Spring Term 2020 music thread

[squintsoftheworldunite]

Thought I would start the ball rolling on the first 2020 music thread since I’m awake. Happy New Year all of you and your lovely little musicians. Carrying on the long tradition of music threads here begun moons ago by wafflenose .... hoping our threads continue to be a place that’s welcoming to all, whatever standard, experience, backgrounds or situations of music bring you here.

2019 brought incredible music experiences for us, our biggest year to date. Exhausting but incredible. We said goodbye to the year with a final music lesson to end what has been an amazing first year on a new, and now first study, instrument. We’ve had a year free from practical exams but full of auditions and performances and so much to look back on with gratitude. I certainly couldn’t have predicted 2019 this time last year! I hope we can say the same of 2020 this time next year. Happy New Year xx

Oh minisnowballs that music stand senario sounds so very very familiar!

We have tubas and euphoniums. They don't stack, they lurk.

At least it's not harps. A friend's child has two.

2 harps! Now THAT makes me feel faint . Mind you the band conductor asked me last night if i could pick up "a couple of instruments he thought he might have forgotten" as a result of this i am now housing 2 extra cornets, 2 tenor horns and a euphonium.. ... DH was somewhat flumoxed when i came home last night with that lot (as well as my own horn). The more the merrier right....

What a collection! Hope everyone’s week is going well. Dd has a school concert tonight. No solos this time but she’s playing cello with the string orchestra, piano in her chamber music group and singing with the junior choir - lots of rehearsal time today so she’s in her element!

Mendingfences, you are like a boarding house for brass! The viola arrived home last night - with instructions to 'find a shoulder rest'. Dd1 very happy - I think she's wise to think about switching - many more opportunities round here- a city full of tiny violin prodigies, (which she isn't at G5 and 12) taking all the orchestra spots, but lots of space for almost every other instrument. Her head of music at school is a viola player - so she gets many brownie points for even thinking about it.

It is blooming massive though. Sigh.

mini I’m always surprised when I see violas just how.....substantial they are! There’s a tiny little Y3 girl at DD’s school who plays the cello - it’s not much bigger than a full sized Viola - and she gets to rest it on the floor!
Your dd will certainly be strengthening her shoulder muscles!

Hope she enjoys the viola mini! Shoulder rest - maybe try a folded up cloth or piece of foam tied on with elastic bands to start you off. She won't want much extra height if it's already huge. There is no standard full size viola, "full size" can range from 15.5in to 16.5in or even wider range. Do you know how big they've given her? I have quite a little one as I grew up with violin and found a big one too tiring. It's not the shoulder, it's the arm being more extended I found was the problem.
We're so out in the sticks here, g5 would be looking at county youth orchestra soon level for violin. She'll certainly be popular if she takes to viola.

Just back from our practice session with the accompanist for dd’s clarinet exam. Went well so it bodes well for the exam! Staff seem friendly too.

That's great, hope it gave her the reassurance to go in with confidence. You could remind her to take a couple of deep breaths before starting her pieces, they don't have to launch right in. I'm sure she will do well,bit sounds like you have prepared her really well.

My ds went to a jazz workshop this week and loved it! The leader was fab, even managed to get a group of teenagers clapping and stamping and singing! The sound they produced as a band after one session was amazing, so much attitude once they loosened up! He had they playing by ear too. They have a four more sessions then do a concert. It's such a different style but my DD really enjoyed the freedom.

That jazz workshop sounds great. To get teenagers fully on board with anything is hard! It’s not so much confidence or nerves -more behaviour so very much have to see how things are on the day. Seeing where she is going to be has helped and we have troubleshooted any likely ‘issues’!

Jazz sounds great- and good luck with the clarinet exam- sounds like she’s well prepared.

First viola lesson last night. Dd loves it- seems to be finding the clef an easy transition- and she’s been given four books to work through for next week!

Now to work out how we get enough lesson time in to do both violin and viola. Her current violin teacher is desperate to teach viola- as despite it being her first study she currently has a total of zero viola pupils- but I think the school would like to have her as viola pupil too. Someone is still going to have to teach her violin as I guess she keeps both?

2 out of three children have been checking out the euphonium and they are both making enthusiastic noises i New this was going to be dangerous...

The jazz workshop sounds great horseymum

But euphoniums are lovely, MendingFences. Here's to prove it.

Flugelhorn is even nicer.

They are Guppy (i had a sneaky go too ) it's just we are drowning in too many instruments.... 🤪
And yes flugels are gorgeous (i play one 😍)

minisnowballs, I'm so glad your DD enjoyed her first viola lesson. I think many violinists play the viola and vice vasa and they tend to have non-stop opportunities more than those who stick to just one instrument. 🙂

Violas are lovely, our council has a total of zero in the orchestra! Not sure why, they would have lots of opportunities. They would be guaranteed a lifetime place in any adult amateur orchestra round here!

Definitely works in DD's favour to have picked up viola alongside violin!!! Violin is still her first study, but her teacher does teach both. For a while he split her lesson time between them. Now we focus mainly on violin unless she has something coming up that she needs a viola piece for, or some tricky chamber music. But it has meant she has walked into orchestras that are oversubscribed on violin and has even had fees covered to take part in some things because good violas are in such demand!

Yeah, I definitely like the violin/viola combo. Viola leads to more exciting opportunities, but it's nice to play first violin from time to time too. Viola a bit like being stuck on second violin, some composers give you interesting independent parts, some give you pages of identical chugging while the first violins have all the fun. Plus there's so much lovely solo repertoire for violin. Some people prefer just to do viola though, it is a lovely instrument. I'd schedule some lesson time for both and see how she feels once viola's more up to speed. DD's also expressed an interest in trying viola when she's older, I am worried she'd be stuck playing it in everything if she started at all.

Interestingly DD is very clear about where she is prepared to play viola and where she is not. She has definite 'viola' places and definite 'violin' places and she really does not like it when the lines blur 🤣

And @thirdfiddle we recently applied for NYO inspire on both instruments, I assumed she'd be offered viola but they've given her a violin place!

Encouraging about NYO inspire. Maybe by that level there are enough viola players! DD's string orchestra also has zero violas at present, though they're not overrun by violins either - cellos are definitely winning.

Thanks all. So much love for the viola this week - it's the novelty, isn't it? Poor violin has barely been out of its case except for orchestra. Must admit I do love the sound (but then I also have a small cellist so I'm used to lower notes). Just got to master how the shifts work with the new clef and then she'll be away.

Telling myself that switching between treble and alto clefs has to be good for her maths? Does my head in (as a very amateur pianist) but she doesn't seem to find it hard.

Today is secondary offers day for London. Dd2 wants one school (where she has a music scholarship that does not guarantee a place and there is a lottery) and her dad and I want another (where her sister is and is nearby and all round very good -and she has a sibling place). I let her put the one she wanted first. We will see what happens.

I suspect that by September she will be offered the place she wants - but not today. She says music is better at her preference - but given that she spends Saturday doing music I'd like some focus on other stuff from her secondary, and she'd have a much shorter commute (so more time to actually practise!). Hoping to persuade her that her sister's school is a good bet. Lap of the gods stuff.

Hope the school allocations pan out ok minisnowballs

First euphonium lesson underway now - i knew that was coming (although it is so far limited to 1 child...)