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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

October Music Thread

995 replies

Wafflenose · 01/10/2018 22:17

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!

OP posts:
hertsandessex · 12/10/2018 14:10

Littleladsdad - I might be the odd one out but that wouldn't bother us in the slightest. Certificate yes of course but not the mark sheet. The mark sheets usually get looked at for about 20 seconds and then "filed" in the huge music pile unlikely to ever see the light of day again.

PatricksViolin · 12/10/2018 14:21

DS has been so distance from NCO regional this year. First of all, he missed 2 or 3 rehearsals (ouch...), then hasn't looked at the music even once outside of the rehearsal (double ouch...). Then I realised tomorrow is the last rehearsal for this year and I know DS hasn't had any chance to even touch the music... I packed the music thinking he would be able to go through during his individual practice time. But he's been so busy for studies given by his teachers, unfortunately revising for NCO is the last thing he can think of at the moment. Tomorrow will be sight-reading practice for him then I guess. But if it'll be like that for the next year, even he is lucky enough to get in, we may have to think of whether to do regional. Ideally I like him to do the regional though. It's nice to have something outside of school.

PatricksViolin · 12/10/2018 14:22

Oh not tomorrow but Sunday!

druidsong · 12/10/2018 14:31

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at poster's request

Trumpetboysmum · 12/10/2018 14:32

Patrick it will be fine ds does a lot of sight reading at regionals Wink

Original poster
Wafflenose · 12/10/2018 14:46

Patrick we have missed a couple and nobody actually practises it... do they??! Well Goo did in her first year, but not since. I haven't even printed any out. Even Rara can play it though.

OP posts:
PatricksViolin · 12/10/2018 14:56

DS doesn't practise for any orchestra he's in (well, so far, but not sure if it'll be the case in future) but when I mentioned it on this threat I was left with impression it's a bit naughty hence my thought above. .. But if it's OK and actually majority kids are like that, then I'm relieved!

folkmamma · 12/10/2018 15:00

@PatricksViolin we don't practice for regionals either. Noo announced it was easy after first rehearsal and I've not pushed it since! She apparently can play it. We'll see in a weeks time 😂

PatricksViolin · 12/10/2018 15:06

Ha ha, I have enough proof that DS isn't being too optimistic then! He is an optimistic/confident kind of child so sometimes I can't take his 'I'm OK' as it is. Grin We can't sit in the rehearsal at his regional rehearsals so I have no idea how he's been doing so yes we'll find out if he really is OK very soon! 😂

Trumpetboysmum · 12/10/2018 15:07

Yes ds could be a bit exposed at the concert as he’s the only trumpet Grin but they assured me he was fine , he of course always says it’s fine so I guess it is !! We shall in due course

Trumpetboysmum · 12/10/2018 15:07

Shall see !!

PatricksViolin · 12/10/2018 15:10

But there were some occasions he messed up a bit (not in NCO though, yet!) after telling me he was fine in the past... Hmm

TaggieOHara · 12/10/2018 15:11

DS2 hasn’t been to many regionals because of choir. He is only allowed to miss two evensongs for Nco, so we have to choose carefully! He found some of the music difficult, especially the speed they were playing at, but he hadn’t played in an orchestra before at that stage so he might be better now. He didn’t practice the parts but wished he had!

I am in two minds as to whether to send him back to the last rehearsal and concert. Rehearsals have shifted to the morning, so technically he could do both evensong and Nco, but he’d be knackered, especially as it is a 2 hour drive each way to Nco. I think it would be too much to do that and evensong. If he is lucky enough to get in again this year, we will go for London juniors as southeasterlies moved too far for us.

MeltingWax · 12/10/2018 15:34

Hello everyone, just trying to catch up with everyone's news.

Interesting to read about all the juggling going on.

I don't feel as though we are juggling very well at all at the moment. My work is very full on and no matter how hard I work, I always feel as though am chasing my tail.

And DD seems to be struggling a bit Sad. They had a PSHE day at her new school yesterday and she came home saying that she recognised all the symptoms of anxiety and one of her friends told her she should see a therapist. I am torn between wanting to make sure that she knows I am listening and taking her seriously on the one hand but not getting it out of proportion and making it into a bigger 'thing' than it needs to be on the other.

It might be that she is doing too much. She is academic and sets ridiculously high standards for herself. Her school doesn't offer many language choices so she does 2 languages outside of school and now am wondering whether it's a bit much with her music as well. But there's no pressure from us on that front. It's supposed to be a hobby/something sociable to do for fun. It's meant to be light touch.

Oh well, maybe it's just the transition to secondary school she's struggling with a bit.

On other news: I picked up my oboe from the repairer today. Looking forward to getting reacquainted with it!

folkmamma · 12/10/2018 16:17

@MeltingWax PHSE was the start of Noo's meltdown too! In our case, it was the 'Supersize Me' documentary about McDonald's. She now thinks we're all going to get really sick because (shock, horror!) we have eaten the odd Big Mac.... ever since she's been really clingy. But a teacher friend has been telling me today that apparently it's very normal for Y7's to lose the plot a bit at this point. X

PatricksViolin · 12/10/2018 16:35

Very sorry for being so ignorant but what PHSE is...?

PatricksViolin · 12/10/2018 16:45

Taggie, NCO was DS's first orchestral experience too and I still remember how surprised I was when they started playing pieces from day one. DS had never done such a pace of sight-reading before (he only knew happy relaxing school violins Grin) so def he wasn't prepared for that! He managed to look part of it and was moving his bow somehow (had never done air bow neither 😂). A year later he was a different boy - the report for his U11 audition stated his sight reading as 'extremely good' (prepared) and 'very good indeed'(unprepared). He joined a youth orchestra also a term before the audition so that may have helped too. Smile

RomanyRoots · 12/10/2018 16:59

Patricks

All schools have to do PHSE.
www.pshe-association.org.uk/curriculum-and-resources/curriculum

I always forget what it stands for, so here's a link.

RomanyRoots · 12/10/2018 17:00

Sorry, got the letters the wrong way round.
Dyslexia rearing it's ugly head Grin

MeltingWax · 12/10/2018 17:27

folk - it's comforting to know that it might be a common thing for Year 7s to melt down a bit at this point. Not that I want anyone else to be suffering but I feel less in the dark knowing DD is not the only one!

MeltingWax · 12/10/2018 18:02

Oh crap. Well, if DD wasn't anxious before then she will be now. Have just had the ABRSM exam dates through. First week of the session. She will have Grade 4 piano, Grade 4 descant recorder and Grade 3 treble all in the same morning. And Grade 5 theory 2 days before that. Shock

Doubleup · 12/10/2018 18:17

Wow! Melting. Hate it when things bunch up like that, but that’s pretty extreme! Ouch!

disorganisedmummy · 13/10/2018 08:20

Morning all. Please can I have a hand hold? It's mini- dis's audition today at Junior Guildhall 😬. It's not 5pm so hot to go the whole day!! I'm going to be a wreck! He seems calm and chilled at the mo.

Trumpetboysmum · 13/10/2018 08:41

Good luck mini disorganised yes a wait till 5 is a long time Smile

Lotsofmilkonesugar · 13/10/2018 08:50

Good luck minidisorganised hope it goes well

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