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!

Yes Romany 😊

Yes. Of course!

Yes 😀

Happy to look if you don't already have enough Romany.

That’s good Taggie

Yes please, Romany

Yes here also Romany

cantkeepaway, that sounds like a great day! Glad he enjoyed it.

Yes Romany although your message box has probably overheated by now :)

Yes Romany!

Are there any good residential courses suitable for younger players for folk, Scottish fiddle, jazz, Klezmer, etc.?

Yes Romany but only if you still want to be sending messages - suspect it's got busy!

I’m a bit late to the party, but yes Romany if you are still after comments.

Yes please romany

Great John Williams concert live on classic fm tonight guys. X

Oh no! Just seen he's too poorly 😔

John Williams himself was meant to be conducting, but he's ill, apparently. 😥

Thank you folk, seen this just in time!

Yes Romany - unless I am too late ?

Hi Alexandra - there seem to be a range of experiences depending on playing volume, pain threshold etc. Dd struggles with train tracks every time they were tightened - really really hurt to play for a week or so afterwards. Also list a lot of brackets etc - Dentist said due to playing do much?- so we were always having to fit in extra appts. Dentist was v unhelpful indeed and couldn’t understand why dd had to play so much. We def had slower treatment progress as had to keep timing tighten gas away from auditions and concerts (difficult at some pints in the year). We moved Dentist to one to working with young musicians and it has been do much better - dd now uses inviting which seem expensive but we were spending a lot on tracks extra visits etc so I don’t think anymore expensive overall. We were also lucky dd’s Teacher had been through the same as a teenager and lowered her expectations with the tracks.

I know others who haven’t had the same problems with brackets and pain but a sympathetic Dentist would be a great help I think.

Goodness so many typos on this phone -sorry!!!

Nosebleed Boy has just been given audition dates for his first choice 4 days after he is due to have train track braces fitted (he's spent a year or so with a terrifying twin block functional device, but that can be removed for playing)..

Talking to the orthodentist at the start of next week (part time so only available then). Hoping to postpone the train track treatment to the New Year, as all remaining auditions look to be in December.

@stringchild is that dentist who is used to working with young musicians in London? It seems like we start the braces in 12 months but dd's dentist is not great anyhow

Ds reckons Invisalign is the way forward ( he doesn’t have braces but friends do ) our dentist isn’t going to be great tbh if ds needs braces in the next year or so she definitely doesn’t get it !! Definitely find a dentist who gets it for serious young musicians I think it’s about having healthy teeth and a solution that means they can keep playing ( and so maybe slightly less straight teeth !!)

DD will also need braces possibly from next summer.

When I was a teen I remember my friend who played clarinet & sax having train tracks. From what I remember the adjusting when the braces came off took a couple of months. She has been on the books of an orthodontist for 3 years but he keeps saying her mouth is not mature enough for braces yet.

Am not feeling too well this weekend. Dragged myself out of my sickbed this morning to take DD to the theory day course at the Guildhall. Definitely not the kind of weather to be hanging around the Barbican. Brrr.