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

Well done Juggling's DS!

We have just had some fab news here. DD was all set to take a gap year and reapply but this morning her reserve from RCS became an offer so Glasgow here she comes!!!

She is so excited as this is where she really wanted to go. Just has to do a suitable email to RBC who have been nagging her to accept and throwing scholarship funds at her.

Just glad she held her nerve and it has come right for her.

Ooh, congratulations Truffle's DD!
Exciting times!

PS He'll always be mini juggling to me!

minisnowballs my dd is taking G5 theory this year too. June I think. She’s sort of working her way through a theory G1 book atm but her teacher seems to think it’ll all be fine. G5 piano in the summer.

Congratulations to Truffle's DD

Congratulations Truffle. it's nice to see another one with next year sorted.

Brilliant new Truffle

Well done mini Truffle. Congratulations what an achievement (and a relief I’m. Sure!).

Well done truffle must be a relief! 🙂

Thanks everyone!

@folkmamma sorry for the long delay and thank you for your reply. I’ve had a look at Guildhall and RAM and it seems their string course places for little ones are allocated by ballot, so we’ll give it a go and hope for the best when the time comes! If anyone else has any London recommendations for toddlers in love with music please let me know!

Belated congratulations mini @JugglingFromHereToThere and mini @Trufflethewuffle. Thanks for sharing your journeys and insight into the process with us.

Truffle, I can't remember what instrument your DD plays? Congratulations on her place at RCS, it seems lovely whenever I have visited. Can I ask whether piano was a second study, and what kind of level she is at? Just looking forward for my DD who is grade 5 ish in first year high school, not sure how much she needs to push herself. Am thinking she might need to working on grade 8 during 4/5 th year. The reason for trying to work back is thinking about whether we need to change piano teacher to one who might just be a tiny bit more proactive at moving her forwards towards her goal of getting into RCS.

Hi Horseymum, DD plays clarinet. She gave up piano lessons last year at about grade 7 standard. She has continued theory lessons and is working towards grade 8.

None of the colleges mentioned any need for further piano studies.

Hi all

I dip in and out of these threads. I am learning to play the piano and have two children. My son (8) plays the piano and trumpet and is in a couple of choirs. He is going to sit grade 1 in piano at the end of term. My daughter (6) plays the piano and violin and is in one choir.

Ah, thanks truffle, I should probably do a bit more research. I was basing it on when I briefly flirted with the idea of applying when I was at school and you did need a certain level of piano for some places I looked at ( I guess to cope with the harmony aspects). If she is grade 8 theory that will be easy for her. Feels odd looking at courses when she is only in first year. Obviously lots may change in the intervening years but no harm in getting a bit better informed I guess.

Hi Horseymum, My daughters 6th Form insisted those on the specialist music course took piano lessons as they said the conservatoires like it, but you don't have to have grade 8. Grade 6 plus is enough to understand the harmonies and work on composition and they will keep improving as they use those skills even if not having formal lessons and taking grades. The only reason you would need to be post grade 8 on piano would be if she were applying for piano as first study. What is her first study instrument? My daughter is taking grade 8 piano next term and grade 8 harp this term but is off to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in September with flute as first study (almost 5 years post grade 8 on that one). I don't think the piano or harp skills influenced the decisions, if anything the harp particularly worked against her as she had discussions in audition interviews where they stated that they wanted a single focus specialist and were not keen on multi-instrumentalists at all and she only received reserve offers from both of those places in question. She won't be continuing with harp or piano formally once she gets to Birmingham and they have made it clear that she is there to specialise on flute, but she will have opportunities to play in ensembles if she wants to keep her Harp playing up to speed. She is very excited! Hope that helps.

Thanks for that bindle. I think oboe is really her first study now, having a really good teacher and working really hard. Did grade 5 before Christmas so don't even know if she will be advanced enough by the time to apply comes round but she is pretty determined, especially if your DD is 5 years post grade 8 on acceptance.

From what I understand she will stand a better chance of getting in to a conservatoire on the oboe than the piano if she is choosing between them for a 1st study. And if she is grade 5 now she has plenty of time to develop with a good teacher, don’t worry :) DD’s oboe playing friend got a Scholarship to RCM but only took grade 8 the year before. That’s not taking anything away from her or other oboists, more to say that the grade number isn’t important. They know what they are looking for in a player.
The flute is a very competitive instrument by all counts as it’s so popular. It can be hard to split them and there was a high chance she wouldn’t get any offers at all, so very pleased for her. It will always be the case in the working world too unfortunately which is a nightmare.
My best advice for your daughter is to get lots of orchestral experience, NCO, county youth orchestras etc it will give her good content for her personal statement and a better idea of if it’s what she really wants to do.

If it helps, my DC got offers, including a scholarship, from all the London conservatoires. Had Grade 7 piano at the time but they were only interested in their principal instrument, which was Grade 8 a couple of years on. And when they did musicianship tests at RAM as part of the audition process they were obviously pretty rubbish as RAM said they liked a challenge! They came from ordinary comprehensive, and with no junior conservatoire. Just to encourage the non-elite, it can be done, if that's what you want.

I’ll make sure she’s well hydrated before she goes in. She prob won’t manage water, music and clarinet!
4 weeks (just over) to go. What sort of practicing did your dc do at this point- don’t want to miss anything crucial. I’m such a beginner to this !!!!!!!

Sorry I’m a bit of a rush so may have missed something but we’re you looking for aural teats Alakazam8? If so look at emusic maestro . Com It’s a subscription aural test sight, just pay for a month. It’s well worth the money. Good luck x

I’ve got aural tests for her to practice - she’s good on scales and arpeggios. Just wondered how to move her from perhaps just scraping a pass to a solid pass or merit even.
How much time each day to practice for example? Just want her to have the best chance really.

DD's reserve offer from Royal Scottish was converted to a full offer today, conditional only on 2 A level passes. She's so happy, and I am so relieved. Whatever happens with her US applications, she has a place!

Well done to mini hiding! Great news! X