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.

That's a good idea - though again on piano they're harder to find. I've been looking for piano ones and have only really found Chetham's (which i can't work out if an adult has to accompany at if they're at the junior course) or Wells International Piano school - which DD has refused to consider this year but might be persuaded for next.

@northerngoldilocks i think the Chets one doesn’t need and adult. Contact them to confirm, they’re lovely people. I’d recommend anything there.

Pro Corda does a piano course.

Thanks- I'll check out both for next summer when hopefully she will be feeling a bit braver in terms of going on a residential course!

@northerngoldilocks - dd did the Chet's junior course (do they still do one just for children?) and I think they only had to be accompanied if under 10 or something? Dd was 12 and went alone.

Had a look at this year's and it seems the junior course is running at the same time as the main summer school so U18s need a parent.

When dd went she had a good time but it was juniors only at the time. She loved it but I thought there was a lot of time just spent wandering around and watching others which wasn't great but it was 2021 and just managed with covid so that might have had an impact. Interesting they've not done a dedicated junior one again.

Well done to your DS @Siriusmuggle. I know how lucky we are too to attend a school with an amazing music department that is so supportive and encouraging of the children, some of whom are very young indeed. We should be thankful that some schools at least still have the resources and commitment to provide access to rarer instruments. I would ideally like to see county music services also being able to provide this support but realise this is unlikely in the current financial environment.

Looking forward to a week full of music here- two regional music service concerts, then JD symphony orchestra. Love it! DD will be needing her Easter holidays. Youngest DD then has a holiday orchestra course which will be nice for her as it's usually elder one who gets to go on more things.

How lovely @horseymum . DD2 has had the music department concert on Saturday, which was a lot of fun (though she had a huge nosebleed in the middle of it, which did at least make her easy to spot in the ranks of the chamber choir). She's organising a school lunchtime concert for this week - which is stretching her powers of ingenuity and cajoling, but she reckons she's managed to organise something.

DD1 is recording her GCSE performance pieces - cue huge stress - especially since DD2 has been dragged out of her normal lessons to help with various recordings for the rest of her sister's class. We're having a thoroughly non-musical easter holiday since DD2 eschewed all music possibilities for a holiday with her cousin in the sunshine, and the rest of the time we'll be tramping around the Lakes in the rain. May bring the flute... No bassoons!

Has anyone sent their child on a pro corda residential course? Was just looking for DD and there is one that overlaps nicely with the London Youth Wind Band tour her brother is doing - so before i get too over excited about the prospect of a child free week I thought I'd see if anyone had any experience.

She'll be coming to the end of year 5 so would be the year 4/5 one she could do. They say grade 3+ but look for potential etc which sounds fine on paper for her re violin, or could see what the deal is with piano (but think I'd prefer her to do strings if possible at this stage as its more sociable).

Grateful for any insight. Thanks.

Having looked more closely I'd not checked the dates properly and procorda doesn't tie in so perfectly. DD has also refused to do a violin residential. Reckon I'd have more success with piano so will look into options for that or a mix of the two on a chamber course for next year!

Just found this thread. Is anyone familiar with the application process for the junior department at the Royal Academy of Music? I'm trying to find out when the results are given but can't find it anywhere. TIA

They will have given a timeframe when you applied I expect. For the JD my DD goes to I think the results are out in end of April, the auditions were start of march. I don't think the results dates will be on their website, only given to applicants. Are you waiting results? Hope you hear good news.

Thanks @horseymum . She did the audition today. Are you referring to the Royal Academy? She's already in the primary program there but needed to reapply for the juniors. I'll check my old emails to see if there's a timeframe there.

We're not at the Royal academy but I'm sure the info will be buried in an email somewhere. Hopefully if she's been in the earlier program there is a good chance to progress to the next stage. We have progress reports etc that would indicate if progress wasn't satisfactory.

@horseymum Thanks. I checked email history. Unfortunately the date for final results was never specified. Re coming from the primary program, they claim that you have no advantage over kids coming from the outside so who knows :-)

The lack of a link between the primary academy and junior academy was offputting when I looked into it- but from memory there was a week of auditions- so would imagine results won't come out until all auditions completed.

Thanks @northerngoldilocks . Offputting indeed. But for us, there were many advantages to RAM.
The auditions will continue until the end of next week so we aren't expecting results before that.

Good luck to her @MissScotland - I'm sure the waiting is horrid, but even if they don't technically have an advantage against external candidates I'm sure your DD does have the 'advantage' of being brilliantly taught by the right people in an 'approved fashion'....and probably having more confidence in the audition because she knows the place and the deal.

Hope you hear soon though.

Huge amounts of weeping last night from DD1 who is the throes of year11 stress. Did her GCSE music recordings on Tuesday, and was really happy with the final one - which is the one that has cut off in the middle on the recording so they will have to send a different one.

Head of Music doesn't see the issue (I suspect because she's happy with all of the other recordings too and DD1 is just being a stressy teen) and they can't be re-recorded because there is no-one on staff who can accompany her on piano at a sufficient level. Gah! She was the only child in the class who needed a piano accompanist anyhow so they had to get someone in.

I guess it is this sort of problem we won't be having with DD2 at specialist school. But poor DD1!

How annoying.

Ds HATES having to make recordings with passion. But at least as a pianist/keyboard player he isn't reliant on others. He was going to do one audition recording with a drummer but he just couldn't make it work (even though the drummer is excellent and ds plays with him a lot)

Oh that’s a shame @minisnowballs - poor DD! If it’s any consolation I’m sure the expected standards at GCSE are pretty low so she will do really well even if it’s not her perfect performance.

@MissScotland how did your DD find the primary RAM?

@SweetforOrchestra thanks - this year group had a really tough time with music during covid (leading to them having no actual music teacher for a long period of time when they returned) so she isn't so sure that the rest of the mark will be good and pull up mistakes. And it is violin, which is such an unforgiving instrument (everyone else is singing or guitar). Fingers crossed it will be OK.

Probably didn't help DD1 to have her little sister hanging around in the music dept the whole time as some kind of semiprofessional stand in for a sick teacher who was supposed to be singing on the recordings...

GCSEs really are much worse now than they were in my day!

Aw @minisnowballs that's so stressful. I'm sure the back up recording will be good enough though. The standard is really basic for music in Scotland, it's meant to make it accessible if you just start lessons ( or only learn in class like guitar/ keyboard) in high school so Nat 5 ( like GCSE, maybe a fraction below) is only grade 3/4 on two instruments. DDs teacher refused to give her a grade 3 piece and settled for grade 6 ( mostly chosen because it had an easy accompaniment). Advanced higher ( bit like a level ) is only grade 6. When I did Certificate of sixth year studies ( short lived version of advanced higher) it was grade 8 ish on first instrument and 7 on second.

Thanks @minisnowballs ! @SweetforOrchestra she loved it! It's her second year and she goes very happily every Saturday. She really wants to move up to the juniors to continue with some good friends that she made there.

I really hope she is ok minisnowballs. I bet it'll be great, but can well understand it won't feel like that to her just now. I think that year group has suffered the most really with covid.