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Extra-curricular activities

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April Music Thread

999 replies

Wafflenose · 01/04/2018 11:13

Happy Easter! The sun is shining here (at the moment) so I'm hoping spring has finally arrived.

Here's a new thread for anyone who wants to talk about music lessons, exams, practice, concerts, aural, scales, theory, ensembles or anything else music related. Everyone is welcome, from beginners to advanced and also adult learners. I started these threads 6.5 years ago when I had a beginner myself. Her nickname is Goo, she is 12 and taking Grade 8 Flute next term. I think she's finally going to do her Grade 5 Piano in the autumn. When those are out of the way, she's thinking of taking up the recorder again and doing Grade 8 on that, because flute sort of took over and she never got around to it. Her sister Rara is 9, and is currently around Grade 4 on both Cello and Clarinet. She doesn't want to do any more exams for ages, so will probably do her grade 5s in a couple of years or so. Rara is a lapsed recorder player who will be performing on it next month, and she dabbles with piano, glock and accordion. Both girls do South West Music School, although I regularly go back on forth over whether this is still the best setting for Goo. We are pretty rural and hours away from any big cities.

Please can we all be extra careful to make sure that everyone is acknowledged and assisted where appropriate... I include myself in needing to make an effort, but I'm not around all day, every day. This is a lovely, calm, supportive corner of Mumsnet but I do receive a handful of messages from people who don't feel welcome because they or their children are less advanced, or they're not in a position to consider JD/ private school/ expensive instruments and feel left out, or they wonder if it's OK to post about certain instruments/ families. I did say I would try. Thank you all so much!

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drummersmum · 12/04/2018 13:31

Kutik anything can be debated here, the more we all bring to the table the better.

LooseAtTheSeams · 12/04/2018 14:06

Kutik it was a good and interesting point - I remember one piano teacher saying to be very careful about listening to grade pieces on YouTube BUT when I started learning the Sostenuto for grade 5, my teacher advised me to listen to a number of versions because the dynamics have been left to the student's discretion and there's wide variation in how different performers have interpreted them. Of course, I'm still trying to hit the right notes!
Not much music to report here apart from DS2 playing guitar in his room!

Japanese · 12/04/2018 14:07

2nd - my DD also played the Jupiter excerpt for her Grade 2 piano. I still remember how wide her eyes went when she listened to the orchestral version for the first time.

Then I took her to see the LSSO play the whole suite and she loved it.

Now she is learning Mozart Romanze for Grade 3 and am taking her in a few weeks to see a string quartet play it at St Martin in the Fields.

I am posting this from a theme park in the Netherlands. The DCs are on various rides - am holding the coats!

hertsandessex · 12/04/2018 14:19

With all my DCs we make a lot of use of youtube and I can't imagine music before it. It is particularly good for choosing new repertoire before paying for sheet music and starting it. However, recently my DS started on a new piece and largely learnt it before having his first lesson on it. Teachers first reaction was along the lines of "You've been watching youtube too much!" Apparently all the performances on youtube were incorrect (relative to what was written in the music) even by one of the professionals. He was then banned from youtube by her. Now he has learnt it much better including several lessons he is back checking and shouting about how bad are all the performances :) although he did spot the odd thing here and there that he had missed. So I think youtube is a wonderful resource but just need to sensible and treat it as the word of the god of music.

hertsandessex · 12/04/2018 14:20

*not treat it

2ndSopranos · 12/04/2018 14:20

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Japanese · 12/04/2018 14:26

2nd Grin

Herts - very sensible. We also listen to YouTube graded pieces & both the DCs spot 'differences' (won't call them 'errors' as it's all open to interpretation!) - especially in phrasing.

Wafflenose · 12/04/2018 14:57

Is it only Somerset that's back at school this week?

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Kutik73 · 12/04/2018 14:58

I'm afraid not much music is going here neither, Loose! But it may change once we show DS the gorgeous violins we received this morning. I hid them in my bedroom as we had to leave to meet friends and I didn't want to have any trouble leaving! We are going to Korean barbecue after plenty of outside time so it will be way passed DS's bedtime when we get back. I'm thinking to show him tomorrow morning.

Waffle, we are back next Tuesday.

Wafflenose · 12/04/2018 15:01

We went back on Monday 9th! I did wonder how musicians in NCO U13s got permission to go, but it seems that hardly anyone is in school this week. It means I am going to end up doing gazillions of (unpaid) Music Medals on my birthday.

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Japanese · 12/04/2018 15:02

We are also back at school next Tuesday & away till Monday. Have brought the recorders with us but not much playing happening!

2ndSopranos · 12/04/2018 15:07

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se22mother · 12/04/2018 15:10

next Tuesday here too

Wafflenose · 12/04/2018 15:10

A bass! They cost a fortune... I don't have one, but my work does.

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2ndSopranos · 12/04/2018 15:17

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drummersmum · 12/04/2018 15:22

We're back on Wed...
herts good anecdote re Youtube, everything is in it, the good, the bad and the ugly Grin

MirandaWest · 12/04/2018 15:46

York went back on Monday (not that NCO is a concern for us but DD did audition for NYC which was this week and dId wonder what we’d do if she got in)

ILovePandas · 12/04/2018 18:12

DD back to school Tuesday and grade 4 violin exam on Wednesday.

se22mother · 12/04/2018 20:13

Thanks to everyone for the advice on listening. We tried listening to YouTube performances of the new violin piece, and the Clarinet pieces that were assigned this week. I feel it was positive.

Pollymalex104 · 12/04/2018 20:33

To listen or not to listen... we usually do - to many different performances available on youtube and on recordings before, during and after learning a piece. I think Taggie is right and it is a way of absorbing and then using the language. I think it's a great way to develop critical awareness and begin to identify soloists that really speak to ds in terms of musical personality. Tend to avoid the amateur inaccurate performances, though, but even they throw up awareness and learning opportunities. To lower the tone of the conversation, somewhat irreverently, ds finds the shreds series hilarious - presumably something to do with his age - I hope - but there is something very amusing about a professional musician, suited and booted, coming onto stage and then sounding like an absolute beginner puffing his way through a horn concerto! I apologise in advance for the lack of taste!
Waffle - we are back in school this week. I wrote to the head, requesting that he authorise the absence as educated off site and he did so, although the letter he sent me in reply clearly stated "on this occasion" and stressed the importance of attendance at school.

Trumpet - once again our instrumental teachers coincide in their thinking! Two or three weeks may go by and the lessons will have consisted of technical study work to support the playing, not the actual pieces themselves. I also find it unnerving, especially when an exam is looming and all the practice effort is going on pieces he loves playing and not the scales and exam pieces themselves.
2nd soprano - I played bass recorder for a while and loved it! No offence to Waffle, but I used to pretend it was a bassoon! (Always wanted to learn it but never had the chance!)

Kutik73 · 12/04/2018 21:08

ILove, already an exam straight after holiday... But it may actually be quite nice to finish off as soon as a new tern starts then she can enjoy the summer term free from exams!

Kutik73 · 12/04/2018 21:09

tern = term....

ILovePandas · 12/04/2018 22:02

Kutik yes it will be good to get violin exam done but then piano exam will follow in June!

Kutik73 · 12/04/2018 22:11

Wow, double exams! But you sound all in control. Good luck!!

Which piece is she doing? Smile

foundoutyet · 12/04/2018 22:12

Ha, another dc wanting a bass recorder. She found it easier to play than her own tenor, less strechy for her fingers.

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