Autumn 2020 music thread

[thirdfiddle]

Oh go on then, let's have a new music thread. Spring wasn't good.
What's going on music parents? Are they going back to real live lessons? Is it all virtual for Autumn? Have they sustained interest over lockdown? Any new starters want to join us - or new departures for established musicians?

Yes skipping is fine. You can even skip all the grades and just take grade 8 as long as you've done grade 5 theory or jazz piano or musicianship exam. DS did only grade8 for his first study. No problem at all. x

Agree with others re skipping, specially if you've done all the prep and just not taken the exam for practical purposes. We seem to be stuck with every single exam for piano (works ok for DS, not best fit for DD in my opinion), occasional exams for brass and none yet for DD.

On theory. You only need g5 theory for g6+ practical so no desperate hurry. Has teacher started her on theory or said anything about it? Maybe a good time to formulate a plan. Some people just start when they get to point of thinking about g6 timing, I think it's easier to spread it out a bit. Some teachers just set it as "homework" from their lessons. Others outsource - here the local music centre run classes for example.

Mine is a classical guitar and piano player. Was meant to be sitting G5 in Spring but...

All guitar and piano lessons went online and have worked really well though she is looking forward to getting back to proper lessons. She has now moved to a full size guitar and auditioned and joined the National Youth Guitar Ensemble. Everything online!

Great to know that it's ok to skip. Also good to know no hurry for the theory.
Thank you for the helpful advice, everyone.

Exams are too expensive to do them all. Also, hopefully your dc has not been playing the same pieces for that long! It's great to play loads of repertoire on the way, not just exam pieces ( my friend is a piano teacher and one student only wanted to do the exam pieces and started the new book the week after each exam. She doesn't teach that child any more!) Doing exams can actually slow progress. My DD has only done one in her main instrument ( grade 5) but is working around 7/8 now. I think her teacher will leave the grade 8 a couple of years till she can do really well as there is no rush. Plenty of great music to play on the way.

Thank you horseymum. Yes, he has been playing pieces from exam all this time. He loves repetition. Also due to his teacher's circumstances, we didn't have lessons through lock down, so we had no input and guidance for what he should be doing.
But he plays the songs on different scales, etc, and make it fun himself somehow. Also his main interest is game music so he spend more time learning to play them than piano songs.

He sounds really creative pastandpresent. Being able to play things in different keys and work out game music by ear - he's probably developed skills beyond his grade there.
3 live in person lessons this week! Lucky DC. Fingers crossed it lasts.

Oh, if he likes game music Scala radio had a programme called the console which is all game music. Sounds like he has done well to keep himself motivated without lessons, that is more than many have done.
Enb, I used to play classical guitar and loved playing in ensembles, I find it too much hard work to keep up playing now. The national ensemble sounds great. My DD is working on her video audition for national youth orchestra of Scotland soon.

Glad people are getting back to in person lessons now. DD’s piano teacher has offered her an hour long lesson every week which dd was very excited about - 7.30 in the morning though! 😱 It’s at school which is fortunately only 10 mins up the road but think of me tomorrow.... 🤣🤣

Hello! I posted a couple of times in the old thread but v new to everything music! My dd has been playing for a year now. She scraped in with her initial grade cello exam in March and is now working towards grade 2... not that she’s done much over the summer! Virtual lessons worked to a point and she covered lots of lovely new pieces but we are hampered by the fact that I’m hideously unmusical and wouldn’t know a flat note If it hit me in the face! Glad to be back to in person school lessons and shes also joined a couple of school ensembles which sound great fun!

Honestly, being a musical parent doesn't always help. I'm vaguely musical and back in the day did a lot of effective practice so I do know a bit but will they listen when I make a suggestion? No, it has to come from the teacher obviously, even if I said the exact same thing, eg do it slower, do just that bar, use the right fingerings. You just need to be encouraging and take an interest I think. I have friends who are totally unmusical but their kids are very musical. Maybe you could listen together. Sheku kaneh mason is a fantastic young cellist who had a couple of albums out, you might enjoy them. He had also played in some proms, you would find stuff online.

I do know a bit but will they listen when I make a suggestion? No, it has to come from the teacher obviously, even if I said the exact same thing, eg do it slower, do just that bar, use the right fingerings.
This. Ooooh so this.
I got exasperated at hearing the same car crash play through every day for a month and marched in on DS's practice last week. I got shouted at but did get a sheepish "it does help if you practice doesn't it" in the end. Result!

Hi pes, sounds like she's making great progress, lockdown or not.

Queenmabby, wow, an hour! Teacher must really rate her - and her concentration levels. DD only gets 20 mins still as that's all school will let her have out of lesson time. She'd like more for piano really. Violin on the other hand she likes short, standing up for 30 mins at a time toooo haaaard woooork.

third yes an hour is a long time but she loved it! It should allow for her to get through her theory too this term for the exam in November. school really only allow a 30 min lesson (if on class rotation) or to 45 mins if it’s before or after school. Technically her lesson is timetabled for 7.45-8.30 but her teacher is wonderful so comes in even earlier to have a 7.30 start for a full hour.
Cello and singing are both 30 mins. Singing she has on lesson rotation (misses a different lesson each week) and cello is during assembly (currently just form time) on the same day each week.
School have also started up a year group choir one morning too so music is looking up. Still no ensemble or chamber groups though.

Weeping at the the thought of 730 am lessons, Mabby. My dd2 had her first IN PERSON lesson since lockdown yesterday in her new school (Y7)with a new teacher today (cello). She was so happy, but so tired by the end of it. She was only supposed to have 20 minutes but i think she got about an hour due to selfisolation of other pupils (sigh). And she completely failed to remember which books all her music was in because I've had to sit in on her Zoom lessons for so long. Had completely failed to realise that she'd not been managing that bit for a while.

Also thrilled with her results (merit) for that weird G5 theory pilot done by ABRSM in August. So glad that's over. Hopefully they'll improve the technology for the next ones.

I feel like I have a different child. He goes to bed earlier, sleeps better, is up early even on days not in college. He is making friends, he is playing music all day, every day (and composing and programming).

he is communicative, he talks to us, he makes us come into the spare bedroom (his little studio) to hear what he has been working on. He laughs, he jokes.

Allowing ds to do the thing he loves at college is the best thing EVER. My demand avoidant, depressed, child with daily meltdowns has been transformed.

Come from, that sounds brilliant that he has found his thing.
I'm just about weeping with having to go back to zoom lessons, in Scotland so no visitors to your house.

Comefromaway such a lovely post to read
And well done minisnowballsDD on negotiating the online theory exam!
Horseymum not even if it's education/work respectively? It's so confusing with all the different guidelines. We now have 3/4 lessons in person, only one teacher can't.

The private music teachers are all totally stressed trying to work out as MU and ISM both say totally different things. I think if they are considered tradespeople it might be ok! Trying to get clarity is impossible. Hopefully we will get some soon as can't do another few months of zoom. Some who have totally separate studios might be ok but most don't. Woodwind not allowed inside at all anyway.

The big issue for my dh (a member of both the ISM and MU) is that he can make his teaching room at our house covid secure. He can be responsible for gaps between lessons to ensure ventilation, wiping down etc etc. He would be reliant on others who may not be so vigilant for lessons in their houses (something he's never offered anyway)

DH age 13 is very musical with a great sense of rhythm (which I don't have :-) He is learning trumpet and piano. He is great with jazz. I've always had to nag a bit to get him to practice but he used to long to play his trumpet and play other things he liked.

Over lockdown and the summer he sent in some videos of himself playing different parts requested by his bands (I had to nag him). The videos were great. He said he hated playing by himself.

He's missed out on a lot due to COVID: county band closed, music tour cancelled, residential cancelled.

School bands have started up again but no plans as yet to do a concert.

Online lessons have continued over the summer.

DS no longer picks up his instrument for fun, and has to be nagged to practice. He says that Grade 6 trumpet is too hard.

I am concentrating on encouraging DS to play fun stuff; about at a grade 3, to boost his confidence.

I was wondering about reducing the lessons to fortnightly and alternate practice days. This means postponing the dream that DS once wanted of being a trumpeter. He now says he wants to be a computer programmer.

Sorry to gatecrash your thread - quick question! We haven’t resumed music lessons yet so can’t ask teacher. Are exams back on? My eldest DS is motivated by having an exam to work for...

abrsm exams are bookable from tomorrow

Hi fleabagster- not gatecrashing, if you have a child learning music it's your thread too Nothing to add on ABRSM, Trinity looks like are planning a digital alternative on a more permanent basis but yet to announce details of that or any in person exams this term.

unmusicalmum, so hard if your motivation is playing with people. And with government going on about unviable jobs at the moment it's enough to put anyone off a musical career I don't know what the answer is re lessons and practice. Could you talk to teacher and see what they suggest? Some easier and jazzy music for a term or two should be easily arranged and would be great for consolidation of tone, sight reading etc. Powering through to the next grade is not necessarily the right thing for everyone even if they are more than capable. I think some teachers assume every child wants to because a lot do (or parents do!).

Newbie here! Hoping to learn lots as hopefully I'm at the start of a long "music parent" journey.

DS (aged 9) is loving piano, currently having in person lessons in our house (with all the doors open - not sure how long that will last for!). Working through the Trinity Initial pieces and also working through Grade 1 theory. He's hasn't picked up his recorder since March and although he wants to start a different instrument (as well as keeping with piano) we've agreed to think about that next spring - any suggestions? 🤣

DD (aged 6) started piano during lockdown, with me teaching her, now having piano lessons and enjoying it!

Lovely, sunshine! 9 and with a good grounding from piano is a great time to start lots of instruments. It's a shame there may still not be able to be the sort of try-out days there usually are. Perhaps you could try watching some videos of different styles of music and see what appeals? Or another way to go about it is if you hear of a really inspiring teacher locally and see if he's interested in their instrument.