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?

That’s all a big relief wrinklyeyes - good tips there and hopefully the boarding school lifestyle won’t appeal too much to dd2.

ABRSM have an aural trainer app. I have the grade 1-5 one, but would be worth checking if there is a 6-8 one too?

@minisnowballs - I've PM'd you

Just checked - there is. Its £6.99. I find it quite useful in terms of playing the sections for singing back / looking for musical 'features'. I do technically play the piano, but haven't played properly for years beyond correcting / helping my kids and so am not really good enough to just sit down and sight read this stuff effectively for the tests.

Brilliant! Thanks all - I'll look at the app - we used the 1-5 one NorthernGoldilocks, and that was OK.

6-8 aural feels like a different kettle of fish (because you are supposed to be backed up by your theory I guess but i think dd did her best to forget it asap!). Her grade 6 aural was not as good as it could have been (lockdown aural provision utterly woeful) so I'm nervous this will be worse.

Londonmummy I have messaged you back, thanks so much!

Just in case anyone else is thinking about getting the ABRSM Aural trainer app, I've just discovered that it doesn't work with bluetooth headphones or speakers (so no airpods). Its not a deal breaker, but just thought I'd save anyone else trying to pair airpods multiple times!

@minisnowballs I've just found my girls' old copy of the Paul Harris Grade 7/8 aural test book if you'd like it I could drop it off at Morley for you? It's missing a CD but much of what is in the book is more about how to think about the aural tests rather than practice as it is intended to be a supplement to the ABRSM materials rather than duplicating them.

That is really really kind of you - I'd love to use that! Is Morley easy for you or is there an easier place to drop it off (or I'll pay postage)

We will have two grade seven exams next term, the aural is definitely a big challenge, I might get that app. The part singing is hard, I did hope that being at JD would help but they get so little choir it's not really going to have helped. They can go to an extra class so will probably do that after Christmas. One grade 5 this term, that seems to be going fine so far. Might even have some festivals next year 🤞

Super grateful to Dd2s school singing teacher, who apparently brought the Grade 7 aural book in today to work with her (it's a flute exam so nothing to do with this teacher) and did all the cadences, chord modulations and singing the lower part bit. Amazing!

That's great when their teachers work together. We will have help from the piano teacher for the aural in the bassoon exam, it means all her bassoon time is playing and she's not got any deadlines in piano just now.

@minisnowballs I've PMd you again re drop off on Saturday. Great news that the singing teacher is helpful. We had a brilliant piano teacher who used to help with running cello pieces with the accompaniment which made a big difference (even if daddy did the actual accompaniment til he got sacked for incompetence )

SO great when teachers collaborate.

Wow, that's lovely having dad as accompanist! DD does permit him to help her practise but not for the exam. Plus he can just about manage the grade five stuff but not other DDs g7. That would just lead to arguments!

Amazing!

I managed to plonk out the odd badly-played accompaniment up to Grade 3, but I'm completely stuck with helping now - particularly given that I have one child whose instrument moves in and out of three clefs (talking to you, cello) and another on alto clef. Both do my head in.

Dealing with music is like dealing with a foreign language for me. To be honest, most foreign languages would have been easier. So grateful for all the help!

I'm not sure having Daddy accompany was that good once she got to about Grade 5 as she got quite arsey with him (before she literally sacked him at Grade 6). Now she is a much better player than he is and has been roped in to accompany little sister - who is even more arsey - DH finds that quite amusing.

Still plonking out accompaniments here. I think this term's G5 may be about my limit too. DCs not arsey yet, they like being able to patronise me about my wrong notes, and that they can have accompanied practice any time they want it.

@thirdfiddle I'd give up whilst you are ahead....

Im impressed by all the accompanying parents, no chance of that here. We do however do an excellent line in arsey regardless . In other news, dd1 and dd2 when on tour their chamber orchestra last weekend and much fun and little sleep was had and concert season is approaching rapidly and yet again i am wondering why i didnt study logistics....

Londonmummy lol, may be the path of wisdom.

My middle DD agreed she might accompany the youngest in a festival entry which offers modest prize money. She then tried to negotiate her fee as a percentage of any prize money!!

@londonmummy1966 if you’re still looking to rehome your 7/8 could you send me a message?

@Pregnantabroad

Really interesting thread to read. My DS1 aged 9 is 6 months into the piano and new to Cornet while my DD1 is 7 and same on piano but she is learning trombone. I'd like them to have more fun than me. I did grade 5 piano aged 12 then refused to do any more grades and gave up at 14. Hoping that being in a brass band will give that fun element. Also our piano is in the kitchen which makes them want to practice -They both seem pretty keen on their instruments. When I was younger I was sent off to the boring, unused dining room to practice on my own. Any thoughts on how to keep enthusiasm up are welcome!

Brass band is the very best way to develop a brass player. It's just the way you are taught to play the note (don't bump it!) and shape the phrases (with feeling!). Many of the country's top brass musicians have that background Peter Moore being the shining example

Hoping your brass band will fire their passion for it. It certainly did for me and while I don't play professionally or in a brass band any more, I am very active in many other groups , for fun!

@Tangle02 - sorry I'm sending it to mini minisnowball....

Hi All, lively thread

My DD just turned 8. She did her ABRSM G1 Piano and Violin in June and her G1 Recorder last week. She is Grade 2-3 standard on all her instruments, but I delayed her G1s partly due to Corona and partly because she is a perfectionist and I wanted her to get good results (which she did).

I play piano and some woodwind instruments.

DD is a fantastic sight reader, so we are having a lot of fun playing Christmas duets. I can't wait for her to be able to join an orchestra. There is nothing going on locally, school has virtually no music at all.

We both sing in the church choir.

Her real love, however, is ballet. So when we go to the ballet, she goes for the dancing, I go for the music. Happy all round.

@londonmummy1966 - glad it’s found a good home. (looking for a 7/8 “school” cello, as DD has had issues with her hands and the 4/4 currently doing the duty is really a touch big - and noticeably bigger than the “posh” 7/8 at home. Ah well. She’s broadly coping and she’ll only get bigger!)