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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

January Music Thread

634 replies

Wafflenose · 01/01/2018 00:21

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.

OP posts:
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drummersmum · 26/01/2018 14:23

Thank you all for the good wishes. Is this the thread with the nicest people in the world or what?

loose I must say we haven't found the music coursework too onerous here. He's mostly done it during lessons and some finishing at home. Maybe it's the way your DS school schedules it? DS has two different teachers, one strictly for composition and another one for the theory/historical side of things. This way the composing sessions are purely kept free for it. He's already given number 1 in and he's supposed to be working on number 2...

schwan DS played Marquez's Danzon with the school orchestra and he loved it soooo much, and so did the audience. It's such an exciting piece. drumming with his spoons Ahhh.. this is how it starts!! A future percussionist there! Grin

horseymum · 26/01/2018 14:30

The orchestra I play in is doing the dancon too, love it!

drummersmum · 26/01/2018 14:35

kutik your memory is incredible you're younger than me aren't you . I had completely forgotten about g8 piano multiple hand injuries!

LooseAtTheSeams · 26/01/2018 15:59

drummers yes - it got a bit chaotic to put it mildly in Y10 as a music teacher left but I am glad to say that it's back under control, finally! Apparently he's more or less finished both compositions so it should be revision from now on. It's art that has really messed with his mind - and mine, to be fair! But can't be helped.
DS2 has had a nice Inset day - a long sleep in, piano lesson went well, then some guitar practice and now on the computer!

drummersmum · 26/01/2018 16:03

That's a nice afternoon for him loose Yes, I have heard Art coursework is the worst! Wine

Kutik73 · 26/01/2018 16:28

DS didn't go to school again today. He missed school most of this week. He is poorly, but not too poorly to stay in bed all day. So I think he is secretly enjoying a long sleep in, being lazy on the sofa, occasional noise making on the piano and violin, and snacking frozen bananas here and there.

To be honest Y6 is so boring due to SAT preparation so I am fine with him skipping school this week! He is not learning anything. It's all about revising. He is getting Greater Depth, so there is not much to revise for him in the book given. I find it's a killer for enthusiastic learners. I hope his school is just being lazy and that all the schools are not like this.

raspberryrippleicecream · 26/01/2018 17:10

Oh yes Art GCSE ''........ DD actually did Photography but it was still pretty much art, lots of portfolio work. Hours and hours and hours. She also did drama which also seemed quite time consuming on the run up.

Hope mini kutic and other poorly people are feeling better, DS2 had a couple of poorly days at the beginning of the week but seems to have bounced back.

folkmamma · 26/01/2018 18:07

Not good here.... temp of 40.4 and feeling very sorry for herself. Starting to think we might miss out on our trip to Cardiff tomorrow 😔

Trumpetboysmum · 26/01/2018 19:14

Folk disorganised and kutik hope they all recover soon Smile and that the audition result is positive drummers ( I'm sure it will be) . Ds isn't that great tbh but has gone off for an AYM weekend so we shall see if I have to go and collect him early or notHmm
Loose luckily ds definitely won't be taking GCSE art ( his sister has all the artist talent in this house) but wants to do drama as well as music ( though in my plan school will maybe let him drop drama or RS for years 10 and 11/ I'm not hopeful but I have to ask) He would still leave with 9 GCSES so plenty I think Grin

Doubleup · 26/01/2018 20:07

I'll put my hands up to say that DD1 is doing art and music at GCSE - currently Y10. Seems to come in waves with regard to the art workload, but I think she sneaks into the art department when she can to get things done. Not sure about music so far - not much evidence of school music at home. Six weeks until Grade 7 oboe exam for her and roughly the same for DD2's guitar exam, although I haven't had a date for that yet. Only Grade 2 in that so not quite so much pressure.

DD2 had two offers of school places today. One is for her sister's school where she has been offered a music scholarship. The other is for a school where she will do the music scholarship exam on Monday, but they said also that she performed very well in the entrance test and they want her to do their additional academic scholarship exam on Tuesday. Trouble is she is due to be in London all day with school for a performance at the O2 in the evening. I don't know if the logistics are at all possible. I haven't even managed to tell DD as she went to a friend's house after school and went with them to the music centre for band practice. I think she may have had enough of assessments and may not even wish to sit it....... Third school result due tomorrow.

LooseAtTheSeams · 26/01/2018 20:23

Doubleup I'm sure your dd is better organised than my DS! Smile he has brought much of the art misery on himself, I suspect!
Congrats on the school results so far and fingers crossed it all works out on Tuesday!
CakeThanks to all the poorly minis and hope they are much better soon!

drummersmum · 26/01/2018 21:15

double congrats on school offers and scholarship, well done to her.

folkmamma · 26/01/2018 22:09

Yes Double!! Great news Smile

Doubleup · 26/01/2018 22:40

Hope all the poorly and injured minis get better soon! Horrible time of year with so much illness going around.

Kutik73 · 27/01/2018 10:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

folkmamma · 27/01/2018 10:55

We made it to Cardiff! Noo much better today. She has been whisked away with her violin to shadow a chamber music lesson, which she will also join in with!!! We weren't expecting that.... looks like the day will be pretty 'hands off' for the rest of us, they have planned out a packed schedule for Noo. So impressed so far...

Doubleup · 27/01/2018 11:01

So how are the rest of you going to spend your time folk ? Hope Noo has a great day!

TaggieOHara · 27/01/2018 12:40

Wow - well done mini-double. What amazing results Smile.

Folk - glad to hear Noo is doing better. Sounds like she is having an amazing day.

I am feeling somewhat sorry for myself, marking a massive pile of coursework while DS2 is at choir. I am being plagued by the most annoying woman in the world, who uses this time to play "let's be savages together" extremely loudly with her toddler daughter [she's here every week]. And yes - I know I am being grumpy and unreasonable...

Festival tomorrow for us. I have no idea how DS2 will play. As always, not enough practice time Sad. Hope he isn't discouraged if it doesn't go brilliantly. Probably I shouldn't have entered him.

TaggieOHara · 27/01/2018 12:48

On the bright side, I'm listening to this (very loudly through ear phones):

I have only come to Glenn Gould's playing recently. I used to prefer more 'authentic' Bach playing.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 27/01/2018 15:36

Youtube channel and gmail account have been successfully zapped. I am happy to participate in the next one - I just don't want to get left running it and having to make decisions about it! Still happy to start monthly threads, and I do try to read everything.

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Doubleup · 27/01/2018 15:44

Third school offer for DD2 arrived today with a music scholarship worth 25% of the fees! Would also include free tuition on two instruments. Their literature says that they offer two Music scholarships to a maximum of 20%, so they must be very keen on having her (or at least having a bassoon player!) Grin

Doubleup · 27/01/2018 15:46

Thanks for sorting out the channel Waffle

Xennialish · 27/01/2018 15:48

I did my art gcse coursework in two weeks, during which I hardly slept and took a lot of proplus. My mum shudders involuntarily if it ever comes up in conversation Blush.

Hope all the ill families are on the mend and minidisorganised’s arm doesn’t hold him back (some forced aural practice would be a godsend here!).

Really interested to hear how the junior conservatoire day goes, will certainly be going to the next jrncm open day.

folkmamma · 27/01/2018 16:05

Confused!!!!! I was expecting to come away from Cardiff today super enthusiastic and desperate to get her in but.... all was going really well until we observed and individual violin lesson and I was so disappointed!! Maybe we were just unlucky. Anyone got any first hand experience of violin teachers at RWCMD??

Xennialish · 27/01/2018 16:28

Ah, the move to music school teacher has not been smooth sailing for us but I would say we were just very lucky with our first teacher rather than we are unlucky with her school instrument teacher. It’s a big decision but the consolidation of music activities and the like minded peers have made it worth it.