2017 11:11

Taggie, ha! I know what you mean; planting the finger somewhere in between both notes is also a way to hedge bets, which is worse, neither natural or sharp!

We had a lesson yesterday and sorted out the f notes with DD's teacher. As long as she remembers! It is a lovely piece when played in tune.. vibrato was on hold until all the fingerings and bowing were correct, so maybe we will look at that this week. At the moment she does vibrato at the end of phrases, when she remembers, but I'm not sure if that is better than none, or there is an all or nothing approach?

Good news is her teacher has decided to come and accompany DD! I didn't think she would find the time because she has also had to practice the piano part for at least one of the pieces.

This will help DD to be a lot more confident in the audition.

Good luck to everyone yet to audition!

Nigglenotes · 07/10/2017 11:11

Taggie, ha! I know what you mean; planting the finger somewhere in between both notes is also a way to hedge bets, which is worse, neither natural or sharp!

We had a lesson yesterday and sorted out the f notes with DD's teacher. As long as she remembers! It is a lovely piece when played in tune.. vibrato was on hold until all the fingerings and bowing were correct, so maybe we will look at that this week. At the moment she does vibrato at the end of phrases, when she remembers, but I'm not sure if that is better than none, or there is an all or nothing approach?

Good news is her teacher has decided to come and accompany DD! I didn't think she would find the time because she has also had to practice the piano part for at least one of the pieces.

This will help DD to be a lot more confident in the audition.

Good luck to everyone yet to audition!

TaggieOHara · 07/10/2017 20:15

That sounds good. I reckon at this stage occasional vibrato is fine. Better not to force it!

Glad to hear that the F naturals/sharps are sorted :-) . We have had a week off Libesleid to have a go at sorting out passages in the Vivaldi (DS is playing the last movement of the A minor concerto). He plays it fast and out of control with plenty of gusto, but is still enjoying it, which is the main thing.

folkmamma · 08/10/2017 18:12

How’s everyone bearing up?? 2 more sleeps for us and I’m trying desperately hard to keep psycho Mum in check... 🙈 DD was nailing it up until Tuesday but then had a wobble. Lots of slow practice seems to have put her back on track but I guess it will be what it will be now...

Minimusiciansmama · 08/10/2017 18:55

6 sleeps here.... she had disastrous practice last night and this morning but had a lesson on them this afternoon which seems to have gone positively. Her (new) teacher seems positive and excited- she'd never heard the audition pieces until today (which hasn't been freaking me out at all.... no....) thankfully she's headed suggestions that messing with her embouchure should wait til after!!

Trumpetboysmum · 08/10/2017 19:46

Love the psycho mum folk mama!! I'm the same here !! Oh well ours is on Tuesday too I'm now mostly concerned about finding somewhere in park in Norwich!! Which means we will end up being really early . Good luck for Tuesday too

folkmamma · 08/10/2017 20:08

And to you and yours Trumpet! Tbh I think both me and DD will just be glad when it’s all over. And psycho Mum can go back in the box until early December! 😂😂😊

Trumpetboysmum · 08/10/2017 20:24

Me too I can't wait for Tuesday to be finished this year was supposed to be more relaxed Grin after last years endless auditions and exams ( or it felt like that anyway )

folkmamma · 08/10/2017 20:29

Tell me about it!! This is DD’s 3rd big audition inside a month! (The other 2 were for theatre) she’s knackered!

folkmamma · 08/10/2017 20:31

Tell me about it!! This is DD’s 3rd big audition inside a month! (The other 2 were for theatre) she’s knackered!

Minimusiciansmama · 08/10/2017 20:41

First ever audition for my wee girly....! Of many, many, many i am sure!

Kutik73 · 09/10/2017 10:10

Good luck with those who are having an audition this week!

We didn't arrange an accompanist as it was rather a last minute attempt. I know NCO says 50% or so children come without. But DS's teacher said children play better with accompaniment in general. I wonder if I should have made more effort to support DS (rather than messing up his violin by changing the strings before the audition...). Sad

musicathome76 · 09/10/2017 10:28

Good luck to kids auditioning this week!

Our audition is in less than two weeks and I still have not sorted out an accompanist! I am/was hoping his piano teacher will do it, but now that looks unlikely...
DS's teacher said the same Kutik that it will be better with piano. Not sure what to do, as it is quite a commitment for the piano accompanist having to drive to the venue as well (about 30 min away). Also what is the going rate to pay?
Feel so disorganised

Trumpetboysmum · 09/10/2017 10:34

Don't worry about it kutik. Ds isn't playing with an accompaniment either and his teacher says it's fine to do it like that. Unless you can accompany your own child it's very difficult to find one if the audition is miles away - especially if your teacher isn't putting in other students at the same venue - ours isn't. We will see what the comments say in December about ds playing without and that will help us decide what we do in future but I think if they are truely trying to reach out to everyone as an organisation then they either accept unaccompanied playing or provide their own . Otherwise you are only ever going to get the children from already musical families, those that live locally or those with teachers who regularly put children in for this sort of thing. Last year ds's teacher accompanied for 1 piece- explained that he couldn't properly play the piano solo part and would be improvising !! And ds did the other piece unaccompanied as it didn't have a piano part. He got in and had amazing feedbackSmile Ds has done it all different ways in the last 12 months and it doesn't really seem to make a difference

Trumpetboysmum · 09/10/2017 10:35

Oh and ds now has a cough and a cold Shock so tomorrow really could go either way but he's staying positive and says he's had an amazing year this year which is the main thing. He also stayed up late last night watching the under 12s summer concert Smile

folkmamma · 09/10/2017 10:47

I think it’s best to do whatever gives them confidence! Some kids would be rattled by playing with a strange accompanist and would be better off without. We are super lucky as DD’s BFF’s Mum is an AMAZING pianist, and as they usually do everything together (NCO included!) we always have our favourite accompanist on hand!

Oh no Trumpet! What rubbish timing! Hope he feels well tomorrow... x

Trumpetboysmum · 09/10/2017 11:11

Thank you folkmamma he says he'll be fine he did his grade 7 with a truely awful cough ( and collapsed in coughing fits between each piece !!) so he's got experience of just getting on with it . I wish we had access to a regular accompanist that would be great

Kutik73 · 09/10/2017 11:14

I like to believe what Trumpet said. Then I can stop giving myself such hard time not to give him the best support....

DS also developed cough, sour throat and runny nose at the beginning of last week - it happened to be the week with a science test for state secondary entry on Mon, NCO audition on Wed and a music test for another state secondary entry!! He still has them all, and aural tests for secondary school entry are coming up this week and next week - both are very important as they are his 1st and 2nd choice... He was 100% well for not so important audition/test. Typical!!

Kutik73 · 09/10/2017 11:16

Trumpet, actually it's a good life skill, isn't it? They learn to do the best nevertheless the condition. Lots of honey lemon and early sleep tonight!

Original poster
stringchild · 09/10/2017 11:28

Trumpet - am sure adrenaline will see him through the cough, but what a pain!

i agree re accompanying - just do some gentle coaching not to go too fast (dd's friend galloped through her slow piece unaccompanied last year and got comments on it; a piano might have held her back a bit). DD has done with and without and its not been a problem as long as they are used to practicing that way, and keep steady :). DD would say no accompanist is def better than one you are not used to who might decide to do things their way....

Good luck to all this week- we are a few weeks away yet but given the lack of lessons, and thus pieces not yet selected, i am not sure will make much difference. DD's teacher on sat announced she didn't like the pieces dd has been working on her own, and refused to listen to them, and selected some new ones!! DD is resigned to having a year off and going for it again next year.

OP posts:
folkmamma · 09/10/2017 11:30

It’s is great - having her ‘other mum’ in the room really helps Noo. Although I think it will really throw her on the inevitable day that she has to work with another accompanist!!!!

Don’t fret Kutik, they are only interested in quality of playing, accompanist or no. I don’t even think the difficulty of the piece is much of a factor. Fingers crossed for everyone!

Trumpetboysmum · 09/10/2017 11:36

Yes string we have talked lots about NOT rushing for the faster piece otherwise while impressive he runs the risk of it sounding a bit scruffy. I'm totally with your dd about playing with an unknown accompaniest mostly when ds has done that it has gone fine but there has been the odd occasion when he has been caught unaware and has had to make some hasty adjustments Grin all good practice

Minimusiciansmama · 09/10/2017 19:25

We aren't having an accompanist. I do wish she did, just to give her the stability in audition setting, but she played them in concert with s totally unknown accompanist who made a pigs ear of one of the pieces and we've practised one of her pieces so firmly to a metronome that I can feel her feeling the pulse. So I am hoping she'll be just fine. Her teacher is away, it's a 90 min drive so too far to ask people to go for five minutes playing really!

Good luck to tomorrow's auditionees! I hope trumpetboy has a good day regardless of illness.

Trumpetboysmum · 09/10/2017 20:07

Thank you mini he seems fine ( the cough seems to come and go) and is looking forward to it

folkmamma · 09/10/2017 20:40

Yes, good luck everyone! All good here, great final lesson - Noo fast asleep in bed since 7.15. I’m distracting myself with ironing and Tchaik 4...

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