Autumn 21 music thread

[thirdfiddle]

Well, we started the summer thread on a rainy day so how about an autumn thread on a sunny day?
Welcome all parents of musical young people, from total beginners to total professionals. Please come and chat in one of the friendliest and most helpful corners of MN.
What's new this term?

@Newgirls - sorry, when I said the Monday after the exam I meant the Monday immediately after the Friday so 3 days (and no actual working days) - it was very fast. Had the same back in the summer session too. Fingers crossed you don’t have to wait too long.

A friends daughter sat at 5pm on Thursday and had the result by Sunday last week . ABRSM have really upped their game!

Wow!!

Well might hear soon then!

Thanks all x

Hello all, just introducing myself- I'm a southeast London-based mum of two v little ones. My eldest who is 3 seems keen to start learning the violin soon and wondered if I could pick brains about best way to do that. Suzuki method? Also heard of something called Dalcrose? I'm actually a music journalist so feel like I ought to know but I don't! All recommendations very much appreciated (also realise I might not be in the right group for this so feel free to redirect me if I'm lost!!)

Hi DivingDolphin, how lovely your little one wants to get involved in music too.
I've come across suzuki, colorstrings and stringbabies as "methods" for teaching little ones, there may be more. Dalcroze I think is more about general musical awareness through movement/dance and not an instrumental teaching thing itself. But really I think it's mostly about finding a teacher near you who's really good with little ones and what method they use is secondary to that.

My DD started at 3 with a teacher who wasn't affiliated to any particular method, but was recommended to us by other local teachers for a littl'un. She's great, it was always a fun thing to do and her teaching style has grown up with DD.

Hi Diving Dolphin. Not sure where in SE London you are, but when i was looking for violin teachers recently, I noticed there was a Dulwich Suzuki group which had local teachers listed in case that helps?

I'm also looking for some advice please- DS is 10 and he has a music scholarship audition for secondary school in January. He needs to play 2 contrasting pieces on his first instrument and one piece on his second instrument - all fine so far.

There are some aural tests - not going to be his best bit but will cobble something together on that and get him to practice some sight singing over Xmas.

But then he also needs to sing something. He's not auditioning with voice as an instrument but does still need to sing. Wondering if anyone has any ideas / suggestions of what he could do please ?

He does choir at his sat school, but isn't really a 'singer' and there isn't really anything from the term he's done there. The pieces he does at school choir are either Christmas related (inappropriate in January) or young voices pop sing along. Not sure they're going to be great for this either. Don't think it needs to be very long, but I'm drawing a blank on inspiration so if anyone has any ideas I'd be grateful.

@northerngoldilocks consider a slow melody like Song to the Moon or Softly Awakes my Heart?

How's his range? What about something from a musical? Where is love from Oliver, I just can't wait to be king, little people from Les Mis, letter from Charlie bucket from Charlie and the chocolate factory are all good.

Hiya - good luck to him. I can ping you some of the stuff DD2 has just started doing if helpful - they are from ABRSM books and the range isn't too difficult- she's particularly loving Stairway to Paradise and Fall Leaves Fall at the moment (the good thing about them is you can find accompaniments on YouTube)

Firstly good luck. Look on YouTube to find stuff. Tell us more about his voice type etc OP too.

apologies my mistake

Thanks all - i'll take a look at these suggestions. They did say that if they didn't prep anything they'd make them sing 'happy birthday' so not sure if thats indicative of the type of length of piece they're looking for.

Appreciate the input!

Thanks so much @thirdfiddle and @northerngoldilocks - really helpful. I'd heard of colorstrings but not stringbabies. Will check it out! I learnt the violin using the Suzuki method when I was small and it was great though not always the best for technical stuff. You're right though - it's the teacher that matters most, not the method. @northerngoldilocks - we are based near the Dulwich Suzuki group so that's definitely a possibility. Hard to know when the right time is to start. He's keen now but maybe 3 is too young?! Don't want to put him off by starting too early...

@northerngoldilocks would some folk music work for your DS? We samg something called The Water of Tyne in our school choir which was pretty and simple but a good showcase for the voice. Also doesn't need piano accompaniment in case that's something to consider

I don't think they are looking for vocal quality, but tuning, rhythm and musicality. He needs to stay at pitch when singing, and not "sag". So I would choose something really simple and do it very well. Work on diction and some expression.

Ideas:

A Christmas Carol
A folk song (down by the country gardens, molly malone, swing low sweet chariot, the moses song that has "let my people go" in it etc)
A nursery rhyme (sing a song of sixpence etc)
A hymn or worship song (if you are churchy)

Avoid pop songs (well I would, anyway)

Make sure he knows about the sing, where its from and what it means

Thanks HappySM1 - I think that's right and a Christmas Carol would be ideal if it wasn't in January, so will have a look at the other things on the list

Just back from our choir's 9 lessons and Carols. Belting out the descant to Hark the Herald as an alto always marks the start of Christmas!!! I am on such a high. Merry Xmas everyone!!

Yes, same here. So glad to have made it to the nine lessons and carols. We were playing but did sing a bit too. Very thin on the ground but still lovely.

Just dropped dd2 at day two of orchestra... can't quite believe her holiday course has gone ahead - (but so pleased for her). She seems to be mostly playing piccolo and finding it exhausting but brilliant. So lovely to hear about christmassy concerts.

Our county youth orchestra course cancelled again… as they did in the summer when most of normal life was on.

We also made it to full complement of end of term performances and carol services. First performance since 2019 for some ensembles. Two of them did perform to camera rather than audience but that's okay.
Sorry your course cancelled newgirls, it's such a precarious situation at the moment.
Aloha, electric or classical guitar? Pretty damn cool either way. Does he have lessons? Good luck to elder's band. (Not Elmer's band as autocorrect would have it.) Just saying, you might want to ask mods to remove link though unless you are OK with sharing your real identity on here.

Just mentioning that Aloha only seems to post with links, are you trying to advertise on every post?

Doh, I should have spotted that horsey!