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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Autumn 21 music thread

334 replies

thirdfiddle · 18/09/2021 11:44

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?

OP posts:
Glwysen · 13/10/2021 10:40

Anyone any tips for grade skippers! DS did grade 1 sax a fews years ago and then has been scuppered by lockdown! He is doing grade 4 in november and I think is very nervous about the aural tests as he hasn’t really done any since his grade 1.

Trumpetdad · 13/10/2021 10:59

Wow!

Musictimesthree · 13/10/2021 11:23

@Glwysen I would suggest lots of practice using online apps such as Emusicmaestro and the ABRSM app. Otherwise the ABRSM aural raining in practice books and any other books you can get hold of. Also, listening to music in general and making connections with the aural tests.
This has worked so far for us 🤞!

Comefromaway · 13/10/2021 13:21

A friend who is a professional flautist and teacher has lost her flute which was in for repair at Topwind.

minisnowballs · 13/10/2021 13:27

That is so awful @comefromaway - I feel really sorry for them.

DD's current flute is returned from the repairer. Having fiddled with it he is now more confident it will get her through grade 7 (poss eight 'at a push') but we shall consider it on notice to upgrade - at least we now have time to do so without too much hurry.

londonmummy1966 · 13/10/2021 18:54

How awful - the repairer guy would recork recorders for DD as well and never charged a penny for it.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 13/10/2021 19:39

I don’t think the repair guy was the issue - as far as I know, he’s still working.
On the FB group, they had estimate over £100k worth of instruments had gone “missing”.
I have professional friends who have been affected; initially, they refused to believe they were victims, because of their great relationship with the men in question.

Glwysen · 14/10/2021 07:52

Thank you musictimesthree, we have the abrsm app will try your other suggestions!

northerngoldilocks · 17/10/2021 10:07

Update on Christmas music. I bought the Nikki Iles 'jazz on a winter's night' book. Have had a quick play through and it's got some nice arrangements and it's not too hard so will be fine to pick up in Nov / Dec

Alsoplayspiccolo · 17/10/2021 11:21

DS did some of the Nikki Iles arrangements last winter, and they are gorgeous and very playable.

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 17/10/2021 20:32

Ooh, I like the look of those. Thanks northern.

OP posts:
LuluKentGirl · 19/10/2021 18:25

anyone else working towards grades this term? trying hard to prep 8yo DS for G4 cello. he is motivated to do it - promise of Robux might have something to do with this - but still struggling to get the necessary practice time in, esp on scales. it's tough to fit in on busy school days, we're now trialling 2 short practice sessions a day, doing 15 mins morning on pieces and 5 mins in the evening for scales. doesn't really feel like enough though, but all he can manage.

horseymum · 19/10/2021 19:30

For scales, you can put all the names eg g Maj scale, c Maj arpeggio on separate slips of paper and have two small pots. Start with them all in one pot and select a couple each day. If they do it fine it goes in the 'done' pot, if they need more work on it, keep it in the first pot. Hopefully by the end of the week, they are all in the done pot, then start again next week or fortnight. If you are in the car to activities, can you listen to the pieces on YouTube so he really gets how they fit with the accompaniment, or do some rhythm clapping or whatever from the aural tests. Oh and the promise of a cake after the exam always helps! Honestly 20 minutes focused practice will do just as well as an hour faffing around.

horseymum · 19/10/2021 19:34

You can ask the teacher for ways to structure the practice, eg five minutes long bows for technique, five minutes focused on two tricky bars from one piece, then five mins play through that piece or a different as a performance. Playing through as a performance is very different as you keep going regardless. They really don't need to play each piece through every day, it will pay off doing much shorter sections. They could maybe put a star at the tricky bars.

northerngoldilocks · 20/10/2021 08:52

We have been focusing on scales as the last exam DD did was Grade 1 before lockdown and now doing Gr 5 at the end of November, so that's a lot of scales that weren't in the previous grade! At the moment we do major + arpeggios one day, minor another, then contrary and staccato / chromatics/ dom seventh the other. A variation of the pots of scales approach has worked for us in the past though with my other child - we stuck a bag to the music stand and wrote all the scales on a piece of paper and then he had to dip in randomly and play 3 each time. I figure its good to have the totally random nature of being able to play any scale at any time, rather than just in a set order of eg A maj, then B etc.

minisnowballs · 20/10/2021 10:48

My DD2 has a grade 7 in December, and has three pages of scales so we just do one page each practice....Not sure how effective this is as a strategy, but she seems to know them - there are an awful lot though. I have no idea how she remembers all those dominant and diminished thingies.

She only manages 20 minutes four or five times a week for flute so I tell her she has to be efficient. Tricky passages, and then perhaps work on dynamics for one bit. But she does her aural class at saturday school and then a run through with an accompanist there most weeks as well as her lessons which probably helps. But it is SO hard to find the time now that they're back doing all the other stuff.

londonmummy1966 · 20/10/2021 18:57

When working for advanced grades DD used to do one alphabet letter of scales each day so anything in A on Wednesday, B on Tuesday etc and finished with G on Tuesday am before her after school lesson. It worked for her and meant that she didn't have to think too hard about what she had to practice each day.

horseymum · 21/10/2021 13:39

Any RCS juniors parents who are frustrated with the current arrangements, would you mind sending me a pm?

horseymum · 21/10/2021 13:41

Can anyone with children at a JD please let me know whether they are back face to face or online and whether they are getting all their timetabled classes or not?

Alsoplayspiccolo · 21/10/2021 13:48

Any JD?
DS is at RWCMD JD and has been back f2f for all classes since the summer term.

minisnowballs · 21/10/2021 13:57

CYM has been back face to face in full since Sept - so I guess that Guildhall is too as they do the same.

horseymum · 21/10/2021 14:05

Thanks, yes any JD information is useful, RCS is claiming they are following guidelines the same as all other conservatoires in only having face to face alternate weeks and if your subsidiary study is different to the cohort in on your face to face week it is all online, which is a bit rubbish.

Trumpetdad · 21/10/2021 16:52

Yes Guildhall back to normal timetabling this term. And it was one of the most conservative last year - almost no f2f compared to RCM and RAM.

nomorehorses · 22/10/2021 06:45

RAM back to full normal timetable. Maybe Scottish guidelines are different though?

LuluKentGirl · 22/10/2021 12:45

@horseymum

Can anyone with children at a JD please let me know whether they are back face to face or online and whether they are getting all their timetabled classes or not?
Have DD and DS at Junior Trinity, all face to face with a full timetable of group and individual classes. Extremely well managed.
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