Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Christmas and January Music Thread *Thread title edited by MNHQ*

365 replies

Wafflenose · 07/12/2018 16:54

Hi all,
Here's a new thread for the festive period - possibly including a bit of January if I'm away and unable to start another one in time. The old thread was making me nauseous.

I am a music teacher, so pretty busy athis the moment. I have just had results for 12 pupils' exams... 3 pass, 7 merit and 2 distinction. My DDs didn't do any this term, but have 9 concerts between them. Goo is 13 and plays the flute and piano. Rara is 10 and plays the cello and clarinet. What are you all up to musically?

OP posts:
Didiplanthis · 11/12/2018 20:34

I read all these threads but don't post much. I have dd 9 who's is grade 2 ish violin and ds 6 who has spent a year fiercely not learning the violin by turning every request to practice into an argument and actively doing it wrong to wind me up. However he has HF ASD and once a week goes willingly to his lesson and happily engages with his lovely teacher accepting correction and interacting so we are regarding it as therapy ! He gets very distressed if we suggest stopping it so we muddle through. He also has extreme social/performance anxiety and this week managed his first ever nativity. He has now announced he is going to play the open string accompaniment to his sister in church in the Christingle tomorrow in front of the whole school.. I am absolutely gobsmacked he is even considering it and am so proud of him even if he doesn't do it. And his sister is a saint to let him...

catkind · 11/12/2018 22:02

Aw Didi that's so brilliant your DS is giving it a go with the Christingle! Is it something they play together at home? We tried my two playing duets together last year, they had so little patience it was a never again so second your Dd's canonisation.

Hi glorious, nice to meet another little violinist :) Sounds like she's going great. Are you doing Suzuki or anything or just normal lessons? Mine's 6 now, currently trying to persuade her to use her 4th without it pointing at the ceiling between uses.

On the subject of performing I think you just keep offering and take your lead from them. It's great she's asked to play for her class. My DD seems to have decided that should be an annual event, so far every teacher has said yes please, this year's teacher seems very grumpy though so not sure she'll be allowed. There's a lovely and very talented family who go to our local music festival, mum told me one of the DC hated playing in front of anyone for two years when he started, he loves it now, smiles all the way through.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 11/12/2018 22:31

Thank you, Melting.
Tonight's nine lessons and carols in the cathedral was lovely. DD 's choir want beautifully and she looked so grown up - first time wearing long black and heels.
Home now and about to have some cheese and biscuits and a large gin, in the hope it will help me sleep tonight.x

folkmamma · 11/12/2018 22:33

Hi Didi! Nice to see you here. Bravo to DS and also to DD for being super supportive. As we've said before, our DC's are very similar. So I understand what a big deal that is!! My DD is astounding us all at the moment- she's gone from barely looking up from the floor in a performance situation to absolutely smashing it in a professional theatre production this Christmas- this transformation has taken 3 years. Don't get me wrong, the anxiety is still there but it manifests in other ways now. And she's starting to understand it. So hang in there!!

Doubleup · 12/12/2018 00:34

piccolo, I hope the service goes as well as these things can Flowers

Mendingfences · 12/12/2018 04:52

Glad it was a lovely service piccolo
glorious, when dd1 was younger she really wanted to play a piece at her great grandmas 95 birthday but couldnt bear the thought of being watched so she played in a corner, facing the corner Grin. That phase didnt last long but she disliked being clapped or praised after a performance for a while longer. No issues now.

Trumpetboysmum · 12/12/2018 06:28

Piccolo hope things go ok today Flowers

Original poster
Wafflenose · 12/12/2018 06:54

Thinking of Piccolo today. Xxx

OP posts:
TaggieOHara · 12/12/2018 07:31

Flowers for piccolo

LooseAtTheSeams · 12/12/2018 07:38

Piccolo thinking of you today Thanks

woolleybear · 12/12/2018 07:59

Thinking of you Piccolo.

catkind · 12/12/2018 08:00

Thinking of you today piccolo Flowers The carol service sounds lovely.

raspberryrippleicecream · 12/12/2018 08:00

Piccolo Flowers

Lotsofmilkonesugar · 12/12/2018 08:24

thinking of you today piccolo 💐

Owlm · 12/12/2018 09:12

Flowers Piccolo, thinking of you. Hope all is well today.

CruCru · 12/12/2018 09:15

I hope it goes well todayPiccolo.

minisnowballs · 12/12/2018 14:17

thoughts are with you, Piccolo. Hope it goes as well as these things can do.

I've just taken a tearful dd2 back to school after her G3 flute exam. Pieces (from what I could hear) pretty much flawless, except for missing one beat on a long note because she ran out of breath on the study and a small slip on a fast run in her A piece.

But then scales a complete disaster (and she KNOWS them). She played too far on the G Major that is supposed to only go to a 12th and then came down again from the top E , then got nervous and messed up a few others- but corrected herself. Did the chromatic and two arpeggios correctly, she reckons - though the second arp was 'untidy' (her word). She was asked five scales in total as well as chromatic and arps.

She reckons the aural was probably OK with one ropey echo. Sight-reading usually a strength, but goodness knows - because she was nervous by then.

How bad? She'll now spend the next two weeks being upset about it...

Mendingfences · 12/12/2018 17:34

Hope today was bearable piccolo
I suspect that wont be a bad score snowballs
Me and dd2 should be playing a concert right now but a fatal accident has blocked our only road so we cant get there. I got stuck on the other side on the way home from work. They briefly allowed people to park up and walk past so my car is parked on the other side. Please be careful on the winter roads people.

woolleybear · 12/12/2018 17:40

That sounds pretty good to me Snowball, remind her the pieces are worth much more than the other bits.

That's a shame Mending but glad you got home ok.

Dd is singing in Carols by candlelight tonight, our last Christmas commitment!

Didiplanthis · 12/12/2018 20:58

My very anxious autistic 6 yr old DS has just stood up in front of a church full of over 100 people and played his violin !! OMG.... what just happened ????

folkmamma · 12/12/2018 21:21

Didi that is amazing!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

ZakStarkey · 13/12/2018 00:15

That is amazing- well done to your boy!!!
The power of music!

Mendingfences · 13/12/2018 04:53

Oh didi thats wonderful

Alsoplayspiccolo · 13/12/2018 06:37

Thank you for all your kind thoughts. Yesterday was as hard as I thought it would be, but at least it's over now. I

Hugs to minisnowball, but it sounds like a good exam to me ( lots of my pupils have gone to pieces over scales and still done very well). 👍

I'm so sorry you had a difficult evening, Mending. Such a shame about the concert, but very glad you're safe - we noticed the gritting lorries out last night where we were.

didi, you must be grinning from from ear to ear! How wonderful!

LooseAtTheSeams · 13/12/2018 08:19

didi that's amazing! How lovely!
DS1 is playing in a school concert this evening in a church. I will be there although I suspect I'll be feeling more like curling up with a blanket and a lemsip!
Minisnowball can be reassured that all three of us who take exams in this house have messed up scales and passed!