January Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Happy New Year!

This is the new thread for our continuing (6 year old) conversation about all things to do with music - lessons, exams, auditions, theory, scales, practice and whatever else you want to talk about.

I am Waffle, teacher of woodwind, amateur composer, and unpaid consultant watching and commenting on all sorts of woodwind videos that people send my way! I am mum to Goo 12, and Rara 9, who both play instruments, do South West Music School and NCO. Goo plays flute and piano, and has Grade 8 and Grade 5 pending for some time this year. Rara plays cello and clarinet - working within Grade 4 for both, but hasn't taken a clarinet exam since Grade 1, and wants to do Grade 3 this coming term. She's way behind with Theory, so it's theory boot camp again this week. We start back to school late (Jan 8th) so that's good.

Bugger. Didn't get our first choice of Regionals so I won't be seeing you all at SE's 😢

However we may bump into Waffle at SW's. silver linings!

Oh no folk, I’ll miss your amazing cup cakes!

Evening all. We've got the date through for ds's JD audition : Thursday 8th March @ 1.30. 7 weeks and counting!! 😵😬

Very mixed emotions... we still don't know which regional BFF has been allocated. If she's in SE's, Noo is currently saying she won't go... 😢 but I'm hoping she'll get over it. Logistically we kind of need both kids in same orchestra as we help each other out with transport. However, I am happy with SW as one of my childhood BFF's DDs are also there, and we don't get to see each other often so will be great to have monthly catch ups. Plus, the conductor was Noo's conductor in SE last year and she is awesome...

Tbh I hadn't even considered she wouldn't get SE as we got a 'welcome to SE' email and she was in it last year...

Good luck disorganised he'll be fine I'm sure.
GCSE mocks over here

Thanks Drummersmum though GCSE mocks sound far more stressful. How is it going?

Ah thanks disorganised no results yet but DS seems happy enough. Time was an issue for a couple of papers, he usually knows all the answers and not having time to finish a paper can be frustrating. It's only mocks anyway Back to music now, he's just back from rehearsal for school musical, jd tomorrow, then rehearsal again all Sunday so all is back to normal and well

drummersmum I'm not sure if you're allowed to divulge the name but which JD is your ds at? Perhaps pm me?

to Alex's DS!

I haven't heard anything from NCO? I still don't know which regional DS is in.

to drummers.
X

We haven't heard about regionals either Kutik. Won't see you either if you get your first choice, but hopefully can catch up with you at U11s in the summer.

We have a Yamaha descant which was pretty inexpensive 2nd

Now I know so many familiar faces are heading for SE, I am quite happy if we are given our 2nd choice! Will see... Otherwise, yes catch up at U11s.

drummersI'm sure he's done well and can now ignore mocks and focus on the music!
I have Y11 parents' evening on Thursday but I'm determined to stick to dry January whatever I'm told that evening!

We’ve not heard about NCO either

loose I'm sure your DS has done very well and you can keep dry after parents evening - or maybe celebrate with some wet!!

See some of you at SW... I never thought for a moment that we wouldn't get in... it's a bit under-subscribed.

Will see if I can zap the channel next weekend.

Our first two music exam entries in! Both piano, DD Initial and DS Grade 1. Wonder if they'll carry on down the years... DD certainly seems to have got the bug.

Aw, how lovely catkind. We just have one this term - Rara's Grade 3 clarinet. Having said that, Goo hasn't had a piano lesson for six weeks, so I don't know what her teacher will suggest. Other than Rara, I have entered a Grade 2 clarinet (her BFF), a Grade 1 recorder and 3x Initial Grade recorders.

Hi all. Lots of wonderful news for you all, congratulations!

Well festival fortnight started last night for us with a first for me.... we won our class together! We did a six hands and got a top mark distinction! This is nothing new to my girl of course, but a whole new experience to me . More importantly, we had an absolute bucketload of fun. She’s got lots of piano entries today and then woodwind weekend next weekend.

Re: our YouTube channel.... I would be happy to set up and moderate a new one. I have no life of my own haha. I think it’s a lovely thing for us to have together and I know we all enjoyed it so I don’t mind making the time if it means we can carry that on.

Re NCO I had to speak to them yesterday about something else but they mentioned on the phone that my girl is definitely in Northerlies. And also said that associates definitely are entitled to hoodies! This is an important piece of information to my girl!! Regionals are so exciting for her but are going to be quite a slog for me as her JD department are wanting her to do her instrument lessons before she goes which means we’ll have to drive. It’s probsbly a 5 hour round trip, one id hoped I could spent sat on a train!

Oh what a shame about south easterlies folk . Hopefully her bff will get the same orchestra as you . Last year I think that you got the orchestra you applied for as long as you applied early . Speaking to the easterlies conductor in November I think they were going to look a bit more carefully at instrument balance before they decided who would play where ( within reason) I think for some like easterlies this will help as apparently many were choosing to go to London which meant lots of strings and a very limited wind and brass sections