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Extra-curricular activities

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

Original poster

March Music Thread

626 replies

Wafflenose · 01/03/2018 10:56

Welcome to the new thread for March! I am typing this from home rather than having to go to work - snow days all round. We currently have 1cm, but there are red warnings for wind and for snow later today, so it's going to be horrendous.

This is a place to talk about all things musical, whether you or your DCs are learning. We have lots of followers, from beginners to advanced, and everyone is welcome!

I am a teacher of recorder, clarinet, flute and saxophone, and have two DDs. Goo is 12 and having a fabulous time at secondary. She is Grade 8+ on the flute but not taking the exam until braces are off (and I think her teacher is holding out until she thinks Goo can get full marks or something) and around Grade 5 piano - no performances or exams yet and terrified of anyone hearing her, so that's getting to be a slight problem. Rara is 9 and between Grades 3 and 4 on both cello and clarinet. She's taking Grade 3 Clarinet this term so that when she goes off to the NCO in the summer, she doesn't have to tell other children that's she's only done Grade 1!

OP posts:
folkmamma · 02/03/2018 12:41

Just seen the email Waffle. Hopefully they will be able to squeeze another one in. I was worrying about not having enough butter in the fridge to make cake....

I'm quite enjoying being snowed in, extra practice and theory! Noo and I need to get the violin part to Saint Saens Organ Symphony under our fingers....

2cats2many · 02/03/2018 13:01

Hello. I'm looking for some advice on the next level clarinet for my DD (10). She has a Buffet B12 and is hopefully sitting grade 3 next term.

We are going to Dawkes tomorrow to try out some intermediate clarinets and I'm considering this one : Buffet E12

Does anyone have an feedback on this clarinet or suggestions for others? We are looking to spend no more than £1200.

se22mother · 02/03/2018 13:15

2cats waffle knows best but my dd is soon to take g3 and has a Buffet Prodige

Original poster
Wafflenose · 02/03/2018 13:23

Yes that's absolutely fine.

Rara is between grade 3 and 4 and is tiny. She has a £400 Yamaha and I'm hoping that will be OK until she's in her teens.

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Trumpetboysmum · 02/03/2018 13:25

TRL I'd go for brass my two do some of the same instruments Ds is very good dd is doing fine but will probably never reach his level at brass and hates the fact that he's better at the piano than her even though he started later .
Waffle hope Rara feels better soon Flowers
All our music activities have now been cancelled this weekend . Ds is particularly sad about missing AYM as they were going to work on jazz improv, also he now knows that I will make him do more theory Grin

Xennialish · 02/03/2018 16:12

Hello Smile. I have dd1 who is 12 and a chorister who plays cello at music school. We’re about a year away from her audition to stay on as an instrumentalist after her choristership finishes. She also plays the piano a little bit we can’t afford lessons at the moment and she’s perfected everything in the grade 1 books we have so I hope she’ll do piano as second study if she gets in, put voice on the back burner and save us some money Grin! She was placed in a festival during half term despite going up an age category and got brilliantly encouraging comments so we’re all feeling a lot more confident about auditions.

Dd2 sings and I do feel for her as I am sure people would remark on her lovely voice more if it wasn’t for dd1 but she’s wonderful about it. Dd3 is keen to learn piano which might be doable once dd2’s 11+ prep is done with in September.

Minimusiciansmama · 02/03/2018 16:58

Hi! My DD is working on g5 clarinet (this autumn) and beginning to work on g4 piano. She’ll shortly pass me on the piano skills- I’m also working on g4 piano. I have no clarinet skills! No exams this coming term, but a couple of festivals, MFY and JD assessments coming up. Lots of concerts and exciting stufff as usual. She loved her first rehearsal with NCO. Happy little miss.

2cats my DD (8) also plays a B12. We are upgrading her mouthpiece and ligature but not putting her on a wooden clarinet for a while due to her “petite in size”ness

Japanese · 02/03/2018 19:34

I have just found you all again!

I thought it was quiet in the thread then I realised we are now in March Blush.

We have lots of snow here (north London) so am busy planning a cosy, musical weekend at home with lots of practice & lots of theory Grin.

TaggieOHara · 02/03/2018 19:58

Practice out of the window today Even though it was a snow day for the boys, as DS2 was out sledging in the sleet #makingmemories. Also, I had a shed load of work to do.

Saturday school is cancelled though. Hooray! Choir is still on though, of course. Not sure if we will make it...

AlexandraLeaving · 02/03/2018 20:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

folkmamma · 02/03/2018 20:31

Noo is simply devouring the Mozart sonata we've just started working on... I think we may have found her 'thing'. Slightly surprising, as I didn't think she'd like the precision element! But she's hooked. 😍

ThreeAndUs · 02/03/2018 20:55

Hi everyone, I've just joined mumsnet after searching for something NCO related so hope it's ok to join in? My son (9) received a place in the U10s orchestra on trumpet and is really looking forward to the course in the summer. He is attending the South Easterlies regional rehearsals. He is about to take grade 5 piano and grade 4 trumpet in a couple of weeks. I have 3 children (9, 6, & 2) and I am a trumpet/piano teacher myself. Smile

folkmamma · 02/03/2018 21:13

Welcome Three 😊

WindMum · 02/03/2018 22:29

2cats- some thoughts on clarinets:

My DD was on an Eb clarinet until she was 9 (week of 9th birthday) as she was so small (and still is) and she took Grade 1 on Eb. Then went into Yamaha YCL26ii we got on eBay which we had serviced and bought a great vandoren mouthpiece and rovner ligature this got her through grades 2-4 (taken in consecutive terms) and first NCO course. She now 11 (year 6) and plays a Buffet RC which we got the term before grade 5. Grade 5 is usually time time to upgrade to a better model. The E12 is a nice instrument but we wanted to avoid an intermediate clarinet then to have to exchange for a professional model in a couple of years. My parents did this and I went from Boosey and Hawkes 78 after grade 5 to an E11 (old version of E12) and then onto Selmer 10s 18 months later before grade 8. I still play the Selmer some 30 years later! Maybe wait another year and just upgrade to a really good mouthpiece now and then go for a professional model around grade 5 and use one of the schemes (vat free or 0% finance). My DD still uses a sling due to her size with her RC but can manage the Yamaha without now but she is very small for her age, she does some practice each day without sling to build strength. But upgrade to RC was worth it as she won junior Concerto class in music festival this week with great comments and feedback from professor of music (RCM, RAM, RNCM) who was judging (and 2nd in piano concerto under 16). She’s taking ABRSM grade 6 in May (school visit) on clarinet and grade 6 piano in summer. Piano is her “first” instrument although has joint first study (and singing 2nd study) music scholarship for a great school in September. Hope this helps a little.

TaggieOHara · 02/03/2018 22:31

Welcome three. There are a few of us doing southeasterlies/U10s on here. I'm sure my DS2 would love to meet your DS before the residential Smile. Great to have another music teacher on the board to give us parents perspective and advice! Are you teaching your DS yourself?

Folk how wonderful that Noo is enjoying the Mozart. DS2 loves the Mozart he is learning too, even all the slow practice! I think younger children have more patience for careful study than teenagers or adults!

Kutik73 · 02/03/2018 23:01

I think younger children have more patience for careful study than teenagers or adults!
This may be very true. I have ZERO patience for careful study and have lost count how many times I attempted to learn piano and failed. Still pre-grade 1 after years of having the same New Year's resolution...

ThreeAndUs · 03/03/2018 07:08

Hi folkmamma and TaggieOHara!

TaggieOHara What does your DS2 play?

I started my DS off with trumpet lessons about 4 years ago when he was nearly 6 but then decided it would be better to have someone else teach him and about a year and a half ago he started with his brilliant teacher. I've just started my DD (6) off on the trumpet, we tried to encourage her to play something different but she is desperate to play trumpet like her big brother! She also dabbles on the piano.

folkmamma · 03/03/2018 08:22

Lol Taggie & Kutik she normally has no tolerance for details, gets proper grumpy and we have A LOT of falling out in the early days of a new piece. I'm über grateful to have found something she wants to play 'properly' enough to give me a reprieve on the attitude!

Snow starting to thaw here today. Slightly sad we don't have more time to play in the waist high drifts we were clambering over yesterday.

AlexandraLeaving · 03/03/2018 08:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

folkmamma · 03/03/2018 08:28

I did G8 on a good old B12!!!

Original poster
Wafflenose · 03/03/2018 09:04

Yep, so did my friend. I did it on a very cheap wooden model. There is never enough money to go around here, so Rara will need staying on a very good plasting model until she is around 13. One of my pupils passed grade 6 on an £80 second hand beginner JP model a few years ago. Her parents knew she needed a better one, but were divorcing at the time and nobody was responsibility for anything music related. Happily, she got a nice clarinet for her 16th birthday.

OP posts:
Original poster
Wafflenose · 03/03/2018 09:05

Aargh, typos! Plastic, and TAKING responsibility!

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TaggieOHara · 03/03/2018 09:05

three DS2 is 9 and plays the violin.

folkmamma · 03/03/2018 09:10

However that's not to say I didn't want something better 😘

I'm a big believer in get the best quality instrument you can afford, whatever that might be. Hence Nia only used one Stentor violin and then we started getting better quality each time.

Trumpetboysmum · 03/03/2018 09:26

I do understand some people missing out the intermediate instrument stage and moving straightvto professional quality . I guess it might be different for brass but at that level they come custom made and as you grow you might need / want a different spec so for now Ds plays on his intermediate trumpet . He's the only one at NCO without a professional model but it doesn't seem to be holding him back !! And he will no doubt take his grade 8 on it . We are following his teachers advice on this one ( much to ds's annoyance!!) . What does your teacher think 2cats ? I think ds's teacher is just very much a realist thinks professional models are expensive and that Ds might still give up or not want to play professionally in which case his current trumpet will be just fine .