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.

Oh I loved Mr Benn ( and The Flumps!!)

Would anyone please remind me the organisation who helps people buy instruments without TAX? I think it was mentioned a few times on this thread. I think we have to buy through state funded school or music centre. Our full size violin hunting is about to start!

There's BOD for flute too, with the vocal sound iirc
Vocal flute is amazing, where's Waffle

I want to go to Festive Road now.
I had no idea it was real, wow. i'm going to tell everyone,

I think our children are given a huge disservice ito musical aural education.
We used to hear real orchestras and bands and live music all the time.
It was our constant from children's tv to TOTP.
Kids today just don't get this opportunity and it stinks.

Kutik it's the Assisted Instrument Purchase Scheme.

I didn’t know Festive Road was real! I have to investigate! Great clarinet Choices Gilly

kutik your child has to be learning with the LEA/academy school to be eligible for the assisted purchase.

My girl has the Wizard as this weeks “quick study” piece, she came home with it today loving it. She’s working towards g5, with bits of g4 thrown in for short study fun.

We really liked the trinity g3 repertoire too and also did vast quantities of it!

Thanks mini and Double. DS goes to a local music hub. Not for a private tuition though. I may ask them if he qualifies.

Supposed I have to collect all the forgotten changes/notes splattered in our house.

Kutik - we know quite a few who went through the scheme who don't have their lessons at school or at a hub; as long as the (state) school is willing and the instrument is for lessons then they seem to have met the criteria? worth exploring

There's also the 'Take it Away' interest free loan scheme and Benslow Trust who loan instruments which might be worth looking at.

Thanks! I emailed the music hub so will see what they say. I'll check Take It Away. We spoke to Benslow last year. DS could get a nice instrument from them. But we decided to buy rather than borrow at this stage. It's nice to have your own if you can. We like to take violin with us on holiday and it will be a problem if the instrument is provided by Benslow.

That is a worry with a borrowed instrument, I don’t let dd outside with hers alone but with a cello there is less expectation that they will cart it about themselves!

We are normally away for 6 weeks in summer for the last 10 years (apart from last year) so we need an instrument that can come with us. For this reason Piano is forgotten completely in summer - too heavy to take with us! I'm glad it's not his first study otherwise we may have had to re-think of our holiday style! 1 - 2 weeks would be fine but 6 weeks complete blank every year would be a pain for the first study? DS is not yet to be that diligent nor sophisticated to be able to do silent study!

Originally I thought I would buy from a shop in London for easy access but now I'm thinking to expand our hunting area and go further if necessary. Would you let me know if you have any recommendation please? It's for violin.

Hello kutik we go to Roger Claridge in Oxford, he's marvellous and I really trust him in terms of instrument value etc x

Thank you folk.

A day trip to Oxford Kutik? I could think of many worse things to do

Don't know if this is the right thread to post on, but for various reasons can't 'show off' about this in real life, so thought I'd share here: DD1 just got a chorister place at music school today and we're delighted. All change for us in September!

Congratulations to your DD Queen! A major achievement.

Congratulations to your daughter. My dd is a chorister at music school, it’s quite a juggling act, feel free to pm me for info if helpful.

Fantastic news Queen. I have an ex Cathedral chorister DS2 and there are several other current and former chorister parents on the thread. Its an amazing opportunity.

Thanks all - I'm sure I'll be after all your knowledgeable advice in the future!

Congratulations queen! DS2 is a chorister, and it is indeed an amazing opportunity - albeit hard work

Does your DD also play an instrument?