Spring 23 music thread

[thirdfiddle]

I saw some sunshine today so it's officially spring! Here's a new thread for all things musical.

With a nod to those who started the series, well before my young folk picked up an instrument or I braved the vipers of MN. This little corner is for support only, and bragging about your young folk's musical achievements is positively encouraged.

How are things looking for new year? Anyone new want to join us for a chat? Any lurkers want to delurk? All welcome from pre beginners to music college and beyond.

Oh that's brilliant news @georgedawes! Which day is she going to?

Well done mini mini snowball! And Mini George Dawes!

We are drawing breath here after a packed two weeks involving two 12-hour Les Mis rehearsals, three show nights, a viola exam, audition for School of Rock, recital with a piano trio, solo spot at local choir festiival, plus all the usual school orchestras and groups, and external choirs. It's all a bit crazy. DS was v grumpy for a few days post Les Mis - no doubt partly 'show come-down' and partly exhaustion. Back to full strength now!

Great news @Comefromaway - sounds like a brilliant opportunity for him.

@georgedawes not sure what your DD plays (and maybe its something more rare) but its interesting that there is a bit of flex in the age limit. One to consider for us next year as DS will be 13 during that year - though as a flautist it might be less likely!

My child started last year at a specialist music school - they are having a brilliant time!

Yes it's a rare instrument and looks like they hadn't filled one of the parts with someone from inspire (it was only an NYO musician covering one part) so can see why she was offered it. She is nearly 13 too so perhaps that makes a difference? It's one of the orchestra days she's been offered.

@horseymum - hope your dd enjoys the grand piano! Definitely check the pedal, particularly if the piano is on a frame - it may go higher than she thinks! Dd often suffers from a "smudgy" pedal in those cases!

@georgedawes she will have a brilliant time- great they found space. Dd2 has just reluctantly turned down an nyo day in Sheffield on her rare instrument- she was the only nyo inspire player on it (she is off on hols with my sister for Easter and they changed the flights so she can’t go).

She really enjoyed inspire at Easter-though was the youngest on the residential at 13- reckon they are more likely to have younger ones in the day stuff. Hope your dd enjoys too.

Oh it's Sheffield my DD is going to! And there was only one other inspire player there when she signed up, does yours play a double reed instrument? DD now worried about being the worst player there!

Pressed post before I'd finished! She did a big practice yesterday though, which I think has helped the nerves a little bit.

@georgedawes Yes! DD2 is a bassoonist (well, she's a flautist whose bassoon skills are far more in demand than her flute ones, meaning that her bassoon is rapidly catching up with her flute. She applied to Inspire on flute and they switched her).

Your daughter will be absolutely fine - DD found the music for the residential straightforward - not even any tenor clef (and she's not that experienced with bassoon ensemble playing) and the the tutors lovely and supportive.

Oh that's so interesting about the bassoon - this is what my daughter plays! Looks like they just missed out on meeting each other, what a small world. Hope your daughter has a great holiday!

Brilliant - she will always be in demand! I am slightly jealous of daughter jetting off to sunnier climes - we're at home with the Year 11, ensuring she does her revision.

I didn't know how in demand til recently! It's already given her lots of opportunity, but at heart she just loves the sound of it. Hoping they get to compare tenor clef pieces at a future event :)

What a lovely good news thread this is at the moment. The NYO Inspire thing looks like a lot of fun. Go team MN bassoons!

Bassoon is great. I got into all sorts of orchestras and shows by playing it, and in fact have just been roped into DS's school orchestra concert as second bassoon!

If you read this thread you'd think every third child in Britain played the bassoon - so why can no orchestras ever find any of them?

We're quite fond of DD2's bassoon - though now she's going to specialist music school with it we should probably stop calling it the 'honk honk'. Didn't even know what it was when she took it up though - she'd just seen it in a Saturday centre concert and they offered cheap taster lessons. The cats still think it's a terrifying predator when she plays a low b flat (mind you they aren't keen on the piccolo either).

It's funny isn't it! Round here there are actually a few bassoonists and competition for orchestras is a bit higher as a result - I think some older players have taken up the bassoon as a second instrument. Ours was a first one as DD loved the sound, and the rest is history really. It's oboe that is really rare in these parts!

They are the most popular wind instrument at DD's school - enough of them that they even have their own choir (moreso even than flutes). It's the oboes and clarinets that are sadly neglected here - only two of each.

That's extraordinary @yodaforpresident . I'm assuming that isn't a state school - I can't imagine them being able to afford the instruments? Our dds' current school (state girls comp) has 36 flutes (i counted the massive flute group) - and that isn't even counting DD who learns externally, a clarinet group of eight or so and tons of saxophones who are often also clarinets. It has, as far as I'm aware, no oboes... and DD on bassoon when she can be persuaded. And an extraordinary number of trumpeters and singers. So random what you get, isn't it?

I think that the private schools have done a really good job of encouraging lots of younger kids to play the bassoon. Perhaps they need to now refocus new intakes on the oboe!

At DS's state school there are more flutes than pretty much anything else - they outnumber violins in the orchestra!

My DD is the only child in our whole council area to play bassoon and she does it privately. Other DD is the only oboe, same. They just don't teach it. Shame as mini bassoon is pretty easy to pick up, it's light and a good size for younger players and doesn't have the same pressure feeling as the oboe with breathing. It's ludicrously expensive though, probably the main reason. Our council definitely favours flutes, clarinet and sax, violin and cello. Some brass but no ' heavy ' brass so bass trombone or tuba, not one single french horn as far as I know and only about 3 double basses. Eleventy billion bagpipes and chanters though, it's well funded here ( in Scotland obviously!)

36 flutes is quite something. Our school is huge and I'm not sure 36 pupils have woodwind lessons in total!

Instrument spread is very interesting. Dd is at an independent school and there's lots of music.
In her sinfonia orchestra in school she's 4th cellist but the three above her are all post grade 8! More play in the string orchestra - about 10 altogether where she's maybe 6th cello at g5 level.
Randomly we have about 8 French horn players! Quite a few trumpets too. A few trombones and one tuba.
A few oboe players (two of DD's friends play) but they don't seem to want to join the orchestra. One bassoonist but she's U6th so will leave this year.
We have violinists coming out of our ears!

One of the other local schools to us (which has a music specialism with 'scholars' - state places) has just sold its four bassoons, allegedly to spend the money on yet another keyboard.

DD2's bassoon teacher's son goes to this school and I'm sure could have at least pointed them to a teacher if she didn't want to teach there herself. Shortsighted I think - they could have had a real specialism there.

I'm not sure who they've sold them to, but my money is on an indie. Sad really as I'd like more kids like mine to get the opportunity to try something more unusual. There must be loads of bassoons knocking around in the grammar and ex grammar state schools and music services that aren't getting used.

I find instrument choice so interesting! I liken it to the wand choosing process in Harry Potter 🤣.

All the professional oboists and bassoonists I know played something else first, ranging from violin to flute to trumpet - I guess it helps if you’re slightly older when you start them so makes sense that a lot of kids would move from something else. I got given my own instrument at random because there was one kicking round the music service. I’d never even heard of it before I started but I just absolutely fell in love with it and never looked back.

Tempted to be slightly more strategic with my own DCs - probably wouldn’t encourage the flute or clarinet as there are usually so many for comparatively few spots in orchestra. Or anything that requires wheels to move it around!