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Original poster

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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Trumpetboysmum · 15/04/2018 11:43

I think NCO recommend Allianz ( you can check on the website I think) we use a brass band specialist insurer do not much use to you !! You want one where they are insured when left in practice rooms etc if possible

Trumpetboysmum · 15/04/2018 11:44

Otherwise they have to keep the instrument with them at all times !!

se22mother · 15/04/2018 11:48

We use Allianz

Original poster
Wafflenose · 15/04/2018 11:49

Been with Allianz for 25 years, with no issues. Last year, I took off the 1/4 cello and added the more expensive 1/2, and actually ended up paying less because they gave me a discount for being with them so long. No claims either! A few months later, I made my first ever claim when Rara's bridge got damaged at a concert. Her friend accidentally knocked the cello over.

You have reminded me that I need to take off the clarinet that we have now sold, and add the new one! It rarely leaves the house, but is going off to the NCO in the summer.

OP posts:
folkmamma · 15/04/2018 11:52

Allianz fan here too!

Kutik73 · 15/04/2018 12:30

Thanks all! I'll have a look at the website!

LooseAtTheSeams · 15/04/2018 12:33

Yep, Allianz. Didn’t charge any extra for instrument going on tour, either!

SE13Mummy · 15/04/2018 13:47

Who is the brass band insurer Trumpetboysmum? Given the ever increasing number of brass instruments filling up our home, I wonder if a specialist insurer would make sense for us.

PetraDelphiki · 15/04/2018 14:09

Ditto!

Doubleup · 15/04/2018 15:00

When DD1 went on tour with school last year they suggested using Brass Band Insurance. They have a 'Not brass?' button on their website which takes you to Musicians Insurance Services which is what we went with. That will be coming up for renewal soon at which point we may well shop around.

crazygirlsmama · 15/04/2018 16:15

Wind parents.... DD doesn’t have her front teeth yet and her clarinet teacher has said today she thinks we should get a plastic brace guard that she wears every time she plays.
Has anyone got experience of what on Earth I should be looking for as Googling hasn’t found anything that seems the right thing....
Our dentist has said that when she’s got her teeth she’ll do a retainer for her to help her keep them in place when she’s got them. But the clarinet is definitely impacting her teeth- she lost her upper right front two 7 months ago and doesn’t have the new ones yet.

raspberryrippleicecream · 15/04/2018 17:17

We use BBIS, with a mix of brass and woodwind instruments. Not had to actually use them yet, if you see what I mean, but we went them as the quote was good.

Icouldbeknitting · 15/04/2018 17:51

BBIS here too. We were clear about the valuable instrument being in sole control of an 11 year old on the school bus and they were fine. So far we've not had to make a claim. The cover includes Europe but not the rest of the world.

Whoever you use check that it's covered in a car boot as I do know people who have had claims refused when the instrument has been stolen from the car.

Paulweller11 · 15/04/2018 18:32

Allianz here too.

Original poster
Wafflenose · 15/04/2018 18:37

Crazy no idea what that is, but you'll probably need to talk to an actual orthodontist. We were offered some (probably different) version to help Goo blow into the flute once she got train tracks, but she had so much stuff coming up (Christmas concerts and Grade 7) that it would have been one too many things to get used to, so she just got on with it in the end. They are the ones that have these things made though.

OP posts:
Kutik73 · 15/04/2018 18:45

check that it's covered in a car boot
Will do! Thanks you for the great advice!

stringchild · 15/04/2018 21:21

Crazy - I think it’s a mouthguard to use with braces; dd has one for hockey. Loads on amazon. Not heard of a retainer just for Clarinet though if you not having brace treatment. Dd had train tracks and then moved to a plastic brace system instead - much better to play with (for her) but still not perfect; she has to keep them in for clarinet playing though (they are a 22hr a day system) as a lot of playing push her teeth. Not sure if any of that helps...3yrs of braves and another year to go has not been great!

Trumpetboysmum · 15/04/2018 22:10

BBIS for insurance and mine does cover us for theft from a car
String Ds said one of the trumpet players had the same braces as your dd - though I think he does sometimes take them out to practise.
NCO concert was great they had covered a lot of tricky stuff which they played really well and I really enjoyed all the new creative elements . Plus it turns out that Ds can pay a piccolo trumpet - so a big sigh of relief from me !!
Hope your Ds 's enjoyed the course Polly and musicdoc Ds has gone to bed tired but very happy Smile

TheSecondOfHerName · 15/04/2018 22:15

I'm sorry I've not been active on the thread this month. I wanted to give an update on DS2 though because he has had some good news.

Since taking up the clarinet in Y7, he has worked hard on it, got distinctions in his exams and is taking Grade 8 this summer.

DS2 plays in the school wind band, but a place has not come up in the orchestra (the school has several talented clarinet players). He was starting to worry that he might reach Y13 and still not be eligible.

Thankfully for him, most of the clarinet section is leaving this term after their A-levels / GCSEs and he has finally been invited to join the orchestra (in time to go on tour with them this summer). I'm really pleased for him.

TheSecondOfHerName · 15/04/2018 22:19

I can't help with the orthodontic question as DS2 already had his adult teeth when he started playing the clarinet, but when his fixed braces came off the orthodontist said that he should wear his retainer conscientiously every night for the next few years, to prevent the clarinet playing pushing the teeth back out of alignment. Perhaps an orthodontist could recommend something for crazygirlsmama

Trumpetboysmum · 15/04/2018 22:26

That's great news TheSecond !! Smile

AlexandraLeaving · 15/04/2018 23:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

crazygirlsmama · 16/04/2018 08:14

waffle her teacher told her it’s something I can just get on amazon for a few pounds but I’m not sure as most of what I’m seeing is sports type guards like string mentions and they look ginormous & bulky, so I can’t see how she’d get a nice embouchure.
string the retainer was the dentist’s suggestion of how to protect her teeth from being shifted as they set, in a hope of long term avoiding train tracks

drummersmum · 16/04/2018 14:30

thesecond very pleased or your DS2.

Just found out date for Theory Grade 6, Saturday 16 June. The day after DS' last exam, the second Physics paper.
I really don't know how he's going to prepare and sit Grade 6 Theory after having sat and prepared 21 gcse exams in the previous 6 weeks Confused.

Trumpetboysmum · 16/04/2018 15:06

That sounds pretty crazy drummers - could he postpone it ? Or has he worked for it a jd ? Having said that knowing your ds he will manage it anyway ( though I think there is only so much any of our dcs can manage ) hope his revision is going well Smile