Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Flip

1 2 ··· 30 31 32 ··· 36 37

Original poster

September 2018 Music Thread

905 replies

folkmamma · 01/09/2018 08:21

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....

OP posts:

Thread gallery

horseymum · 27/09/2018 15:12

Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent! I do some sports coaching and have been interested recently in some of videos about learning from train ugly website, will try to find aink, a lot of it was really relevant to music learning as well as sports. My DS can practice the same scale wrongly time and time again, yet when we sit and do it slowly and correctly with the same fingerings each time he fee like that is time wasted rather than an investment. Oh well, maybe if I actually did some practice myself he would listen!

Original poster

folkmamma · 27/09/2018 15:15

Crazy was it 'the' podcast?? I'm getting so much from that. About 5 episodes in now...

OP posts:

littleladsdad · 27/09/2018 15:23

Petra Regarding NCBB auditions, give it a go. It took 2 attempts for D's to get in. All cornet section are G7/8 distinction & beyond.

Trumpet sorry to hear about the 'ding'. Has your DS started to talk about Eb instruments yet? DS keeps mentioning but prices are eyewatering!

hertsandessex · 27/09/2018 16:17

Druid - that is really interesting research on practice. Not going to show DS as he will say something along the lines of "told you so" to justify not practicing as much I think he should :)

PatricksViolin · 27/09/2018 16:19

Interesting, druid! My eternally optimistic child is absolutely lacking self-criticism. It's now nearly three weeks since DS started practising totally alone (at school). I am curious to see how much he's managing to practise properly without good self-criticism/analysis. I can easily imagine he satisfies with a couple of playing through and probably let him slip into his own world... I'll find out probably during half term as I can see how he is practising then!

AlexandraLeaving · 27/09/2018 17:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Wafflenose · 27/09/2018 17:30

Rara started the clarinet 2 years ago today! A cute pic popped up on my FB feed this morning.

TaggieOHara · 27/09/2018 18:10

Romany - that is a very good way of putting it. I am a huge believer in slow practice! It can be challenging on the violin though if it messes up the bowing. I wonder if it is the same for wind players with breathing? I have recently worked out a way round this, which is to use repeated notes/correct bowing on the same note (hard to explain...). I’ll see if I can sneak a clip of it onto cluster some time,

Cat -have you tried really breaking down targets for your DS: once through for correct fingering, once through for rhythm, once for sound, then very very slowly for everything, for example. DS2 does this a lot, and it helps him not get overwhelmed, and shut down listening.

Waffle -wow! That must have brought back some memories. I didn’t realise Rara had only been playing for such a short time. She is doing so well

Mendingfences · 27/09/2018 18:42

Oh yes, slow practise, don't 'learn in' errors and listen to yourself, i think i should have that playing on a hypnotic loop

catkind · 27/09/2018 18:46

Taggie, that's an interesting idea with concentrating on different aspects. Will see if DS can be persuaded to try it.

TaggieOHara · 27/09/2018 18:57

Cat - The hardest thing as practice supervisor is not jumping in with ‘out of tune’ when in fact DS is supposed to be concentrating on smooth bow changes, or whatever! Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to result in bad habits being practiced in, perhaps because the mind isn’t focusing on that area...

PatricksViolin · 27/09/2018 19:29

Waffle, me too didn't realise how recently Rara started her clarinet. She's been doing very well indeed.

Taggie, that's what DS used to say to me when I jumped in for something else, such as articulation or something, then he would say he'd been working on X and Y not what I pointed and often asked me not to jump in and disturb (apparently I wasn't helpful at all...).

se22mother · 27/09/2018 20:16

Does anyone else have a child who chooses to spend more time practicing pieces for ensembles etc than their prescribed work from the Music Teacher. How do you handle it? It is driving me crazy as she "doesn't want to get told off" but her music Teacher will tell her off if no work has been gone on her pieces and exercises, trying to avoid an argument

catkind · 27/09/2018 20:35

DS won't let me supervise practice. But I suggested he concentrate on sound today and it might possibly have sounded a little better.
Definitely notice with DD she can either read the music (new this summer, hooray!) or bow straight but not both at once yet.

PatricksViolin · 27/09/2018 20:51

Oh se22... DS doesn't normally practise ensemble/orchestra pieces and I don't really like that because things like a quartet for instance, if one hasn't prepared well it'll be a huge let-down for the whole group. I understand your worries though. Hopefully your DD will find more balance. Has she joined the ensemble recently?

TaggieOHara · 27/09/2018 21:06

Cat - that is completely understandable, and it sounds like DD is doing brilliantly. There is so much to think about!

I’m glad your DS practised more effectively!

Patrick - that made me smile. I think your DS is intuitively a much better practiser than you and he realise. I’m sure that your interest and involvement are very important to him though!

SE - I’d leave it to your DD’s conscience and to the teacher. Probably she is getting quite a lot out of practising ensemble parts though, if she plays them well. They may be easier and more fun than some of the serious teacher prescribed stuff! Perhaps find a festival or school concert performance opportunity to motivate her to get on with her ‘proper’ pieces?

RomanyRoots · 27/09/2018 21:15

Mine will practice ensemble pieces and is an emerging leader of two ensembles. She wants it right and will hunt the others down for rehearsals.
I think scouts has done her so well, and she seems to be well respected by the group, leaders etc.
Oh, and I've heard kids in practice rooms playing their scales and studies at a million miles an hour, wrongly
Maybe, it's something they need to go through, it takes maturity to see the importance of determination.

PatricksViolin · 27/09/2018 21:26

Taggie, sometimes DS surprises me by demonstrating some sharpness, like finding where and how to work on and fix it effectively. So yes I think he can be a good practiser but then he has tendency to get satisfied with what he achieved/done pretty quickly and after fixing one or two he swiftly moves on to 'well, I did enough for the day' mode and slips into his own world or play what and how he wants for the rest. When he practised at home (before starting the school), because I was usually in the same room or near the room when I noticed he switched off I could remind him he was practising. Now he has total freedom without anyone to remind him, I wonder how much productive work he's been managing. But as I said before I'll find out when half term comes. Hopefully I won't get too disappointed!

se22mother · 27/09/2018 21:51

I think dd wants to show off to her peers hence the polishing of the ensemble pieces. I will leave it for the teacher to complain to her if the pieces scales and studies have been neglected. She finds the new teacher scary and cold so maybe this a complex tactic for not registering the new teacher in her thoughts.

Trumpetboysmum · 28/09/2018 07:17

Littleladsdad dad enjoy your weekend !! Yes Ds asks regularly !! For a d/ e flat or a c trumpet or maybe a piccolo one !!
Currently he just has two b flat ones and a cornet . The others are so expensive . I know he will need them soon ( ish) Ds seems to think they use the others at jd quite a bit? I've spoken to his teacher about it though and he would rather perfect technique on the b flat first - so at least it puts the decision off for a bit . Ds also has a good high range ( which helps) but I think a lot of baroque music is easier on the d/e flat

LooseAtTheSeams · 28/09/2018 08:32

Agree about the problems of practising errors - I have lost count of the number of times I've told dcs to slow down and get something right before going at breakneck speed with lots of errors. Cello scales spring to mind. Shudder.
DS1 is loving A level music so far and claims his first composition is going very well. I am a bit stunned by this given how long it took him to produce two short compositions for GCSE!

PatricksViolin · 28/09/2018 08:37

Interesting conversation, Trumpet and littleladsdad. So serious trumpeters are expected to own several trumpets for different types of music? That must be such expensive business... Violin can be very expensive but then loan of fine violins is available if you don't want to/can't purchase. I assume brass has good loan scheme too?

Trumpetboysmum · 28/09/2018 08:46

No unfortunately it doesn't Patrick there are some schemes to help with instrument purchase though - might need to look into these !!

ealingwestmum · 28/09/2018 08:58

Lovely to hear of him thriving loose! It must be such a sense of relief to leave behind the gcse slog and focus on subjects he really enjoys. The different learning environment is clearly suiting him!

PatricksViolin · 28/09/2018 09:06

So glad to hear your DS1 is enjoying A level music, Loose'.

trumpet... That means you are expected to own several trumpets eventually then? That's wow... Hope the available financial help to purchase is significant otherwise how come those talented but can't afford can keep progressing and break through to the professional world?? Or are brass instruments generally regarded for 'haves' only?

Re, DCs' tendency to be wanting to play faster.... It's hard for them to slow down as I can agree playing faster is fun, isn't it? However, I thought eventually maturity would ease down the temptation, though not all of them outgrow of it! Has anyone heard of Ben Lee who is apparently the fastest violinist by being able to play Flight of the Bumblebee in less than a min?

Flip

1 2 ··· 30 31 32 ··· 36 37