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!

Goodness Green, don't tell me that you're on the Charlotte Church recording too. Anyone else like me to add anything to my Tidal playlist?

Bryn Terfel and Renee Fleming "Under the Stars" is another one. 😀

Hopefully mini disorganised is not too disappointed

Thank you Floot, giving that a virtual spin now! I do like Renee Fleming - I'm very fond of her recording of Strauss' 'Four Last Songs'.

She is lovely, Littlelad - very warm and friendly, as well as a fantastic musician. The Four Last songs are divine. 😍😍😍

=last year meant this March, seriously, felt like long time in the past.

Littleladdad: No I am not, but who knows, maybe one day all of us here will meet up. I am just marking my round.

So sorry to hear of your DS's disappointment disorganised. Not that I know about these things but it sounds as though he has a really good chance for a place in the future, judging from the feedback you have had. Two hours practice a day though? Wow.

Goodness me - it is amazing the lengths people will go to to gain advantage in a junior competition! We haven’t yet come across anything like that, fortunately!

@PatricksViolin How did your DS get on in his first school concert? I was thinking of you both! I hope you are feeling a little brighter today

We are limping to half term here. DS2 isn’t doing any morning practice now. He is too tired, and needs to save his strength for a late evening choir concert on Friday. We are all knackered, tbh...

That's very kind of you Greenleave. It seems inevitable that the exploits of our dc will cause many of our own paths to cross. It would be great to put some names to faces.

I'm really looking forward to heading south tomorrow to collect ds for his two week (!) half-term break. It will be interesting to see to what degree, if any, the practice habit has become ingrained. I anticipate that my nagging will start on Monday.

littleladsdad !! Poor ds gets no half term break as he’s doing music all week ( at least it’s not school but no time to recover) so he’s having an emergency day at home today to recover from his midweek trip to Belgium - not sure that I’ll be too popular with school but he just needs to sleep !! I don’t think he’s had much in the past 48 hours

I played on one of the CDs profiled on this page, and there's even a teeny photo. I have also done some recording with Henry Olonga, which may or may not see the light of day at some point! www.thomasbending.co.uk/discography.htm

I did a couple of those silly o'clock trips to Normandy when I was teaching Trumpet. No wonder your ds needs an emergency day off to recuperate! We'll be home late tomorrow and ds has his NCO audition on Saturday morning, so I might let him have Sunday off.

Thanks Druid. Dd took the phone off me and listened all the way through. She wants to practice now, so we'll see if she'll try some of the tips.

Thanks so much Druid, will show the girls tonight!

I am in Buckinghamshire and its so beautiful! There is a 3 storey library with various study rooms in town compare to our tiny local library which is always full and busy

Thanks for the video druid both my girls have watched it (and dd1 may be huffing because it was yet another person promoting use of a metronome... 😂)

Great video Druid - Adam Tan is an interesting character. Hard to watch pass his (Ikea) mallet collection on the wall though :)

Now tell the truth Alexandra - who was more excited? - you or The Boy?

Went to see Nigel Kennedy tonight- absolute talent and a very nice guy too!
Much enjoyed by both dd’s!

Thanks for the link Druid- will show Dd percussionist in training tomorrow