July Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Hello, I have just realised it's time for a new thread! Feel free to discuss anything musical here - any level at all, from total beginners to advanced, and adult learners are welcome too!

I am a teacher of woodwind, currently limping towards the end of term (July 24th... can't wait!) and have two DDs. Goo is 12 and plays the flute and piano. At the moment, she's doing the bare minimum, but she has won the Y7 music attainment award at her enormous comprehensive secondary school, so we get to go to an awards ceremony next week. Her piano teacher is about to retire, so we're looking for a new one. Rara is 10 and I would say is now a joint first study cellist and clarinettist - it doesn't come easily and she's progressing at an average rate, but a good Grade 4 on both. She spends most of her time reading, drawing, doing origami and swimming for a club.

I have so far managed to get through 27 music medals this term (6 still to go) and 4 Trinity exams (1 ABRSM still to go) and about half of the concerts!

starpatch, already lots of great advice on pitches! I would echo others on singing. Though DS didn't really sing a lot, just usual nursery/school songs, occasional Disney's and 60's British pops (due to DH's fascination in the era...). So I don't really think he benefited massively from singing, but now I can see it's a wonderful way to introduce music to younger DCs. I would guess learning piano prior to violin helped DS. For instance he already knew all the scales from piano when he finally started learning scales on the violin. So he had a good idea how they should go.

Greenleave, I am not an expert so someone may come to correct me. But I heard Baroque would be a good choice for younger DCs so you may as well go with the teacher's suggestion. I heard Romantic pieces would be harder to play very well by younger ones.

I must add playing Bach VERY WELL is very very hard too, but what I meat was it does sound fine by younger fingers whereas Romantic piece may expose immaturity more severely.

Hi starpatch, my DD is 6 and has been learning the violin ( v casually to start with) since she was 3. So obviously 6 isn't so young to us! She can play in tune when she thinks about it now, but doesn't always. Part of it is getting used to different finger spacings, part is getting used to listening and adjusting fingers. Do you play anything or have a keyboard or something you could play notes on and get him to adjust till he matches? Some teachers use coloured tapes to show kids where to put their fingers, DD's prefers not to so they learn to listen sooner. &Are you tuning the violin for him or is he?

Yes I though that too crazy

DD's class were reading the magic paintbrush at school and painting what they would paint if they had one. DD says she painted "a costume to disguise myself as J.Brahms so I could play music and everyone would pay me lots of money". Don't know where to start with that one! Or indeed what DD thinks "J.Brahms" looks like. Anyway, it amused me so I thought it might amuse you lot.

Aw Cat that's super sweet!!

Lots of happiness here today... we finally heard who will be teaching Nia at JD and it is our dream teacher!! We thought he didn't have space for her but things must have changed 😍 such a relief to have the uncertainty lifted.

And we've booked our NCO audition. 2nd October, so an early date. But timing wise probably for the best as she won't have been at JD long so prep will be done by current teacher.

Cat that’s very funny!! Also can’t believe your DD had the focus to start learning an instrument at 3. My 2 year old (sorry, 2 years and 5 months as she’d like you all to know) can’t even eat breakfast without getting distracted

Interesting to read about NCO - DDs will never be that standard but it’s amazing that so many on here are!

DD2 has sent me some accordion videos/recordings and she’s actually picked it up quite quickly. My task this week is to see if our old thing is still working so she can give it a go when she’s home in just 9 days not that I’m counting down

The musician previously known as Nosebleed Boy has, as someone upthread predicted, a distinction in his Grade 8 Jazz Saxophone, rather than the high merit he thought he's managed.

Given it was from a standing start after Grade 8 clarinet the previous term, and he also had ASs and a whole variety of other things going on, he's just a little pleased with himself!

Crazy and Trunpet - I felt there were more questions about family income, schools etc rather than music?

Well done to Cant’s ds!

I agree about baroque pieces suiting younger ones. My just-13 yr old has only really started to "get under the skin" of romantic pieces in the last 12 months - well, 6 months even! We've just gone back to the grade 8 violin syllabus that we made provisional choices from last summer, and he now really likes the Brahms and Franck sonata movements on list B , that didn't appeal at all a year ago. And now I feel he'll be able to play them. His piano teacher encouraged his interest in Bach the last 2 years and Debussy was his last exam piece worked on this last term (and now he can play it beautifully). His scholarship audition pieces earlier this year were very nearly Bach on all 3 instruments!

Thanks everyone,

We played couple of Handel pieces in the past and there was a Bach pieces in a ABRSM syllabus when she was at younger age so it isnt completely different and new which we are looking for.(She likes challenge, if they are different and challenged (around G8 level) then she will give her best). We are in UK most of the summer due to our current circumstances so there is plenty of time for music practice in the summer.

Pythonesque, can they audition 3 instruments for scholarships? Normally from the website I think it should be one or two instruments. More instruments will have better chance or have the same chance as one instrument? Can you recommend some good pieces for music scholarship both violin and piano. We will try next January. Thanks.

Greenleave, my DD is learning Haydn sonata in g minor and Bach sinfonia in D minor. She said Bach’s is much harder than Haydn.

DS2 is off on his orchestra tour to Germany first thing tomorrow morning. The itinerary sounds great; I almost wish I were going! Most of the kids in the orchestra are Grade 8 / Diploma level, and they always sound wonderful.

Just came back from DS's last orchestra performance. How lucky he was to be in such a wonderful orchestra. We exchanged numbers with others so that we can keep in touch. Lovely people, lovely music and amazing experience.

Bach is very hard, violinandpiano, if you are trying to achieve perfection. But it does sound fine (or acceptable) more than Romantic pieces when played by younger soul. I really understand what Pythonesque says.

to cantkeepawayforever's amazing boy!

folk thanks for the pen. It's delivered as you promised but I missed it!!!! DS played violin at school and as it was his last solo violin performance at school I couldn't miss it (and piano tomorrow!).... I must run to the post office tomorrow morning as we are seeing the piano teacher in the afternoon. Thank you so much!! xx

Thank you all! Conservatoire applications now... and auditions...

Good luck, cantkeepaway!

Hi, I'm new to the music threads but have been reading and learning a lot! My child is at the end of primary and plays the clarinet. A friend of theirs is in the NCO and my child is interested in auditioning. She has school lessons and so is now in between teachers until September.

Could any woodwind people suggest some music books to get that could be practised over the summer that might form the basis for an audition piece? I should add if it's not obvious that I'm not musical! Also any fun music suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!

tabby, well maybe more like 3 and 5 months. We did wonder if she might be brilliantly focussed as she'd just been brilliantly focussed and learned to read in about 6 weeks. Turned out she had a perfectly normal lack of focus as far as music went. But she had fun anyway - her teacher is lovely with little ones, lots of games and silliness. We saw it as the musical equivalent of toddler gym/ballet/football. They don't learn a huge amount, it's just a fun thing to do.

Also, how utterly cool that you just happen to have an accordion sitting around! Hope it works!

Congratulations to Nosebleed Boy, and good luck with the applications. And to everyone applying to NCO and other ensembles. DD is applying to beginner string orchestra - don't think they audition beyond have you got a violin ... and can you persuade your parent to juggle everyone's activities so you can get there...

Boyskeepswinging- which age group is your child auditioning for (for percussion) my dd is auditioning for U10’s, currently in U10’s

Hi Thally - not ignoring you I just type slowly, welcome to the thread. Sure some of these knowledgeable people will be able to help you out. Do you know what sort of grade your DD is playing at? Will help them suggest appropriate books.

Dd (violinist) passed gr5 theory with merit here too.
Awaiting dd (percussionist) gr3 piano result.
Congrats to all with exam results, both theory and practical and good luck to all those with auditions coming up