Autumn 23 Music chat

[horseymum]

It's autumn term already! I'm sure there's lots of music going to happen this term. Welcome to anyone who wants to chat about your child's music activities, whether current or things you hope to do. It's a friendly group with experience at many different levels.( I've learned so much) No question is a daft one and don't be put off by chat about higher levels, all our children couldn't play a note once.
Come and ask about starting music lessons, which instrument to choose, exams, music festivals, specialist schools, orchestras and ensembles. We love talking music.
We also love to share music exam successes or struggles etc ( you can't always shout about these on FB!).
Feel free to do a wee intro if you want, although it's still public so only share what you want to.

The other thing I'm beginning to realise - forgive me but dd2 has just been home for half term so I've been able to see how practice has transformed - is that lots of things don't look like 'practice' , but are.

That includes - listening to pieces she's playing, different interpretations, with music in front of her, wandering around breaking in a reed, breathing exercises, taking up running (yes, her flute teacher has suggested this one) and some ensemble work and classes. And lots of looking at how she does things in a mirror and slowly doing them.

Some of these things are probably obvious to the rest of you - but it can make 'practice time' shorter because some of it can be done on a commute for instance, or it can look like faffing about.

Some of it definitely is faffing in her case - but her perspective on 'practice' has changed a lot in a very short time! There is also voluntary metronome use. Unheard of!

She whatsapped me last night very excited about her move to the main symphony orchestra. Which is great - but she's on contrabassoon. Which she's never played. Teacher must have a sense of humour, as she's the tiniest of their five bassoonists.

Indeed. A lot of DS's horn practice is by playing in ensembles - sightreading, technique, etc. And piano he's always noodling his way around Elvis or showtunes.

Totally agree. I remember I used to "practise" on the school desk, or do finger stretches during class. Listening to music, working out interpretation etc are all part of learning. There is obviously theory, aural, sight reading etc on top of the physical practice. DS would "play" on table during lunch hour, or hop/step/tap to different rhythm etc.

He would definitely faff a lot if I don't keep an eye on him! But because we don't set a target time, the more he faffs the longer the practice is. I learned this from my own experience. My parents used to set me a target time so I would do anything during this set time to get away from playing the actual piano 😂

I am looking forward to the day when DS can join an ensemble. His cello teacher runs a small group, or he could also get into the school one. The thing with piano player is we often play alone which can be quite lonely. I have duet in school concerts but never had the opportunity to play with more people.

I am looking forward to the day when DS can join an ensemble. His cello teacher runs a small group, or he could also get into the school one.
Might be sooner than you realise. Check out local music services too - ours have ensembles from beginner up, I think they even have an open strings part for those that need it.

@Nbobun - once when watching dd sing in church, I noticed that she was constantly wiggling her fingers against the outside of her leg or on the ledge in front of her. I asked her why she was fidgeting so much when she sang and apparently when she sings she "plays" the notes on her leg/ledge as if it were a piano!

When she's nervous or anxious there's a favourite Haydn piece that she "plays" on her leg!

@Nbobun you could do some duets on piano with him? I'm sure there will be some easy Christmas carols for cello/ piano. I've cracked open the Christmas carols with my recorder pupil ( it's not me that has to listen to them every day!!)

Starting Christmas music now would be considered 'late' by DD- but it is like living with a Christmas elf! We even have the joy of the same piece on violin and piano as she has the Nikki Isles jazz on a winters night book for both instruments! I have insisted on adding to the piano repertoire though given how early she's started as don't just want to listen to silent night, in the bleak midwinter and The Snowman on repeat until Christmas.

DS less keen though and turned down my suggestion of a new Christmas flute book!

No Christmas music here but dd has a concert next week so I'm having the same "tricky" parts of her current piece over and over and over again.

It's a movement from a Mozart Sonata and he has to do "finger pedalling" (whatever that is!) - I've heard it so many times I think I could almost play it be ear! I'll be glad when it's performed and done and we can rest it for a while.

My DD(12) practises no way close to those levels as it so hard to fit it all in,
Piano (G8) - 30 mins 3x per week (taking this slower as she only did G6 in June
Cello (G6) - 30 mins 4x per week
Clarinet (G6) - 30 mins 4x per week
Voice (G8) - 30 mins 2x per week
She does however take part in two orchestral ensembles and two choirs every week and a 1hr aural skills class so in total that adds another 4 hours. Probably nowhere near the recommended amount but she does it ramp it up as necessary if there is a particularly tricky piece or has an exam approaching. She is in no rush so is happy to take things slower.

She does do the finger practise on her leg/ table too!

@horseymum I bought the accompanying book to DS's cello book, had a go at accompanying him this weekend. Definitely something I will try to do in the future!

Anyone else's woodwind player get an invite to the NYO inspire Blackpool residency in February? Not broached the whole 'trip to blackpool' thing with DD2 yet. I think it would be very good for her but last time my mum died while she was away and I think it's rather coloured her idea of it. hopefully can still persuade her to go.

Yes! Youngest as inspire and middle as NYO. 10-12th as it fits our half term so suspect it will be more Scottish ones then. That will be hard for her with those memories but a lot has happened in a year for her, maybe she would enjoy it. Hard for you as well.

How lovely they'll be together! dd2's is a later one - 13-15, which is a shame as I'm sure she'd have loved to meet your little bassoonist. I'll try to persuade her to make the trip though - it was really useful in terms of meeting teachers and other players last time. She knew several of the RAM undergraduates when we went for their double reed day (though was too shy to speak to them) because of Inspire.

Has anybody auditioned for NYSO this year and has heard the result already? We haven't heard of anything. Anxiously waiting but not sure whether they still give a result if it's a no?

No but we are awaiting NYOS ( National Youth orchestra of Scotland) results, it's the worst bit! I know they have finished the auditions so presumably just discussing now. They will say either way in my experience. For NYO, the unsuccessful email came earlier in the day than the successful one.

Helps to know we're not the only one waiting (although for different orchestra) . It'll be nice to hear from them either way...

DS is now all about the musical theatre. Had the BEST time doing School of Rock, and has just auditioned with another company as Tony in West Side Story. Doesn't really stand a chance, but may get him noticed!

@herbaceous - that sounds like fun. Fingers crossed for a good part in WSS!

Dd was somewhat puzzled to have been cast in her school's production of Les Mis despite not auditioning and her telling the drama teacher that she didn't have time to be in it! It made it even harder not to do as she was the only one in her year (yr 10) to get an individual part rather than "ensemble"! She just doesn't have the capacity at the moment. I'm taking her to see SIX as a birthday surprise next month so that might make it up to her a bit.

We have a two concerts next week - one solo piano performance and one ensemble concert.

Ooh which part? Most people would give eye teeth for one of the female parts in Les Mis!

I don't know @herbaceous. It won't have been any of the main ones. Just something with a few lines I expect. We have some very talented female 6th formers who will have been given the biggest roles. She can't do it anyway so I didn't want to dwell on it with her. She's desperate to do Phantom and really hoping it comes up once she's in the 6th form.

It must be a really tricky thing for a drama teacher/department to select the performance each year keeping in mind all the children and their varying abilities!

I checked to see when NYOS audition results email came last year and it was not until the 12th December so we still have ages to wait for younger DD!
Hope everyone's exam prep is going ok for those partaking this session. Everyone sick of the pieces yet? We have had the piano pieces for quite a while as higher grades take DD longer to learn. Also got a final outing for an oboe piece at a concert this week then that gets put to bed for now. DD never usually complains but this one has been hanging around for a while! She's excited to get stuck into the NYO music now for Christmas residential.

We've put the Mozart to bed now after DD's concert last night. Thank God!

She played really well. As is the way of these things, a couple of tricker passages that were causing her trouble went perfectly and a couple of really easy bits that she doesn't give a second thought to tripped her up but overall it was good.

No exams here just a good mix of repertoire. G6 cello will be happening at some point but at the moment she's just playing around the pieces and trying to get her bloody cello in tune! She plays beautifully but her intonation is often off and she struggles to get that right. Any tips?

Dd's been planning her piano piece for this year's Xmas concert since two years ago. It was a little tricky to perform at that point, then last year she did a violin piece. Hope she gets a slot or it may get another outing next year!
DS has no idea what he's going to audition or even which instrument. Auditions are this week. 🫣
Fingers crossed for audition result-ers, good luck to exam-ers.
And well done QueenMabby's DD! There are usually a few little things, which usually we and the performer notice but the rest of the audience don't.
QueenyMabby, is it strings going out of tune or her? For player, lots of practice, slow, listening like mad, checking notes against open strings when you can, planning ahead for finger placements and shifts, lots of slow shift practice. Someone told me that when listened back in slow motion even top players don't land every note perfectly but they adjust faster than you can hear it's wrong. I thought that was really interesting and reassuring. Tuning is a lifetime job for most of us.
But if it's the cello causing problems may be luthier time.

Something we tried in an orchestra string sectional was separating bowing and fingering. So trying a short passage just bowing on open strings without using any left hand - sounds awful but gets you to focus on one thing at a time. Then swap and just do one really long bow and do normal left hand. ( For me bowing intrinsically helps timing and notes so this was less helpful). Slow practice play one note check in tune, sing next note then play. I imagine that when a child is growing, the shifts can feel different as the movement you did is subtly different as arms/ hands grow. Grade 6 is also probably moving into more challenging shifts too ( I play bass not cello so we have more shifts but the pieces are easier!) Also on my instrument, certain notes just sound better so I have to work at some so they don't stick out. I prefer some positions to others so need to not neglect the ones I don't like. I only really play in an orchestra so timing is even more crucial.

Thanks both. It's definitely a dd problem and not a cello problem! She's generally flat so has been trying to stretch a bit more. In her lesson yesterday she was sharp so has obviously gone too far!