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?

Anyone want to talk about the fiasco that is the ABRSM booking website today? Tried for 3 hours to book 8 exams. Website kept crashing. Hundreds of teachers complaining on FB and Twitter. They've had bags of time to sort it out since January's debacle! Luckily, it was my day off today, but for those that were trying to enter their students on their lunch break etc., I feel sorry for them!

OMG yes I feel your pain!

I only needed to book one practical exam and it took 5 hours.

Tried changing browser, on my phone. It was an absolute fiasco!

I still don’t know if we have an actual slot. Waiting for final confirmation.

Well, DS told me his teacher threatened to drop him as a pupil today due to lack of practice. Things seem to be coming to a head fairly quickly, I have warned DS many times....he promises to practice tomorrow for half an hour but we will see....I have refused to nag him any more, it is up to him now!

Finally got an ABRSM slot after three hours. I only needed one. Why are they so cr*p? After the fiasco that was August's online theory exam I couldn't believe this didn't work either!

DD’s school had a nightmare booking all the pupils in! By the time they had got logged in all the later slots were gone. dd now has to get her g5 performance recording in before we break up for half term! She gets v nervous being recorded so I’m recording her in my phone as much as possible in the hope she gets used to it!

I found the booking for the theory was fine once I realised how to make a new account. Obviously the new one I made last year didn't work! Off to hunt for some practice papers for digital exam now she's done all the old ones. Thankfully the only exam we are doing this year.
Zoom lessons returning was not greeted with joy in our house, they would just love to play with other people. Primary school would normally do quite a bit of singing so missing that too.

We’re missing singing too horseymum. Dd is yr 7 and they have put on a y7 choir but there’s only six of them!! Possibly because it’s before school. 🙄
Usually choir is years 7-9 but it’s not happening and neither is the school’s church choir which rehearses twice a week and sings 2-3 church services a month. However singing lessons (and all other music lessons) are happening in person and we are very grateful for that. No ensembles though.

Had virtual parent's evening at ds's college and I honestly couldn't get a word in edgeways. The tutor was enthusing. After year after year of coming away from parent's evenings so dispirited it was fabulous.

Comefromaway that's so lovely! Fabulous when they find their thing. You must be so proud (and relieved)

We are struggling here. Both girls now at the same saturday music school, which the younger one is very used to, but the older one is finding it all a bit dispiriting.

As a new viola (transitioning from violin) she has been promoted way above her level of competence and has a quartet and a string orchestra where the other children are WAY more experienced than she is (the only other violist one is a purcell student and obviously amazing. DD has been playing since february and is around grade 5). I guess they just needed another viola and didn't really think about how she'd cope. She's 13 and has never played in a quartet in her life - and doesn't have any music theory yet. The string orchestra she's in has 23 violins and two violas so she's massively exposed when playing online.

It's a bit souldestroying and I seem to spend my entire time emailing them and saying 'er, she can't do that', which is depressing. They keep devoting all of her lesson time to 'sorting out' her quartet playing so that she can keep up with children who have been playing for many years when she's still struggling with a new clef. I'm proud of her for gritting her teeth and keeping on, but even her individual lessons aren't in person so it's not fun in any way.

Not really sure what to do - we never asked for her to be given quite so much at such a high level - there are lots of lower ensembles and lots of children don't yet have a quartet. I was very clear on her knowledge and background when she auditioned and they keep just piling on the new music and the pressure. It would be so much easier if it was in person but it feels rather fraught - she barely has time to learn it all.

Her sister's a wind player so I've never had to deal with the strings dept before. Any thoughts about how to tackle this well very much appreciated. They certainly don't pressure her sister like this.

Comefromaway how lovely! To find something you love and are great at - what more can we hope for our kids?

Aw that sounds tough mini. Definitely worth a conversation with them. Sounds like the last thing they want to do is put off a viola player.

For example, could the quartet play some easier music for now while she gets up to speed? Could she play in an easier orchestra where she can really boost viola clef reading skills?

I think chamber music is so rewarding and worth sticking with if at possible. Even if that does make up most of her private practice/lesson time she'll be learning a huge amount. Sounds like she's on a very steep learning curve already and this is the hardest point. Once she's got the hang of the clef everything will smooth out.

One thing that will really help (I'm a violin-viola convert too) is listening to the music she's going to play lots. I actually started with things I more or less knew by ear, and the act of following along on the part really bootstrapped reading.

Thanks third fiddle. Good thoughts here. I'll talk to them (again). Sometimes it feels I am really struggling to communicate what I mean with them - I just don't speak the right 'language' somehow... onwards an upwards.

In more fun news, dd2 has acquired a full-size bassoon. Big, aren't they!?

Ooh mini snowballs, we are hoping to get a big bassoon soon, Dd2 is growing out of the mini. Unfortunately we can't have face to face lessons or visitors here so not sure when ( the teacher has it). I'm sure it will look huge on her but I know she will love it. It will also make duets etc so much easier as no transposing. However, practice will take forever as she is so slow at putting the mini together, I'm sure the big one will be worse. She's kind of reached the limit of the mini as it doesn't go high enough.

Hello all.
Not sure if anyone can remember me, I've been on these threads since the very first one, used to be a prolific poster, but not as much the last year or so.

Well here we are a family of musicians and entertainers, who apart from dh teaching have lost it all.
It's so tough trying to instil the necessity of a plan B for somebody who won't listen.
What do you do? How can you tell them there's likely to me no chance of a career in music.
Even teaching is suffering, who wants to learn something that will be extinct.

Mini, i still get that speaking a different language thing with one of my kids' music teachers, and I do play the instrument. Sometimes it can be the other person not listening properly not what you're saying. I guess encouraging that they're so confident she has the ability to catch up, but it needs to work for her too.
Yay for big bassons! Such a cool instrument.

Hi dev, I haven't been around nearly so long but so so feel for musicians at the moment. It will be back. I have to believe it will be back.

Anybody looking for Bassoon reeds, my dd friend has a nice online business, giving her pocket money She's very good and won't rip people off as only 16 herself.

Thanks for the reed tip, we just buy from our teacher but great she has a wee business.

horseymum

She's only 16 and her parents let her as long as they are involved/ monitor.
I think she sells on amazon, not sure.
Yes, they are getting terribly industrious under the guise of saving for college.
Mine is trading in saxophones and mouthpieces with her Dad, so also supervised. It's amazing how much you can make if you know what's what.
She's also learning how to strip down and service and charges her friends for emergency repairs.
She's even done a few for teachers who were stuck

My dd is making face masks to sell, Ds was repairing bikes. Keeps them out of mischief when no clubs on.

DDs bassoon teacher seems to have an awful lot of reeds to provide her with (do bassoonists ever think about anything other than reeds?). Now there's a pandemic she dips them in Dettol or something - which I'm sure for DD2 will be one of those 'recherché de temps perdu' (can't spell it) tastes when this is all over. Bleaagghhh - between that and the constant smell of sanitiser....

Dev- we all need music to come back. Please hang in there if you can. I've spent a lot of time talking to arts venues this week about funding (part of my job) it's been sad, but also uplifting... There will be light (and music)but I am so sorry the government is not properly supporting its freelancers when they need it.

mini

I'm right fed up this morning.
All my funding was cut, had a portfolio with 5 years of funding accepted from Lottery funding.
Found out that even though everyone has been cut thousands upon thousands have been awarded to Military Wives.
I'm beyond mad.
Their husbands have well paid jobs, they are a bunch of amateurs, although granted can sound ok, they don't need funding.
The sales of shows and recordings must have a nice little nest egg to pay for anything they may need.

Oh dev, that's so sad. I agree with you about Military Wives. Cluelessness, or populism? They've heard of it, or they think we'll have heard of it?
On a more positive note, we went to an actual professional concert this afternoon which was so lovely. Streamed stuff is just not remotely the same.
Very impressed at these entrepreneurial kids. Real skills they're developing too.

Aw, thirdfiddle

I felt awful about that last post so came back
It is hard but I shouldn't have been so blunt. MW are popular and if they can capture the heart of the nation should be supported.
I just hope bit by bit something/ anything returns.

I know what you mean about streamed stuff, my dh did a jazz gig with his quartet, they were allowed 5 in an audience the rest online.
I can't imagine how hard that must be without any atmosphere.

So glad to hear about your concert, yeahhh has made my day and put a smile on there.

Hello everyone. I've lurked on here for a few years on and off, name-changed. One dc at JD via streaming and two on-site visits this term. I must admit that today has been a very pessimistic day. DC is definitely starting to wonder if there will be a career in Music at the end of this. I can't let myself think like that but feel so sorry for this generation of future musicians. Even some performance is better than none, so it's great that quartets have been allowed.
Just wondering how the specialist schools are organising their music-making. We're starting to wonder whether a move to specialist school might provide a more consistent support frame work. Can anyone come on here and give an overview of how it's being managed?

No idea about specialist music schools.
DDs sixth form has arranged a sixth form orchestra and choir as they are all in the same bubble it’s allowed. Her county youth orchestra has just confirmed it’s going ahead for an in person rehearsal half term (yippee). They’ve found a larger venue where they can all sit 2 meters apart but have been told to bring hats and gloves as all the windows and doors will be open! She goes to a string group every other weekend and they’ve found a bigger venue so have been back practicing since September. Her JD is still all online but working ok. We’ve been to 2 socially distanced concerts which were both amazing. We’re in a tier 1 area if that makes any difference.

@PaddingtonPaddington
It's great that the sixth form is able to do that, not least because it has enough instrumentalists, albeit slightly chilly ones! At dc's state comprehensive, there aren't enough students in the whole school(1,500 pupils) to form an orchestra. Or, come to that, a GCSE music class. Our county youth orchestra is starting up today, in small chamber groups, with a massively reduced rehearsal schedule for this term in the first instance and probably longer as we're in a tier 3 area.