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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Spring 23 music thread

970 replies

thirdfiddle · 09/01/2023 16:50

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.

OP posts:
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mummyoffourminimes · 09/04/2023 19:44

Please wise mums could you also recommend to me a first theory book? For a 7yo pianist around initial grade 🙏

northerngoldilocks · 10/04/2023 09:11

@mummyoffourminimes we used the Lina Ng ones- the ABRSM books are awful and best avoided!

www.musicroom.com/theory-of-music-made-easy-grade-1-fabmpt300301

You can also get the ABRSM theory app and the bonus is its grades 1-5. There are lessons and then questions on each section but I don't think it's enough on its own.

horseymum · 10/04/2023 10:30

Music Theory For Young Musicians
Ying Ying Ng is what I'm using with a wee recorder pupil. It's also helping her visualise a keyboard which she's not that familiar with. I also second the app, my kids have used it. You can go back over each section till you are getting good marks consistently.

Original poster
thirdfiddle · 10/04/2023 15:20

Those two (ToMME and MT4YM) are what we've used, and DS who is older liked How To Blitz.... In the editions at the time the Music Theory for Young Musicians was a bit more colourful so we preferred that in the end but both perfectly good and did the job.

ToMME also had pre grade 1 books with stickers which the kids enjoyed when they were very little (OK, DS may have been 7, but if DD had stickers he needed some too...). Probably no new content in them for an established pianist, but would be a quick romp through and start on note/clef writing iirc.

OP posts:
northerngoldilocks · 10/04/2023 16:31

Realised that the one @horseymum mentioned is what DD uses at Saturday music theory classes too- so yes, either should be fine for a 7 year old.

mummyoffourminimes · 10/04/2023 19:59

Thank you all, I've ordered both to see how we go.

northerngoldilocks · 11/04/2023 10:31

aaaargh - just heard that DD's amazing piano teacher who she only switched to in September this year is taking a year out and so not teaching on Saturdays next year. This means she will need to have another new teacher. I'm sure there will be other good teachers she can have and it will all be ok, its just such a shame as it was a really good 'fit' teaching wise and she has been making amazing progress with him. Added to the fact that I'm also trying to switch DSs piano teacher at his Sat centre too, am basically feeling that piano is falling into the 'tricky' category.

Violasrule · 11/04/2023 10:57

Hi,

I posted this on a different thread but didn’t get any responses.

Does anyone have any experience of NYSO? DD seriously thinking of auditioning for next year but I can’t find much information about it apart from their website.

Thanks!

horseymum · 12/04/2023 17:32

Hi @Violasrule , I don't have any experience of this, I've not heard of a bad ensemble course though!

JRBS · 13/04/2023 17:30

Hi
I'm new here. I have an 8y.o.boy who love to play piano.
I hope it is ok to ask if anyone tryed to apply for RCM mini- bass program this year?
Did you receive the results already?
One of my friends received before Easter, but we didn't hear anything from them. I started to think if they forgot about us.

horseymum · 14/04/2023 08:15

I'm sure I read about someone else who did, maybe do a search. Good luck, hope he gets in, I love playing bass.
@northerngoldilocks it's tricky changing teachers, although we have actually had good experiences when doing so, it's brought a freshness so, whilst it may not be ideal, hopefully it works out fine in the end.

northerngoldilocks · 14/04/2023 11:18

Thanks @horseymum - I do agree that changing teachers can bring positive change too, and we've definitely seen it with DD this year, just so much improvement, its just that both my kids changed teachers at the beginning of this academic year, so it feels like more chopping and changing that i'd ideally want. Still - at least it will give her a new teacher to work towards gr 8 with.

IWantToMakeTheBestDecision · 16/04/2023 17:32

@JRBS Good Luck! Was your friend applying for the same course? Maybe different instruments are informed at different times? What standard is your son on the piano? Was the audition hard? I am interested to consider this course for my DC.

JRBS · 16/04/2023 18:16

Hi, thank you! Yes, they wanted the same course. My son passed gr 5 on piano. He said the audition wasn't difficult, but who knows :). With the kids it is difficult to understand.

MozartIsMyBestie · 16/04/2023 19:11

Hi @JRBS Just seen your reply here too. They informed someone else who applied for the same course before Easter? Did they get a place? I would think they'd let everyone know together. That's bad. The only other option is to group people into those who got in and those who didn't. Did your friend's child get a place?

JRBS · 17/04/2023 11:26

@MozartIsMyBestie , they didn't get a place

SweetforOrchestra · 17/04/2023 11:42

RCMJD were still auditioning last week (generally, not sure about the mini bass programme) if that is any use, so it isn’t the case that all applicants to JD necessarily find out at the same time.

MozartIsMyBestie · 17/04/2023 15:00

@JRBS I don't want to raise your hopes but I'd say it's 99% likely that our sons have places. There was only one day of auditions for the mini bass. They clearly let everyone know who didn't get a place before Easter. They will let us know this week. There will be information and forms they need to send to the people who get a place. Hence the wait for us. It was kindest to let the people know who didn't have a place. Fingers crossed, I'm right!

JRBS · 17/04/2023 21:40

Fingers crossed 🤞 :)

herbaceous · 27/04/2023 15:26

Hello all.

Been a while since I posted on here... I have no useful knowledge of national ensembles or JDs, so am not much use in that regard.

DS - the angelic choirboy - is hurtling through puberty. For the first time his voice cracked on a high note in a solo the other day, so he's getting prepared to hang up his boy treble boots. I think I'm more emotional about it than he is! He's looking forward to being a tenor (he hopes) and playing romantic leads in musicals. He's doing a 'last hurrah' concert on Sunday, and has decided to turn down any further invitations for solos in case he does a humiliating yodel!

Gearing up for his grade 8 piano, performance grade. Had a fun time at a piano competition in Harrogate, where his class was won by a prodigy from Cheethams, who has been wiping the floor with the competition for eight years (I looked him up!). Didn't seem to enjoy any aspect of the process though... will be playing in his piano trio for the school's open day.

God merit in his initial grade viola after a term of lessons, and is storming along with French horn.

Oh, and he's going to be Lawrence in a non-school production of School of Rock!

Sorry - lots of boasting there...

SweetforOrchestra · 27/04/2023 15:57

Wow @herbaceous well done to your DS for all of that! I’m amazed he’s fitting it all in! How old is he? I’m not surprised you’re feeling emotional about his voice breaking!

Linked to the singing, I wonder if anyone has any advice/been through similar. My DS is tiny still (just turned 5). He used to sing constantly from as soon as he could talk but since he started school in September he’s stopped doing it. I don’t know why - maybe a bit of self consciousness? It is making me really sad! He goes to Guildhall kindergarten and sings beautifully in his classes but I wondered if anyone had ideas for how I could encourage him to sing again at home. Or is this just a phase that will pass?

herbaceous · 27/04/2023 16:05

DS loved a karaoke machine at that age!

He is now 13. Stopped being a cathedral chorister last July, brief moment of stardom on BBC chorister competition in Nov/Dec, and now 'just' sings in a church choir on Sundays, a brilliant youth choir in the city, and school choir. Oh, and in productions.

A lot of the music is at school. He got a hefty music scholarship to our local Quaker school, and they've scooped him up and put him to work. He does a piano trio, brass group, orchestra, senior choir, junior choir, barbershop quartet and renaissance singing group! Plus lessons in piano, French horn and viola. And was Gavroche in the school's Les Mis.

Outside school he is in an orchestra, as well as the choirs. And the plays!

Good job he doesn't want to do sport or anything else...

northerngoldilocks · 27/04/2023 18:20

@SweetforOrchestra perhaps he's just tired with starting school . Its fairly exhausting for them at that age. Provided he's still enjoying singing at his Guildhall classes its probably fine.

@herbaceous that must be so hard as a chorister to be wondering when your voice will change - sounds like he has lots of other stuff going on though to focus on as well.

My ongoing piano teacher ups and downs continue. DD still waiting to hear who else the Sat music centre will suggest for her and then need to do a trial lesson with them to see if its a good fit. She has the rest of the term to decide though and will hopefully take her exam before her current teacher leaves. DS has a new piano teacher though at his Sat centre and I sat in on the first lesson and he was excellent. Will take them a bit of time to get used to each other but he picked up so much of what generally annoys me about DS's playing in the first 10 mins so its a good start! Just hoping that next year I don't have to change any music teachers for either of them.

DD is playing the piano in assembly at school tomorrow - they have a system where they let them perform whilst the classes come in which is lovely. Sadly they also have lots of slightly strange rules about how much they're allowed to play (and never a full piece), yet then bafflingly will let them play the same section multiple times but swapping with the others playing between goes. I do love that they have the opportunity though, but just wish they could play from start to finish as its also an important aspect of performance - eg you get one go, you do your best and if nothing else, start and finish well!

herbaceous · 27/04/2023 18:30

That does sound a very odd system! Why not just play the piece, next person plays theirs, etc.

I’m sure changing teachers will be fine. Any change will address different issues with playing, and any incompatibility will take a while to show and even longer to matter!

northerngoldilocks · 27/04/2023 18:39

This is true - its just that she changed teachers in September and now he's leaving so will need to change again. Its just one of those things but its a shame as he was great and she had made so much progress with him.

Also - re the insane school thing - yes exactly! It gets really boring hearing the same section for the second and third time too so its super confusing. There is also the other side that they seem to judge length by 'number of pages / notes on a page' but it can take some of the beginner woodwind or guitar players longer to get through a couple of lines than for DD to play a whole piece so really there's no explanation other than 'this is our rule'. On the other hand, its all good performance experience, and I'm quite surprised she's being allowed to play piano at all as they generally only allow instruments they teach in school (and piano is not one of those).