September 2018 Music Thread

[folkmamma]

Hi all! Our lovely host Waffle is away at the moment and has asked me to start this months thread.

Here is a place for us to share stories, ask for advice, and generally support one another through our DCs (and in some cases our own!) musical journeys. All are very welcome, from the early beginners to the very advanced. Some people have been regular contributors for years, but we also have a lot of newcomers and love welcoming new contributors to the MN Music Thread team. I became aware of this group about 9 months ago via the NCO 2018 thread and I now spend more time here than on Facebook... .

Over here, I have Noo, just turned 11, violinist, violist and pianist. She is playing at aroud G7 standard on violin (first study) and is starting JD this month, eek!. Noo is also an associate member of NCO and this year joined the Pro Corda ensemble training programme, which she loves above all else! She is also very into musical theatre and regularly performs in professional and semi-professional shows - it is a challenge to juggle it all, but somehow we do. This month is a biggie for Noo as she starts secondary school as well as JD.

DD2 is Moll. 8yrs old and plays cello and piano. She is a very different kettle of fish to big sister - every bit as able, but some self esteem issues, together with a slightly quirky personality, mean her journey is not often quite so smooth (and mine completely turbulent!). Working towards G3 cello this term (although she doesn’t know it yet) and will go for a consultation at Noo’s JD sometime this term also.

I’m sure Waffle will drop in to update us on Goo, Rara and her own musical self once she gets back from holibobs.

Good luck to everyone with back to school, changes in school, new routines and audition prep! I predict September will be a busy month on the thread!

Over to you....

druid.

Thanks taggie, much better today. I listened to that podcast about practice, kind of reassuring that the defiance is age appropriate and so is my incentive system. I think I guilt trip too much about saying no. It feels mean to say no that wasn't good, but I mostly just get screamed at if I try to explain constructively how to make it good. I think I need to be really sparse about what advice I give and stick to my no if necessary. Having said no one day, he actually did really good work next day*, independently and unprompted, and duly got his extra screen time. And is v pleased with himself. Apparently he's now going to work really hard and join the wind band next year as he liked the sound of DD's string group. We'll see...
*Really good work for DS being 10 minutes. Baby steps.

NYO Inspire

Applications for 2019 just opened. Well worth a look for any 13 year olds and older Grade 6 and up. DS2 has done several days and 2 residentials. And its free!!!!

Everything starting to gear up and settle into the new term now. DS2 will be taking Grade 8 piano this term. Next term his piano teacher wants him to accompany her for her own Grade 6 woodwind exam, which is a compliment.

He has also just submitted his first GCSE composition, and been given the themes for the second, which have not inspired him. He has also arranged to record his ensemble performance in a couple of weeks (piano duet) and started to sort out recording the solo performance at school (on trombone). Will be nice for him to have all fiddly bits out of the way.

My friend's DD went to NYO for several years.

Sorry to hear of your loss Druid

Hope those starting at JDs have been having a positive experience - not something we have considered so far. Enjoy catching up with your dc Patrick and littleladsdad

DD2 is slowly finding her feet at her new school. Her only minor wobbles have been to do with not knowing where to put her bassoon and not knowing where orchestra was going to be. They had the first session of the new school bassoon quartet this week too which she seemed happy with. She was on first bassoon with a sixth former on second, so I hope he was OK with that.... Next week she starts with her new guitar teacher and has her first piano lesson. Not quite sure how that will go. Oh, and she played her first full pitch 11 a side hockey match for school today for the U13 team as the only Year 7. Busy week!

Have caught up with the thread properly now.

So sorry Druid

I'm impressed miniTaggie is ready for the NCO audition already. But knowing how busy he is with his choral duties you may have deliberately tried to get it ready earlier - well thought!

We applied for the audition, though DS may not do it after all. He has just started with new teachers after two months break and he hasn't got any piece to play at the moment. He may manage to use his old pieces but only if his new teacher approves. A bit tricky.

Yes - We tried to prepare as much as possible over the holidays, although we ended up not having much time then either!

He is ‘ready’ in that he has two pieces of the appropriate standard that he can play - one well and the other is still a bit scrappy. So he is in a much better position than last year, when at this stage we ditched one of the pieces, put back the audition and learnt something new (and harder)! However, whether he will be polished enough to get into U11s remains to be seen.

patrick I’m sure your DS would get in with a couple of his grade 8 pieces from last term, and it would be a shame not to do it seeing as he has such a fantastic time. But as you say, it is up to the teacher and missing a year wouldn’t be the end of the world. He could rejoin for U13s and main.

I'm sure he could use his grade 8 pieces Patrick
Ds is pretty much there I think - just a bit of polishing to do I think - it will be nice to listen to some other pieces when he practises
Whether he gets in or not though remains to be seen - its is for the main orchestra this time after all
Ds is so busy I don't think he's really got time to dwell on it at all . I think he's hoping to get in but knows he might not
We're off to Cambridge for the Easterlies today im really hoping they've found another trumpet player it really is too much for 1 player to take on by themselves - though he's giving it a good go but I think he does feel quite exposed whereas he normally doesn't worry at all about orchestral playing

Patrick hope you're having a lovely weekend with your ds and that the logistics of getting to jd worked out ok Littleladsdad !!
Ds came back from AYM yesterday and announced that he would like to go into London in a couple of weeks time with some mates - admittedly they are older than him I think we'll let him go but I could feel worried about it already he really hasn't got a clue!! Luckily as we lived there for a long time I could probably direct him back home by phone if he did get lost . Not sure that I'm quite ready for this new mature Ds yet

When if your ds’s NCO audition Taggie? I’m sure by this time last year there was another thread about auditions....

double DS is auditioning in 2 weeks - one of the first.

Good luck mini Taggie Ds's isn't till mid October so a while yet

DD2 has hers in mid-October too. She has two pieces, but needs to spend a bit more time refining them - not so easy with the start of secondary school. Very contrasting - Mozart's bassoon concerto and a short jazz piece. Interesting choice on a bassoon, but sounds good (when she plays it well!)

Good luck to miniTaggie and everyone else. DD is auditioning for the first time this year. She’s never auditioned for anything before so just hoping it’s a positive experience and not too scary! She knows she’s unlikely to get in but hopefully may get some useful feedback...

So sorry for your lost, Druid.
Thanks for asking after us, Taggie. Sorry you've had a trying week. It's hard going for a few weeks after the long summer holiday, isn't it? We've all got the beginning of term lurgy here too. DS was do low with it on Wednesday that the school nurse called me - I can empathise now I'm battling it.
Glad your DS feels he's in a good place for his NCO audition. I suspect DS won't do his audition after all, and that's ok - he was never keen and my tiger mother pupil parent experience this week has made me rethink how I handle him when he's reluctant.
He's struggling to fit everything in at the moment, and it's come to a bit of a head because he got a negative behaviour mark and public humiliation from a teacher for not doing well enough in a Spanish test - the class was given one night to prepare and it was the night he was unwell and had a cello lesson after school, so was out of the house for 12+ hours.
Last year, he was in school sinfonia, senior orchestra, string ensemble and choir, plus a county ensemble. The school ensembles were at lunch time, so easy to attend. This year, he has been asked to join a string trio, so another lunchtime gone, and the string rbsrmbke has moved to after school. Because of DD's various after school activities,DS was already staying late at school on 4 days, so going to string ensemble at the new time would mean a 5th late return, so I said it would be fine to drop it ( although I was disappointed). He didn't go to the first rehearsal but the HoM has asked him to attend in future.
He doesn't get home from school on late days until nearly 6 and often later ( after leaving at 7.05am) - I don't know how he can fit cello practice piano practice, theory prep and homework, as well as free time for himself ( he's only 12!).
I keep finding him asleep. 😥

string ensemble, not string rbsrmbke!!

Floot, DS brought quite a lot of homework for this weekend. On top, he is expected to practice violin/piano and he has NCO half day today. We have planned a few fun things too (too eager to have him back...). Didn't expect he has to juggle like this already, especially he is at a specialist school. Being a music scholar at academic school with lots of sports opportunities would be much worse and challenging for a 12 years old! I think you are handling the situation so well, listening to him and reviewing the needs.

I don't think DS will play G8 pieces but I vaguely thought he may play some lovely pieces he learnt after the exam. However he's not going to keep working on them any more with his new teachers. It seems he is ditching all the old pieces. School is fine with him going ahead with the audition but may not have intention to help prepare for it. Then DS will probably choose to go alone with them and focus on the tasks given by them than preparing for the audition. We'll find out more next week. I have a feel that he may drop NCO this year.

It's great to hear how he's getting on. The NCO neeeeds him though!

I haven't had much to add lately... for once, my two aren't working towards anything in particular, and both are ill at the moment. It's quiet here!

Hope everyone's audition prep is going well,

I have been feeling a bit frazzled with everything this week - trying to keep on top of my own work deadlines as well as making sure DD is doing all her homework for new secondary - plus trying to fit in music practice and some sort of exercise. And occasionally remember to check in with DS who is now in Year 5 so not such a big transition for him!

DD enjoyed the orchestra she joined yesterday morning plus there are some friends there from her old primary who have all gone to different secondaries so it was nice and familiar for them to all meet up again.

The recorders were sounding a bit muffled this morning in DD's lesson. Think I need to get some cleaners - she's not great at taking care of them.

Floot - we too are struggling as dd stays at school until Near 6 a few times a week; after travel, tea, homework it can be near 8pm there really isn’t time or energy for good practice never mind intei instruments. We leave the house at 7am. I feel really bad today about how difficult it is; have been suggesting a year off NCO - she wants to do it but I think something needs to give!

Good luck to those auditioning for NCO, I have noticed that the specialist schools seem to support them with this and of course YMOTY.
Ours doesn't allow JD as well as they don't like other teachers being involved, and of course Saturday they are needed for orchestras and ensembles rehearsals, many of the dc are in several so there isn't time for anything else.

Recorder cleaners are useless. Wash them up in the washing up bowl! (I've heard the dishwasher does a good job too, but I don't have one!)

waffle - washing up bowl? Even the wooden one?