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!

I agree with Herts & Floot but I am glad that DS got G8 done & dusted before he started at specialist school. His focus this term has been purely on technique and it does feel wonderful for him to be free to do that.

DD has no interest at all in grades and teacher equally so but the lists are so vast that I can often check what level of piece she is learning and progress does seem painfully slow! She is always able to sight read pieces at a similar level though and technique is praised but I sometimes think she’d enjoy playing ‘fancier’ pieces!

There must be some connection between music and tree climbing. My DD loves climbing! I couldn't agree more that life is important - I'd just rather drop the homework than the music.

Thanks so much for all the advice. It's really helpful.

Crazygirlmama, it sounds like your DD is having an amazing range of experiences. I had made a note to look into the county orchestras so will go back to that. She does play in orchestra and string group at school and also in a string orchestra at the weekend, but nothing really above G5 level, though I think she will have an opportunity next term to try something a bit more advanced. A local county orchestra would certainly give her a very different experience. I'd really like her to join a county jazz orchestra, amongst other things. Having only been introduced to Grappelli's music since DD started the violin, I am a total convert to jazz on the violin! Improvisation lessons would be brilliant and it may be worth going to a JD just for that if we can't find a teacher locally.

Somebody once said that getting to grade 8 was an achievement to be celebrated but it's just the beginning of the journey.

could have been my dh, or a colleague.

Oh, and my experience, you can start of wanting one thing, only to find another that you want equally as much.
What is so good is you don't have to decide which when you are still young.

My dd violinist (11) loves Grappelli- Brass.....she’s heavily inspired by Kennedy too!
My dd has jazz improv lessons from a sax player- he’s great- and she loves it!!
I agree with the grades thing- dd took gr5 at 8 yrs old and hasn’t took another since. She has grade 5 theory- but her teacher isn’t interested in grades and neither is she (suits me!)

Zak

This is us too. Mine reckons she'll have at least one or two diplomas when she leaves and will one day just take a grade 8.
She's about grade 5 ish Piano atm, not quite consolidated. I'm sure she took a grade 2 sometime . I've given up tbh.
You do well to trust it though because when you have the same/similar philosophy you can see the logic and it all makes sense, for a while

Saves a lot of money as well. My DDs are less serious about music long-tee and more traditional following grades albeit with some skipping. With various instruments feels like £200 almost every term including accompanist fees. DS has turned out to be the cheap one on exams.

My kids dont do grades, they just arent a thing here (apparently there were some exams in oslo once upon a time...) dd1 was asked on a summer music cpurse in the uk what grade she was and she reckoned the others mainly thought she was 'lucky' not to do grades. I do however think the concept is very useful for descriping appropriate levels for things like orchestras.

Romany
“Oh, and my experience, you can start of wanting one thing, only to find another that you want equally as much.
What is so good is you don't have to decide which when you are still young.”
This !!

Although that does mean that ds is spinning far too many plates currently as he’s a good all rounder loves history, drama, singing, sport, physics .....
and whilst at the minute he can only see his future in music who knows .
I have told him repeatedly to just live in the present, go for it, but not to worry that he’s wasted his (or our) efforts if he changes his mind ... he’s had a very interesting and exciting life for a 13 year old !! All because he’s quite good at the trumpet.
These experiences will make him who he is, regardless of the path he takes

I do however think the concept is very useful for descriping appropriate levels for things like orchestras.

DS has only done the 'marker' grades necessary for access to the various ensembles / orchestras he wanted to play in, for exactly this reason: 4/5; 6 and 8 in 2 instruments.

Yesterday's audition was 'OK'. Apparently the auditioners were a bit late into his practice room, so the backing group and DS started improvising, reversing the tempo / style of his pieces for fun.... which made it a good day, apparently....

I’ll keep my fingers crossed can’tkeep !! So exciting ( if a bit nerve wracking too !!)

Romany DS1 would agree with you - he says it was quite easy to get to grade8 on the bass guitar (he only did 6 and 8) but once there he realised he still couldn't play what he wanted - whether or not he actually ever takes the music diploma doesn't matter because what he's learning with his current teacher has massively opened his eyes - and ears! He now learns improvisation at a much higher standard and says it's very challenging!
DS2 skipped a couple of cello grades but will take a while at grade 6 as it's more important to fix his scales and his piano teacher wants him to do well at G5 theory rather than just scraping it in a term like DS1!

Oh ds will be just scraping it ( I hope) in a couple of weeks . He could do much better if he actually read the questions !! I’m taking comfort in the fact that the stuff that he really needs to know / use in his composition work he instinctively understands and finds straightforward

belated best wishes to nosebleed boy!! Sorry I missed that one.

empathy Trumpet for DCs not reading questions they could answer perfectly well. DS2 tends to get about halfway through the question and launch in to writing the answer, missing crucial words like 'minor' or 'descending'. He has got better lately to be fair. The school 11+ prep is helping! He will do his g5 theory next term, most likely.

Taggie but ds is 13 now and should know better I’m just hoping that when he’s in the exam he will actually concentrate

Trumpet Well done to your ds for being in a position to sit the exam. At the moment I can confidently say that we don't do theory exams.

Trumpet 'should' is the key word in that sentence.

Trumpet, you have my sympathy, re reading the questions in grade 5 theory! DS is taking it at the same time as your DS and it's knowledge that's the problem, but care! He doesn't check his work, doesn't attempt to make it legible and doesn't read things like " don't use a key signature" or " transpose an octave lower". It's driving me mad!!

I made the mistake of telling him early on that he just needs to pass ..so he's taking me at my word.

isn't knowledge!

I'm taking the view with theory that many have espoused earlier in the thread about practical exams. There's no need to rush. Unless, of course, you're chasing ABRSM practical exam success...

It’s ok though ds tells me because he’s got grade 5 jazz so doesn’t need the theory !! which technically he doesn’t but that’s not the point !! he just needs to get this one done and dusted I think and I’m not even a fan of exams !!

Floot ds also says this about just needing the pass mark every time I mark a paper . In fairness to him this time he has tried ( a bit) and is totally self taught , there was no way he would have ever agreed to theory classes which took an age to cover it all - we just had to wait until he had played enough to understand it anyway !!

Trumpet I found in DS2's case the actual exam focussed his mind. Plus we told him we weren't available to pick him up until the full 2 hours were up.

My older 2 passed Grade 8 on their instruments, carried on with lessons until they left school and are currently happy with that and where it's taken them to continue playing at an amateur level. This doesn't mean they think they know everything! DS1 plays in lots of uni groups. DD hasn't yet, but is missing playing and hopes to sort that out.

DS2's direction after Grade 8 piano in December is waiting to be established. Lessons will continue and his teacher hopes he will aim for a Diploma.

He hasn't done exams on trombone, except Grade 3 a long time ago. He is now approaching Grade 8 standard so maybe something to consider. Anything requiring a Grade has accepted the word 'standard', occasionally with a note from his teacher to explain.

I took 2.5 years to cover the theory with Goo. We started when she was 7 and just did a bit each day during the school holidays. She didn't want to be entered until she was going to get her distinction! I have started and stopped 3 times with Rara. She's just so different. We may well blitz it in one go when she is (much) older.

Goo used to like exams and did 1-6 on the recorder, and 1-8 omitting grade 3 on the flute. She now doesn't want to do any more! Old piano teacher was going to put her in for grade 5 trinity, new teacher wants grade 4 abrsm as a confidence booster, and Goo is having none of it! Rara just likes the odd numbers (oddball) so has 3 grade 3s and will do some grade 5s next year.

DD will be sitting Grade 5 theory this session & DS Grade 4. I think (hope!) DD will pass. Am not sure about DS. But with both of them it will depend on how well they read the question. Ascending/descending and with/without key signatures are phrases particularly likely to set my blood pressure soaring at the moment. And I am increasingly finding that viola-playing DS is starting to read everything as the alto clef - which is not helping matters either...

I know it's an unpopular approach with most on this thread but am afraid we are also keen on exams in our house. Both the DCs use them as markers for practice incentives. Without an exam to prep for, I doubt DS would ever play a scale. And as I am teaching them myself (and am far from a music teacher) I find exam feedback useful to know that am not steering them totally on the wrong course.