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Extra-curricular activities

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

Original poster

October Music Thread

486 replies

Wafflenose · 01/10/2017 01:18

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.

OP posts:
LooseAtTheSeams · 03/10/2017 10:40

It's an inspiring article and I definitely agree music helps in all kinds of ways - I was glad it included some drama as well. Loved the little girl learning drums and her dad who is buying her a kit and soundproofing the walls! It doesn't surprise me at all that it's boosted the school's performance.

woolleybear · 03/10/2017 17:56

So having said we would avoid exams this term we are now doing two...

Bassoon is providing a little light relief tbh and the prep involved is minimal.

Clarinet, dd is struggling with a few of her scales, mainly because she is not getting to practice until late due to school work/exam preparation.

Listening to practice and struggle with the same things over and over is killing me more than her but it is sucking all the joy out of it at a time when I would like music to be a bit more fun...do I just say, hope you don't get those in the exam, tighten up your pieces and make sure you know the rest really well? Any advice?

Her clarinet teacher has also mentioned the possibility of a new clarinet soon, dd is dead against it, as is my purse, any chance we would just get away with a new mouthpiece instead?

Doubleup · 03/10/2017 20:12

Woolley have you considered taking your DD to the Big Double Reed Day at the Guildhall on 19th Nov? Both my DDs have done this and got a lot out of it.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 03/10/2017 20:19

Woolley let me know which clarinet, so I can hopefully advise... I did have a friend who got Grade 8 Distinction on a (then) cheapo plastic one though.

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raspberryrippleicecream · 03/10/2017 20:41

Good luck to all those with auditions for NCO this term, plus all the 11+ stuff going on.

In real life I know 2 people who have auditioned recently for NYO. We don't seem to have that age group on this thread yet!

I have DS2, Y10, learning organ, piano and trombone. He also sings in the Cathedral Choir and reluctantly is still playing clarinet in a school group. He plays trombone in a variety of school and music service groups, plus a jazz group. Grade 6 theory this term. Grade 8 piano next summer, alongside, I think, Grade 5 organ. I've not told his piano teacher. He doesn't do trombone exams but is around Grade 7.

He has just had a brilliant day with NYO Inspire.

I also have DD, Y13, who plays alto and bari sax in various groups and DS1 at uni who plays brass in a variety of uni groups .

I've posted on your thread Xennialish

Xennialish · 03/10/2017 21:32

Thank you Raspberry, I think we've decided it's probably not for DD, but at the moment she thinks it would be a dream come true to be a chorister for ever. The choir is so small that for BBC etc they always drag in back up so I don't think she'll be cast out on the scrap heap for ever even if she leaves on the normal schedule. She has pretty much decided to step off the pathway to transferring to a first study instrumental place (no guarantees but her teacher was preparing her and teaching her in such a way as to give her a very good chance, foot now very much off the gas) after year 8 though, so it is choir and school that she will probably be leaving but, again, perhaps no bad thing! This thread is great for that, makes you realise that specialist school isn't the be all and end all (but it is lovely for her at the moment Smile).

hapsburg · 03/10/2017 21:33

raspberry DD has also recently auditioned for NYO and is through to 2nd round which is during half term Smile
Inspire days do sound really good, unfortunately they have always clashed with something else for DD so she has never managed to do one.
She has rather a lot on her plate at the moment, getting to grips with new school, pushing herself really hard practice-wise for auditions and this week has her third school performance of the term. Somehow she seems to be keeping on top of academics and also doing lots of her favourite sport - I'm not sure how!

raspberryrippleicecream · 03/10/2017 21:40

Ooh Hapsburg good luck. Sorry if I missed that on the thread.

Xennialish we are coming to the school's open day later this month, DS2 wants to learn about sixth form there. I think he would have to up his game a bit, but no harm in looking.

hapsburg · 03/10/2017 21:52

No raspberry you didn't miss anything - I don't get around to looking at the thread very often these days, much less actually post anything!

Minimusiciansmama · 04/10/2017 07:05

Ohhh good luck minihapsburg

LooseAtTheSeams · 04/10/2017 08:38

Good luck to minihapsburg - exciting news!
Well, I’m impressed with DS1. I left him a note reminding him of his bass and drum lessons and put completely the wrong time on it. He managed to get there on time despite my efforts! Of course, there’s the strong possibility he didn’t read the note...
He’s being encouraged to think about doing a music performance diploma for bass guitar so he’s looking into it. I think it would be great as long as he doesn’t get too sidetracked from GCSEs!

Icouldbeknitting · 04/10/2017 09:10

Loose get him to look really carefully at when the performance might be. In our innocence we thought we'd got the perfect week, before Christmas so well before mock GCSEs. It turned out to be the same week as the German speaking assessment which school thought was more important. You don't get a lot of choice with the timing but it's worth knowing in advance where the problem weeks might be.

If I hadn't have needed him to leave an hour early they would never have known. They didn't know about the weekly 1.5 hour music lessons, the evenings with the accompanist, the work he'd put in for months before, it was wanting an hour out of school to go to the exam that lead to a massive flap and panic. In hindsight I should have fabricated an appointment at the dentist.

LooseAtTheSeams · 04/10/2017 12:17

ICouldBe thanks, that’s really good advice! There’s a lot to consider.

Kutik73 · 05/10/2017 05:04

NCO audition was done yesterday. We nearly withdrew but decided to have a go in the end. DS likes performing so there seemed no harm trying even if it was a looooong shot. Grin

Somehow less focused than last year, probs due to lots things going on at the moment, which def helped the whole thing quite relaxing.

We have one more open day to attend today, and two (if the first round is successful three) music tests to go through in the next three weeks. Then the half term is over. Shock Time passes by so quickly! No wonder why I am already in my 40's...

woolleybear · 05/10/2017 06:23

Doubleup we hadn't heard of the double reed day but we have looked together and dd is very keen, she's a little worried about being just 11 and a relative beginner in the 11-18 section. Do you know how the spread of abilities is? Fortunately I have a drb so can offer to sit in on some classes.

Waffle it is a Buffet clarinet which cost about £450 a few years ago and was recommended as a student model at the time. The only thing we have so far upgraded was the ligature!

hapsburg · 05/10/2017 07:03

Woolley Big Double Reed Day is fab - my DD has done it a couple of times. The organisers are great and if you pop them an email they will make sure your DD is in the right groups. Within the 11-18 section there are lots of different groups and sessions and a very wide range of abilities. I'm sure she will love it.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 08:07

Woolley that is a lovely clarinet and will easily get her through Grade 8, although I encourage mine to upgrade for Grade 6 IF they can afford it... some don't. I think a new mouthpiece post Grade 5 would be welcome otherwise. I'm not sure how much difference they notice before that.

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Minimusiciansmama · 05/10/2017 10:52

Well done minikutik. Hope today goes well xx

se22mother · 05/10/2017 12:13

Waffle, clarinettists - I'm thinking about this for dd. Any thoughts good or bad?

October Music Thread
Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 13:40

Perfect, se22. It's superseded the B12, and is fab. As above, it will certainly get through grade 8, although many kids prefer wooden by then. I tried to talk Rara into this one. She was having none of it!

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drummersmum · 05/10/2017 13:41

Well done minikutik for giving it a try Star
Gosh I know next to nothing about wind instruments even though my dream as a child was to play the oboe. The desire for any music lessons fell into dead ears.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 05/10/2017 13:42

It's never too late drummers... remember my 94 year old clarinet beginner?

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drummersmum · 05/10/2017 13:48

Ah, Waffle, thanks Flowers. Maybe after DS goes to uni and I can regain some time and some life [she dreams]. Right now all time and spare cash goes to making his dreams possible. I know some people would be saying I am wrong in this, but we're not wealthy and if I was a bit more like many of my friends - hairdresser, pilates lessons, music lessons, eating out with friends, girls night out - he would not be where he is now. So yes, can't do it now but I´m not saying never!!

se22mother · 05/10/2017 14:18

Thanks waffle I have ordered it. It will be a surprise, I won't say anything to her yet.

se22mother · 05/10/2017 14:20

That's £500 spent on Instruments this week. There will be no more expenditure for a long time now.

Dd is pushing for a 3/4 size violin. I have told her maybe in the spring Confused