Summer term 2019 music

[thirdfiddle]

A new installment of the long running music parent threads. Everyone is welcome from complete beginners to grade 8 and beyond. Thanks as ever to the lovely waffle for starting the threads up and looking after them for years. What are your plans for the coming term? Any exams, auditions, festivals, new instruments? Please come and chat.

Just wondered if any of you have experience of what is appropriate to wear to an NYO audition? My DS did all his NCO auditions in hoodie, jeans and trainers but should he ramp it up a notch or two for NYO? Or is what you wear totally irrelevant? Thank you in advance, any advice gratefully received!

Just checking in, I haven't posted for ages either. DS is preparing for grade 3 piano. Also needs to slow down!

I have a constant battle with DS to try to get him to slow down with his piano pieces. Examiners have said the same in every marksheet. He seems to think the faster he can play it, the more impressive it sounds, when in fact it’s usually the exact opposite. It’s a maturity thing I think - am hoping he grows out of it soon!

We're lucky with ensembles, they have various levels of string/wind group plus youth orchestra, all within walking distance of our house! So have another junior wind band recruit for autumn term. I haven't heard them in action but DS has and thought it sounded fun. Wouldn't need planning that far ahead except we need to rearrange the schedule yet again to fit it in. It is very typical of my children that DD (the younger one) does string group first then DS decides ensemble playing looks fun and he wants to try.

Ha, and yep, DD is our resident speed merchant. I'm being mean mum and making her play all her piano pieces with metronome. At least no exams to worry about this term.

Hi all!

I dip in and out of these threads. I am mum to a son (aged 7) who plays piano and trumpet and a daughter (aged 5) who plays piano and violin. Both also sing in a choir. As my children are so small, I don’t always have a lot to report. They are getting better about practising though. And my daughter told her violin teacher how much she’d missed her over our incredibly long Easter holidays.

My son will be setting music aptutude test in one of the senior schools. He prepares aural as part of his grade 4 instrumental exam.

Also i thought for him to take either singing grade 1 or practical musicianship grade 3 abrsm exam Practical Musicianship Abrsm exam. Which of these 2 would be more beneficial if he sets music aptitude? I though singing might help him with pitching melodic responces, use of voice etc. Please what do you think. Thank you.

Hi crucru - good to see you again. I feel like we're on the same page, having also an older brother brass/piano player and a younger sister violin/piano! DD is also trying out a choir this term, DS refuses to sing sadly.

That's so sweet about your daughter missing her teacher. DD currently misses string orchestra most - it's really become a highlight of her week. Do you have anything like that round your way? Ours are at the local music centre and go right from beginners on open strings parts so worth enquiring sooner than you might think!

I found a cute note this weekend that DD must have written at about crucru's DD's age, listing her favourite music. It had the lullaby I used to sing her, two songs from Frozen - and Allegro and Allegretto from her violin book Love the little insights you get into their thought processes from the strewn writings that show up.

My 5 yrs old loves practising music. Completely different from her sister who never practises if not reminded or having an exam or audition. For this one I am hoping for never having to do exam...

horsey mum, so glad your dd has recovered. What a nasty thing to have.

I can probably only share this one here - but I am so super proud of my dd2 today. She started at her Saturday centre in London last September, and found the step up fairly terrifying. Yesterday she played in the centre's junior concert, both as part of her string ensemble, and as a duettist with another flute player. Concentrated throughout and didn't fall asleep on my lap the second it was over (massive improvement from the last concert she did!)

I could suddenly see the change in her music and confidence over eight short months. Unbelievable really. Makes all of those long, long Saturdays seem worthwhile.

Hi there. Pretty well finished music wise for the summer as they have both had their end of year concerts. Excited to be accompanying DS1 to a week long double bass masterclass in Bavaria this August. I'll be free during the day so will have time for walks/coffees etc. I'm hoping he will make the most of it.

Minisnowballs that sounds fantastic.
After years of bringing the kids to music it's really only now that we are seeing it pay off and reaping the benefits.

Haven’t been on here in quite a while....

horsey, glad to hear you finally got your hands on a mini bassoon and that your DD is due to join a band. You might need to remind them in advance that they would have to transpose the bassoon part as the mini is a fifth above the bassoon.

Hello - am so grateful for this thread. I am mum of 3 DCs who all play cello and percussion. My littlest has also been playing recorder with a recorder group at school and is now preparing for her Grade 5 exam next month.

I've been listening to her scales at home, but as a violinist myself, I'm stuck on where she should be breathing. For slurred scales, should she be doing the entire scale in one breath? Would be grateful for any advice from other recorder mums / teachers.

Hi thirdfiddle!

My children learn their instruments at school. There are string ensembles and orchestras at school but I think they are only for children from year 3 and upwards.

Thanks double, I'll remind the conductor. We're really pleased with the instrument, it's lovely. Would the mini bassoon part typically just play another part, ie does another instrument transpose the same amount. I don't want the teacher conducting to have a hassle. Mitsouko, the double bass thing sounds amazing, I have been on a couple of shorter courses, you learn so much in a short time. Fab to be with other basses too. My DD is looking forward to playing with other young oboes in the summer on a course she is attending. Nice to play a rare instrument but nice to meet others too!

horsey as far as I know they just play the bassoon part, but transposed. I guess they are used to doing it here as there are often one or two mini bassoons in the entry level band.

With advance notice it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. DD1 had to transpose a flute part down an octave for oboe herself for band when she was 9, but an octave is easier.

Tell me, wise people, am I being precious about school string ensemble? Dd2 plays cello- it’s her second instrument and she’s no Jacqueline de pre- she’s nine years old and her teacher (at primary) says she is now grade 3 level- recently passed two.

She’s in the school string ensemble, run by the violin teacher. He has some violins at about the same standard- and they are his first violins, and he also has seconds and thirds. Dd is nominally first cello, but most of the others have left and there are two who can’t really read music, and dd.
She’s v miserable because he’s stopped giving her interesting cello parts - she just has to do the same as the other two- and I have seen them, and they are v dull. She has another good ensemble at her Saturday centre - and has asked me to complain to the leader of the school one that she isn’t being challenged like the violinists of her standard (who are his pupils, whereas she isn’t).
Do cello players just have to suck it up? She can drop it as far as we are concerned- it is making her sad- but I don’t want her to be too precious about it- or to drop out of school music altogether.

It's frustrating if they are not being challenged at the right level, it should be possible. She could be the ' real' cello part ( which is more of a tenor role), and the beginner s could be more like the ' bass'. I play double bass and the bass parts are normally much much easier. Obviously they can't just play the double bass part as it is too low, but that style of part. Maybe he thinks she doesn't want to have to play independently which can be tricky but sounds like she is up to it. Is she obliged to take part as a condition of her lessons? Or as part of the conditions of the Saturday school? My DD had just started on the Nyos pathway and they stipulate that you must still take part in local/ regional groups. If all the good players leave these, the standard drops, someone will always be the best player and find it a bit too easy. She could concentrate on quality bowing and tuning to challenge herself. My friends ds was in this position as last year she felt he was really ' too good' for junior strings but when you watched them play he still didn't do all the correct bowing etc.

That does sound tricky about balancing the cello parts in the orchestra, ut surely that is part of the job of running a school orchestra? Finding appropriate music at the right level for each child?

Anyone else doing summer term exams? I’m waiting full of trepidation for my exam date to come through. I submitted my entry on the last possible day, as I was so unsure about it, but very much encouraged by my partner (violinist) that it would be fine. At the same time I finally booked a lesson. Which I had recently. The teacher seems to think I should only do the grade I entered if my confidence needs boosting, as apparently I could do a higher one. So that was really nice. Going back for another lesson next week!

Anyone have any tips for getting the importance of the rhythm across to a seven year old? Dsis isn’t really getting it. If we practice together with the metronome it is fine but then it all falls apart a bit when she is asked to play/ina lesson.

Good thoughts, thanks. No, she’s not obliged re school- though there is something in her contract from her centre about la opportunities and ensuring you take part when you can, I think it only applies to her first instrument anyway. There’s always something to learn, of course, it’s just she’s a bit discouraged - and there’s nowhere to go with school music from here really, except for playing solos. Grateful her centre lets her go to an ensemble with cello- it’s made a huge difference.

Re exams- good luck! we are waiting for a date for dd2s g4 flute. She feels quite ready now though- so not too stressed if we get an early date

mini it can't hurt to ask can it? I suspect she's being used to shore up the beginners who can't manage on their own. School orchestra was always more a duty than a pleasure but sounds like you're talking actual open string parts? Once you have a few notes at least you can use it for vibrato practice.

Rivierliedje, what does 7 yr old play and how complex rhythms? have you tried getting her to just clap the rhythm or say it or sing it? No exams here this term, good luck with yours! I think it takes extra guts to go through the exam process as an adult learner.

thirdfiddle She’s playing piano. The odd thing is she had a great sense of rhythm when she was little and she does in general, but I think perhaps she is so focused on the mechanics of playing that it just goes out of the window on the piano.
I wonder if breaking the music down in to all its sections and going much more slowly would be helpful?

Yes, i am beyond nervous, but also much calmer in a way then I ever was for exams as a child. I have entered myself, nothing will change if I fail, i have been able to use all the practice apps they have now for aural etc and have been focusing on technique, scales and sight reading all year, so feel much more secure there. Saying that, I might still go to pieces in the exam itself.

That sounds like a good idea. Hands separately, slowly, a couple of bars at a time. (Or rather 2 bars + one note so the sections join up.) Then build up to playing that little phrase hands together at speed. Then do next 2 bars, then join together. Counting aloud as you play is good for piano. Hard once it gets busy though! Kids' teacher has them count aloud 1+2+34 (with "and"s for any useful half-beats) and writes the 1+2+34s on the music too in tricky bars.