October Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Hello, I just fell asleep in front of a very long film that DH wanted to watch, and woke up in October! I couldn't resist starting the new thread before going to sleep properly.

The monthly music threads are welcome to ALL, and we really like hearing from new contributors and beginner musicians. We have all levels on here. It's a good place to discuss instruments, lessons, practice, exams, auditions and anything else that you want to.

I am a teacher of recorder, clarinet, saxophone and flute, and have two daughters. Goo is 11 and plays the flute and piano. She is planning to do exams on both next year, but none just now because she's just started at the secondary school 2 miles down the road, which has a great reputation for music and sport, and is extremely academic. They study four languages in Year 7 - Goo has just finished her unit on German (by the end of three weeks, they could write three substantial paragraphs - I couldn't believe it!) and is now embarking on Mandarin.
She's thrown herself into choir, orchestra, steel band, flute group and the gym. Rara is 9 and has been playing the cello since the age of 5, and clarinet for a year. She enjoys both, but is happiest when she's reading or cutting up paper/ making things out of paper! Rara has plenty of free time because she attends the village school five minutes away, and hardly gets any homework.

Goo attends South West Music School, which is the nearest thing we have to a JD in the south west. Rara is just about to join! Not too much on musically this term (and not a lot of practice taking place, quite honestly) apart from auditioning for the NCO. Goo has been in it for the past three years, and is hoping for Under 12s. After a wobble about even auditioning, she seems quietly confident now.

Crossed posts with flootoot!

Floot, is that Wells? I have been looking at that for DD, but I don't know it at all. And she is still only in Year 5.

Kutik: congratulations on making a great choice!

Thank you everyone and Thank you for such a beautiful post Drummers, I am certain that miniDrummers will be succesful and happy in whatever route he chooses as his work ethic and his passion will play the lead. I met a (quite popular) violinist recently accidently(I was with my 3yrs old and got scared of 2 massive bull dogs and he came over to help to distract them with the dogs owner). We then introduced and he came to visit us(he lives couple of roads toward to the millionaire side if the area which isnt related to our little terraced). He played with my daughter and agreed to help on occasional section for fun. He isnt poor to any meaning(a member of Athenaeum Club) and certainly is living a very happy fulfill life. As a completely ignorant and non-musical person who doesnt love any music gene, I cant say my life is richer and more beautiful because when I go to concerts, seeing other children in my daughter Orchestra, I know life wont be as beautiful without music.

Our problems in terms of supporting her full force in her music are: she still needs to make to practise and supervise by me and we have so little time with me hardly at home, she needs to start doing it on her own( she does have the potential as I was told by all of her teachers, Eg. we started on C1-Ravel Valse piece recently and she just picked it up and could play through the whole piece after 3 lessons, my teacher says he is struggling to get few of his much older children to read, understand and play the note correctly. What she is missing is her rhythm, which comes natural to a better musical child). We need to start spending time and focus on academic side because we choose the selective route(I know you have all been there and you did both with keeping up in music practice and passing the academic requirement, I havent got the confidence needed and still clueless what to do(except the obvious that we need to start to know). I must say that this music thread has been my wonderful/only friend in our musical route to the least the last 2 years.

Ha, well I have the house full of percussion instruments- I have a percussionist in training....so I know all about the instruments. I also know that my little percussionist spends a lot more time practising than her violinist sister- due to the amount of instruments.
Yes that makes sense about not needing many percussionists in comparison to say brass/string players in an orchestra etc.
Percussion is certainly not easy. Rather ignorant to think otherwise.

Niggle - no, not Wells. Year 5 is the ideal time to be looking at school choices. DS expressed an interest in his current school when he was in year 5. We didn't think he was the right standard but went to the open day anyway and chatted to the head of music, who encouraged us to apply. They look for potential, not just attainment, and also high scores in ABRSM exams, as opposed to higher grades. DS Sat the interview and entrance exams and then did the scholarship audition, which involved performing and music aptitude aural tests, as well as a written statement saying what he felt he had to offer the school, what his particular interests were etc.

Thanks Floot, am currently looking at lots of websites.

We are just not taking any notice that it is actually November, are we?

Mavericks, all of us.

niggle waffle is going to do it later, she's got a busy day I think though. But yeah, check us out all Octobery in November!! Hahaha know how to live on the edge us music mamas!

Just a bunch of rebels...

Yeah, living the dream.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/extra_curricular_activities/3076009-November-Music-Thread