Autumn term 2019 music thread

[thirdfiddle]

September is looming, the old thread is getting full - I think it's time for a new music thread. This is a support thread for parents of children who are into music or indeed just thinking about giving it a try.

Perplexed about starting the piano? Experimenting with ensembles? Concerned about college applications? All welcome here. Huge thanks to those lending their expertise and sage advice and particularly wafflenose for starting the threads.

So, new school year, what's new with your mini musicians?

Seventeenth birthday ten weeks away 'Boys', difficulty will be fitting in the lessons!

Ah, excellent, Raspberry. I have been semi seriously looking at intense courses, like you say it's trying to fit it into an already busy schedule.

Back from DDs audition for the county youth orchestra. She came out with a smile on her face and said it went well just a few nerves here and there. Won’t know for a few weeks so fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed for her Paddington! Is it a holiday courses type orchestra or a weekly one?

Margia I'm also at the number of lessons and practises involved there. DC's piano teacher says the more instruments they do the quicker they learn, by that reckoning your DD should go far.

DS started secondary this week. All good so far, but it seems the instrument lessons switch time slot each week. Not sure how he is going to manage this. He is chronically disorganised and not good at telling the time (severe dyslexia). Has anyone else a strategy to make this work!?

ilove, I think I'd ask his form tutor for help as it's related to his dyslexia. For example could he as an exception have a fixed slot e.g. during lunch break or music lesson? Or have his slots be at the beginning of a lesson so he just needs to remember go at the beginning of maths say? Or could they communicate to you when the slot is so you can help him set an alarm on his phone/watch to tell him when to go?

Some great ideas thirdfiddle. I think a phone with programmed reminders is going to be really crucial in secondary. Not sure how to get in contact with the tutor, but I will. DS is super independent and hates any kind of outside help which I totally respect but it doesn't stop him struggling in some areas.

@ilovesushi DD used to have this arrangement of different times each week so that they don’t miss the same school lesson. For year 7 we gave the instrument teacher a copy of her timetable in case she got in a muddle and the teacher could get her if she completely forgot.

@thirdfiddle the audition was for a holiday type orchestra as she already plays in a fortnightly string group outside of school so couldn’t really fit much else in!

It involves me being organised! Harp and singing lessons happen at school, and the same teacher does violin/piano in one longer lesson.

Practice wise, we aim for two instruments a day (unless there’s a lesson or rehearsal in which case the relevant one is classed as practised). Luckily I like lists!! I’ve often asked if she wants to stop any of them but no, she’s determined to carry on!

Paddington that's a great idea about suppling the music teacher with a timetable in case all other strategies fail! Just remembered that school don't allow phones to be seen or heard during the school day, so I will need to chat his tutor about how we do timed reminders on phone or watch.
Margia I haven't even thought about how practice is going to fit around increased homework demands! None of us are morning people so that's out for starters.

sushi, I write the time on DD’s hand in biro She’s Y5, though; it may be unacceptable to secondary-age DC!

Would reminders on an Apple Watch set on a phone get around the phones-in-school issue?

Hi. Can anyone recommend a website for second hand brass instruments please? I have 2 DC doing cornet, both love it but have other interests too so I don't want to pay the eyewatering amount for a new one. But we pay termly rental to school so a second hand one would make sense I think. I have no musical knowledge at all so I'm a bit lost.

Place marking here so that I will remember to ask do about brass for you (because he doesn’t have a brass buying addiction at all...)

Dh suggests here

www.johnpacker.co.uk/shop/secondhand-musical-instruments

There’s actually new ones cheaper but I suspect a second hand will be a better bargain!

He says “The Besson International looks good and has a trigger on third valve. Their JP271 is at a similar price and again looks good. They don’t call it a beginner model but looks good. The very basic JP071 actually gets good reviews. ”

Thank you very much, Petra. That's really helpful. I've one about to take Grade 1 and one on Grade 3. They both love doing it and I think cornets sound great but I had no idea when we started how pricy the new ones are!

Be grateful they aren’t string players!!!! You can’t spend more than 4 figures on a trumpet/cornet (£3000 will get you a professional instrument)...a decent violin for a g8 player starts at that and the sky’s the limit (plus 100 for strings, another 4 figures for an appropriate bow etc etc)...

And you can get a bloody good cornet that will take them through as long as they want to play for £300! DH says if you can it’s worth trying them first - plus also try different mouthpieces (makes an enormous difference apparently)

DHs cornet that he got at 11 cost probably the equivalent of about £2-300 today...took him through g8 and years of brass band!

I'm very glad they're not on strings then!! His teacher recommends Yamaha which seem to be about £800. £300 is a lot less painful! What make would your DH suggest for an 8yr old who will probably (no crystal ball here!) do it for at least 6 years. She does school brass group and orchestra at the moment.

September is just such an insanely expensive month for us as loads of annual fees for kids sports clubs etc fall due on top of usual back to school stuff and Cubs etc for the term. I have 4 forms in front of me for December dance and music grade exams, so that's more fees. If I go Yamaha, it will have to wait til Christmas. But they do enjoy their lessons, so it's well worth it.

Go with the ones I suggested above...any chance you can get to the shop to try them?

Whatever you get will probably be better than a rented one...do try different mouthpieces tho (seems to make a difference)...remember they will hold value so you can always upgrade! Where are you based?

We're West Yorks, not sure if there's anything nearer than Manchester but I think you're right, it's probably worth a trip to try some before we buy. Rental one is pretty awful and I suspect it's due a thorough refurb.