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?

Wow, trombone at 7! Does she have one of those cool plastic ones?
Agree with mini, ensembles have been a huge motivating factor for my two. Particularly being little it's been a big boost to find out they can keep up with giant teenagers. Practice with a parent around can also be helpful for little ones. Though mine mostly prefer to practise on their own now. Horrible mother suggests doing boring things like play slower or stop and fix it when there's wrong notes.

They both started on plastic cornets and then last week they got to choose their own real brass instruments. She chose trombone and my son chose a proper cornet. It's a brilliant local scheme and costs me just £8 per month for the both of them! (Compared to £36 per week for their piano!)

Definitely play with others. Mine started horn at 7 and is still at it 10 years on. He joined various local windbands and orchestras then music centre, county ensembles and nco. If you have a local music centre that’s a perfect starting point.

I've been lurking on here for a while and have finally got round to re setting my password!

I have a DS who is 10 who plays piano and flute. He's just started at CYM this year and is approx grade 5 on flute (no formal grades yet as lockdown kept scuppering plans). He also plays piano at around grade 5 level and was going to sit this time, but has secondary school stuff so we've put it off until spring.

I have a DD who is 8 who is also grade 5 piano - doing exam this time. She took up violin in lockdown and did really well - has had a teacher in real life for about 3 months now and is approx gr 3 or 4 standard - again no grades.

Know its early, but does anyone have any recommendations for nice Christmas music for grade 5/6 ish? The ones we have already have been rejected for this year as 'a bit easy'.

Hi northern - nice to meet you, and also interested in your Christmas music question. I don't know about kids but I can't face another year of interminable 12 days of Christmas!

For anyone looking for Christmas piano for kids around grade 2-3 ( I always think its best to go for Christmas music that's a bit easier than they normally play so you don't have to start learning it at the beginning of November!) then the ABRSM 'Upgrade Christmas' is really good - it has nice arrangements, a mix of carols and Christmas music including a really nice arrangement of 'walking in the air'.

I'd also be interested in any nice Violin Christmas music - around grade 3ish (some shifting to 3rd is ok). Grateful for any recommendations

'O holy night is quite challenging', mine have done it as a duet. Some other songs like 'all I want for Christmas is hippo' are fun and maybe a bit harder than away in a manger. Musescore will have loads of arrangements . Imslp for out of copyright versions of pieces.

Snap, we had two books of Upgrade Christmas in previous years :) I expect they'll come out again but DD would like something a bit fancier for showing at school. A less simplified walking in the air might go down well actually, might look into that.

On violin DD enjoyed abracadabra Christmas last year - they would be all 1st position-able but rhythmically interesting and jazzy backing tracks to play with.

Another CYM flute player. Welcome.. (my 12 year old DD learns there too).

I used to have fond thoughts that my two might do violin and flute duets for Christmas. They just fight so we've given up!

In irritating news the flute needs a complete overhaul (£200) but the flute man says it won't last much past grade 7, which DD2 takes in December. Arghh! Any suggestions as to what she needs next music people - she currently has a decentish Yamaha that doesn't have open holes? We have some inheritance for her that could go towards a new instrument but I was hoping to hold out for post grade 8.

@minisnowballs - our flute teacher recommended an open hole Altus Azumi. I got the AZ1000RE on eBay.

@minisnowballs I feel your pain re the flute (we had to upgrade for a cello which was painful). However there are advantages to upgrading early if it yields a big dividend in terms of sound/tone etc. Although ABRSM examiners aren't supposed to judge on the quality of the instrument sadly the improvement in tone a better instrument can bring often does affect their judgement. The only time DD didn't get a distinction was Gr 6 cello where she was on a student instrument the upgraded one for Grade just transformed the sound she made. So if you do have to buy a new flute then there might be a positive....

For those looking for a Christmas party piece perhaps get an arrangement of the last movement of the Corelli Christmas Concerto for solo piano? Not too tricky and plenty of free versions on the web. A bit more challenging might be the Daquin Noels (free on IMSLP) but number 10 would be OK for a grade 5/6. However the best way would be to buy a hymnbook with music and start learning to play carols from the 4 part harmonies. (DDs teacher at CYM got her to sightread a hymn a day over the summer holidays between G7 and G8 - you always get kudos at school if you can stand in for the music teacher in assembly.........)

Thanks @trumpetdad - i'll take a look. She's a bit scared of open holes, but I guess they're necessary?

Thanks @londonmummy1966- I'm sure you're right with the instruments. How can examiners know whether it is tone or instrument?

I feel terribly guilty as DD has been complaining about tone on her flute for weeks and I've told her that I'm sure it's her fault, only to take it to a repairer who has basically gone... 'er... yeah, there's no way she can be playing well on that at her level'.

Her teacher is great but isn't one for examining instruments closely and fiddling with them when something goes wrong.

Thankfully she's still on a 3/4 cello so I'm not planning to let her upgrade that til she gets to full-size (when it will be more expense!). The bassoon is too good for her, rather than the other way around!

@minisnowballs No need to fear. The flute should come with (or you can buy) hole plugs. Flute teacher gradually took out one plug at a time. DS still plays with one plug in (and we upgraded in Aug 2018).

@minisnowballs there is an amazing flute shop on Lower Marsh about 3 mins walk from Morley. I'd go in and have a chat and see what they recommend. I imagine that they'd let DD go in and try some flutes out - perhaps suggest that instead of a lesson she and her teacher go there and have a "play"

Re the cello - as she's a girl do bear in mind that a 7/8th cello might be better for her than a full size - far too many cello teachers don't think about the fact that girls are smaller than boys and full size can be too much for smaller hands. we nearly made the boob of buying a full size as her (male not CYM) teacher didn't think about this. It was only that we have a professional cellist as a neighbour who came round to look at the "on probation" cellos and said they were all too big and she needed a 7/8ths.

YOu could also look at Benslow for a flute if what she needs is more than you can afford atm. Link in one of my earlier posts

In lighter vein DD has texted tonight to say she can now play the hurdy gurdy. 11 years of practice and it all comes to this.....

@londonmummy1966 if you’re thinking of TopWind, they were amazing but have sadly shut down

slippedisc.com/2020/03/best-london-flute-shop-shuts-after-accountant-goes-to-jail/

@minisnowballs All of our instruments have been second hand on eBay or Gumtree. DM if you want some advice

Trumpetdad, it wasn’t just their accountant who was dodgy, sadly - there is a whole FB group for Top Wind customers who never saw their instruments again, thanks to the owners, who have now been banned from trading for 9 years.

Oh no - all those poor flute owners - the Topwind person used to fix DD2's instrument for free for years when things popped off so I was always very grateful to him. I'll look at some more options. Sure the teacher will have views!

And thanks @trumpetdad - supergrateful - I will DM when I've got my head around it a bit more

@Alsoplayspiccolo gosh never knew that (not on FB as a matter of principle).

They fixed dents etc on my DS’ flute for free and were great advising on piccolos. So sad others had an awful experience.

minisnowballs, trumpetdad - www.gov.uk/government/news/musical-instrument-traders-banned-for-18-years

Also, read the newest comments on the link trumpetdad posted from Slipped Disc above.

That's AWFUL!