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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

February Music Thread

525 replies

Wafflenose · 01/02/2018 22:06

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).

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folkmamma · 14/02/2018 08:44

Guys, revisiting the video sharing idea. I have recently come across an app called 'cluster' which allows you to share photos / videos / posts privately. Only invited people can join in. We used it for sharing pictures of the panto kids and it's great. I am happy to set up a group for us if there is an appetite for it??

TaggieOHara · 14/02/2018 08:52

Thank you all! It would be lovely for our minis to get to know each other at pro corda! It is good to know that there will be children there who are still into messing around outside. DS2 loves being with girls during holiday activities. He exists in a very male-only environment the rest of the time. Folk - let's get in touch closer to the time about meeting up/travelling together Smile

That is interesting kutik. It will be wonderful for DS to be inspired by such talented children! I'll let you know how we get on!

se22mother · 14/02/2018 10:27

Dd has been accepted onto Pro corda, but doing the prep course. She is 9

TaggieOHara · 14/02/2018 11:28

se The only reason DS is doing primary is that he sings evensong through Half term so can't do preparatory. Hopefully they wIll meet next year Smile. Is your DD doing nco this year?

se22mother · 14/02/2018 13:04

Taggie dd didn't get into Nco. She is only about to take her g5 this term so wasn't up to standard. She is very excited about Pro Corda though. Maybe our children will get to meet next year Smile

TaggieOHara · 14/02/2018 14:06

Folk - I'd be up for the video sharing. If you could set it up, that would be great. Thanks!

Se - good to hear your DD is looking forward to pro corda. The staff seem lovely. Very flexible, but also organised! I'll let you know how DS2 gets on.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 14/02/2018 14:32

Braces coming off on May 2nd!

OP posts:
Nigglenotes · 14/02/2018 14:47

That will be great, Waffle! I imagine it will make flute playing easier.

Trumpetboysmum · 14/02/2018 15:10

Great news waffle!!

TaggieOHara · 14/02/2018 15:44

Yay for Goo Smile I hope that losing the braces gives her a real boost.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 14/02/2018 17:28

I think it will eventually. In the medium term, she will have to learn to play all over again. We are going to go through the same with Rara in the future, but that really is a long way off. She still hasn't lost a couple of teeth that most giris lose in year 2, and has most of her baby teeth.

OP posts:
Kutik73 · 14/02/2018 17:33

Yay to Goo. Smile

disorganised, I have no clue about the grade, sorry. The same piece can be set for different grades depending on the expected level to pass. So the best way is just to enjoy playing it without thinking about it. Smile

folkmamma · 14/02/2018 18:13

Ah Waffle that is great news! Hopefully a big boost for Goo 😊

I will set up the Cluster site when I can. Could anyone who wants to take part PM me your email address please 😊

Paulweller11 · 14/02/2018 18:44

Trinity has it as a grade 6 piece- but as my dd often tells me....is not what grade of the piece you play that matters, but how you play it.

JugglingFromHereToThere · 14/02/2018 19:06

I think your DD nailed it there PW!

Kutik73 · 14/02/2018 19:13

miniPaul Smile

folkmamma · 14/02/2018 19:46

Cluster is set up - PM me if you want in!!! Videos have to be quite short I'm afraid, but will be ok for short snippets and photos are fine 😊

2ndSopranos · 15/02/2018 12:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

se22mother · 15/02/2018 18:46

3 weeks till exams and we have histrionics and pieces sounding less polished than 2 weeks ago Confused

Kutik73 · 16/02/2018 02:25

I've asked this on the other thread but thought I would drop the same question here.

Do you keep your DC's fractional violins or you opted to trade-in at each upgrading stage?

We traded in DS's very first his own 1/2 violin against DS's wish. He was very attached to it and although he loved his new 3/4 violin he missed his 1/2 for a long time (he begged me to buy it back many many times). When a parent said she had kept all the fractional violins of her DC's because she couldn't think of parting them, I felt slightly bad that we let it go. I regretted we didn't even keep his 1/2 bow!

Interestingly, although DS does love his 3/4, and it's actually much better violin than his old 1/2 quality-wise, he is fine with us selling it. What was the drama about the 1/2? Was it like the first love sentiment?? And more interestingly, I am the one who is hesitating to let it go this time!

DS was learning violin very casually at school until he moved to the 3/4. Then suddenly he started craving for challenges and has achieved a lot more than I dreamt he would do since then. He went through all the challenges that changed the relationship between him and violin significantly with this 3/4. I feel DS has grown together with it.

The downside of keeping it is, if we change our mind and decide to sell it in future, we'll be likely to gain a lot less profit than selling now as by then the violin won't have been played for quite a while (so the sounds will be lost). And of course we don't get any extra cash now. Grin

I just wonder what others are doing with all those little violins with full of memories.

Kutik73 · 16/02/2018 02:44

A mother hinted she would like to have DS's 3/4 violin for her DC. It actually sounds a good way to keep it to be played. But her DC is not in love with violin at all, and his parents have no clue nor no interest to learn how to maintain instruments so I am not very keen to hand it to the family really... We were ultra careful with our instruments so I can only think of letting have it to those who have love and awareness similar to ours!

Mendingfences · 16/02/2018 04:56

The 1st size we owned was 3/4. It was not an expensive instrument and we didnt sell it when we bought the full size one.

folkmamma · 16/02/2018 06:56

Kutik we are having the same dilemma with Noo's 1/2. We kept her 1/10th (her first violin!) but it wasn't very expensive so not a problem. We have traded in the last 2 but all of us are very sentimental about this one. It is old and has been through the little hands of many children before her. She fell in love with it immediately. Like your DS, she has achieved many things on this instrument. However, as I mentioned before it now needs some expensive restoration work and even though it will be worth the investment, we can't really afford (or justify) to do the work and then just keep it in a cupboard. So our luthier will take it in part exchange when she needs a 3/4 in a few months. He will give it the TLC it needs and in time, someone else will love it. Hopefully we will love her new 3/4 just as much...

Minimusiciansmama · 16/02/2018 07:52

Kutik, we have kept my girls first dinky clarinet and will always but it’s cheap, has flaws and wouldn’t be worth anything to sell.
I can see id definitely have kept the tiny 1/10th violin- much like I have her first tiny ballet and tap shoes.

Kutik73 · 16/02/2018 09:10

I'm leaning towards keeping his 3/4... Otherwise we will be left without any memento because we are most likely to fund for any upgrade in future by selling his violin so none of his 4/4 will stay with us, well, until we miraculously become super wealthy so selling is no longer necessary to help pay for the new one!

DS used school violin when he started so 1/2 was his first violin to own. I don't quite remember which size he started. He grew from the smaller end to the taller end in his class pre 1/2, so I think he mast have used quite a few sizes.

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