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.

@northerngoldilocks that sounds stressful! I do worry about injuries but on balance it's better for them to be active. I did limit horse riding a bit before grade 8 but she doesn't really have time to anyway so it wasn't a big issue. We occasionally ride a friend's pony who is very safe. Hope she recovers quickly.
We've still got church services and a school and JD concert to go. And a piano exam.
On the performance classes, at my dds JD, they get a pianist rehearsal for student concerts, two for an exam but none for performance class, you just have to trust the pianist! Only once has her teacher given the music to the pianist first, they are incredible. It's weird for DD just to launch into a piece and know they will absolutely stick with her.

Oh no! That is a shame for her.

Hi, i was wondering if anyone had any views (good or bad) on the pro corda primary age summer residential? Thanks!

Oh no @northerngoldilocks ! Hope she recovers soon!

Thanks all. She's ok. Her wrist is sore and she was upset tonight as the realisation re how much work she had put in and how she can't do her exam now has hit home. She tried both instruments and for now neither is an option!

I've had to point out that she can do the violin exam next time and play in the next music concert on piano too. It will all be ok, it's just one of those things. It's funny cos I was worried that signing her up to play hockey was a bad decision, but she managed to injure herself playing 'it' in the playground- basically you just can't control this stuff!

@Bearyinlove I think procorda has been mentioned before on threads, maybe do a search. We haven't done that but other courses which have always been enjoyable.

@northerngoldilocks so sorry about your DD's injury. Hope she has a speedy recovery!

@northerngoldilocks Poor girl when she's worked so hard. She can take the violin next term i assume (syllabus doesn't end yet,does it?) - but I get that it's gutting for her when she's put in all that time. You can't control when they're going to randomly injure themselves at all - in DD's case, walking down the street, last time!

The syllabus that she did ends this year but there is another year of overlap so plenty of time thankfully. Will get her violin teacher to move on with some new music and then just keep these pieces going on the side.

Had a hectic concert this morning at our local music hub. DS did percussion ( tambourine), ukulele and the intermediate string orchestra. He's so small I can literally just about see the top of his hair behind the music stand 🤣. He was sharing the music stand with a tall teenager so I guess that's the best they could do to accommodate both of them. Hilarious!
I've signed him up for some 1:1 percussion lessons next term so can't wait!

Have to confess to be totally confused about whose DCs do what instruments and where... We need a pinned list or something! Or is that just me...

We are immersed in usual end of term concert frenzy. School grand concert on Thursday, in which I was the bassoon section of school orchestra! Great fun. DS in orchestra, brass group, and three choirs. Barbershop quartet brought the house down. Carols by candlelight yesterday, with me in parents choir. More concerts next weekend, and various services including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day beckon.

DS in quandary about dropping viola lessons. He's only been doing it just over a year, and has just done grade 2, so fairly fast progress. But as he also learns piano and french horn at school, and music lessons can't be during school lesson time now that he's in year 10, he's thinking of dropping viola for singing lessons, especially as he's back into musical theatre in a big way. He could be a brilliant singer very quickly, but only an adequate viola player. But he feels bad for the viola!

Or you could just drop it northern, unless it's actually grade 8 or something - any other grade will be moved on from in a year or two anyway. It sounds a bit dispiriting to have to dust it off again a term later. Main thing she's done the work and you and teacher know she was up to standard. What a pain though! Hope the soreness is passing now.

chickentikka well done your DS! Percussion sounds fun.

I remember a similar stage with DD when she first joined music centre. She took a few concerts to catch up with how the whole stage management bit worked, so she would look very much like she'd wandered into the wrong ensemble until they actually started playing. While she still has an age gap, she's now tall enough she doesn't stand out. And at the ripe old age of 11 probably one of the more experienced players. I do think covid has left some odd gaps - not in a sinister way, just people couldn't have lessons and never picked up again unless they were super committed in the first place.

herbaceous, how lovely you got to join in and play and sing too! I don't know how he manages as many instruments as he currently does, so can certainly see viola might have to go, much as I love the instrument. He's already doing service to the rare instrument club with horn so I don't think he needs to feel too guilty!

School Christmas concert for us this week, one carol service and a little out of school concert too. Can't believe the end of this term has come so quickly.

Thanks @thirdfiddle - I'm going to see what her violin teacher thinks. DD was originally going to do this exam in the summer but I didn't want it to clash with piano, so pushed back to Christmas and now will be spring. It's grade 5, so doesn't have to be sat, but she's never done a violin exam before so thought it would be best if she did it before going any further. She's done 1,5 and 7 on piano but no experience on accompanied exams.

Her wrist is ok but she can't play RH piano and isn't doing any violin practice but did do strings ensemble on sat (apparently ok as long as she doesn't extend her arm much!)

@thirdfiddle it does look very much like he's wandered to the wrong ensemble lol. After the play he told his teacher his D string was off tune so he didn't want to play it out loud. He felt quite sorry for himself. I think it got bumped when he grabbed the violin from under his chair after ukulele before heading to the string orchestra. Next time we got to think more carefully about the procedure. I offered to hold his violin but the ukulele teacher insisted to keep it under his chair 😬.
He loves the percussion teacher he's super cool I think he'll enjoy the percussion lessons. I'm dreading the thought of having drum kit at home though. We have a tiny electric table top one and I'll refuse to buy a real drum kit for the sake of hubby who hates loud noises.

My 7yo did her g1 exam on Friday and got a pass (110). She had a major meltdown before going in and I wasn’t sure if she’d do it so pleased she went through with it and got the pass but can also tell the nerves really got to her and her pieces were getting worse the closer we got to the exam. I’ve had some good advice on here about just having some fun for a bit and taking a while to develop her skills with a broader range of pieces. I’m glad it’s done though.

Ah well done bunnycat's DD! It's a funny one for littles, some just don't feel the nerves yet and breeze through, but it's a big ask if they do! Clearly well prepared if she can pass regardless of wobbles. And now another time she'll know what to expect.
And aw chickentikka, poor DS. Maybe have a plan in case next time, could he attract teacher's attention for tuning help? Takes nerve at any age to keep tuning till you're happy when everyone else has finished. Instruments on floors make me nervous too, NCO Projects did it for a body percussion type piece.

@herbaceous that sounds like too many instruments so think it's sensible that viola goes. DD2 has given up cello for similar reasons - however is still playing it in a church service on sunday. I hope she'll cope as she's not touched it all term as it lives here and she doesn't. Funnily enough they don't wish to replace it with bassoon in a small band!

@Bunnycat101 Congrats to your DD - I think music exams are nervewracking at any age. Tell her she's getting the nerves out of the way early and she'll be cool as a cucumber by GCSEs because she'll be more used to it! She's done really well.

We have had a musical few days. Saw our ward in the school concert on Thursday. Super proud of her - she had never seen a cello until she came to live with us in Sept, so has done really well to play in an ensemble and looked like she knew exactly what she was doing. Very odd concert though - music department very depleted (was DD2's old school and DD1 is in the joint sixth form). Hoping it gets better soon.

Then DD1's CYM concert on Saturday which was joyous and she actually looked like she knew what she was doing in Symphony (new one on us), and straight down to DD2's school play and then advent service the next day. They were epic, and it was amazing to hang out with her. But she is exhausted. Just Symphony concert to go on Wednesday and some kind of house singing, and a badly timed masterclass - and she can come home. She really really needs to sleep. When I left her last night though they were having some kind of slightly frantic curry night in house, which didn't look very relaxing though lots of fun.

Congratulations to your DS @Bunnycat101! It's hard to even go in the exam room after a meltdown. She did very well to hold her nervous and still passed the exam! It's all part of the experience so perhaps feeling the stress sooner is not a bad thing - she has plenty of time to learn how to deal with it before things that really matters!

@thirdfiddle yes I was very nervous with the violin under chair too! Better not do that next time . It was a shame he couldn't enjoy it as much but not a big deal. I'll think of a different plan next time...

Sorry I meant your DD @Bunnycat101...

Sounds like everyone is busy busy! Congratulations to all those with exam successes.

Just one more event for us - dd has a carol service tonight. She sang last night too so we went to that and are spared this evening as it's the same. The choir sounded fantastic. It's just a regular school choir although they do have to audition and then they sing church services most weeks on one 1 hour sectional rehearsal and 1 45 minute full choir rehearsal a week! Some of the choral music was very complicated - some in Latin, some in eight parts but they all sounded fantastic.

Dd loves her chapel singing and it really showed. She's shattered though!

Congratulations to your DD @Bunnycat101 . My DD sat grade 1 in March 2020 about a week after her 7th birthday and said she wasn't doing any more exams ever. By Nov 2021 she was happy to sit grade 5. Basically if she's saying never right now it might not always be the case. Lots of fun non exam stuff will probably help though!

DS now finished until orchestra aft of Christmas. DD has a Christmas concert with choir and string ensemble on Sat and the following Monday and then we are all done! (with strings being a world of dodgy bowing re fractured wrist!)

@Bunnycat101 well done to your DD getting through her exam. My DD has just done her g8 and says she was shaking in it so nerves don't necessarily disappear, they just learn some techniques to cope.
We've got one school concert left and then church carol/ nativity/ Christmas day etc. I love carols!

Got DS's mighty grade 2 viola exam result - distinction! Something of a miracle, as he did next to no practice. I think the singing really helps with the tuning and general musicality at this stage. Not sure minimal effort will see him much further!

Trying to count up how many concerts etc are happening this month. Got 1o 14, and became addled. And that's not counting the school cabaret they do on the last day of term, with all manner of singing skits and the like. No parents allowed!

Congrats to him @herbaceous - i guess with so many other instruments under his belt it seems easier. Impressed with the stamina with all the concerts too.

DD2 is struggling under the weight of the end of term. She had a concert last night in which she was the bassoonist in a Haydn symphony, followed by the contrabassoonist in Beethoven 5. This followed a seven-day-period in which she had the school play (five performances perhaps?) a massive Advent service and a bassoon masterclass.

All have been awesome It is perhaps unsurprising, though, given the schedule, that she fainted in the bassoon masterclass.

She's now being treated as though she were made of glass - and is most annoyed about it, though I am glad some pastoral oversight has kicked in. She finishes tomorrow and we are looking forward to having her home. It's been an amazing first term for her, but they have offered pretty much every opportunity possible, she has taken the lot, and it has been too much.

And on Sunday she needs to pick up the cello she hasn't played since September and help to lead a carol concert for our church. They weren't that amenable to the suggestion she played bassoon instead!