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.

Which kit is it?

It’s the Roland TD-02KV.

Lucky child. Roland V drums are, I’m told the best you can buy at the moment. My sons friend doesn’t like the cymbals but that’s his personal preference.

She has been stuck to them since Christmas Day and is using the Melodics app for lessons and is already getting a good sound. I must confess to having had a go too but it will be a long time before I produce anything that sounds like music!

I know that there are a few bassoonists on here and I think also some oboes so can I mention that RCM are having a double reed day fairly soon. Details here

https://www.rcm.ac.uk/events/details/?id=2845314&utm_source=eshot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jan2024keynote&utm_id=doublereedday

Happy New Year!
Anyone going to the NYO concert at the Barbican tonight?

Hi @Alsoplayspiccolo - sadly DD has her South London Youth Orchestra concert tonight so we can't make it - hope it goes fantastically for all those involved - she's enjoying their social media account which features many bassoons and some of her school friends.

What exams is everyone preparing for? My DS3 is signed up for grade 2 singing for musical theatre in March and grade 4 piano in the summer. DS2 has just passed grade 1 drums and is going for grade 3 next. If only there was a secret to getting them to practice!

Thanks for the double reed day advert. I'd love to take mine to one but we are quite busy at weekends. Maybe one day. We're not going to the NYO Barbican concert tonight, shame as I think it would be a great venue, we'll watch a wee bit of the live stream then going to the one on Saturday. DD has loved it so far. Think I saw the back of her head on social media today, otherwise she has managed to evade having her picture taken!
Not sure if there will be exams this term, younger will have bassoon and piano at some point yet to be decided. Both have a festival in march. Elder DD hopefully doing more fun piano rep after getting through gr 8 before Christmas.
There's no secret to practice I don't think, routine helps. They have to want to but seeing the results of consistent work helps motivate. Seeing how far they have come- we used to do wee short videos of ordinary pieces then they can look back after a few weeks/ months. Having things to aim for - festival season coming up. Do we need a spring thread?

Hi @Alsoplayspiccolo I'm off to the Barbican for tonight's concert. The rehearsal clips on Instagram sound brilliant

Enjoy! It sounds loud, DD was poorly for a bit and when she was recovering just sat watching and said the floor shakes! Glad they are hot on ear protection!

Second @horseymum's approach on recording and playing back here too. Whenever DD starts a new piece I record it and then again every couple of weeks so she can see how much progress she's making. Especially now the pieces are longer and the focus is more on voicing / phrasing it helps her realise that she's improving

I have no idea what is happening re exams for mine. Need to speak to DDs violin teacher to see whether to do gr 5 in the spring or skip it re wrist injury. DS might do gr 6 piano in spring and perhaps gr 7 flute at some point too- maybe the summer. DD is starting a second grade 8 piece so will see how long that takes her.

DS also has a youth orchestra concert tonight so looking forward to that and DD has hers tomorrow. She got moved into 1st violins this time and was a bit worried re her wrist in case it was still sore but thankfully was ok yesterday. Will see how today has been!

We seem to be 'between exams'. DS did g8 piano last summer, and is now working on diploma, but that won't be this term! Hopefully he'll do g6 French Horn soon, though his teacher doesn't really 'believe' in grades as a method of motivation.

DS will be starting singing lessons soon for the first time since his voice broke. So maybe g7 singing too? He's got a packed schedule of musical theatre stuff going on - Mr Bumble in Oliver, Action in WSStory, and he's auditioning for the Beast in Beauty and the Beast!

Hopefully no exams this term here - dd2's flute teacher says an ARSM this academic year, but hope not this term, and there's a grade 6 singing in there at some point but she's not really had time for practising that.

Big sister is finally talking about taking a grade 6 viola as well - she hasn't taken an exam since primary so it will be a shock to the system if she does (now year 12!)

Looking forward to seeing DD2 on contra tonight - second big concert on it... Apparently the top has been attached with gaffer tape as it keeps falling off at crucial points - typical bassoon nonsense.

Were going to the Warwick concert on Saturday, horseymum. Hope it goes brilliantly tonight, Pollyanna8844.
DS is right in front of the woodwind and says it's unbelievably loud! He was considering ear protection, but was worried about how it might affect how he plays.

Good luck for tonight's concert, minisnowballs. Love a bit of contra!

I don’t think mine will do any more exams. Did grade 8 in year 11 and is now second year conservatoire. I thought he might do a diploma but he’s not inclined to do so at the moment, reckons it won’t impede his career.

DS might do a violin exam - although not sure whether it'll be this term or next. They've decided what piece to learn last lesson. He was able to play all 3 pieces this week. He had one go with the piano accompaniment but there are places where the timing needs to be better. It depends how fast he can master the timing. Will have a chat with the violin teacher this Saturday.
He'll do our local music festival in March though, with pieces of his own choices.

@Alsoplayspiccolo DS always feels guilty about who his piccolo is deafening. Before he left for Warwick he wondered who this year's victims would be. Being in the room with him when he is practising is not fun, so I sympathise with your DS.
The concert was great - hope you and @horseymum enjoy on Saturday

@Pollyanna8844 I really, really hate piccolo practice, it is the worst - though I should imagine your DS is so good it is rather more pleasant than when my DD does it.

Glad NYO went well - we were sorry to miss it - would have loved to have taken my DDs.

Rather more locally, DD2 was in front of the timps on contra last night. Next to the brass. She wore the (provided) ear protection, but says it makes it hard to play. She'd left her decent earplugs at school ... I'm glad they made her wear something.

The concert was amazing. Khachaturin, Prokofiev and something written by the conductor. The fact that SLYO 1 can still field a full youth orchestra when it clashes with the LSSO and NYO at the same time is extraordinary - though it does make me realise how much youth music is concentrated in London (five bassoons in her orchestra and four in the one below).

I don't think it is very good at including state school musicians though. Every time DD has gone up an orchestra (SLYO has 4) we know fewer parents from our local area and more and more of the children come from the Dulwich private schools and Whitgift foundation in Croydon. Last night we didn't know a single person.

Still, she came flying out asking if she could do the summer course - so they must have done something right.

I'm never quite sure with exams as I think the peris negotiate between themselves to try and avoid overloading the children, but I think it will be G8 singing this term for DD - she is quite keen to finish it now and get started on the diploma - if not, summer term. Potentially a G6 clarinet this term too.

G6 cello in summer term. Piano has been on the back burner as DD's teacher has just had a baby and she is just restarting lessons this week - she has been practising some G8 pieces, but she has had to be nudged to practise - exam probably not until autumn I would say as simply a bit too much on and she has to fit in a LAMDA exam in May too. Exhausting!

Glad the concerts went well, Pollyanna8844 and minisnowballs.
A flautist friend of mine has recently made the decision to leave her job in one of the London orchestras, because she now has to wear a hearing aid in her right ear, as a result of many years say next to the piccolo player.
It's a real concern, so very positive that youth orchestras are taking serious steps to address it.
DH has a percussion colleague who wears hearing aids in both ears for the same reason - you can imagine how much of an extra problem noise is in an orchestra pit.

I took DS to an audition at Guildhall recently (not actually for Guildhall but for the LYWB, they were just using the venue). They had ear plugs on the reception desk in a big jar and each of the practice rooms had a chart showing what db level different instrument / ensembles would be and when hearing damage was a risk, so think that the higher level music schools are really "on it". Its school music where there is much less focus but perhaps also because its a much smaller component of their day.

I got DS some 'loop' earplugs - the ones that claim to reduce by 15db. They might not be 'the best' but he does like them and wears them now which is a massive improvement on previous ones i've bought him which have remained unused. I mainly want him to wear them in school orchestra as he often ends up sitting right in front of the brass section and it can be quite loud.

Just checking in - lovely to hear about all the music making going on!

My little DC will find out at the end of this term whether they get to progress to the brass or string training programmes at Guildhall and if so on which instrument. It’s based on assessments done by the Kodaly and Dalcroze teachers this year. DC is extremely musical but also quite shy. Parents don’t sit in on the classes so I have no idea how he is doing/how much he participates so it could go either way. Thankfully DC is completely oblivious to the assessment process.

@SweetforOrchestra fingers crossed. Sure they will get through.... though appreciate it must be weird not knowing what happens in class. Not sure anyone would have picked my DD as remotely musical at that age - she used to leave the room screaming every time anyone played a clarinet!