September Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Hello, and welcome to a new thread for September. This is a lovely, calm and supportive corner of Mumsnet where we can talk about everything to do with music lessons, exams, practice, auditions, and whatever else you like. Contributors of ALL standards and ages welcome. There are lots of experienced music parents on here, but we also have a steady stream of beginners, and the collective knowledge on here is impressive.

I'm Waffle, teacher of woodwind - mainly clarinet and recorder these days. My DH plays the guitar for fun. We have two DDs - sensitive, highly strung and accident-prone Goo (11) who plays the flute and piano, and starts secondary school next week, and laid back, funny Rara (9) who plays the cello and clarinet, and is also a reading machine.

There's not too much going on for us musically this term, apart from auditioning for NCO in October. My main priority will be getting Goo settled in a much bigger school, with a longer day, and she's getting there under her own steam, eek! Luckily for us, we don't have any music exams or secondary school entrance stuff going on, but I know that lots of you do. I am anticipating Grade 8 Flute and Grade 3 Clarinet next term, and Grade 5 Piano in the summer term. I've no idea if Rara will do any more cello exams after the drama of the last one! At the moment, she says she's sticking to the odd numbers. Nutcase.

I meant, DH didn't come to the open day nor the introductory day at JD. Basically he doesn't know what JD is. All he knows is DS is doing some music there...

Ha! Just signed DS2's planner - there is lots of homework that doesn't involve covering books due in on Wednesday! Presume he has worked out he can do it tomorrow afternoon as they have a half day while school prepares for Open Evening.

I have my finger hitting F5 every 15 min on the results website as this is the day the MAT tests results were released last year.

As I said I am not amazingly hopeful with dd being a dreamer but I need to be put out of my misery. I had a bad dream last night that all her friends taking the exam got through and they were laughing at her that she's rubbish at music, grrrr, I hope the results are out today so we can move on with our lives.

And F5 again

Fleur - thinking of you; I ageee sometimes you just need to know results! Best of luck

Fleur step away from the keyboard. Go do something distracting, clean out the freezer or under the sink, get stuck into some long overdue filing or start your tax return. I know that you need to know but hitting that button won't make the answer come any faster and is no good for your sanity.

Fleur, I would be total opposite to you... I usually delay to know the result (I even hid an envelope so that I could stop thinking about it).

My thoughts are with you

Icouldbe I'd love to clean or do something productive, the only issue is that I am at work and my thoughts keep wondering to the same thing on and on.

I'm going into a meeting soon so I am hoping my focus will change otherwise they won't get much out of me in that meeting.

I keep thinking of how to break the (bad) news to dd if it is bad... hmmmm...

Good luck fleur, hope the results come soon!

Waffle, sounds like a hefty load of homework, but it may be that she's spending too long on it because she's such a perfectionist? My DS gets quite a lot but it's done quickly, he's mastered the art of meeting expectations with the least possible effort (hopefully he does not come unstuck this year now that expectations are higher!).

Got some feedback on DS's first guitar lesson: teacher happy that he is in the right group (amazing what can be achieved in a month!). Still practising like a demon. I have to tell him to shut up every evening about 9.45 because his sister likes to go to bed early. New house is detached so neighbours not an issue.

DD hasn't done any music practice this week, due to massively heavy timetable and homework load (but she's in the equivalent of Y13 not Y7) plus a horrible cold. I am letting her skip sport this afternoon so she can do some piano then! She will be working on the fantaisie impromptu this term, plus some more Bach.

I am still trying to catch up with the thread - since updating my iPad it hates the mumsnet site, can't post, can't click on anything. I've downloaded the app which is a bit rubbish but at least I can read and post now!

Don't go borrowing trouble, if it's bad news you can deal with it later. Is it certain that the results are today or could you have another day or two of this?

It could be another day but the audition dates start next Monday, they say the results and audition dates (week commencing next Monday) will be released this week. But last year they came out on Monday.

Also a friend was called on Friday before lunch to ask some details as her dd wrote something wrong on her paper that didn't match the database so it is quite obvious they were entering the data from the exam on Friday (detective work I call it). They probably just need to hit the "release button".

The 11+ forum is in total expectation also

I'll calm down now, dd's piano teacher and two friends are on direct dial, they texted to ask if any news which gives me more anxiety

fleur + I've been there. It's so painful, the waiting. Distract yourself.

Hi - not sure I'm i the right place, but anyways - my 9YO DS has been in the provisional choir at Local Cathedral since Jan and yesterday he joined the main choir for the first service. Not religious myself but C of E background. Very excited for him and neither of us had appreciated what a big thing and indeed privilege it is until yesterday.

Anyways he was quite overcome afterwards and isn't sure about it, but I would like him to continue as I know he does enjoy it and must have the talent as the choir master has chosen him... (its a big commitment but I'm commited to that if he is enjoying it).

One thing he hated was the cassock (which he had looked forward to wearing!). They seemed surprised it upset him but its got a tight ruff and is made of heavy wool so I can imagine why. Also his feet from all the standing up (1.5 hours)

My question is what to wear underneath? perhaps I need to ask on the Style boards but I thought there'd be some experienced MNers here!

I'm thinking a thick flannel grandad shirt might sort the itchiness? Also special v comfy shoes for the standing up. I want him to feel special about it....

Just quickly as it took a long time to update the whole family, it turns out dd has got music aptitude and she qualified for the audition stage

Hello all, massive apologies for being AWOL over the summer but I will read back and try and catch up.

During the 8 weeks of summer, dd was away from home for 6 of them and did precisely zero practice.

I was a little worried that she had lost interest but she has started the term with renewed enthusiasm and has written her own fairly strict practice schedule and is so far sticking to it.

She has had her first clarinet lesson of the term and her teacher has praised the work she has done on her pieces...I am secretly jealous that she can do that after two months off. We will have to make a decision this week whether to enter for Grade 4 this term. If she is not going to do it, there will be some relief as we have entrance exam preparation to do. However, I then have to persuade her, and hopefully her teacher will agree, that it is best to leave Grade 4, she will be bored of the pieces by next term, and will have to do different scales including dropping some from two octave to 12 for the new syllabus. I think if she is not ready now she should leave it and have some fun pieces to work on and then head for Grade 5 when she is ready, perhaps summer term.

Theory she is hoping to do Grade 3 as a practice run for 5 ether Spring or Summer term.

Hopefully the bassoon will be as easy to pick back up as the clarinet, first lesson tomorrow, she is hoping to do Grade 2 next term but we shall see.

Decided to apply for a music place at a comp in the neighbouring borough. Wasn't impressed at the first visit, but made another visit today and quite liked it. It's not our first choice at the moment but much better option than a local boys school which is an obvious choice for majority of boys at DS's primary school. Nothing wrong with the boys school, and in fact they may do better academically, but its colour doesn't suit DS unfortunately. He would be happier at co-ed.

The audition is next week!

Just read the wonderful news for minifleur.

Minifleur - well done! was sure she would get through :)

Yes, remember Fleur's cycle? So no I wasn't surprised by the news.

Yay, Fleur! I am not surprised at all. I bet the audition will be far more predictable and to her taste.

Goo has joined orchestra, choir, flute group, steel band and the gym. I think she just likes to be busy...

I did think she was spending too long on homework (perfectionism), but she spent 5 minutes on her history tonight and it was crap, so who knows?

Hahaha yes Kutik I must be quite predictable by now, which is quite amusing, it is mainly due to dd never being able to gauge how well she's done or not, for her everything is a disaster, this is her feedback after each exam.

Thanks all, Summertime coming back out this week hopefully that would be enough, I was tempted to get her to audition on clarinet as it is an orchestral instrument but she would have to use their accompaniment people which will really put her off. We're not allowed to bring our own accompaniment on piano.

Hopefully she'll find her words and be able to tell them she also plays the clarinet and has participated in festivals (with piano) and is part of the county wind band.

Kutik if that's the school requiring MAT let me know and I'll send you more tests to practice.

Fleur congrats and nice to see the wheel of Fleur turning the right way! Best of luck for the audition, not that she'll need it. I bet they'll love her!

Ahhhh fleur yey! You must be so relieved xxxx

Fleur - i think that is a good call doing piano and not having to worry about an unknown accompanist; one option i know people do is for the child to take a one page list of what they do etc and hand it over to the panel - that would get over the orchestral part? am intrigued by what getting a 'music' place means - is this a grammar or comprehensive school and they then have a special music programme? sounds fantastic if so

Thanks all!

string it's so complicated. Basically there are 8 schools that are partially selective, a percentage on academics and 10% music places. Some have the grammar word in their name, some don't but are ex-grammar schools but as they are not fully selective they are not "proper" grammars. A proportion of pupils get into these schools on catchment (you need to literally live on their door step) and a proportion as siblings.

As all of them select on music aptitude as well their music provision at two of the schools are amazing, so many various orchestras and bands, they really encourage and support a great music development.

Their academic results are amazing too even if they are only partially selective which does puzzle me, but they are somehow managing to get the best out of their pupils.

Oh and lists and certificates and more than one instrument are not allowed. They can only play one instrument, no more than 3 minutes, use the schools accompanist, and at the end they are asked a few questions regarding exams, grades, bands/orchestras etc