October Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

Welcome to the thread for October, which is open to ANYONE who wants to discuss music lessons, practice, exams, auditions, instrument hire/ purchase or whatever related issues you'd like to. Newbies are especially welcome, and we have some each month, often with beginners. All of our kids were beginners once.

I have two DDs. Goo is 12 and plays the flute and piano. She can also play recorders and the piccolo, but doesn't. We've just moved her to another piano teacher because the first one retired, so it's nice to hear her practising again. She has been learning for about 2.5 years and hasn't done any exams... nor is she intending to. On the flute we have extended range scales, the Chaminade Concertino and Bizet's Carmen Fantasy at the moment. She plays in 7 school ensembles and does NCO and South West Music School, although she's likely to be leaving both at various points during this academic year.

Rara is 10 and plays the cello and clarinet regularly, and recorder sometimes. She's vaguely working towards Grade 5 on both, but it might end up being 4 on the cello because of various aspects she's behind in... we'll see. I am still teaching her the clarinet and am currently super fed up because however kind, patient and helpful I am, she behaves in such a horrible way. We can't afford lessons. Ho hum. Rara also does NCO and SWMS. Under 11s will be beyond her, but she'll carry on with SWMS for now.

I am a teacher of woodwind!

Ealing good to hear your dd is thinking about music A level - DS says it's a lot better than the GCSE (although he knows more now so that might have something to do with it!
DS was a bit glum after concert band last night - a lot of his friends there have moved on to university and it's a bit depleted but I suspect there will be a bit of a recruitment drive this term. The three remaining percussionists are stretched very thin at the moment!

Ealing good to hear your dd is thinking about music A level - DS says it's a lot better than the GCSE (although he knows more now so that might have something to do with it!
DS was a bit glum after concert band last night - a lot of his friends there have moved on to university and it's a bit depleted but I suspect there will be a bit of a recruitment drive this term. The three remaining percussionists are stretched very thin at the moment!

Aargh - double posting! Sorry!

Goo is 12 and has her A levels picked out... English Lit, Law, Music, and also Maths if she's allowed four. I wonder how many times she will change her mind before the time comes?

Annie the sound does improve! Our cats like the bassoon but not the piano

Waffle great forward planning from Goo! DD also has hers picked out, although only 2 years ahead here. It is safe to say maths is not one of them - in fact she has actually worked out how many maths lessons she has left until GSCE's so she is counting down!! I was not popular when I suggested that the likelihood of extra maths lessons is quite high if she doesn't apply herself a little more!!

Ha ha! I was a bit like that with Chemistry. I couldn't do it in year 10/11, and I still can't do it when I try to get my head around Goo's homework.

lol waffle and hapsburg

The other day, I found myself counting down the months that DS1 would be doing French, he's only in y9. For context, I was assisting with learning of a particularly excrutiating vocab list, and I was doing the counting in my head! He is actually quite positive about French at the moment!

Romany, thanks for sharing so much info. I hope I'm not causing you any trouble by making you expose too much details.

As I hadn't expected the amount of work other super committed DCs/families were doing, I got into this thought of that wouldn't be what DS would do or dreamt of doing hence he might have been in a wrong place so I must think of possibilities of moving him to a school where expectation would match ours/his, etc. I get influenced by tiny things sometimes but then recover pretty quickly once I could see things more clearly. I can see things clearly now, at least more than yesterday.

What I can see now is the important thing is just to focus on DS's needs not what others are doing. What he needs is good support to help him settle new environment and routine, make sure he has enough rest, make sure not to feed him any unnecessary worry so that he can just enjoy the opportunities given which he obtained by his own merit. He so deserves it after all those challenges he bravely took in. I will try not to be a mum who overshadows a child's enthusiasm with her own worries. It's my problem, not his. So, DS's main target in this term is, to have enough down time and rest and get used to what he is in now. Once it's done, then we'll think the next step.

string, thanks for your sympathy of non-musical parent club. So far I haven't met any non-musical family at DS's school but I'm sure we shouldn't be alone! Though I know we'll still be a minority. So it's sometimes nice to have a little pad on the shoulder from someone like you on this thread.

And, thanks earling for your always so wise advice. If on any occasion I feel uncomfortable as a non-musical parent I'll remember your words.

Loose, thanks for you kind words. Being supportive as much as I can is only thing I can do so I'll try my best (though sometimes I get off the track...). I'm impressed with you switching lessons task, and your boys sounds like exciting and super busy schedule!

Talking about the horrible sound of beginner's bassoon, I often hear similar comments on beginner violinists. Which one do you think more commonly worse? Perhaps unfair to compare as no many people has such privilege to be able to hear bassoon's sound.

Well, I did my machine gun posts now!

Loose's boys don't sound like exciting and super busy schedule, but they sound like LEADING exciting and super busy schedule...

I was at DD2’s first school concert of the year (first of many by the looks of it!) last night. She was in the junior choir and the orchestra (and DD1 managed to get roped into the orchestra, even though she’s at a different school! ). Lovely evening and some amazing ensembles/ vocal groups etc. What nearly brought a tear to my eye though was when I was told by a couple of staff members what a great job she had done chatting to families who were attending one of the monthly open mornings. I was asking them if they had the right child! - although one of them is a good friend of mine, so I knew it was right. Some people on here may remember me saying how shy she can be and how she clams up; I think the school is bringing out the best in her

Cara Dillon was wonderful last evening in Nantwich and caused me multiple instances of lumpy throats & leaky eyes. I can't recommend catching one of her gigs enough.

I suggested to DS that we come down to listen to him performing at the school open morning (he's playing the Haydn concerto). 'I think you should stay at home' was his response. Oh well...

littlelads, apparently DS has done his first performance in a class this week and another two are coming up next week, one of which will be on stage and available for visitors to enjoy. I am going to see it even if he said no!

I'm going to let this one go Patricks but won't be staying at home in future!

Double isn't it lovely when our DC surprise us like that.

That's terrible crazy. How is mini taking it?

If mini is taking piano lessons at her jd, can't they provide an alternative teacher without any gap? I know it's still not ideal though...