November Music Thread

[Wafflenose]

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.

Thank you Romany for the tips, we managed to fix it with cotton wool and cling film and it did at least hold out for the concert. A new pad and spare are winging there way to us currently for the next one.

Concert went well enough, informal one at school but the standard was very high and dd feels like she wasn't good enough. At the last one she played clarinet and more than held her own so I'm not sure whether to encourage bassoon for these in the near future.

Next concert for us is in a few weeks, choir and school orchestra at our local theatre which should be fun.

The highlight of tonight's gig was the string section. I thought that they looked young - they were from Chet's! If any of your dc were involved, then they did you proud.

My DS1 (trumpet) was due to play Last Post & Reveille today for the school act of remembrance. It's the 3rd year in a row he's done it, and - from listening to the practice - it gets better every year. He's very proud to have a job to do. I remembered to buy him a poppy for his blazer but failed to shine his shoes (still muddy from football at lunchtime yesterday).

DS2 (trombone/guitar/violin) came home from school yesterday with part of his nail torn off from rugby (middle finger, left hand). Goodness knows how he managed that. It's very sore but nothing to be done except put a plaster on and wait for it to grow back. It's not really, really bad, but the nail is shorter than it should be.

Which brings me to reflect how much I resent the that they're forced to do all sports, including the rough ones. I know, in general, I would get shouted down for turning my kids into 'snowflakes' but I imagine / hope other music parents might feel the same. Just as well he doesn't have an exam or performance on the violin in the next few days as he'd have to cancel. And - with rugby - it could be so much worse. I dread it all.

In this day and age when there has to be a risk-assessment for absolutely everything in school, I don't know how rugby is still ok?? One of my colleagues had a child home for several days suffering from concussion after a nasty rugby tackle.

I have to add that both of my kids actually like rugby but I've managed to talk them out of doing any more than they absolutely have to.

I've been 'that' parent this half term, and wrote to the pe dept asking that DS2 could avoid contact sports, explaining about his Grade 8 and a couple of other important events. They've actually been great and sorted it.

DD sprained her fingers before Grade 5 sax in Y7, playing netball. Just long enough so that she was ok to play but had missed out on 2 weeks practice.

I excused ds from rugby last year as he had an NCO course coming up - though he did hockey instead !?! So only a bit better ( but he loves hockey so there’s not much I can do about that ) he’s currently more likely to get injured playing football with his mates at lunch though - which isn’t great as he’s got a lot on in the next 6 weeks - but I’m just trying not to think about it.
But yes I think they should be excused certain contact sports if they have important music ( or other sporting commitments) that an injury would ruin . Not much I can do about ds’s love of hockey though !!- though I am currently encouraging long distance running

woolleybear

So glad you got sorted, I was thinking about you and dd friend called to see if there was an update. I think it's lovely how something like Mnet and love of music can bring complete strangers together to offer help and support.

littleladsdad

It more than likely part or all of Violetta, or as my dd calls them Violentetta . They are Y4 - Y8, although the Y8 are usually to help out/ waiting to move up, so not many of this age.
They are good, I know.

Yes - running is potentially the safest. Or how about swimming - bit gentler!

I don't think I would get anywhere at all if I tried to get them excused from anything. The PE dept seem to be utterly inflexible. It's a school with great music as well as PE so there have been generations of musicians who also play rugby. So I'd be made to look foolish for even attempting to point out the pitfalls. I'm counting the PE lessons till the end of term, as then I think rugby is off the timetable.

I used cello lessons as an excuse for missing PE lessons my entire way through high school, even though it was rarely a clash. I used to go and hide in the practice rooms or go home … When the teachers asked my classmates where I was, they used to say 'oh cello lessons'. And nobody twigged. I'm proud of that. Self-preservation!

I think it was sixth formers- it was an arrangement written by a student apparently.
Ha -Violentetta- Romany- love it!

My DS doesn't take part in any dangerous sports but he still managed to get his thumb stuck in a metal hole the day before his piano exam because he 'wanted to see what would happen' .

We’ve had appendicitis the week before a violin exam - DD could barely stand up straight! Luckily it was only grade 3.

I also have two dancers, a gymnast/trampoliner, and a diver (who’s recently developed a love for 10m platform). Someone is always injured in our house, I’ve decided to give up on safety.

Pancake
I have to say I was surprised that they let him swap from Rugby but on the whole they are very supportive of ds’s musical endeavours even though he would be a great asset to the PE department if time allowed !!

This is why he runs - he can do this whenever he gets a chance though both him and his dad have had awful running injuries this year !!

Wow you all sound so busy! Glad to hear that your DC all have some exciting concerts lined up in the coming weeks. As I said last month, I have one DD who will be 8 tomorrow and has just started to learn clarinet. She seems to be doing well and learning new notes but we are struggling a bit with reeds. She is currently using the plastic ones that came with the clarinet as the wooden one her teacher gave her split. She says each week that the teacher says she is going to get her some more, but it isn't happening. I would buy her some myself but I have no idea what to buy and I understand they come in different ratings of hardness? When she was playing with the wooden reed she sounded great (to me anyway) but on the plastic reeds she struggles to get any sound out at all so for several weeks we have ended up just practising her fingering as it sounds so awful if she tries to play.
She tells me her teacher has promised to have some wooden reeds for her next week, but if she doesn't I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do as I have never met her teacher as she has lessons at school. Do any of you wood wind experts have any advice if I have to resort to getting something for her to at least use at home? Many thanks :-)

Lol at "I used cello lessons as an excuse for missing PE lessons my entire way through high school, even though it was rarely a clash. I used to go and hide in the practice rooms or go home … When the teachers asked my classmates where I was, they used to say 'oh cello lessons'. And nobody twigged.". This was me too 😂😂😂

I played clarinet once upon a time and I agree with crazy start on about 1.5

DSs teacher recommended Juno reeds ( for kids ) 1.5 , they’re apparently designed to be easy to blow... doesn’t stop them getting chomped though

Ha! Violentetta is great Romany - some of them were a bit older than Y8 but definately some young ones in there.

nerdy Well done to your ds for playing Last Post & Reveille - my ds used to play it at school & at a local church. As he's not at home we've suggested that he goes onto the school field on Sunday to play it. Hope that he does.

Mine plays on plastic reeds and alternates various mouthpieces, but she played on Vandoren to begin with.
It really doesn't matter what reed they are playing on, if they aren't lasting then embouchure needs revisiting.

DD also started on Rico 1.5 and then switched to vandoren and increased strength with time!

Thank you all for the advice. If nothing materialises on Tuesday, I will look at getting her a 1.5. She has only had 7 lessons so far and has learned quite a few tunes already so I think she is doing ok given her age. I am sure her technique is very much a work in progress at the moment and she is also learning to read music at the same time as never had any instrumental lessons before now so I can imagine it is all a bit of a challenge in the early days!

Hotdog - buy 3 reeds, they don’t last long especially at the beginner stage! I agree 1.5 good to start with, plastic reeds are challenging for beginners so having regular reeds is a good idea, the better they sound and the easier they are to play the more she’ll want to practice. Sounds like she is doing ok, is she on a full size Bb clarinet? Mine started on an Eb clarinet as she’s was too small to play Bb, she moved to the Bb when she was 9. If she’s on an Eb you’ll need reeds for an Eb.

DS2 started with 1.5 reeds (Vandoren) worked his way through 2 and 2.5 and is now playing 3 (Rico). He likes to have several reeds on the go at one time.

Am amused to see that I am not the only one who pretended I had a music lesson so that I missed PE. I sometimes had to hide in the toilets rather than a practice room though! My DD also prefers music to PE but I have avoided telling her about this plan so far.