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.

dinosaur, DD2 is a SLYO player as well - I always feel that one is quite expensive, but she has learned loads from it. I thought they were extremely brave to go ahead at all, and DD was grateful as she always enjoys it, despite restrictions (she said the food was much worse too).

Bit late to the A-level discussion but just to say that I agree with what’s been said so far. Obviously the instrumental practice element is time-consuming but if the student is doing that anyway then it doesn’t feel like an extra and just becomes part of their routine.

DD has gone into school today with piano music to do a run through for playing in assembly. She seems pretty keen so hoping that its the start of feeling a bit more confident playing in front of people. She's also been quite keen on auditioning for CYM later this year, so fingers crossed it marks a change from not wanting to do things because she's too nervous! Obviously this could all change before Wednesday!

She's playing one of the pieces that she would use for audition too, so hopefully all good experience. Its probably not 'audition ready' yet, but its fine for school as its a really nice environment to get used to performing and really supportive / non pressured. Just hoping they don't decide she can only play half of it or something because of numbers as that's generally a bit 'odd' and its only short overall (managed to encourage her away from 7 pages of Adele!).

@northerngoldilocks - good on your dd! Sounds like a really good chance for her to get some good performance experience. I hope it goes well!
One thing my dc's school does really well is have half-termly informal concerts. You can put your name forwards if you have a piece ready and the atmosphere is really friendly. My dd plays in them often and they are a lovely introduction to performing. Hopefully your dd gets a similar boost from her assembly!

On a different topic - anyone know how long it takes for an exam appeal? DD's most recent exam grade was shockingly low and school are appealing it (and others). Not had this before. It's a recorded exam so they have evidence. No clue how it works though!

@QueenMabby so sorry to hear that- I hope she wasn’t too downhearted. My dd’s last one was not great and lower than expected (as were others at the same time) but the comments were probably spot on so we’re chalking it up to experience- but sounds like yours was really unfair. Hope it gets changed.

Dd2 is rapidly realising that after two years of really no chance at ensembles, she has now bitten off far more than she can chew. Had not really occurred to me that she would have to learn music in advance for nco projects (idiotic I know- but her other orchestras don’t and it’s her third instrument so she’s not so brilliant and experienced she can just sail through it as I’m sure others can) and with the London youth wind band too, plus exams to prep for, new ensembles at grade 5 plus starting in school and back playing in church too it feels like a big step change from last year. Think she grabbed it all with both hands as she’s missed playing with others so much but I hope she’s going to cope.

@QueenMabby - can school advise how long it should take? I don't know if its longer when there are a group of results being challenged?

Not sure what is happening with DD and assembly now as she was off ill today, so might not get to do it - but maybe thats all fine as the peri music teacher they did a run through with wanted her to play half (fine as stretched for time) and for her to play it much slower. At which point my mind is blown - like less music or slower, but not the two surely... Anyway, its unimportant in the scheme of things, would just like them to leave her alone so she can just get some performance experience. She doesn't need random coaching from someone who isnt' her teacher!

Oh dear, hope she's better now northern and can catch up the performance at some point.

Pianist shouldn't normally try to influence the speed. Perhaps they couldn't keep up?

Oh thank you - she actually was fine after a day off, and wasn't covid so she went in. In this instance my daughter was the pianist, so wasn't a case of accompanying.

She got to play the piece, (well half of it) and she did really well. She didn't seem to get as nervous as she has in the past and said it was good, so I'm really hopeful that its been a good experience for her. Maybe there's something about being closer to 9 that means they get more confident... She's also been doing a piano trio at her Saturday music thing so maybe there are just lots of factors that have reduced the stress of playing in front of people. Guess we all know that getting lots of experience is the right approach, but its been difficult over recent years. Here's hoping that everyone manages to get much more musical performance opportunities from now on.

@northerngoldilocks so pleased for your dd. Hopefully she'll remember that feeling of enjoyment and achievement the next time a performance rolls around so she doesn't feel so nervous.

No news our end on the cello exam appeal (but haven't asked!). DD recorded her piano grade 6 the other week and her teacher told her if she didn't get a distinction for it she'd get her the biggest box of chocolates she can find! It only needed one take apparently and dd was happy with how it went so 🤞🏻.

Singing grade 2 is happening sometime before Easter - dd has just started practising so hopefully we'll see some improvement! She was asthmatic in her early years (although she appears to have grown out of it) and her lung capacity isn't great so she finds some of the phrasing difficult. She has a solo in chapel this coming Sunday so is excited for that.

Update on ds.

He has been offered places at three popular music colleges, LCCM, BIMM & Confetti. LCCM is the favourite so far. BIMM I'm fairly sure is off the table. The pros are the London location, the cons are that every kids who ds knows who messes around in college seems to have been offered a place.

Leeds Conservatoire online audition is going badly so far. He's recorded his first piece fine (it's one he also used for LCCM) but they want to second piece to be original. So he has spent the last two weeks composing a song and getting the other parts/vocals recorded. Then when he tried to record his performance along to the track he created he was finding it difficult to play with the track rather than live performers to a standard he is happy with.

He's still waiting to hear about Salford. I wish he'd applied for Huddersfield as its a great course with a great reputation but he didn't like the place.

it doesn't help its a crazy few weeks, He was asked to write music for a play and put together/rehearse a band to play the music. That is next week. Tomorrow he is accompanying some first year singers in a concert, then next week is his performance assessment at college for his Btec.

@comefromaway that sounds stressful. He sounds so brilliant though, doing all of that writing and accompanying. Wherever he goes he'll be sought after.

@queenmabby that sounds like a lot going on - particularly with exams. Amazing to get the exam done in one take. DD2 has managed to put the voice grade 5 off until next term (with cello) so just bassoon for this. She's only just started singing lessons but the breathing doesn't seem to be a problem - I guess because of the flute. The sight singing is another story though as she's not ever been a chorister. And don't get me started on the bassoon scales, which will be the death of us all!

@minisnowballs - your dd sounds busy too!

Dd is doing the full practical g5 for cello next which is good. She finds the scales pretty easy as she's already done them on piano but interestingly isn't so strong on the sight reading despite being a really good sight singer! I think she focusses too much on getting it perfect so ends up a bit paralysed by it.

Oh dear, one of his play music musicians has covid

Oh no @Comefromaway - what a shame.

Oh no @comefromaway - it is all still so precarious at the moment isn't it - the resilience of these older kids applying for stuff now is so impressive.

@queenmabby - if only my dd2 found scales easy because she's done them on another instrument- it just doesn't seem to translate for her at all (particularly not from treble to bass clef). She has to learn them all again for every instrument... Not sure how her brain works, but not like mine does!

It's the flautist. He has written for keyboard, flute, percussion and bass. She will be back in time as long as she has a mild case but it just means very little rehearsal.

Leeds recording is completed along with his recorded interview questions, its much harder to record answers to a video than on zoom actually responding to a person. He just now has to find a practice room at college to record his analysis (he wants to demonstrate some points on a keyboard).

It's always the super spreader instrument isn't it... could they practice on Zoom if needed? There are adjustments you can make to settings. It's not ideal but it's not dreadful either

Oh dear comefromaway. Hope it's mild for her. We got an email yesterday from DDs flute teacher who now has Covid. Likelihood of all the children who had lessons with her not having caught it seems quite slim given all the air and proximity of these lessons. It is very characteristic of her ever reliable teacher to catch it in half term though - she's literally never missed a lesson with DD.

Ds's flautist came out of isolation yesterday. He managed to do a run through with her and the first performance today has gone well!

I'm heading off in about half an hour to go watch the 2nd performance.

Hooray! So glad

That's great news @Comefromaway. Hope it went well?

DS has Covid - so unsurprisingly i'm not really encouraging him to practice flute! Did mean that he couldn't come to the OAE concert we'd booked last night which was a shame, though DD and I enjoyed having a box to ourselves! Timing of it means that he should be fine for all back to school stuff though - lucky him!

My child has covid so is missing the school concert. He's gutted as he was playing 1st this time. It's his mate's turn in the summer so he's missed his moment. Half the orchestra are down but they're going ahead with what's left. He's not even poorly.

That’s rubbish for him.

@Siriusmuggle - that's such a shame. Poor ds. Hopefully there'll be other chances but it doesn't help much in the moment does it?

Dd heard yesterday that the school's application to appeal her cello grade has been denied. She was gutted. School appealed all the cello grade results from the same session - 4 or 5 I think and were denied across the board. Her cello teacher having had a good listen back to the recording said she should have got about 10 marks more than she did! Still never mind. She's well into her next grade so hopefully that'll go better - it'll be an in person practical grade.

She was mollified by a message from her Piano teacher that she had got a distinction in her grade 6. 139 marks. She was very pleased with that.

It’s awful timing but at least it wasn’t the day of his A level practical the week before. It’s frustrating as he’s not ill, particularly because we’re so close to self isolation not even being a thing.