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Extra-curricular activities

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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:
Mendingfences · 12/10/2017 20:06

Brilliant!

Dd1 (who is 11 nearly 12) is currently determined she is not going to high school next year. Aparently she's not getting on the school bus and the kids in the other school are nuts....hormones have a lot to answer for. No choice, no exams, no audition, and it's still not simple 😉

Schwanengesang · 12/10/2017 21:13

Well done, miniKutik!

Our instrumental menagerie seems to be growing rather quickly... a year ago it was one baroque violin, now Blush piano, keyboard, glockenspiel, modern violin, baroque violin; tenor, treble, descant, sopranino & Thomann-toddler recorders... and now DH wants a guitar to celebrate his promotion. Fair enough, anything that means he does stuff that isn't work. He played as a child and was apparently quite good.

Can anyone recommend any brands of cheap-but-not-terrible classical guitar?

Greenleave · 12/10/2017 21:38

Great news to Kutik family, very well done! Hope the coughing and the sore throat will go real soon!

se22mother · 12/10/2017 21:42

Well done kutik

Kutik73 · 13/10/2017 00:19

Schwanengesang, sorry can't give you any advice on classical guitar but just wanted to say I lost my words for your impressivly growing collection for such a short time. I'm so envious!

Thank you all for the kind words. We've only heard from our 3rd and 4th choices, so, although it's nice to have back-ups sorted, this uncertain game is still continuing... School No. 2 is a large school so offers a wide range of activities from music to sports which suits all-rounder DS. Also, due to its music college status, I assume there will be lots kids like DS who are so enthusiastic and excited about music. I think he can meet like-minded friends there (he can't really talk about music in depth at his current primary school).

DS said we would hear the results tomorrow, but shouldn't be as the second round tests are still going tomorrow. I suppose it'll be next Friday. At least we will know all before half term holiday, so it gives us time to think of plan B when things didn't work out in our way.

Minimusiciansmama · 13/10/2017 04:23

Well done minikutik. He seems to be taking this all in his stride!

NCO audition tomorrow Shock. Her first proper audition.

Icouldbeknitting · 13/10/2017 07:32

It's a good start Kutik and good for his confidence. Performing is so much about confidence so it's setting him off for a good start if he ends up at those schools.

Doubleup · 13/10/2017 08:11

Well done miniKutik and good luck with the audition to Mini's mini.

Greenleave · 13/10/2017 08:13

Best of luck to Minimini Smile! She is surely a wee brave girl!

LooseAtTheSeams · 13/10/2017 08:27

MiniKutik is doing amazingly well - I do hope he’s feeling better.
Good luck to MiniMini for today!
Just one week to go and then half term, thank goodness. DSs seem ok but I need a break!

Minimusiciansmama · 13/10/2017 12:40

We have two more weeks, much to her disgust as there's various events in London she can't go to because we haven't broken up

Kutik73 · 13/10/2017 14:34

DS still had all those sour throat, runny nose and cough this morning! Also started complaining pains in eyes... Honestly, why those cold symptoms are so persistent! It's now more than two weeks. I let him sleep as long as he wants, fed him chicken soup with gingers, give him manuka honey, vitamin C, etc, but nothing is working!!!

He played football today though for a borough tournament. I went to see the match. He seemed to have forgotten all the sufferings on the pitch.... Hmm

Kutik73 · 13/10/2017 14:41

Good luck to Mini tomorrow! I can imagine her big smile when coming out of the audition room! Last year's NCO audition was my DS's first ever audition as well. He made mistakes in his piece, even though it was not a challenging piece so he could usually play beautifully at ease. Not sure if nerves kicked in. Nevertheless he enjoyed it and got a taste of the excitement of auditioning (so ended up having 3-4 more along the line)!

drummersmum · 13/10/2017 14:55

Kutik just caught up with the thread! Many congratulations to minikutik for those results and fingers crossed.
Good luck to mini with NCO!
DS is breaking up today. JD tomorrow then GCSE coursework, revision and lots of music practice to catch up on. So not really a holiday.
RFH concert last night - live Shostakovich accompaniment to a screening of Battleship Potemkin, conducted by adorable Vladimir Ashkenazy. DS loved it. I had seen the film four times before, but the live orchestra made it very special!

Kutik73 · 13/10/2017 20:50

drummers, I don't think 'holiday' is in your DS's dictionary, and he seems quite happy about it!

We have one more week to go, then will have a week long break. DS and DH are going away for a couple of days. It's gonna be a crazy home away as it's planned by my crazy DH. Too scared to know the details... I'll enjoy the quiet few days alone here in London!

Once back from the crazy boys home away, DS will go to 3-days orchestral workshop. DS enjoyed it so much last time he cried on way home on the last day of the course.

Kutik73 · 13/10/2017 21:06

Thank you so much for lots of 'well done'. One more audition to do next week, then we are done with the state sector. Depending on the results, we may decide not to go ahead with private 11+ (although we already paid £300 or so registration fees!).

Mistigri · 13/10/2017 21:06

Well done minikutik! Does this mean some hard choices to be made, or do you have a particular favourite school?

Does anyone have news from Fleur? I have been away for a week and haven't had the chance to check in, but scanning back through the thread she seems not to have been around.

Not much going on here. DD is off to Spain on a language exchange tomorrow. Not an awful lot of piano has happened recently but she has got the hang of the polyrhythms in the fantaisie impromptu fairly painlessly (it looks downright impossible to me).

I have now had three lessons with my new piano teacher and it's going well. Have been working on some grade 5 ish Mozart and Bach but going to take the plunge with some slightly harder stuff now. We are also going to do some duets. I find it hard in ways that are obviously to do with ageing of the brain, especially the Bach.

DS is still obsessed by guitar and making phenomenal progress (his guitar teacher described him as a prodigy lol). It has to be the most unexpected musical journey of all, as until recently he not only had no interest whatsoever playing an instrument, he also actively disliked music - a couple of years ago I took him to a music festival on a day ticket and he spent literally the whole day in the juggling tent complaining about there being too much noise. Now when he's not in lessons he is either perma-attached to his guitar or listening to music on his phone or playing our old digital piano. He is sitting beside me right now practising the solo from Stairway to Heaven on DD's stratocaster (groan).

He is 2 months in now, and he's already had a go at some of the Rock School grade 4 pieces which I downloaded for DD a few years ago. They are similar in standard to the pieces we do in our guitar class that DS can play easily and I struggle with - he's already way ahead of me which is quite depressing after three years of lessons!!!

LooseAtTheSeams · 13/10/2017 21:12

drummers what a wonderful evening - I’m jealous!
I don’t think ‘rest’ is in your DS’s vocabulary but I hope he has a lovely half term and the occasional lie-in! Smile

Kutik73 · 13/10/2017 21:15

I found out that lots people seemed to have assumed my DS would try grammar schools. When they learnt the offers DS got were from non-grammar schools, they reacted as if I was wasting our time trying those options... We did consider grammar and went to an open day but didn't feel it was for DS (and DS was not interested neither). But it was a horrible weather, so it may have affected my judgement!

Kutik73 · 13/10/2017 21:26

Misti, School No.3 and 4 are a pure back-up for the worst case. We like No.1 and 2 a lot, so have to make a hard choice between them if DS manages to get an offer from both. Sadly only offers DS has received so far are No. 3 and 4...

I was also wondering about Fleur too. Hope all is well with her and Mini.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 13/10/2017 21:50

I emailed Fleur. She appreciated everyone's concern and hopes to be back soon.

OP posts:
LooseAtTheSeams · 14/10/2017 07:11

Misti I’d missed your post before - it made me smile because it’s obviously a case of right instrument, right child, right time! DS2 is loving his guitar lessons too - only downside is that he sits on the sofa playing his ‘hot rock’ tunes when I’m trying to relax.
I’m very impressed with your piano playing, too! My own practice has been a disaster once again in terms of time but hoping for a slightly less frantic week next week.
Also hope to see Fleur back soon.

raspberryrippleicecream · 14/10/2017 08:06

We had brilliant news from DS2's GCSE music this week, the head has finally agreed to new free instrument lessons. DS2 doesn't currently have instrument lessons in school so is deciding what to start. He doesn't want to pick up clarinet again, or start singing lessons again at present.

He's thinking about tuba or euph. As he's said for a while he would like to extend his brass range. His trombone teacher doesn't teach those, so I'm thinking he will be ok with that but we'll ask. Other possibility might be percussion.

He will also earning some music pocket money, playing Sundays in November and December at an outdoor leisure venue with a local jazz group.

Good luck to all the auditionees at present and congratulations on some fab results!

Icouldbeknitting · 14/10/2017 08:28

raspberry I like the sound of free. I also like the sound of euph and it's the same mouthpiece as trombone but it doesn't have the orchestral opportunities that tuba would give.

DS had a concert on trombone last night, his first one. He was either "ok, I guess" or "brilliant" depending on whether I asked him or the conductor.

Kutik73 · 14/10/2017 10:53

It’s our jd day but the alarm was off and we woke up very late! I fed DS, prepared our packed lunch, had shower and we were out within 20 mins after jumping out of the bed. I even managed not to forget to put perfume on. And no we didn’t take the empty violin case ( anyone had done the classic mistake of taking the empty case?). I’m impressed (with myself).