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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.

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Kutik73 · 08/01/2018 10:49

Waffle, DS likes the sound of cello, viola and harp. He also likes to try trombone and flute but simply because there are some tunes he wants to play on them. So year, he is prone to be more attracted to strings definitely.

found, Mollenhauer's Boy Paganini is a nice piece!

Xennialish · 08/01/2018 15:56

DD1 had orchestra rehearsals after dinner at her last residential, hard on the little ones!

She is working on Cello Sonata in C Major by Breval for a festival next month. Last year she played the Infant Paganini and I enjoyed listening to her practice that a lot more Blush. After the festival she will concentrate on Bouree by Squire and she is also has eine kleine nachtmusik as a chamber piece. Listening to her playing that is funny though as even I know the tune to that but she keeps sounding like she has gone bonkers and forgotten it when she's not got the melody.

Xennialish · 08/01/2018 16:49

Also enjoying youtubing all the other pieces mentioned Smile

folkmamma · 08/01/2018 17:51

I think I've just decided to do G3 piano this summer too!! Just spent a happy hour picking out pieces And finding my way through...

horseymum · 08/01/2018 19:54

Thanks for the tip for the sight reading book, was embaressed to find we actually have that but never opened it(had a big music sort over Christmas) so just need to get him to work systematically through it. He is very much of the launch right in school of thought for sight reading. DD 2 is going to her first wind band rehearsal tomorrow with her oboe - she will be the only one so hope she still enjoys it, she will have to get used to it though as no double reeds in the region as far as i know.

Minimusiciansmama · 09/01/2018 07:37

Hi ladies. I’m trying to catch up on the thread but we had a very manic last week of the holidays, very dance based although boot camp went well too. She spent last week trying out for a national dance modelling opportunity... and out of 1000 girls, she was the only little one to get it! So we are very delighted for her. They’ve got a photo shoot next month, the uks biggest dance convention in March and loads more stuff coming up.

Sunday was back to JD, which she was delighted about. She started new g5 clarinet work and was very pleased to crack a bit of theory she’d been struggling with.

We’ve got festival starting in ten days time and have established we are nowhere near ready.... argh! Today is the first day of back to school and I turned the alarm off by mistake. Not ideal!

Trumpetboysmum · 09/01/2018 09:07

Well done with the dance mini !! Hope you got to school on time - we are struggling here with the very dark mornings .
I'm sure the music will be ready for the festival it seems that here we only have time to really focus on things when they are imminent !! At the minute though that seems to be ds's school exams which aren't till next month but school seem to be piling on the pressure and ds isn't one to not care so I guess it's about me making sure he doesn't stress and work too hard ( but actually does revision that's useful) in the next couple of weeks

LooseAtTheSeams · 09/01/2018 10:13

Ha! DS2's teacher is keen for him to take cello G5 in March. That means I get to do my scales tyrant thing again (worked for piano, it can work for cello!) and then he can start learning some new pieces and think about theory a bit more. Piano won't be at least until July.
I don't think we're looking at grade 8 until sixth form!

Kutik73 · 09/01/2018 10:37

Great news, mini! Massive admiration to miniTrumpet's great work ethic! And good luck to Loose's boy in the cello exam preparation! Gosh, DCs on this thread are astonishingly hard-working and diligent.

DS is currently taking his first 11+ exam. He is doing two schools and this is the one that DS is unlikely to get through. We discussed and accepted the situation and decided to treat it more of a mock for the other school, which helped remove the unpleasant pressure off. I was even excited when I saw a long queue at the school gate, all heading for the same exam.

I said to DS, 'isn't it quite exciting?!', and he replied 'not really, mum!'.

Year, of course, sorry, son. I got carried away with the unusual atmosphere... So I reminded myself to be quiet and serious and waved to say good-bye' to DS who was trotting into the building.

He must be doing the maths paper now. I'll have a quick cuppa then go back to the school to collect him...

Trumpetboysmum · 09/01/2018 10:45

Good luck with the exams minikutik and the grade 5 cello loose . I also need to be a scales tyrant ds is perfectly capable of learning them but always puts it off in favour of other stuff. His teacher doesn't check up on him ( I think he just expects him to do them and then checks before an exam) to avoid any panics before we get to grade 8 I think I need to help ds work out a plan . I shall remind ds that the trumpet teacher ( different to his normal teacher) who he worked with this weekend impressed upon him how important scales are. I wouldn't mind but because his piano teacher checks he learns his piano scales every week !!

Minimusiciansmama · 09/01/2018 11:00

Best of luck to minikutik- at least your positive attitude won’t risk you being accused of making him nervous! Wink

Kutik73 · 09/01/2018 12:46

DS's piano teacher doesn't check scales neither. She just expects her pupils to get on with them at home... DS usually runs through a couple of scales when he practises, but we have no idea if he's doing all correctly or if they are up to the required speed.

I safely collected DS. He told me there were some questions asking the meaning of a word.

'Did you know the words?', I asked.
'No, I didn't know all of them.', he replied.
'Okay, so how was it on the whole?', I asked again.
'Oh, I think I did pretty well!'
....

At least he was not so nervous and even cheerfully told me ''it was fun'. One more exam to do. Roll on Saturday!

Trumpetboysmum · 09/01/2018 13:09

I'm pleased it was a positive experience for him Kutik - good luck with the results

drummersmum · 09/01/2018 17:43

massive clap clap clap for mini and cheers to minikutik's atitude Smile

Kutik73 · 09/01/2018 21:13

Thank you Trumpet and drummers. What will be will be. We are fortunate though as DS is happy with the state option.

Xennialish , you have some lovely pieces going on (Mozart and Breval!). DS is also doing some chamber music. It's his first quartet experience (just joined last Oct) and they are performing Hayden very soon. drummers, please come to see his quartet debut if you are around on the day! Smile

Kutik73 · 09/01/2018 21:13

Thanks mini!

folkmamma · 09/01/2018 21:25

Ooooh, buzzing like a buzzy bee!!! Noo and I just back from a first rehearsal of the Faure Requiem. It's her first taste of proper choral singing and she loved it!! She did so well with reading the score too. I can't wait to see her face when we hook up with the orchestra!! And such a joy to be singing it together. Wow, I've missed choir........

Kutik73 · 09/01/2018 21:51

Wow, sounds fab, folk! So envious as our house if not a nest for nightingales!

Japanese · 09/01/2018 22:03

Hope DS's exam went well Kutik & well done to mini's mini!

Folk - I love Faure's Requiem. Must be beautiful for you and your DD to be able to sing it properly. I vaguely remember singing it in choir as a teen - many moons ago.

DD and I are just home from the Barbican where we went to listen to the LSSO play (amongst other things) the Planets.

DD is playing Jupiter for Grade 2 piano so I thought it might inspire her as well as be useful to hear it in context! Grin

folkmamma · 09/01/2018 22:08

It's just wonderful... possibly my favourite choral work (although maybe tied with the Mozart). Need to keep reminding myself it's a Requiem and I'm not supposed to grin like a Cheshire Cat all the way through 😂

drummersmum · 09/01/2018 22:08

japanese DS loves The Planets.

Japanese · 09/01/2018 22:14

It's such a great set of music for percussionists - am not surprised he likes it drummersmum. DD was very surprised to see the timpani being tuned - 'I didn't know you could play notes on drums Mum'! Grin

catkind · 09/01/2018 23:02

Awesome folk! I love the Mozart, not so familiar with Faure.

We have mini chamber music going on here, DC's piano teacher is teaching them each a quartet. One piano, 4 kids, one hand each. I had no idea that was a thing. In DD's group at least two of them only started learning last term, so it should be ... interesting? Brave teacher.

drummersmum · 10/01/2018 10:30

japanese DS spends his orchestral rests with his ear to the timpani, he is so scared of it going out. Tell your sweet DD that they have pedals and that the timpanist changes notes while playing Smile

Pythonesque · 10/01/2018 11:05

Hi, just dipped into this thread. Wonder if anyone else has 13+ music scholarship auditions coming up? My 12 yr old has been pretty good about practising most days these holidays and we'll just have to help him keep the momentum going now. He doesn't have a place at his 1st choice school unless he gets a scholarship which is a big incentive! Violin as 1st instrument, piano and organ as 2nd, but realistically going forward he's going to be focussing on organ and composition. Just got permission for him not to play hockey at school this month - he was grateful!