February Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Have a new thread for February!

This is a place for our ongoing conversation about music, instruments, lessons, ensembles, scales, practice, exams, aural, theory and whatever else you'd like to talk about. Everyone is welcome - new and older members, beginners and advanced.

I have two daughters - Goo (12) flute and piano, in a bit of a slump at the moment, and Rara (9) cello, clarinet and recorder (yes, she's picked it up again) on a roll at the moment. I teach woodwind and have my own little clarinet group called the B Flat Blues, who don't rehearse together regularly, but played in a festival this week.

I also have quite a bit of news, mostly good, but am so tired that it will have to wait until tomorrow now. Hopefully it's worth waiting for (and before anyone asks, no, Goo didn't get the desire of her heart).

It looks like Rara's clarinet exam might be on the very first day of the Trinity session for our county, and we might have to travel 25 miles. Apparently all of the venues in our nearest town (various schools and colleges) are full of their own candidates this time. So I have to have her ready in 2 weeks. Wish me luck with that...

I'm sure Rara will nail it. Glad DS has an exam within two weeks buddy.

Good luck Rara

I too am sure Rara will nail it within two weeks

Good luck to Waffle and Rara!! She will be awesome I'm sure.

Picked Noo's violin up from luthier today - temporary fix has taken nicely so we should be good until 3/4 upgrade in the summer.

We got back from France at 2.30am so are all pretty jaded today. Somehow we've both got to find the enthusiasm to at least play through her Pro Corda audition pieces (for this Sunday!) and practice some intervals... wish me luck! She's already in a grump because the inter-school netball tournament clashes with an extra long Senior Strings rehearsal, complete with guest conductor, so she's had to miss out on the netball 🙄

Good luck rara and waffle! And Folk for Sunday! I'm sure after a good night's sleep Noo will be refreshed and playing better than ever!

Thanks Taggie! Practice, check! Despite being heinously tired, she did realll well and is a demon at identifying intervals. One relieved mummy.... let’s hope the rest of the week follows suit. One tired little mini now sat vegging in front of the TV.

gilly really nice hearing from you, and with such good news.
wafle you girls can do it. May the force be with you

We have a mouse hiding under the piano. I've called him Ludwig.

Having Ludwig as a family member, drummer's boy will fly through exams at school...

Very informative posts on violin case, much to consider next year.
Best of luck to everyone’s coming exam, we dont have any planned for this year.
And hello Ludwig!
Mine needs to start with her practice after 2 weeks breaks, still very jet lagged and tired today. Music lessons will be resumed from next wedk. She had a 10+ Offer from KGS so there will definitely a school to go to even she doesnt do 11+ next year, she will sit 11+ next year though.

Kutik Unfortunately I can't welcome him as a permanent member of the family because... well he is a mouse. And he will get hungry, leave the piano and go into the kitchen. So I'm postponing the eventual murder but it must be done
greenleave great news re offer Will they keep it till next year if you don't take it up now?

drummers, when you DO IT, please just don't use mouse glue. It's just so cruel! We used baits. Not sure if it worked as no bodies were found but they were gone...

Congratulations, minigreen! It must be a relief.

I have two friends whose boys successfully gained a place at St Paul's for 10+ differ. One boy was 100% happy with it so didn't do 11+ and just enjoyed his life. He didn't prepare for 10+ differ anyway (yes he just has a massive brain) so no stress no drama. But another boy did 11+ too and he prepared well for both 10+ differ and 11+. He basically had quite stressful Xmas two years in row... Now he has got offers from all the schools he sat, and still not sure which one to pick!!!

I love the idea of a mouse named Ludwig who lives under a piano. Am sure there's a children's storybook in there somewhere

When I was a child my parents used to make me eat these massive disgusting vitamin tablets - one a day. They were horrible. So I used to drop them behind the piano - don't ask me why. My parents found them years later when they moved the piano. If a mouse had lived under their piano that would have been one healthy mouse .

Will he chew the wood?

Yes, its a deffered place so we will be guaranteed a place(with a deposit).

We are applying couple of junior departments however havent got audition dates etc yet.

Love Ludwig the mouse! And the idea of a children's book!

Well done, minigreen. What a relief for you all.

Rara's exam has been moved AGAIN. It was March 12th or 13th, then the 9th, and is now the 21st. Bit of a difference, and still 25 miles away. Place your bets for the final date below.

japanese you were doing a lab experiment right there without even knowing it!
waffle I say it will stay the 21st...

Have you used the venue before Waffle? I'm only asking you as I'm curious if you know the state of the piano there. DS's teacher uses the same venue even though she knows their piano is horrible. Apparently the keys are too stiff that p or pp cannot make any sound. I hear the same kind of stories elsewhere so obviously it's not uncommon. But not great isn't it?

I love the children story book idea too.

I think we'll go for Gewa Air. It seems a nice case though I am still concerned about heat and damp ( just because we go somewhere tropical every summer). DS didn't mind the maker/design as long as it's bling bling . But I managed to persuade him to choose white. I might need to get shiny accessories instead as a compensation...

Is anyone using hygrometer/humidifier??

Kutik, no I haven't. I asked for either of my two usual venues nearby, or failing that, anything at all nearby. Not happening! So a trip to the seaside beckons. I'll report back on the state of the piano!

I might have forgotten to mention that we got a free acoustic piano last month, and pushed it half a mile through the village on a piano trolley. Well, DH and some friends did - I didn't! It's for Goo. I was attached to my digital, and it's now in bits under the bed.

Piano in our local ABRSM Centre is also horrible according to DD and her teacher, very soft and spongy. She always starts with scales to get the feel of it before doing the pieces. There is no other ABRSM centre to choose from with grrrr.

Our festival hires nice Yamaha pianos so playing there is a joy. Wish ABRSM would do the same.

Found several errors in ABRSM recordings of exam pieces (the downloads you get for free on new wind syllabus) you’d think they’d get that right. Also on the tracks are called “accompanyment” spelt wrongly. What on earth are they doing?

I am going to catch up on the thread today. Horribly behind.... Kutik - miniprada has managed to break the last case (handle off) The spare one cannot fit the Kun shoulder rest in it - this potentially means she leaves it behind which is a pain for school. I am going to go for a GEWA bio as a birthday present for her. Looks smart but has a detachable music case also. Plus can fit all of the bits inside. Have a think about mini Kutik at big school and travelling with the violin. The more they can fit in one case, the better as the opportunity to lose stuff is reduced. We've had hygrometers in the past, but given we are in a steady climate in the UK and the violin doesn't go on holiday, it was a bit pointless for us xx

Re: 11+, we are spoiled with great private secondary schools living in SW so we hope to give her choices(if she passes next year entrance exams). This girl loves exams/tests and is motivated by it so it isnt a problem(rather than the need to start with our preparation). KGS is also not the nearest school to us, the Hammersmith ones are much better to get in(15 mins on bus and the bus stop is just down the road).
Re: abrsm Barnes exam centre. I did tell our story about our G7 exam experience last term, the piano keys were very stiffed so that performing different voices became very hard(almost impossible) especially on the day we took the exam it was freezing -2degree. I made a complaint to Abrsm and wont ever choose this centre for piano exam(even its nearest to us).

Congratulations to your DD Green, hope this takes the pressure off the next year enabling her to go into her preparations really calmly, knowing she has a fall back place already.

Minigreen will do well I'm sure!
Just phoned cello teacher as had to cancel today's lesson as DS2 sick and discovered his exam is just two more lessons away ( we had asked for late March) and his scales still need fixing. We're going to schedule another lesson but he will need to recover quickly and get practising!

Sorry missed off first bit of message to say congrats on MiniGreen's KGS Place! I don't think she'll have trouble getting a good school bearer but it does take the pressure off.
Sympathies on exam centre pianos. We're using a different exam centre this time. Our local borough one has a terrible piano and is fundraising for a new one. Luckily DS2 does his piano exams at yet another centre so that hasn't been an issue.