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!

Hi all - glad to hear NCO auditions etc have gone well, fingers crossed for all results.
A quick question - have anyone's DC ever auditioned for NYMT as a musician? Would be interested to find out a bit more so DD can decide if it is something she would like to have a go at. She has loved playing in pit bands in schol shows and this does look as if it would provide some great experience.

Hi Hapsburg! We are considering NYMT too as Noo wants to play in a pit orchestra when she's grown up! She went to a workshop this half term which she really enjoyed - not as a musician, but she is now on their radar. We are going to try next year for actor, musician and actor/musician. We know one person (quite well known and one of this years BBCYM string finalists!) who really rated her experiences as a musician with NYMT and couldn't recommend it highly enough. We also have a close family friend who has had an amazing experience as an actor with them this year. Noo loved the workshop at half term.

Hi Folk, have just had a quick email exchange with them and will book an audition. Definitely only musician here though - she is so relieved she no longer has to do drama at school 'ugh, it's just an hour of embarrassment'!!!

Maybe their paths will cross there Hapsburg 😍😍😍

Thanks for the top about NYMT I hadn’t thought about them having a pit orchestra ds would love that . I shall look it up !!

Hi to decaf an wiifit.
Hope your dd recovers soon

Not top , tip !! I hate typing on my phone !!
I’ve had a quick look and it looks great next summer is already really booked up for ds but definitely something to consider for the following year . Ds is loving school this week as he’s in the show band which means he spends a whole week off timetable !! His school usually put on pretty impressive shows and only use students in the band - even when they are doing something really tricky like last years west side story ( thankfully the music is much easier this year )

Welcome, Wiifitmama. 😀
I don't live anywhere near London, so can't help with 6th form choices. It must be tricky to know where to start looking when your child doesn't play a mainstream instrument. Has his current teacher made any suggestions? Would he be happy to treat piano as his main instrument for the purposes of A level music?

Forgot to say, have you looked at Kingsdale Foundation School? They are a state school, but have scholarships in the arts for 6th form.
A friend has had 2 DDs go through the school, one went on to the Purcell School for 6th form, the other has just started at Arts Ed on the musical theatre course.
Apologies if it's miles too far for you to consider - it's Dulwich.

Romany, I've done one 'blind' orchestral audition, where the adjudication panel were sitting behind screens. It was a slightly bizarre experience...especially when one of the panel had to pop out from behind the screen to hand me the sightreading excerpts! 😂😂😂😂

Why does practice sometimes have to sound so awful! I'm really pitying my neighbours at the present time on bassoon nights! I don't think we have ever really had this with bassoon before, it was never squeaky at the beginning like the clarinet but I dread it at the moment!

You are definitely a strong household crazy 🙂

Btw - there is a nice picture of your DD playing in her section on the Nco Facebook feed!

Another vote for blind auditions here. I also think that all the info that some organisations take about ethnicity, gender, type of school attended etc should be done on an anonymous survey form once the actual application is complete. They would still have the info for monitoring purposes, but it couldn't be linked to individual applicants.

Thank you floottoot. Dulwich is way way too far for us unfortunately!

I am loving reading this thread. None of my friends have particularly musical kids so don't really understand the true pleasure of standing in the kitchen (middle of flat) and listening to three different instruments being practised in three different bedrooms! I love it!

I suspect this thread is going to end by the morning, so I'll start the new one, 26 hours early.

Does anyone know of any Brass ensembles my DS can join? We missed the NCO auditions because I am hugely disorganised with 4 kids and always behind on admin (washing/cleaning etc!). DS2 is Grd 3 Trumpet 8 (Year 3), Grd 2 Piano & would love to find something in the Epsom to join. TIA

Hi Torz,

Saw the notification- try posting on the January music thread (tried to link)

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/extra_curricular_activities/3478848-January-music-thread

My DD’s do violin, so cannot help I’m afraid...