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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Spring Term 2020 music thread

471 replies

squintsoftheworldunite · 01/01/2020 04:44

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

OP posts:
raspberryrippleicecream · 18/02/2020 10:03

DS2 passed his driving theory test last week, possibly the end of our taxi service is in sight!

GuppytheCat · 18/02/2020 11:17

Thanks, ThirdFiddle! Yes, her singing teacher is completely on board (though did look a bit surprised when we mentioned that DD had done no other singing exams, hadn't done grade 5 theory and hadn't done music even at GCSE).

The thought of a singing exam has driven her to go off and practise... the piano. With metronome, no less.

I'm strongly reminded of when she was 9 and the thought of her one-and-only piano exam would send her off into her room to sing instead of practising!

GuppytheCat · 18/02/2020 11:19

Very much on the plus side, the few singing practices that I have heard -- well. Wow. Didn't know she could sound like that.

Mostly she grumbles about being one of life's natural altos and relegated to harmonies in the choir (and elderly nuns in school shows).

QueenMabby · 19/02/2020 17:44

Hi all. For those of you with dcs on instruments that have an accompanist for the exam, do they practice with the accompaniment in advance? DS’s cello teacher does not play the piano so can’t accompany her. One of the school’s piano teachers (maybe DD’s but not guaranteed) will do so on the day and she will get a run through beforehand but in the meantime is using the abrsm download accompaniment useful/enough? I don’t play the piano either so can’t help.
What is the best way forward?
Thanks.

Knotaknitter · 19/02/2020 18:16

DS usually had one half hour rehearsal with the centre accompanist a couple of weeks before the exam. For G8 I think he had two.

I think they do need to play with the accompanist in advance, if it's lower grades then it's more about the candidate being happy with the situation and knowing what will happen. For the higher grades then there needs to be some shared understanding about their approach and the warm up is too late for that.

minisnowballs · 19/02/2020 18:53

Queenmabby, for cello my dd usually has one play through with the accompanist (last grade taken was 3) but for flute she is asked to have a runthrough every week before the exam for months. She gets much the same marks on each! I can see needing more in higher grades but she’s honestly fine with one at present.

QueenMabby · 19/02/2020 19:52

Thanks mini and knot. It’s g3 she’s doing. She did g1 and did have a little practice beforehand (the week before I think) but she hasn’t done g2 so it’s been a year since she’s done an exam and I’ve forgotten! It’s not til the end of March so we have plenty of time - good to know she doesn’t need loads of practice in advance at this level.

Mickey33 · 19/02/2020 20:41

I think it is good if they can have a run through with the accompanist before their exam just to make them feel more comfortable on the exam day. My DD doesn’t get a lot of opportunity playing with a pianist so I always make sure she has had a few run through’s before an exam.

I have taken the plunge and put my DD in for an audition with Birmingham Conservatoire junior! The audition is in March so not long to prepare eek! I’m also going to try ram and gh too.

PaddingtonPaddington · 19/02/2020 21:19

DDs first violin teacher used to play the piano too so had lots of exam piece practice but when she changed teacher we found the new one didn’t. DD just used the CD which came with the pieces book and then had a run through a week before and on the exam day at school with the music teacher who doubled up as accompanist.

@Mickey33 good luck for the audition

QueenMabby · 20/02/2020 09:36

Thanks all.
Mickey - how exciting! What instrument does your dd play again? Do they have to be at a certain age/level for that and so they have to give up their regular teachers? It looks very exciting!

Original poster
squintsoftheworldunite · 22/02/2020 06:41

Anyone going to BDRD tomorrow? My kiddo is very excited.

OP posts:
okiedokieme · 22/02/2020 06:46

Well my musician isn't so little but just as proud, she's singing with an orchestra and conducting other segments - proud mama moment. Still costing me of course even though she's a student! She gets cross if I miss concerts still, you never stop being a parent

magnaconcordia · 22/02/2020 08:55

okiedokie, that's great you've been and could've been there for your DD at every concert. I've been to all the concerts DS was in apart from those repeating the same program and those that weren't open to parents/public. However, I'm going to miss a few this term due to my other commitments. He knows it and seems ok about it but I'm feeling weird and in fact quite sad as I was always there for him. As he gets older my other commitments grow so sadly I expect it'll happen more often from now on.

thirdfiddle · 22/02/2020 14:29

Good luck Mickey's DD! she sounds very talented and keen.

Okie that's lovely. I hope mine are still inviting me to concerts when they're student age! I failed early on the attend all performance stakes due to clashes with my own playing.

raspberryrippleicecream · 22/02/2020 15:59

Okie its great isn't it. I've been to nearly all DS1's uni concerts, except the one that clashed with the younger DC's school concert.

DD won't allow me to go to her uni concert though. She prefers not to see anyone she knows!

horseymum · 22/02/2020 19:25

Squints, is that the double reed day? I'd love to take mine to this one year, or the young oboes/ bassoon s at noyal northern college , they seem to be most months through the academic year.

Mendingfences · 23/02/2020 08:26

I try to get to as many concerts as possible but things seem to clash way to often with one child needing to be miles away in one direction and another playing miles away in another. I missed the last 2 of ds's performances Sad but dh was there for both.

QueenMabby · 23/02/2020 15:10

I find all the concerts tricky and dd is only 11 and only plays at school!
This week she has the opportunity to have an organ lesson (she “nailed” a Bach piece before Christmas apparently and her piano teacher promised her a go on the organ) and a school concert. I shall go to both but have to juggle with DS’s sport which often clashes with evening concerts. Personally I much prefer the music but have to be fair so sometimes standing in the freezing rain has to take priority!

raspberryrippleicecream · 23/02/2020 23:36

DS2 just tried the organ QueenMabby, and that was another instrument added to the lesson list! He did drop clarinet for it after a term though.

You also need warm clothes for all the organ practice in freezing churches, though at least it's dry!

QueenMabby · 24/02/2020 15:26

She had a fantastic time raspberry! She played her Bach piece on one keyboard and then the organist put different sounds on two of the keyboards and she played it again with one hand on each. Then she did scales on the foot pedals (she found that hilarious!) and then he gave her a g4 sight reading piece as it had right and left hands on separate keyboards and basic foot pedalling all at once and she had a work through that. We’ve just promised her singing lessons from September so I’m kind of hoping she doesn’t want to add in the organ too!

raspberryrippleicecream · 24/02/2020 16:58

Sounds like she might have the bug QueenMabby. An organist helpfully told DS2 he should wait until he had Grade 5 piano, whereupon 12 year old DS told him he'd just done Grade 6! We actually made him wait until he'd finished his chorister ship and he had a bit more time.

QueenMabby · 24/02/2020 17:35

This is our issue raspberry. Dd doing g5 now (and theory too) and also a chorister (albeit at school and not in a full time way - they only rehearse twice a week) and a cellist. I think she’s at capacity!

raspberryrippleicecream · 24/02/2020 17:46

We managed eventually by it being a very gentle third/fourth study.

He is in Y12 now and does trombone and piano at JD, singing at school (but no pressure/exams) and an organ lesson every 3 or 4 weeks. It was every 2 weeks when he started.

Mendingfences · 24/02/2020 19:24

I'm pondering if some kids just gravitate towards being multi-instrumentalists... looking squinty eyed at ds....

And on that note a question, how do you manage the evergrowing collection of instruments and music without them completely taking over?

minisnowballs · 24/02/2020 20:52

Ah yes, - dd talks longingly about voice lessons, and piano (because it's necessary for later, Mamma) on top of the flute, cello, bassoon combo. I fear she may be planning to be a kind of one-woman band. Although she informs me she actually wants to be a lawyer - so no idea when she thinks she's going to have time for all this.

Her sister plays violin and piano - and is about to add a viola, apparently.

Mendingfences. I've attempted a sort of filing system for the music - like a multi-tiered filing thing with a slot for each instrument, but it doesn't work that well (it all ends up piled on the music stand until it falls off and then they fight about whose fault that is). I've hung up the cello on the wall- that helps a bit. The flute has a stand. The violin has a stand on top of the piano with the piles of music. It's not visually pleasing, but it is at least just one corner rather than the whole house. But for the love of god, please no more instruments.