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.

Argh fleur you must be going nuts, that's appalling. I really hope they put all those kids and parents out of their misery soon.

kutik im with the votes for wearing it. DD has this on a hoody, she wore it for her last exam and the examiner liked it.

Much excitement in our house... we heard last night her ensemble are playing in the schools prom at the RAH. She was beside herself with excitement

DS2 hadn't had any individual instrumental tuition when he took the MAT in Y6. He had played the descant recorder in group lessons at the local music school, and had done his bronze medal, but didn't play any other instruments.

He chose to sing a rugby song at his audition. He scored 33/45, which that year was high enough for a music place at all but one of the schools in the consortium.

I've noticed that a lot of the most talented musicians in his year group are there through sibling places.

Well it's well known that aptitude improves with practice just as mental ability improves with learning. I believe IQ is not fixed but a flowing thing.

Alex, I'm sorry to hear that your mum has died. It will be a strange time for you. My DH has an excellent knowledge of organ music for these occasions so I'll ask him and get back tomorrow.

DD has managed to catch the first cold of the new school year. Day off school. Still made her practise composition pieces for g5 theory though.

I really don't understand this MAT business at all. The selective options seem to have become a torturous for applicants and families. We live in a part of the country where it just doesn't exist. State or private is the choice. In some ways I think it makes the state schools complacent though. And from my experience, they are obsessed with timekeeping and appearance, so children can become good employees. The lack of ambition is a little depressing.

Alex really sorry about your Mum.

Niggle I so know what you mean about the lack of ambition being depressing. We are the other end of NZ from your origins, so far fewer options here educationally, and the best ones that are here are just so politely mediocre. The Playcentre we go to is great but all the parents say the transition to primary is a massive disappointment for them and the kids because it is all just about fitting in and being like your neighbour, doing just well enough and no more lest you stand out.

Alex - one organ piece that could possibly work (if your Mum liked that sort of music and those remaining do too) is Howells' Master Tallis' Testament.

At the state school my children go to they have a MAT (no auction/interview) and take top 5-6 students purely based on MAT scores down to the 0.1% level. They never make clear who got the music places (although possible to figure out if it was possible for your child by digging into data.) I've had three children do the test now all at quite a high standard age 10 by traditional grading measures and performing experience. They are now older and doing very well with music but none of them got music places based on the MAT. I know one person who did a few years ago who is playing in NYO now but generally seems the relationship between grades and MAT success seems very unpredictable.

I should add that they all three got music scholarships to a good private good. The state MAT music place was much harder to get!

Thanks for the info, hertsandessex. Can't stop feeling depressed as our fist choice (though still haven't seen the school yet) is only one which does MAT... I must prepare for plan B and C and D and....

So far, DS has done MAT mock twice and done well both of times but you never know how he performs on the day and he could lose a place by 1 mark (also he is a dreamer like miniFleur). I think audition/interview would be much nicer for us as at least DS has a chance to show his enthusiasm. I could also accept any bad news more easily knowing someone more suitable than DS was offered a place if the procedure involves interviews.

Yes kutik 1 mark or even half a mark could make the difference. Hopefully it works out for you but yes definitely need a plan B and C. I have just heard that for our school this year more than 400 will be taking the aptitude tests - that is for around 10 places! (some music and some language)

Oh dear! I need a hug!!!

Kutik have you considered a private where you could reduce the fees by both music and sport scholarships- I know this is possible at the senior school attached to dd's school and your son certainly sounds able at both

Oh my god Fleur, did they not learn the last year lesson. I wouldnt tell miniFleur about any change though so she will be less stressed out. Hopefully they will reconfirming soon.
We wont try the music scholarship route though, we are still thinking about visiting schools, it might be too much of love and hate too soon. However String or someone here made a good point it might motivate her well and that is something we really need. (or do 2 schools which are in the middle, just for her feel excited about the whole process).
I bought few reeds for the clarinet, lessons will start from next week, the clarinet is loaned from her school, she is very excited. We have a new violin teacher, lesson starts tonight. I am keeping everything crossed for it. Has been more than a year without a permanent teacher now.

Kutik: all the best to miniKutik!!! When is the test? I have never heard of it where I live.

se22, yes, we are going to apply for a music scholarship at two private schools. I think at least one of them offers a combined scholarships which will reduce the fee more than just one scholarship. But we won't go for it as it only makes already busy DS even busier. We've experienced enough of the hardship of balancing sports and music. Just yesterday, DS was asked to take part in a sport event, and if he manages to get through the first part, the second part is taken place on Saturday. So he had to turn it down as he knew JD wouldn't allow him to miss their lessons for a sport event. Anyway, it would be nice to be successful at private entries, but still our first choice is a nice state secondary due to the financial reasons! So, the whole drama around MAT is a serious heart-ache for me.

Green, I remember you were thinking of private education for your DD. Maybe that's why you don't know these things. MAT and test and auditions I'm talking about are all for state schools. DS is taking a test this Sat, then his first music audition is next Friday. There will be more auditions/tests in October as we are thinking to apply for three schools with music places (but still not sure as I haven't seen the school yet). Can't think of preparing for 11+ exams/auditions at private schools until those for state options are over...

Alex so sorry to hear your news, you may remember I lost by mum in 2015 and dad last year so if you want an absorbent shoulder and listening ear, please do PM me

To be honest, I don't think DS will get a sport scholarship. I'm amazed how much he's managed to achieve with such minimum effort. But I always knew sooner or later he would meet his limit if he kept relying on his raw talent only. And at 10, it's started showing. Favour of raw talent only works at young age. After then you need more than what God gave you.

Have never ventured onto this thread before as I am not remotely musical and don't have a particularly musical family! However, DS is keen to take up guitar lessons. He has started trying both acoustic and bass guitar in school music lessons but there is no option for music lessons through the school so I am looking privately.

Here's my dilemma - DS is ambidextrous - he writes with his right hand (although can write fairly well with his left hand too) and uses a knife and fork like right handed people (although this could be social conditioning!), but does most other things with his left hand - including using scissors, using a tennis racquet, 10 pin bowling etc... We have always just left him to go with whatever is most comfortable for a particular activity. When he first picked up a guitar at school he automatically went left-handed but the school doesn't have any left-handed guitars so have told him he will have to play right handed in class.

We will have to buy him a cheap guitar to get him started in lessons - do I go with left-handed, or get him to force right-handed. He could probably do ok with right handed, but left would be more comfortable. I'm thinking that playing right handed would be more useful as he'd be able to pick up any guitar in the future.

Any thoughts?

Herts by your user name you are close by but not exactly neighbours. I think choosing just by MAT is such a lottery. We have a huge amount of kids sitting the test here too, I think it is app 1,000 for 10% of places at a handful of schools so I understand why they are using the MAT initially and then they audition only a few. I never know how many go to the audition stage.

Still no news, the website has been taken down yesterday and since then it is offline. I find the whole process really disappointing, they said in their email they'll release the result by Thursday (tomorrow) for audition slots starting on Monday, which basically means that there are kids who are practising like crazy and feeling stressed in the hope that the results were correct (like mine who wants to continually play her piece) and kids who are also practising like crazy hoping the results were wrong when they said they failed, like one of dd's class mates who apparently is waiting for the new results being released.

In all honesty they sound correct, talking to the people around the kids who I expected to get to the second stage did and the ones that I kind of knew had no chance didn't, I'd be shocked if the results change but it is torture.

They expect us to book work time off and school time off for auditions in one day.

Yes MAT is indeed a bit of a lottery at the margins. The ones who get through clearly have a musical aptitude but lots who have musical aptitude won't. Saying that life is a big lottery at the margins including universities, Oxbridge, jobs, etc. I feel for you going through it and glad that little part of the educational journey is behind me!

JedBartlet As your DS is not very left handed I would probably see if he can get used to a RH guitar. My DS who has started guitar recently is not well lateralised - right handed for writing, but he is left-footed, eats left-handed and favours his left hand for other tasks too. He plays the guitar right-handed without a problem. I'm not sure that it ever occurred to him to play left handed, because we have a house full of right handed guitars - but either way it doesn't seem to be a problem for him.

We had this dilemma with dd2 Jed and researched it quite a bit... basically we were very strongly advised not to restring a beginners guitar due to tensioning and string sizes ending up all wrong, we asked a few places and all said the same. She is fine with the right handed action now.

Thanks - this is really helpful. We'll go with RH and hope he gets on ok.