November Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

New month, new thread! This is a place for musicians and parents of musicians, from complete beginners to experienced and everything in between, to talk about everything to do with music! Previous threads have covered exams, practice, scales, instrument hire and purchase, theory, composition, aural woes, auditions, scholarship preparation and much more.

I started these threads when my 12 year old daughter Goo was 6 and preparing for Grade 1. I never thought we'd still be going, 6 years later! I appreciated all the advice I was given back then, and try to repay that when I can.

Goo plays the flute and piano (she has been learning the piano for 18 months but has yet to perform - ever) and has no exams lined up at the moment. I also have Rara who is 9, and working towards her third Grade 3, on the clarinet. The other two were on the cello and recorder. She's more interested in art and reading, and currently swims five times a week.

I am a teacher of woodwind, and Wednesday is my day from you-know-where... full-on from 6.30 am until 10 pm, and about to get worse!!

Thank you drummers we are quite pleased and I can say that on here

👏👏 trumpet'sboy!

Trumpetboysmum how lovely. I needed some good news today so thank you for sharing that.

www.emimusicsoundfoundation.com/index.php/site/awards/

This just popped across my news. It's bursary funding of under £2,000 for instruments/equipment for individuals under 25 in full time education, funding for schools and funding for courses and training for music teachers.

Trumpet

Green, DS’s piano journey is nothing impressive. I feel almost embarrassed that I gave you a wrong impression.

To begin with, it was 15 mins every fortnight with neighbour’s nanny who could play piano. We didn’t even have clavinova at the time. We were using half broken keyboard. The nanny didn’t use any music book. She wrote down a couple of notes on a sheet and let DS play. A bit like entertaining a child rather than teaching.

Just after we got clavinova, the nanny stopped coming so I found an alternative one on the internet. I chose the one who lived local.

She gave DS a lot of new pieces almost every week. I reckon it was partly for sight reading but also partly because DS was so impatient that he needed to be kept motivated with new stuff (a typical restless boy). BUT it doesn’t mean he was given Mozart or alike. He didn’t do Twinkle but did plenty of baby stuff! Lots and lots of easy ones that even I could play. So pretty a normal setting, nothing ‘wow’, I’m afraid!

Grade exam was lightly suggested because the teacher thought it would be nice to do before getting even busier at secondary. But exams don’t play a role of motivation nor a goal for DS, so it may not happen after all if the schedule doesn’t work out. We’ll just see how things go next term.

Fantastic, Trumpet!! Always nice when a school recognises talents other than academic ability.

Wow, trumpet whats a wonderful news, congratulations to miniTrumpet!

Kutik: :)

Waffle: I will tell her so tonight, I will show her our teacher message too so she knows she has to try. Thanks so much for your kind words too, Waffle.

drummers, I think a job opportunity in an orchestra looks very much slim, even for highly committed young musicians.

Waffle, why do you prefer music to law for Goo? Job satisfaction? Or you feel Goo would be happier? DS's previous violin teacher wants his daughter to be a violinist. He knows the hardship of a musician's life. But still he thinks she would be happier to pursue music than spending her life in the city.

Ds is very happy thank you for the congratulations I'll pass them on .

Well done MiniTrumpet!

Dd is still practicing clarinet hard, and it has been serviced and fixed, so we are erring on the side of doing the exam. Stubborn, disorganised, leaving things to the last minute...can't think where she gets it from!

Bassoon accompanist practice booked for Saturday morning and exam on Thursday so we need to remember that too! I hope the practice goes well, I hadn't realised the benefits before of having a clarinet teacher who is also a piano teacher and we have had a lot less opportunity for playing bassoon with the piano.

I'm sure I have seen mention on these threads before re Aldeburgh Young Musicians? Can anyone share their experience of what it involves.

Dd is desperate to do more music but a Saturday music school is not viable as her father refuses to take her on the weekends she is with him, and I think it is important that she continues to spend time with him and her sister so we are looking for alternatives.

Trumpet plays with AYM . They are quite different to jds as you don't have your lessons there and rather than having lots of regular orchestras / ensembles to play in each course looks at a different musical style or focus and lots of the work is based on improvisation and composition. They often hold workshops in the early spring term so keep an eye out for those if I hear anything I'll let you know. They hold auditions in march and April/ may . it's a 2 stage process the first is a typical audition the second stage is a day where you get to work like an AYM student. There are 2 types of place offered - apprentices are often younger or less experienced and have set weekends to go on- ds is doing these as well this year and is really enjoying them . The full students go away for a number of weekends and week long courses in the holidays . It is a massive commitment and the students are expected to turn up to most courses that are offered - ds after Christmas will have no half term holidays and will be on AYM courses for a week at Easter and 2 weeks in the summer but for apprentices it's less of a commitment. Ds absolutely loves it . all of the other students are lovely ( though mostly older than ds) and I think he really enjoys the social side too as well as learning loads . Hope that helps

Kutik because much as it helps to have enough money (and we have been totally skint, reasonably skint and reasonably OK) it was never a consideration for me in choosing a career, and it doesn't bother her either. In reality, she's 12 and doesn't really know what job she wants - it changes every few months - but she would rather enjoy her life.

Thank you Trumpet, that's really helpful. Weird as it sounds it would be easier for us to commit to that than a weekly commitment.

Do you know what sort of level they take from?

They aren't at all interested in grades in fact one of ds's friends has largely learnt by ear ( he plays guitar). DS auditioned with a grade 6 ish piece that he could play very well and a grade 8 piece that he fancied learning and wasn't quite ready but showed what he was about ( fearless / or just plain stupid depending on your viewpoint ) . For the second audition he played a piece that he was learning for grade 7 again it wasn't totally ready but demonstrated his potential-I think this is what they are most interested in. One of the younger apprentices had taken grade 5 or are at that standard I think .

When he auditioned he had only taken grade 5

You know Waffle, I would LOVE to have the career you have. It must be tough sometimes of course, but how fulfilling to be able to seed something so beautiful and nurture and help them glow and enjoy all the different outcomes. Unfortunately I don't have skills to share nor teach so I am always on the learning side.

On the learning side I said, but at the moment (and probably for the next good many years) all the spare money we have goes to DS, so I can't afford to have a teacher for myself. So I'm basically an active self-learner...

Woolley, we looked at AYM and decided against it for now. I really think it might depend on your instrument. DD is a violinist and there is a seems to be a lot of other instruments, but not many violinists. There doesn't appear to be a large classical repetoire and there is a lot of improv, etc, and a lot of workshops on musical styles from around the world. I just don't see how it will help DD be the best classical violinist she can be. It would be interesting, but the time and money commitment would be a lot without really getting what we are looking for. There seems to be one classical based weekend workshop in the year and 12 or so others that are not. Perhaps it is a deliberate policy not to compare to the London jds.

Trumpet could tell me if I've misunderstood, but that's what I have picked up.

Oh, and at around £3,000 a year, unlike jds, you also have to continue to pay for your 1-1 lessons with your own teacher.

I have, however, found a violin music group for DD that I am very excited about. We will have to stay in a hotel overnight probably for monthly visits, but it is just what I have been looking for over two years. They have visiting high calibre tutors from places like the RAM/RCM/RCS and even had a visit from Nicola Benedetti a while back. Worth the travel 2 hours each way I think. Will report back after our first visit!

Sounds exciting, Niggle!

It's footy season for us. Luckily we haven't had any rain yet, buy oh my, I'm gonna have frostbites!!! Lots parents are very enthusiastic like us here for music. They don't seem to be bothered too much about the long drive and waiting in cold (no cafe nearby...). They love watching matches and some eager dads cannot stop shouting at their sons (you are not allowed so they often gets told off by staff).

I love when we are out for DS's music - inside, warm, even I have a seat. Heaven....

I carry a blanket, a folding chair and a big mag of tea. I sometimes take my laptop to do admin stuff, but it's usually kept in my bag. Too cold and too dark to type a word...

Sorry I keep talking about my footy parent agony. I just has a day too many of this recently...

Thank god all my children think sport is something to do with a Sky subscription, which I won't allow them to have..