Spring 22 music thread

[thirdfiddle]

Roll up roll up for a new term of music parenting! This is a long meandering series of threads for all things musical. Please do say hi if you're new or lurking.
Delighted to see on the last thread that musical things are up and running again in the new term despite some covid nerves. Here's hoping for a smooth normal as possible run.

No extracts for 9 yr olds! Only from u12s and only a few instruments - presumably where they get oversubscribed.

Well DD is 13 and "only" at g5 and will probably have a go for both. She is very musical and plays in two (school) orchestras and a youth orchestra outside of school so has experience. Her first study (piano) is at g7 level and she also sings and her sight reading is good.

It's worth a go. Thank you @bostik for the tip about the excerpts.

'Only' g5 sounds pretty good to me @QueenMabby .I suspect it's not really about grades, as others have said - and sounds like she does loads of other music stuff that will make the difference.

Great she wants to have a go!

DD2's recording yesterday was not stellar... (her teacher likes her to do them with accompanist so they are done at a certain time) so I don't hold out much hope for her - but she'd be very happy with projects again if she got it. Fingers crossed.

hi, curious to know from anyone else who's recently done Trinity Digital exams what the wait time is for results at the moment? we've done several in the past couple of years and results have always been in under 2 weeks. now at 16 days and counting for DS's G5 cello exam....the waiting is killing us both!

We very recently had ours back in 48 hours - 16 days sounds like agony!

oh wow @CringeBinge ! result came in last night - merit, phew!

Has anyone waited for ABRSM online theory recently please? It's been 4 weeks since DD sat but still shows as pending. Has anyone had results back recently please?

We waited the full 4 weeks for DS's ABRSM theory result to come back around a month ago. They're so slow compared with the practicals (3 days even over a weekend this month!).

Theory is four weeks - I’ve never heard of it sooner.

Thanks - today is the full 4 weeks so will be rechecking frequently.

Excitement here. DS has got through to the semi finals of Young Chorister of the Year! To be filmed (along with the subsequent final) in October! Yikes! He's going to be on the telly!

Wow- that's impressive

Congratulations herbaceousDS!! How exciting! Not quite finished his treble career just yet then.

Yes I did wonder why the theory took so long compared to practical, especially now it's automatically marked. When they had a pile of papers to send off somewhere it made sense.
I wondered if it was to do with making sure people don't retake every 2 weeks till they pass.

We're having a quiet summer musically. Dates didn't work out for possible courses. DD is still practising, DS mostly isn't.

@herbherbaceous that's brilliant!
We're fairly quiet here to, one wind course done and dusted, nothing else planned.

Congrats to herbacious dc.

It's not a quiet summer for ds. he has been asked to do numerous extra things and is currently in rehearsals with NYMT for one of their shows which was unplanned!

@herbaceous - that's amazing! What a fantastic achievement.

Do they still do them by region? My df was "southern" choirboy of the year way back when - he's still got his "oh for the wings of a dove" single record he got to make!!

Not a lot of music happening here. Dd decided against auditioning for NCO which I was quite pleased about - she's had such a busy academic year I'm keen for her to kick back a bit. Just music practice although as usual piano to cello ratio is about 5:1.

Any tips to help me encourage her to even that up a bit??

Queenmabby, turn up with metronome in hand every piano practice?

More seriously, any kind of new music always gets DD interested in violin. We try to have mostly sight reading in holidays, an anthology or two she can explore, as she won't get any teacher input for a couple of months and heaven forfend she should take advice from me (I do play the violin!). Also if you can keep cello out safely, the fact a piano is just there and you can just sit down and doodle seems to make a difference. DD will go in to do violin practice and be distracted by the piano on the way.

Both mine tend to gravitate towards piano more but I think a lot of it is the 'easy accessibility' aspect! We do leave the violin in the case but with the lid open - which makes my violin playing friend wince, but a cello stand could be a good option if there is somewhere safe to keep it?

The cello is propped up on a stand in the corner of the living room - same room as the piano. I think it's that she's better at the piano so wants to practice it more - but obviously then the practice makes her even better which makes her want to practice more etc and the circle continues!

@QueenMabby - it's not regional these days. Just five boys and five girls from around the UK. Got to do a zoom with the producer tomorrow, and they're coming to film us for 'back story' before the end of the summer hols! YIKES. Better hire some body doubles, and get cleaning the house!

DS is just the same. Piano-to-horn practice is about 5-to-1. I think it's the accessibility. And that you can make fun and interesting music on the piano, without needing accompaniment. Instant gratification goes a long way!

@herbaceous that is incredible! Well done to your talented ds- he’s really going out on a high!

in the slightly more pedestrian world over here we have now finished the crazy two terms during which dd2 took three grade five face-to-face exams and did lamda grade 4 too (and none of these exams were on her main instrument which she’s had to keep up as well).

do not try this at home. Results two merits and a very decent pass (miraculously including a pass the cello scales that she could barely do the week before). Don’t know about the lamda.

really really need a quieter few months now- though she’s started on her grade 8 pieces for flute hopefully that will take a while.

Has anyone‘s DC done the Guildhall kindergarten course? DS is starting this September so just wondering what to expect!

@minisnowballs gosh that's amazing, i can't comprehend 3 g5 exams at once, congrats to your DD2 and to you too!

I'm struggling a bit with the yo-yoing from one child/exam to the next - seems like no more than 5 mins breathing space between each one. grade 5 cello done for DS, tick, now we start the G7 violin treadmill for DD. as the children are young i feel like i need to do a lot to get them ready and over the line each time, and it takes a fair amount of mental energy, is this just me?

I appreciate that I'm probably one of the only ones on the thread with older children (18 & 20) but does anyone have any experience/knowledge of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra.

Ds has met someone who plays with them on their Development programme and he has suggested that ds apply for their monthly Sitz's. It would mean qite a trek from Leeds to London but ds seems keen.

DD has two music exams coming up in the autumn. It is really putting a dampener on her practicing as she feels she needs to look at exam stuff rather than play for enjoyment. Also the teacher seems to have selected her pieces rather than letting her chose and she is not keen on them. We've had a look through the options and unfortunately some she would like to swap out would result in a less balanced programme. I would love to knock exams on the head but she is a music scholar and it is part of the deal.

@Comefromaway I can't help you, but we're off to see Come From Away in London today! Can't wait and I am sure I will cry buckets.