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 yes new piano arrived and it's great! DS loves it. I still prefer the sound the old piano so I'm keeping it too.

We haven't done competitions for years but dd always did enjoy them. I just found them stressful.

She did have a masterclass last week which is similar but without the judging, marks and competition! Plenty of good feedback. It was for a duet with her duet partner so they both had great fun.

Also a chamber concert this last week where one of the parents (a professional violinist) said that she had a lovely tone and a gorgeous vibrato on her cello. She was so pleased. Particularly as she wasn't happy with the intonation of her opening note! It was an "interesting" piece that they played. Lots of random rests and tricky counting but the end result was fantastic!

love the accumulation of pianos @chickentikkasalad - we definitely don't have space for multiple pianos but if you do then great. I'm sure you know this but if its a case that its too bright etc you can get a technician to alter the 'voicing' - I have a Yamaha which is traditionally very bright, but the piano shop I bought it from works on the voicing so its not overly so and I've been really happy with it.

On the competition front there is another local ish competition I'd looked at - its more of a long running one with lots of different 'classes' but think I'll skip entering DD this year as she will have had experience of doing one competition already and she also has a concert with a piano solo this Sat, so plenty of performance opps.

We have too many pianos although most are digital.

My acoustic piano is at my parent's house. Ds and his friends still play it when they go there (they hold band practice there).

Our main home piano is a Roland digital baby grand. Dh also has a Yamaha digital piano and he has just bought another one (as his Roland RD800 got frazzled and is beyond repair). Ds has a Korg Kronos & a Roland Juno then I think there is a semi weighted Yamaha keyboard as well.

I’m very excited for this concert later this year. Especially excited for one of the support acts 😉

(mumsnet is marking the image as sensitive it’s literally a mainstream concert poster)

That is very exciting @Comefromaway

v exciting @Comefromaway - if not particularly sensitive...

Cian Ducrot is an ex Wells student, Comefromaway. I really like his songs.

I didn't know that, although I did know he was an ex classical musician.

One of the support acts was seen and chosen by BBC Introducing. She is a solo artist but has put together a live band to accompany her.

flautist I think - originally?

I am in awe of all you with multiple instruments. And space for them. We are really low income so isn't we struggle to obtain and find space for things (hence flute initially!)

On this subject our current issue is the oboe. My daughter was desperate to learn (she's doing grade 8 flute this summer and wants another instrument) so I thought we'd hire one and she could have school lessons and fair enough. She loves it and is progressing well. They're not doing early grades and the tutor is from the local big orchestra and they are getting on well.

They don't like the hire oboe. I had noidda they were so expensive. And the reeds are expensive... (when we got the flute that was kind of it apart from an annual service)

So we've obtained one second hand but it needs work on it.

Is this just what it's going to be like owning an oboe? How much do people spend on maintaing one/servicing one? - how much am I likely to need to spend going forwards?

If I'm honest I really regret going down this path as we struggle to make ends meet each month but she's autistic and musical and loves it 🙈

@cupofcoffeeplease It's hard work getting the right instruments for children - and yes the servicing does cost - and I feel your pain on reeds.

have you tried people like these (https://apply-aym-awards.smapply.io) for grants to help? Or there is a list her with some other places https://www.munstertrust.org.uk/funding/funding-guide/junior-funding/

No idea how easy this stuff is to get - we tend to be just above the threshold for most help - but might be worth a look?

We were hopeful of Aym but I think that's the one we got £100 for and a letter saying "I know this isn't what you hoped for but you're part of the Aym family for a year" or something similar.

We've benefitted from a local award towards summerschool here the last few years (about £300 so covered the cost of summer school and a few lessons which is fab).

But my income has increased a bit and I think we're just over the boundary for most awards this year.

However with col my increase hasn't meant money and I don't think I ever realised how expensive all this would be. With the local orchestra, lessons for 2 instruments we are struggling (and a second child) and I think realising oboe repairs are expensive has tipped me over a bit this morning!!!

So many times I wish I'd retrained prior to kids (I have degrees but some health issues and anyway a different thread!)

Its things like this that make me realise how inaccessible music is to so many. And how committed parents have to be to value it and fund it!

Anyone know how much oboe servicing going forwards will be or is usually? Is it going to be several hundred a year?

I've told her to get a good job so she can save and buy her own.. (but accommodation, uni... Attempt to save for a house... Kids these days will have it even tough than us!)

Sorry that was long and probably an overshare 😂

Oh, @CupOfCoffeePlease I do get it - and it must be so frustrating! How much are the oboe repairs and where are you taking it? When we had DD's bassoon done we didn't take it to Howarths because too pricey - I do know a couple of people who can do some woodwinds much cheaper - one in London and one in the North - if you want me to give you addresses I can DM you?

Music costs a bomb - and the cost kind of creeps up on you. One minute it's affordable and subsidised and the next it is just crazy because the kids get better at it and into better orchestras etc. But you still want to support if they get a lot out of it.

DD2 understands she can't have what she wants always and doesn't own her own bassoon when others do. The school is kind about what we can and can't do. But there is huge discrepancy. A girl in her house who isn't a music specialist has just been bought a £4000 oboe because she 'fancies trying it' - and DD is slightly WTF about it as the school one was fine. There's another with a £12,000 flute who isn't a specialist either.

Meanwhile DD2, who is a music specialist, apparently needs a piccolo to go with her flute. The one the school wants will be well over £1000. We will try and get my dad to help with that- if he can - but it is painful! We have another DD as well, and a foster daughter from Ukraine for whom we just get the government money for hosting. We try to treat them all the same but it's really really hard when the music costs so much and neither of us are massive earners.

@CupOfCoffeePlease it's hard isn't it? We want the best for them but it's so expensive. We've only had an oboe service once and I think it was £100 at a woodwind shop in the city. We also have an instrument repair man in our town who can do most things like pinged springs, recork or repad. We are very fortunate that we have our instruments on loan, giving us time to save up. You might look at local funds eg rotary, or search your town/ county and 'education trust'. There are some charities which loan instruments - Benslow and Cherubim. They charge a fee But It's quite low.

This is quite a good source for instrument purchase funding. They won't be accepting applications until June for the October funding round but they do accept queries in advance. They pay up to £1500 although we've never had more than £500 and that was a harp so thy probably felt sorry for us. We don't meet most income criteria but still got something. https://www.umuksoundfoundation.com/umuksf-individual-awards/

THere's also the future talent awards for low income families

THis is quite a good list of funders and what they cover - some are for particular geographic areas so yo may get lucky. https://www.munstertrust.org.uk/funding/funding-guide/junior-funding/

I have followed this thread with interest and pleasure for a long time (musical grandchildren).
There is a thread at the moment called 'posters you still think about '. I think about Wafflenose, who used to run the music thread.
Do any of you remember her?
I would be pleased to know how her daughters are getting on. They must be nearly grown ups by now.
__

It won't be several hundred pounds a year @CupOfCoffeePlease I paid £315 for a clarinet service last year but that included a full repad which should only need to be done every ten years or more.

Can anyone please advise me on ABRSM exam requirements? My DS has his grade 2 singing for musical theatre exam on Saturday and his teacher has just asked me to buy music for his unaccompanied song. But he won't be singing from the music in the exam because it has to be performed from memory so it seems unnecessary for him to have it with him. I don't want to spend £13 on a book of music that DS isn't going to ever use.

I've messaged you.

I think they maybe need the music for the examiner to look at during the performance - that was the case for my DC singing (with another board though)

We'd also be interested in any recommendations for oboe servicing around London or south east. Thanks!

@stuckasastuckthing Dawkes in Maidenhead is good.

We're south coast and went to a repair/person recommended by her oboe teacher. He specialises in oboes and clarinets I think. Doesn't need to advertise as he gets enough work from his connections!

The good news - he asked what our budget was... And I think he's given us some of his time for free which was really kind of him so wasn't as crazy expensive for us as was fearing. It needed a lot of work.

I think the normal mot fee is £120
Our clarinet one (different person) was £96
I can't remember the flute....

Does everyone service them every year? That would be over 300 if we do.

I'm not planning on buying any instruments now (we got a second hand yamaha flute that we were told could go to grade 8. She's made noises about a better/silver (?) head but after the oboe debacle that won't be happening.

Thanks everyone. She absolutely loves music and it's only for 3 more years...

@minisnowballs all those things I agree!! Yes all seems reasonable and the suddenly isn't!

12000 flute?!?!? We struggled with the 300 pounds... And yes picalos have been mentioned too.

You're doing amazingly and love you're giving your foster child the opportunities too 😍