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!!

Although DS, 16, who has managed to grow to 6ft 2 and look like a pro swimmer on a diet of bacon and pasta (using a large salad bowl as a normal bowl is way to small), now wants a gym subscription and eats a double helping of porridge for breakfast.

There seems to be a girlfriend...

Our CAT sounds very similar - younger ones have six days and older ones have three weekends per year, covering things like improvisation (lots), song writing, jazz, early music, rock and pop, and other genres I've now forgotten. I have a classical flautist who doesn't like going, so I constantly feel that I'm not doing my best for her. With nothing else on offer with 100 miles, I'm not sure what else I could do...

There seems to be a girlfriend...

I don't mind other sports DS does. Cricket, tennis, golf, cycling, swimming...., most of them are observers/supporters friendly. It's usually during warm weather and/or indoor, and the washing is easy too - swimming is the best as all I have to wash is a tiny pair of swim shorts!

On the other hand, football is a real agony to me. I enjoy watching DS playing of course, though I don't understand offside rule. But it's freezing cold, usually involves a long journey, and the washing is a real nightmare especially after they play in a dampy weather. The studs are still covered with mud contained thin glasses. Luckily DS needs astroturf (the other pair) today... But this means I'll end up having two pairs of boots disparately requiring a serious wash this weekend!

DS says he likes all the sports, but then somehow he does football more than any sport. Why.... Why...

Waffle, could you set up your own group, with other flutely contacts?

Oh, and the girlfriend obviously has lots of qualifications in dietary health that I, as his mother, don't possess. I have only spent a few years telling him that eating so much meat is not good for him, particularly referencing his own father who has been successfully treated for a tumour the size of an orange in his colon (very, very lucky, it hadn't spread). During his big growth spurts, he could eat half a cold chicken as an after school snack.

Now he has asked me to get smoked salmon and pumpernickel bread for after school.. oh and don't forget the lemon.

gilly that was very moving and a really touching thing to do.
For those who missed it, here's the full recording on YouTube:

Niggle Goo has a flute group to play in at her new secondary, and is playing 1st flute, so that's good. She also does orchestra, junior steel band, Year 10-11 steel band (!), choir etc. It's just that a lot of other musicians of her calibre seem to be trying for JD, or already there, and we don't have one! We have one of the Guildhall offshoots here, but it's a bit of a Saturday music club for all comers - not auditioned like SWMS. Is she missing out by not having a JD? Or is JD more of a one-stop shop for everything, rather than the hotchpotch of providers she has now (flute and piano lessons is different towns, both miles away, SWMS, NCO, school ensembles...).

This is all assuming that she would even get in, which she might well not!!

waffle for us, the main advantages of JD (as you know, our CAT is more like the London colleges version of JD- weekly music days of lessons and extra activities) are the fact it's funded by her MDS grant and the additional opportunities like weekly theory class, dalcroze lessons and varied ensemble work plus regular performance training.
I'm not sure her lessons achieve the same as her previous, a combination of so much in one day and the fact that her 45 minutes include arriving, settling and being interrupted five or ten minutes early by the next person where previously a 45 min lesson would be the time she was focussed on her lesson with time either side for change overs, stickers etc.
We certainly haven't cut down on the additional music activities like school groups and music service ensembles.
The biggest advantage for us to JD is that she loves going, regardless of any issues I have with a few things. She's getting a lot from dalcroze especially and it's rekindled her enthusiasm for theory.

We had a really good school concert last night, DS played in six of the ensembles, having been roped into one more glock part at the last minute. So that was sight-reading, with only one run through before performance. I told him how good having to perform impromptu is for his development.

waffle we put off jd for two years thinking he was doing enough at school. But now I am really pleased he has decided to go. What DS is getting out of it is: an excellent motivational teacher for his 1-2-1, playing in the percussion ensemble with as good and some better percussionists which he's loving (nobody at his level at his school), the size of the orchestra (his school's Symphony Orchestra is truly excellent, but smaller), the access to more percussion instruments (not so important for a flautist!) and one hour musicianship/g6 theory weekly lesson that's helping with his GCSE composition and his development as a musician. Theory teacher is fabulous too! So at jd everything goes up a notch, so to say. Except the jazz/Big band he plays at school I would say is at the same level right now than the one he plays at jd. On the other hand, the hours he spends there he's not putting in any individual practice and Sunday is pure homework, so his individual practice has been reduced...
My guess is that the biggest difference for Goo would be to meet and play with other g8+ flautists. That could challenge her in a good way. Right now she's the best in her school and that sometimes can feel a bit like a ceiling.

This is what I think of jd. It's more of an one stop shop, like a package holiday arranged by a trusted travel agency. You can avoid hustling around for arranging everything by yourself and the quality is kind of guaranteed. If you have time, knowledge and network, you can go as a backpacker and in fact may benefit more as it can be truly catered for you and your needs only. JD provides individual programmes but the flexibility and freedom is of course limited otherwise it won't function as a college.

If I had a choice I may have preferred going solo and arranged things as needed.

I should add that 1-2-1 lesson is one hour long. MDS covers 45 min, we pay additional 15 min.

Niggle I thought you'd looked into AYM too. It is very different to a jd. Yes they do have a few violinists etc but probably as many if not more brass players , guitarists, drummers etc If you get an apprentice place then no the emphasis isn't on classical music the weekends look at different things so last weekend was classical improvisation and looking at the structure of certain types of classical music but they have also had weekends on composition and dalcroze this term . If you get offered a full place ( which ds has ) then it's a MUCH bigger commitment at least 1 weekend a month plus the expectation that you go away for at least 3 and ideally at least 4 weeks of your school holidays on AYM courses - which is why I think it suits older students . . These courses do look at all different types of music but that includes classical so this weekend is one of many chamber workshops ( Friday to Sunday ) where all the classical instrumentalists get together. This time there is also a weekend for guitars. You can use music and dance scheme grants for fees ( and put any surplus towards lessons I think) and they also have access to lots of bursaries ( thank goodness) . It is something quite unique , very intense and won't suit everyone. Ds loves it as he really likes jazz, improvisation and big band music so he gets to study that as well .
Waffle I went through the same dilemmas as you Goo does loads anyway and I think if you have to travel a huge distance then that can make jds tricky . Ds may join one instead at some point who knows but for now this is more than feeding his passion for music . They do also expect that their students continue to play in other orchestras or bands depending on where their musical interests lie

I was at the JD of GSMD for 6 years, as a junior exhibitionerand they were some of my happiest years. I'd have wind and at 9am, followed by maybe a flute lesson, then choir, then a Wimbledon, quintet coaching, General musicianship class and then symphony orchestra all afternoon. We had recitals, competitions, masterclasses etc - the things you can't access as easily on an ad hoc basis.
It was wonderful and I made life-long friends there. If we lived close enough to London, I would definitely consider it for ds.

I agree the biggest bonus of belonging to jd (for us at least) would be to be able to meet and play with other exceptional musicians at their age. So you won't be the youngest nor the very best (except for prodigies in which case they will always be the youngest and very best wherever they go ). DS already made a few good friends there (and of course he is in a naughty gang..., his aural teacher calls them 'my naughtiest children of the world...).

Winbledon??
Piano lesson!

No jd here either. Both girls are in an extension/talent program that is pretty broad but certainly not classical focussed at all. They do enjoy it although it's probably more of a match for dd2 s interests (jazz leaning flute player) than dd1 s (clasically leaning violin player) although it is doing a very good job of broadening their musical horizons.

Ironically I can imagine DS1 would quite enjoy a non-classical Saturday group. But I think he has enough on his plate so I'm not looking into it!
Kutik your post sums up why I'm relieved my boys don't do football! At least the two years of twice-weekly martial arts were in a nice warm building with a decent coffee machine!

Oh yes, I had my fair share of dark winter football matches in primary. I HATED IT. Apart from the frostbite, I didn't care who won or lost (honestly) and there was nobody as nice as kutik around.

Oh you are so sweet, drummers. If our DSs had been playing in a same match we could have been on a black list together by chatting at the most crucial moment or cheering at a wrong timing which I seem to be doing all the time.

At least I have a good excuse to be fatten up during winter. I need meat to protect me.

Waffle, I often hear people preciously talking about their happy memory of the jd/nco/suzuki camp days. JD is a wonderful place to enjoy what you love with like-minded people, but it doesn't need to be JD to get that. At least Goo is in NCO, and other lovely places. I am sure she will fondly talk about them one day like Floot talking about her jd days. Although I can see someone like Goo would love and flourish being at jd.

We are looking at 3 hours door to door, Kutik. I must revisit the situation when she's about 14. Right now she is being super lazy and resting on her (not inconsiderable) laurels.

Waffle lazy is fine they are young also it wasn't just the commitment for ds that put us off but the fact that one of us would have had to go to every week which would also have had an impact on his sister . The longer i can put off the trip to London the better (also trains have been disrupted at the weekend for as long as I've lived here so it's hard to get them there) .

3 hours is a lot, waffle. I am with you. When I watched the documentary about Sheku's family I wanted to die omg getting up at 4am EVERY SATURDAY. And apparently two kids at DS' jd fly in every Saturday as in they take a plane from another country EVERY WEEKEND. Obviously I must be a lazy parent...

I don't think Goo is ready to give up lie-ins, shopping and birthday parties for ever. With a 12-14 hour day on Saturdays, I do think that is what it would entail.

I know drummers! I think one of them is from Germany. I assume there are lots of good schools/teachers in Germany...?

15 mins by car for us. It's closer than DS's secondary school.

Definitely waffle and then sundays would always be homework. I also saw the documentary drummers and right now I can't imagine me ( or ds) doing that every weekend so I too am in the lazy camp.
Many where we live just go to jds in 6th form I think - I think this is what his trumpet and school music teachers might have in mind . Right now though he is enjoying AYM and many do stay until music college if that's the route they choose .