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Extra-curricular activities

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November Music Thread

688 replies

Wafflenose · 30/10/2018 22:09

Welcome to all musicians/ parents of musicians, young and 'mature', beginners and advanced, plus everything in between. This is one of the nicest corners of Mumsnet and the music threads were started for my older daughter towards the beginning of her musical journey, 7 years ago. Everybody on the thread was a beginner once!

I have recently seen "we're not a musical family", "I'm not musical" on here quite a lot, and would like to gently challenge that... perhaps you may not have found the right instrument/ teacher yet, or have no desire to play, but I think that everyone is musical. It's not a special something that is limited to certain individuals, although of course everyone's aptitude and natural ceiling varies. I have had the pleasure of teaching almost 1000 people to read and play music now, ranging in age from 3 to 96 and incorporating a range of additional needs, and I think they all got something positive from their lessons! What our young musicians most need from us - whether we play ourselves or not - is lots of encouragement, time and space to practise, and of course the constant taxi service and financial support we give to their lessons and ensembles!

I have two DDs, Goo The Energy Conserver (flute and piano, lapsed recorder and picc player) who is pretty lazy and complacent at the moment and just wants to enjoy her life, and Rara The Awkward (clarinet, cello, recorder) who tries hard... when it suits her! We have nothing special lined up this term, but possibly piano and clarinet exams for next term. Goo claims she wants to dust off her recorders and theory books to get another couple of Grade 8s before she leaves school. I'll believe that when it happens.

Over to you.

OP posts:
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cantkeepawayforever · 16/11/2018 20:05

92 minutes' delay and counting...

Wiifitmama · 16/11/2018 20:39

Well done melting for all those results - amazing!

Knittinganewme · 16/11/2018 20:48

*Cantkeepaway" At least he is delayed on the way home and not the way there...

Trumpetboysmum · 16/11/2018 20:52

Can’tkeep hope he gets home soon
Those are amazing results melting well done to your dcs Smile

WindMum · 16/11/2018 20:56

Awesome melting!

TaggieOHara · 16/11/2018 22:39

Wow - great results Melting! Star

Can’t - hope poor exhausted nosebleed boy is now safely home!!

catkind · 17/11/2018 07:08

Fab mini meltings - one of those would be a good result but all in one week, wow!
Really hope it went well can't, what did he think when finally home?

LooseAtTheSeams · 17/11/2018 07:44

Can'tkeepaway hope he got home safely and that it all went well during the day.

Doubleup · 17/11/2018 08:49

Great set of results for your minis Melting!

Hope the audition went well yesterday cant.

Went to parents’ evening at DD2s new school (very early in the year, I know!). Really positive all round with the teachers saying she’s engaged and contributing in class - great to hear when she has had times in the past when she has been painfully shy and refused to speak Smile. The class music teacher made us smile when she said that she’s been fine up to now as the most anyone had on her test had been 99%, but DD managed the magic 100%. I was impressed that they are keen to stretch her a bit too, even this early in the year.

Mendingfences · 17/11/2018 08:50

Congrats to the minimeltings and hope things went well for NBB

KittyOSullivanKrauss · 17/11/2018 09:01

Still following the thread and trying to keep up! Great set of results Melting, I can't imagine that many exams in one week!

Waffle, we haven't 'spoken' before but I'm sorry to hear what a hard time your DD is having. 💐 for you all.

We like the JL ad in this house. I got all teary (am a sucker for this sort of thing) and DS really liked it, although he did comment "I don't think he should have been jumping on that grand piano" 😀. I was playing about on the piano yesterday and I thought the end notes were wrong. I assume I'm clueless about music but perhaps I'm not entirely!

cantkeepawayforever · 17/11/2018 11:10

NBB got back nearly 2 hours late (on a 45 minute train journey...)

Too weary to say more than he felt he did himself justice and the interview went better than for the previous audition.

Back on the train early this morning for JD!

Alsoplayspiccolo · 17/11/2018 11:48

Yay, Cant! That sounds very encouraging. 👍

MeltingWax · 17/11/2018 19:03

That sounds really positive cant - fingers crossed? How long before you hear?

Trumpetboysmum · 18/11/2018 06:55

So today the crazy concert schedule in the run up to Christmas begins . Ds either has a concert or a music course ( or both !!) every weekend between now and December 21st !! Often more than one .... today’s is a really long drive from our house but should be lovely /- though ds is playing solo cornet ( and probably sight reading lots of the music !!) so no pressure then !! It is however really lovely how this brass band have welcomed him and trusted in his playing I’m really pleased I decided to make the effort to take him ( though the rehearsals are also miles from our house)

cantkeepawayforever · 18/11/2018 10:46

Melting,

We hear round about the end of the month. We're not necessarily hopeful - there is more competition for this course than for the one where he had his first audition - but it is always good to know that the result will be based on a fair reflection of DS's playing rather than e.g. feeling the result would have been different if he had played 'better on the day'.

Trumpet - agree. DS had audition Friday, JD yesterday, all-day school show rehearsal today ... it doesn't slack off until 21st December now.

Druidsong · 18/11/2018 11:35

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at poster's request

RomanyRoots · 18/11/2018 12:42

well done mini meltings, that sounds like lots of work for you too.
can't That does sound positive, hope you hear something first.

The question of lesson fees and payment.

We paid for one lesson in front for 2 instruments, and teacher would try to reschedule if short notice, but if we gave a couple of weeks or more they would just change the day.
We expected to pay for cancelled lessons, we were paying for the teachers time.

Mine was singing with the Big Band last night and absolutely gutted I didn't get to go, unfortunate set of circumstances.
she sang the most popular and well known female Jazz vocal and I missed it again.
Anybody else miss concerts?

littleladsdad · 18/11/2018 13:51

Yes Romany. DS was playing at St Albans Cathedral this morning - not much chance of us being there I'm afraid. We have at least 2 day trips to London planned in December but expect to miss things as we go along this journey, due to the distances involved. Sorry you missed your dd's performance - I hope that you'll get another chance.

ZakStarkey · 18/11/2018 13:59

She was amazing Romany!!!

MeltingWax · 18/11/2018 14:00

I think for those who have DCs playing in multiple ensembles, especially in widespread locations, it is physically impossible to be at every performance. It hasn't been an issue for us as our DCs aren't as advanced as others on the thread so aren't exposed to as many playing opportunities - and when they do play in an ensemble it's very local.

But I remember when I was playing a lot as a teen, it was quite often rather freeing not to have my parents in the audience. I was often much more relaxed if I knew family were not watching.

Mendingfences · 18/11/2018 15:45

I try to make it to the kids performances but its not always doable. Sometimes they are playing at the same time in different places.

The Christmas countdown had started in earnest and the calender is filling fast inclding concerts 3 nights in a row..... so long as none want sound checks the day before we're probably ok....

RomanyRoots · 18/11/2018 15:57

I'm glad I'm not the only one, I feel bad because I usually see the ensemble concerts, but this is the second time I've missed this now.
I tell myself that the kids with parents abroad don't get to attend any concerts, but I know dd gets upset if we miss special ones.

zac. Many thanks, I had an email from a parent saying it was good.
This doesn't make me feel any better Grin

PancakeMum6 · 18/11/2018 16:01

Romany with 5 DDs I am constantly missing stuff, despite my best efforts. I always ask for a ‘solo performance’ at home but obviously it’s not quite the same (especially for the ensemble/group work that I miss). At the end of this term we’ve got a 4 way clash so I’ve had to commit to DD2’s event, send DD1 to DD5’s, grandma to DD4’s and godmother to DD3’s. We’re fortunate to the have that network but it doesn’t make missing it much easier. Wish I could make everything but it just isn’t feasible Sad

SwayingInTime · 18/11/2018 17:13

Shift work and two other children mean we miss loads but I'm weird and don't enjoy watching them perform anyway. When dd2 is doing musical theatre stuff I always try to chaperone a good few of the performances and 'see' it that way as I just can't relax in the audience. I seem to have an incredible instinct for missing dd1's solos at cathedral but she says I make funny faces and in general have a habit of appearing especially moved when it's all going wrong Grin