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Extra-curricular activities

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

Original poster

Summer term 2019 music

855 replies

thirdfiddle · 01/04/2019 14:50

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.

OP posts:
Mendingfences · 28/05/2019 05:53

Dd1s practice involves lots of silent bits too, and listening to recordings (some writing as well but she's not keen on that at all)

CruCru · 28/05/2019 11:19

Hi MargiaStevens!

Wow, you sound really musical. I am having lessons on the piano and my children do trumpet / piano, violin / piano. I am definitely the music practice enforcer (to be fair, my husband has never played an instrument and can’t tell if the notes are right). When I am away (not that often) I have to be philosophical about the children not practising. I hope that as they get older, they’ll become more self motivated ... but there are a few years to go before that happens.

Today I sat in on my son’s trumpet lesson and his teacher asked me to get a load of music books and told me that he plans to have my son do Grade 1 in December. Which is pretty exciting.

horseymum · 29/05/2019 21:17

So the exam stress has ramped up a bit as the date is a little earlier than we had hoped for! Oh well, it gets it over quicker. Am hoping his natural musicality trumps his occasionally poor technique and alternative/wrong notes.

Lotsofmilkonesugar · 30/05/2019 07:42

Good luck to horseymum s DS! It will be good to have it over with. DS1 has a horn exam and DD has piano this time but they’re both at their schools so we know the dates are in July.

MargiaStevens · 30/05/2019 10:05

Good luck all upcoming exam folk! DD’s school had their exam sessions last week so at least the last half term can be more relaxed in terms of singing repertoire for DD now.

Lightsabre · 31/05/2019 09:50

Hello all, I'm a newbie to the thread but dip in and out. Ds plays the cello and was flying through but since starting secondary school, the momentum has waned. He's just taken Grade 5 ABRSM and did his grade 5 theory a year or so ago. He doesn't practise much, won't join in with any music extra curricular apart from the school orchestra. We started to talk about giving it up as the lessons plus cello hire are expensive and the logistics of getting the cello to and from school are tricky too. However, he doesn't want to as he'll be taking GCSE music (and obviously we'd like him to keep going).

Any tips for motivating a teenager?

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 31/05/2019 13:21

Good luck to those with exams.
Lightsabre, bribery? Blackmail? (4 practices a week or no more lessons say). Or thinking outside the box might he prefer to give lessons a break for a year and swap the lesson for an out of school ensemble? He might find something more inspiring than school orchestra and it's more social than playing at home.

OP posts:
Lightsabre · 31/05/2019 14:46

Thanks thirdfiddle, I'd love him to do that but he's very shy and self conscious. He has a keyboard which he likes to tinker about on so we could perhaps switch to some keyboard lessons for a while.

CruCru · 01/06/2019 22:54

Hi Lightsabre!

It’s nice to meet you. No advice, I’m afraid - my children are still miles younger.

Having ordered the trumpet books that my so ‘s Trumpet teacher asked me to get, I’ve found out that the piano accompaniment is quite far beyond me. I told him that I wasn’t all that good but I think he thought I was being modest.

Today we went to the LSO family concert at the Barbican and really enjoyed it. I had been worried that my daughter wouldn’t be allowed in as she is under seven but it ended up being fine.

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 02/06/2019 01:52

Yes, the having to get separate books for brass exams was a bit of a shock coming from strings and piano where it's all nicely packaged up. I managed the grade 2 piano parts in the end, though probably practised more than DS did to be sure it was safe. To add insult to injury, the harder one was labelled "with easy piano accompaniments".

OP posts:
minisnowballs · 02/06/2019 08:34

Hello all and welcome to Margia (I’m also a chalet school fan and was most disgruntled when both my children hated the books and informed me they all had the same storyline). V impressed by all the instruments.

I’ve finally got the date for dd2s g4 (flute). It’s on her sister’s birthday. Cue hissy fit from dd1 about how the day should be all about her. I pointed out the exam was 17 minutes long and while she is at school - but she’s still Cross. I now wish I’d asked for an earlier week- dd2 could take it tomorrow and be fine.

Not much else going on this half term. Dd2s cello and dd1s violin both in for repair/set up. I’ve just bought a clip on tuner for the ukelele which should help dd1s efforts to master Havana on it. Ukelele strings really hurt my fingers but my string playing girls say I’m just a wimp.

OneLovelySister · 03/06/2019 23:12

Today we went to the LSO family concert at the Barbican and really enjoyed it. I had been worried that my daughter wouldn’t be allowed in as she is under seven but it ended up being fine.

We were there too, CruCru - super concert and great activities. Wondering if it was your DS in the music workshop session we attended as I seem to remember a boy with a trumpet!

We had DS (only just turned five) with us this time. It’s always a gamble with him, but he did pretty well.

Looking forward to the next concert in October.

CruCru · 04/06/2019 10:46

Hi OneLovelySister! We missed the workshops as we didn’t know they were happening - and by the time we got there the queue was really long. I don’t think I can cope with supervising practise on yet another instrument so it’s probably for the best.

horseymum · 05/06/2019 14:34

Phew, we managed to get some extra time for the piano exam. The time given was wrong ( wrong length and wierd break scheduled ) so when teacher phoned up to query she casually said it was difficult to get him to and because they had made a mistake, he got slotted in a week later. Can relax a bit more now.

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 05/06/2019 17:55

Ooh, nice one horseymum! Sometimes the luck balances out.

OP posts:
KittyOSullivanKrauss · 05/06/2019 18:31

Good news horseymum. I can't remember which grade your DS is doing?

We've got DS's G3 piano exam date today. It's right at the very end of term so means playing the pieces longer than he'd like to but more time for polishing & sight reading practice. Plus it's not going to interfere with other things on this term so overall we're pleased.

horseymum · 05/06/2019 20:21

It's such a lottery isn't it with dates? It's grade 4 he's doing and it will help with sight-reading too! It drags it out for us but gives more time to get it really secure. Then we need to think about DD doing grade 5 theory next autumn. That is really testing my music ability currently, and were only on the grade 4 book!

NeleusTheStatue · 05/06/2019 20:40

When DS did grade 8, we put a note requesting the earlier date and he was given the first day of the season... We wanted to finish it off quickly so it was good but didn't expect they would give him that early slot!

horseymum · 05/06/2019 20:46

I guess someone has to be first!

NeleusTheStatue · 05/06/2019 23:27

True!

minisnowballs · 06/06/2019 17:56

I've just changed dd2s, from late July - to the week after next...which wasn't really the plan but the only date the accompanist could do. Fingers crossed....I think she'll be glad to finish with the pieces though.

PetraDelphiki · 06/06/2019 18:05

For anyone who doesn’t know...if you do trinity exams you can book the date of your choice...I know teachers seem to prefer Abrsm but just throwing the option out there!

I’m another one with a child who will only practice with one parent (dh)...if I’m anywhere near it’s a disaster from start to finish! I think it’s because the only instrument I played was to fail g4 piano at about 12!

rivierliedje · 06/06/2019 18:35

I got my cello exam date about two weeks ago, earlier than I had hoped, but helpfully on my day off and the cello teacher is happy to accompany. Today I got an email saying they have had to move the day (one day later), which has meant some frantic calling to rearrange the accompanist and, with more difficulty, work.

I'm starting to get nervous now. But have had some fun reading the new bowed strings syllabus. The new initial grade looks lovely and I like the idea of duets for some pieces, rather than a piano accompaniment.

Good luck to all those with exams coming up. The ABRSM ones have already started.

horseymum · 06/06/2019 21:01

Oh, I like the idea of duets. I did that for my classical guitar when I did 6 th year studies ( a bit like A level but in Scotland, so about grade 8 ish). I thought it was nice as every one else got to have their teachers accompanying them but you don't have piano accompaniment on guitar really so we found some duets, really enjoyed it.

sunnyflowergarden · 07/06/2019 15:39

Hi all! I’m kind of new here...
I have 13 years old DD who plays viola and clarinet. Have her Grade 7 and Grade 6 exams booked in the beginning of July.
She’s got the place in CYM and is looking forward to September. Do any of you have your son or daughter in CYM?

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