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.

Happy piano hunting! I don't think I have bought a single new instrument ( we have a houseful). Like new cars, as soon as you drive them off they lose some value anyway. Also depends on how much ( you don't need to share!) 10% of £1000 is very different to 10 % of £20,000. We did actually try a £99,000 one in a shop once. Think it's like wine, can't say as I noticed it being significantly better than the £20,000 one, but I'm sure experts can tell!! Happily many maintain their value after the initial drop. We sold an oboe two years later for what we bought it for second hand. I'd maybe look at the warranty and aftercare package eg is tuning included or anything? Personally I love the character of an older piano, ours is over 100 years old but you might prefer the sound of a newer one.

Thanks @horseymum for the wise words! Funnily after writing that massage I managed to find a deal on a brand new that matches the 2nd hand one. So just placed the order and waiting for the delivery! We'r very excited!!
It's a good brand so does last long and hold its value. I can play it even if DS stops playing. Now I have our very old Bluthner (~about 150 years old I think) to deal with. It's a lovely piano with a magnificent sound. It just needs restoration. Unfortunately nobody will give us any money for part exchange and I don't want to throw it away because I love it. Might keep it as a restoration project for DH or wait and see whether we can sell it to a new home if we can't be bothered with the restoration. But for now we'll have two pianos in the room. Mad we are...

Exciting! (we have two pianos, don't feel bad!) Although one is a clavinova which hardly gets played now.

@QueenMabby glad the Ella app is working well for her - I think it's quite clever...

Exciting to hear about new instruments too. We have the family piano that I learned on - it's fine but certainly wouldn't be if anyone was a serious pianist, but I'm sentimental so I'd struggle to let it go.

Missing the next two of DD2's concerts, sadly, as we are fast finding that we can't get to them all. This is a flute solo in one and lots of ensembles in another on both her instruments...her friends have promised to record them for us.

I always feel quite sad when she goes back after a school holiday - the fact I won't see her for three weeks is still so hard, and she's bringing a friend home for exeat this time so I won't even get her to myself!

I'd find that so hard too, minisnowballs. I'm already dreading him going away to university, or whatever, and he's only 14! At the moment I can see his school from our study window!

Re pianos, we have a Bechstein boudoir grand being held 'in trust' at my sister's house. Her house is huge detached, whereas ours is a townhouse, with no rooms big enough for it. Well, with any other furniture! We bagged a secondhand Yamaha 3 during lockdown, which has been fab. Plus we have a Korg digital piano, and a Bontempi organ!

DS has started being tempted by Royal Academy or Royal College as post-school options...

We are finding it impossible to get to all the concerts this year. Our holidays are already planned around them. Plus we have one night where they are playing in competitions in different cities. DH draws the short straw with the JD one as it's about 3 hours long!! Hopefully get to NYo in Liverpool, youngest got another one the day after so it will be a flying visit! Middle DD has her first depping role in a uni orchestra on Sunday which I probably won't make. Good practice going for one rehearsal then concert, doesn't seem to faze her!
I try not to think about post school, we already miss eldest and he's only an hour away. DD thinking about Wales or Glasgow, Birmingham and London further down the list. Ironically, London is easier and cheaper to get to despite being further.

I only have DS, so try not to build my life around him, but it's hard! Once he's gone, life will change a lot - better or worse...

I really miss the concerts now he's away. He is allowing me to attend his end of year recital this year (he banned me last year) so that'll be great.

I have 2 dc but only dd does music. We have a concert tonight. She's playing Mozart something I think. I really need to keep better track of her pieces! I know much less about them now she's older and the pieces are longer and more time-consuming.

@herbaceous 14 year old DD2 is my baby, so when DD1 goes off to uni in a year and a half, and our Ukrainian ward as well, I will be bereft (unless DD2 comes home for sixth form). It's all the wrong way round!

We are in London so RAM or RCM would be perfect for DD2 as she could live at home. So obviously she'll want somewhere else even if she were fortunate enough to get in (though I know she's cherishing the very kind email we had from the RCM bassoon professor after her recent course).

DD1 thinking about Glasgow - for nursing - so they really would be at opposite ends of the country. Not ready for an empty nest quite yet!

on empty nests, one day my 7 year old DS said in only 4 years time he'd be going to his dream violin school and he won't see me everyday. That made us both so sad we decided to co sleep again while we can, for good or bad...

@chickentikkasalad that's so cute. I really could have done with that yesterday with dd2 - who had a REALLY bad day and called me in tears when she was supposed to be doing her prep... A hundred miles have never felt so far!

Enjoy that while you can- and certainly don't rush anything else!

Oh @minisnowballs and your poor DD. I hope it's nothing major. You must have felt awful when you can't be there for her. On the positive side it's good to know you're still the first person she would call in a difficult situation. She'll always have you wherever she is!

@minisnowballs sorry to hear she was upset. You feel so helpless when they are so far away and unhappy.
Dd has had moments when she has wanted to come back home to a local school . However she's made her own conclusion that she wants to stay there for sixth form. I guess I'm saying they have good and bad times but the bad moments seem worse when they aren't with you

@se22mother @chickentikkasalad thank you! I think it is sortable. Part of the problem is that her school isn't weekly boarding, she's there for three weeks at a time so there's no escape if it's tough. But we've broken her out for the weekend (!)- she's sacking off a practice period and Sunday cathedral and coming home on the bus and train this pm.

At least that way we can talk to her without the ever-present roommates, matron and houseparent (who are all nice people but mean that it's very difficult to actually speak to DD on her own).

Fingers crossed a quick trip home is what she needs @minisnowballs!

New piano buying is exciting @chickentikkasalad - when does it arrive? I'm still waiting for Trust finance to process the money side on the new flute, hoping it isn't long as DS keen to have it now he's realised how much better it sounds.

DS's music school have managed to enter him for his piano exam despite the lack of a form, so that's good news, now just need to supervise practice for a few weeks. Need to focus as think there is a tendency from my kids to think if they're doing a lower grade than the level they play at on their first instrument that it will be easy, but not sure that really is the case.

@minisnowballs glad she's coming home for break hopefully she feels much better soon!

@northerngoldilocks Supposedly the delivery is on Tuesday! Can't wait!!

DS has a super busy March coming up. He's playing a violin piece and two piano pieces at the local music festival. "Accidentally" almost all the pieces are very challenging for him. He's doing really well and it's all his choice but we just think he could have a much easier time if he had chosen some lower grade pieces. However he's really stubborn on what he wants to play. He also has violin exam at the end of March as well! So 4 violin pieces and two piano pieces to practice!

Everyone sounds very busy and all the new instruments sound very exciting!

Dd played fantastically at her concert last week. She's being "background music" for a school event this week - playing the piano.

Just trying to sort out timings for her g4 voice. The dates clash partially with a school trip abroad so it looks like she'll be coming home then straight to her exam the next day which is not ideal. I've told her she'll have to sing on the plane home for some practice!

Background music is a great opportunity @QueenMabby - performance but without the whole thing needing to feel super performance-y. I think on piano you take every performance opportunity you can get.

DD played the public piano again at Battersea today though only a bit as her coat sleeves kept going over her hands (and it was cold even inside). I was suggesting to her that she asked if she could play the piano whilst the audience comes in for their end of term summer concert too - imagine there might be some rule about it but will see...

Asking to perform at the beginning of the summer concert is a great idea. My daughter did this for a sports award evening. It was much nicer to have a pupil playing live music than playing random music over the speakers.

It's great for pianists to get a chance to play, much harder to find opportunities. We're heading in to crazy March with 3 competitions and four concerts I can think of just now, then Easter holidays where both dds away on different camps then their concerts.
Youngest decided to learn to be play her friends old clarinet on Saturday evening, completing the first book with a few squeaks. I love how plastic young brains are! I take forever to learn anything new now!

Please could I temporarily jump on the thread to ask you (as experts!) what the standard expected for Grade 1 music exams is? I’m not musical so it’s a new process for me & I’ve got a very nervous 8 year old recorder player on my hands with an exam coming up. I have reassured her that the examiners won’t be expecting perfection & that they’ll understand nerves etc but I don’t actually know if that’s realistic! She still hits the wrong notes occasionally, sometimes squeaks etc - is this normal for a grade 1 or is her teacher being a bit optimistic putting her in for it? Thanks & it’s lovely reading about everyone’s kids’ musical achievements!

Welcome @WheelySquirrel - i think for Grade 1 if her teacher thinks she's ready she will be fine. What mine found useful when getting pre exam jitters was to look through the marking criteria which makes it very clear that you don't need a perfect performance to pass. Grade 1 is very much an intro to exams and examiners really are looking for them to pass. Lots of practice so she feels prepared is the key but also learning to manage nerves etc is part of the reason for doing early Grades!

I've just had a look though and ABRSM have changed their website and I'm struggling to find the marking criteria at the moment. There are some useful bits of information on there generally though so maybe have a look through

Practical Grade guidance (abrsm.org)

@northerngoldilocks Thank you, that’s really helpful. She does tend to be a bit of an over thinker so it will be a challenge for her to overcome her nerves and just give it a go. I just really hope she passes as I think it’ll give her a confidence boost & then she can go back to just playing for fun (and not having to hear the same 3 pieces played on repeat will be quite welcome 😆)

Welcome @WheelySquirrel ! The first exam is a learning curve. You can watch a run through on the abrsm website and have a go at marking. One thing to point out is that the examiner can be a bit scripted sometimes, they won't enter into a long discussion, they won't say well done etc but more likely to say ' thank you for that' or something similar and non- committal. Don't be put off by that. Hopefully there will be some nice comments when you get the marks back. Just try to help with preparation by giving opportunities to play for anyone who might be persuaded to listen eg neighbours or relatives if possible to get over any nerves.