May Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Have a new thread for May... you all managed to fill the April one!

This is a place to chat about music lessons, exams, practice, aural, theory, performances and anything else you like. We have many regular and occasional posters (some of whom are learning themselves) with children ranging from complete beginners to very advanced. We do try our best to make sure everyone feels welcome!

I am mum to Goo (12) flute and piano, and Rara (9) cello and clarinet. They play in loads of school groups, South West Music School and NCO, although practice isn't going too well at the moment. Later in the week, all three of us are taking part in a big community concert, which will be lovely.

Waffle you have been very quiet recently - are you feeling better?

violinandpiano in SE London there are three state secondaries that offer music aptitude places; Kingsdale (which also operates a lottery system), Haberdasher Askes Hatcham in New Cross and Prendergast School (all girls). None of these are grammar schools and you'll need to visit the individual school websites to find out how to apply for the music places.

Great orchestra news double & japanese! Trying to work out a way to get DD to baby string orchestra, but some reorganisation of after-schools is required.

Good luck to those looking for schools. At least here it's easy. Choice of about ... 1 state school. There might possibly be a new one which might shake things up a bit. One private within sensible reach, but I think that's going to be a flat no from DS as involves Saturday school. If we could afford it anyway. Definitely not scholarship sort of musical here.

Kutik I know exactly what you mean about the differences in muscicians.
For those with younger dcs who are being left out of things because of their age I would be persistent!! Explain why being by in a certain ensemble is important for your dcs and why you think they will be fine with the age difference in a higher one . I would also explain that it's quite demotivating to be held back etc . Ds threatened to leave the county weekly orchestras because he was so cross that they hadn't moved him up - that was less to do with age and more to do with lazy decisions on the staff part ( and only basing seating on exams actually taken not how good certain muscicians were) after I complained and explained Ds was thinking about leaving they moved him ( and a few others pretty quickly) . He was playing first trumpet a couple of weeks later and was promoted again the following term !?! This term he is doing an extra jazz day with them but only once I had phoned to check that he could play in the older age group . I think they are quite used to me being a pain now and I always do it with smile
i think the brass band is going to be fab and they had him playing alongside the other solo cornet last night so in at the deep end !! Just hoping we can manage to fit it all in. I love the flugelhorn think I might get one for Ds just so I can listen to it !!

On the whole, we've been very lucky that the local music service (and most other local organisations to be fair) does a decent job of taking a 'stage not age' approach to admitting children to ensembles. DD1 has been able to join in with courses she was technically too young for as well as being moved into 'senior' ensembles at the Saturday centre once her playing level had been clocked - the head of centre did ring me to check that would be ok as it was new territory for them. As a result, she's never really had the experience of having to tread water just because of her age. Now she's in Y8 at school she's finally getting a taste of it because the Y11 trumpeter insists on playing first when she deigns to turn up. When she's not there, DD1 plays first. Luckily, the head of music is aware of this and has given DD1 the option to play first if she'd like - I think the reassurance that someone knows she's capable of it has been quite affirming. At a recent brass band thing DD1 did, she encountered the politics of seats/positions for the first time. She's recently been undergoing a crisis of confidence and has no desire to play front row so didn't mind that she wasn't placed there... but being amongst so many other players of the same instrument is a situation that was new to her. No doubt she'll have an opinion on it once she's attending regularly. Having said that, whilst DD1 has been lucky, she's got friends in other boroughs whose music services aren't quite so flexible.

We have been fortunate as both our County and Noo's future secondary school have been very relaxed about age boundaries (she is playing in the Senior Strings / Symphony Orchestra which is normally Yr 9 and above). So you could argue that there is precedence in other Counties? The older kids all love her because she is so little and she gets mothered a lot 😂 But they certainly don't seem to be cross about having younger kids in their midst (BFF too).

A lovely thing happened today. I know I moan about what a pain DD2 can be, but today she made my heart melt! She came bouncing out of school choir to tell me she had auditioned and been given a solo in one of the songs they are doing, and Noo also got a solo in the same number. Noo came running out and threw her arms around DD2 saying 'I'm so proud of you, I'm so proud of you, I was keeping all my fingers crossed because you did so well!'. They were jumping up and down, hugging and congratulating one another. It was a beautiful moment as a) Never in a million years did I think DD2 would stand up and sing on her own in front of anyone due to her anxiety issues b) she has tried a few times this year but always lost out to big sister, (not always graciously) yet has developed the resilience to keep trying and c) they are usually so very competitive it was just wonderful to see them so genuinely delighted for one another. If only we could bottle these things...

Kutik73, My DD is learning the book of Bach concerto in A minor 1041 and Romance by Wieniawski. I hope she can do grade 8 before secondary school, but if she want to get very good result she has to sort out lots of technology problems. We also prefer to slow down progress to build up scales until she is really ready not rush to do exam.

folk

Interesting to read the seating politics. At DS's jd, the seat simply rotates each season so all the players can gain experience of each role. This was announced very clearly at the welcome day as they encountered anxious/unhappy children/families duet to the seat given every year and they wanted to make sure we would all know it's nothing to do with their ability and they simply want to give all the children the same experience and education.

It goes the same as NCO. I was told they scatter strong and weak players everywhere to avoid stronger or weaker players gathered in one particular area (front/back or first/second). So playing first doesn't mean the child is stronger than the second or seating in the back doesn't mean the child is weaker than those in the front.

Flugel horn is really a lovely sound trumpet i love mine

folk that makes me melt a little bit. What lovely DDs

Interesting to hear about searing politics.

By some bizarre complication of people not bringing stands and others having to go early, DS ended up in the leader’s chair at regionals this weekend, for the last bit of the rehearsal. He didn’t realise about his elevation, not knowing what the leader of an orchestra is. I confess that I did take a photo, just for posterity (and because it is unlikely to happen again, ever!). Thankfully the conductor directed that the solos were played by the whole section

No problem of stages v ages for us at County. There is one orchestra for Grade 5 up. DS2 and DD were the only players on their instruments last year, as was DS1 who had come back from uni as a mentor.

They are also the only players of their instruments at the slightly more local music service concert band, which is Grade 4 up.

DS2 has started playing with an adult concert band (roughly G8 and up standard and very firmly minimum age 15), where he is one of six trombones, there is 70 years between him and the oldest player, he is very happy to be on third trombone.

Folk

Lovely story folk!! My girls are only one school year apart and when we first added DD1 to the family I was so worried they’d be competitors. Luckily they’re just each other’s biggest cheerleaders (sometimes literally - at a netball match earlier DD2 and her friends were apparently doing a self choreographed chicken chant and various acrobatics when DD1’s team played. I look forward to seeing a re-enactment when DD2 is back from dance ).

Stages v ages has never been a problem at DDs’ school either - concert band is grade 2+, senior band is grade 5+, orchestra is grade 4+, flute choir is grade 3+. I suppose there are other groups with different criteria too - I know from concerts there’s a chamber choir, general choir, year 7 choir, sax group... DDs aren’t very competitive and I don’t really understand seat politics so i’ve never been aware of issues there!! And we don’t really get involved in out of school ensembles, I suppose that might be quite different. But surely you could just keep arguing that standard is far more relevant than age, as it clearly is!!!

violinandpiano, I don't know anywhere as obsessed with the grade system as UK. It can be a good guideline/motivation or just nice to have on cv. But the more serious you get, the less important this whole grade business thing becomes. I hope your DD starts enjoying and loving music again.

Taggie, that's so cool. You've got to make the photo to a poster and put it on the wall in the practice room!

raspberry, 70 years gap, playing together! How lovely!!

Doubleup thanks for asking! I have shut up mainly because I genuinely have no news. Just one foot in front of the other for all of us until half term now!

Actually, Rara and I are in 3 shows on Saturday. Goo will be at SWMS and DH is off to North Wales for 5 days!

I was off work for nearly three weeks, and am now back, but it's taking all the determination and energy I have. Some issues are fixed, but we're possibly looking at a six month recovery time. So lots of early nights at the moment. I'm still reading the thread though.

Exciting about the tour double

Glad you are feeling better waffle

folk - how sweet! Must have been lovely to watch. Have just been listening to your cute little cellist on the channel -

Sorry waffle - have just re-read your post & realised you didn't actually say you are feeling better. I shouldn't have assumed because you are back at work that that automatically means you are feeling better .

Folk, that's lovely! My DDs' paths rarely cross because of their age gap and they've only been in the same ensemble once - we heard from the conductor that DD1 had been championing DD2 which was lovely to hear but your story is heartmeltingly lovely.
TBM Flugel is a gorgeous sound. DD1 has one, albeit not a very good one, having been captivated by hearing Alison Balsom play hers.

3 shows waffle! How you ever fit in an early night is beyond me I hope things start to look up for you soon.

Waffle keep on keeping on, July is just around the corner.

Waffle for a continued recovery I second what Icould says - not long till July now
Folk that's lovely
Rasberry I think it's great when our dcs can get to play with much more experienced adults too . I remember going to a guitar group as a child ran by my teacher we all supported each other - even though I was really young ( I bet all the adults weren't that old they just seemed it at the time!!) I am a bit apprehensive about Ds being in what us essentially an adult band but he knows the older teenagers and will learn loads . A positive move on the bands part for brass banding I think - not that I know much about the brass band world but it sounds nice
In another crazy move Ds got up at 6 today to do music practise!?! He took delivery of a silent brass mute yesterday and thought he would make full use if it - I wonder how long this early morning enthusiasm I'll last for ?!?

kutik i see your point that the uk is quite grade obsessed, but we got tangled in a situation where orchestra level is described by age range and how long you have been playing...... That was fairly surreal being told that dd1 who 6 months previously har been playing the Suzuki version of dvorak humoresque har to sit in the aspirant orchestra playing frere jacque because others har been playing longer than her....

Waffle, keep resting and recovering. Lovely to hear from you.

DS is still suffering from runny nose, sour throat and dizzy head. But apparently more than half of his class are like that and it's SATS week... Quite a few DCs (including DS!) were sickly during 11+ exams too. Kids just can't stop making us parents worrying... It's the last day of SATS anyway and their lovely class teacher has arranged special picnic lunch for them tomorrow. She is taking them out to a park nearby for a picnic and afternoon play in the sun as a reward for their hard work. Those who are feeling unwell would better recover quickly!

DS has been enjoying listening to his new Dvořák CDs at bedtime. They were supposed to hand him once SATS finish but I couldn't wait especially one of them had Perlman's signature and really wanted to show him asap! I've got a DVD of The Greatest Showman so I can give him as a well done gift instead (I wanna watch too...). I am also thinking to get a fun music book for recorder. We've been going through Recorder from the Beginning Book 2. Is there any fun book for this level? Japanese??