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....

Please everyone's jd days are going well
Truffle great news how exciting

So lovely to hear of everyone's JD experiences! Brings back memories of my own 6 years at JD, which were some of happiest times of my life, and I'm still in touch with friends I made there, thirty years later. ☺
My sister and I started at the same time, so my mum travelled with us and stayed all day for the first couple of terms, then travelled in with us and left us to come home alone, then stopped travelling with us at all. (We lived 30 minutes outside of Waterloo, and attended GSMD, so a mainline train and then "the drain" to Bank on the way in, and bus to Waterloo/ London Bridge and train to Waterloo East, and mainline from Waterloo on the way home). Eventually, there was a gang of us travelling all of part of the way, so it was very sociable.
I'm a bit sad DS won't have the same experience, as we are too far from London.

Truffle, that is so fantastic! What does your DD play and how old is she she? - is this the first time she's applied? Fingers crossed she does well in the next round - so exciting!

Dd1 started at our JD equivalent last month and apart from the start up parent info meeting, the only thing i attend is the lunchtime concert that is open to the public.

The concert today was a bit special as dd1 performed with her quartet - they've only been together 4 weeks but did a brilliant bit of haydn today

mm....day 22 of Sept and my first post. Prompted by the lovely trip down memory lane of that first thread. Waffle, you deserve more than a gold star for keeping this going for so many years. And I know the teenage years are tough, reading back I think I had more challenges with DD at 10 than I do now at 15. But now, she has more challenges with her peer age group and friendships, that I have become the go-to person to talk to. Not sure I like this period either as I can't fix things for her (especially when she feels so lonely) but know she also doesn't want to do some of the things that her peers are experimenting with, and has to keep strong at school. So we're counting down the years to when she can possibly move to a less cliquey environment. Loves the school, hates the environment. What a dilemma. I hope Goo grows in confidence with the fab programme in place for her.

Such volatile years, but they do fly by! Good to see you back Green, lovely to hear of newcomers and new starts to school/JD etc.

Tabby: wow, just wow on your DD's hours of stuff. But she sounds like she's a fabulous juggler, and the only advice I can offer up (and mine has never been as busy as yours!) is any dropping of activity, if possible, should be their decision (even if engineered behind the scenes by you). They then don't get to hide behind you when they reminisce or mourn the loss of activity by saying 'you made me give it up'. The management of school workload, health, organisation, clashes etc should naturally flush some of these decisions out, but, it is so hard for a child to cull when they love all of what they do. Good luck!

Hello all, just a quickie as cooking tea, before HP. yes, even at 14 she cuddles up to watch
The restricted Library in PS was filmed at her school, she takes pleasure telling people this.
I heard two kids coming out once and one said to the other, do you know that Karl Marx and Engels met here, on the old bench in the library.
The other said, wow I didn't know the Marx brothers came here.

Yes, we have revision cards, summaries and good marks in her books. I will back off now.

Patrick
Don't worry about Maths or anything else, I'm only on dd case as she has a history of little confidence and not trying, vicious circle stuff going on. If she usually managed I wouldn't be this obsessive.
mine is loving Macbeth, thanks for the comments loose you always make sense.

HP- Harry Potter
PS- Philsophers Stone.
Ha- my dd’s didn’t know that Romany- they’ll be thrilled!!!

Floottoot DD plays clarinet and she is 16. This is the first time she has applied.

Realistically, she knows how hard it is to get in but is viewing it as audition practice ahead of next year. It's great to see how upbeat she is about the whole thing, her confidence has really grown over the last year.

You've got to be in It to win it, Truffle - she's done brilliantly to get through the first round. NYO is such an incredible thing to be a part of, it's a fantastic opportunity for her and absolutely perfect experience to take forward to future auditions, as you say.
Huge luck to her!!

Ooh, good luck truffle's DD! Exciting!
Glad everyone's enjoying JD. Sounds amazing to have that community and commitment.
I'm loving seeing the first steps of music community for DD with her little string orchestra. It's right up her street, social and music together. Mostly bigger kids but there was another little cellist last week.

To those that are going through grade 5 theory boot camp for the exam in November, how's it going?
I'm dragging DS through it myself, but beginning to panic that he's not going to be ready in time, as he's not putting the time in.
We worked through the grade 2 and 3 books but have.missed 4 to start 5 this week. He's certainly not fluent in the earlier grades (well, not in the way I'd want him to be) and has barely looked at the terms and signs. Aaaaaargh!!! I can feel myself flapping and trying to rush him through topics, which won't help.

earling - I have become the go-to person to talk to
Not all the parents achieve the privilege as long as I know - you must have done something very right along the way! I am so hoping to be that person when DS hits the difficult teenage years.

Thanks all for the kind reassurance on the slow start of Y7. I knew I was being a bit impatient! I'll check how things are nearer to the end of half term and decide whether I should be worried!

How lovely to hear about NYO and other challenges. It's indeed such an achievement to get there!

Oh @Trufflethewuffle ! How exciting! And a massive achievement to get through to the next round whatever the outcome .

@Floottoot don't panic! Don't waste time learning all the terms etc- for the time it will take there aren't enough marks in it to worry about. Those questions are multiple choice and he will have a good chance of getting at least a few right just from his playing! Also teach him to look for clues in the passages that might give it away. Don't forget (as I did) the syllabus has changed so you don't need to cover composition or open/closed score. Get the 'how to blitz G5 theory' book- kid friendly and some fab tools / cheats that really helped Noo.

Fab day at JD, she loved it. Feeling completely at peace ✌️

Thanks, Folk, really helpful advice. I've taught grade 5 theory to plenty of pupils before and they've all done really well, but it's different when it's your own child, isn't it? And I've never taught it in such a short space of time. DS is bright and could do well...but he can be a bit lazy and careless reading/answering the questions.

So thrilled JD has lived up to your hopes today - woohoooooo!!!!!!!! Exciting!

@Floottoot 66. That's all that's required 😂

We have been out and only back now, my 10 yrs old behaved like a little precious princess today and I just had a 30mins “section” with her... I am hoping mine could go to me like Ealing later too...you are very lucky Ealing!xx ...dreadful of her coming teenage years!

We had some serious revision for 11+ when my husband was out for his operation couple of months before the summer. Things eased out over the summer because of the holiday( and I was working crazy hour with hope to get the promised promotion which later bypassed by someone who knows my boss previously). Its only 2 weeks to the exam so we are very chilled now. I have problem motivating her practising music “properly”( meaning a 45 mins focused) rather than her academic side. Me and my husband had a serious discussion last night because we feel if she doesnt change her attitude toward music then we should stop. However if we tell her to stop now then she wouldnt want it. I dont know what to do. For example last week I managed to sit near her (while doing some yoga) while she was practising then both violin and piano went really well. Without my presence then its either no practice or very unfocused. She has no intention pursuing music career or her to consider music as her life, I dont know what to do. My plan for many years is carrying on private lessons till secondary then she could have lessons at school and decide how serious she’d like to pursue with regard to her music. A problem is, she could do really well only if she puts her mind in it a little.

folk - glad JD went so well for Noo!

And lots of luck to truffle's mini!

floot - DD is doing Grade 5 theory in November and I also feel as though we're behind in the prep. Slightly regretting deciding to do it the first term of Year 7 but I guess there's no perfect time. I haven't made the exam entry yet (planning on doing it later today) but I also feel if we delay to next year then she will lose momentum. She's struggling through transposition at the moment. She is booked in to a day's theory course at Guildhall at the end of half-term.

Melting - i just found DD's mark sheet for Gd5 theory while moving her into her own bedroom (essential for household sanity). A big fat zero for transposition and a very respectable 77 overall . I'm yet to ask if she ignored the question completely or (more worryingly!) attempted it catastrophically.

Swaying - that's good to know - although I probably won't actually tell DD that as am not sure her marks in other areas are good enough to make up for it!

My mum dug out my old music certificates the other day - 77 was the mark I had for Grade 5 theory back in 1988 I think it was.

Floot and Melting DD also doing grade 5 theory in November. She’s made it through the books (mostly) and did her first practice paper last week. Music teacher marked it at 57 so not there yet but highlighted where she hasn’t fully understood and where she needs to focus. She’s going to do another paper today ready for next week.

Glad everyone is enjoying their JDs ! Hope to see you at the NYOinspire concert later raspberry I’m wearing a white fleece jacket!

I've got a stripey top and hair up in a clasp.

Patrick; Green: I would, in all honesty rather DD had a couple of friends she would rather offload to than me, but that’s not happening right now...but thank you for your lovely words.

Now, how to turn the attention to that small hurdle of G8 violin this term amongst all her drama and other stuff!

to ealing and mini. Hope things get easier very soon. Wishing her the very best of luck with G8 violin preparation!

Green, sorry to hear your frustration with your DD's lack of motivation and also not trying to achieve her very best. But thinking of stopping because she doesn't do her 45 mins of focused practice sounds a bit too abrupt, especially if you think she is learning music for pleasure. Why not let her have fun with her music in her way for a while? She may manage 20 mins of focused practice or just play for fun for hours - whatever works for her to keep going and enjoy her music, especially she has to go through the stressful 11+ this year. DS was rescued a lot by playing music for fun during his boring comprehension boot camp for 11+ last year.