Spring /Summer 24 - Music thread

[northerngoldilocks]

The old thread was filling up, so here's a new one to talk about music activities. Come and talk about music lessons, choosing instruments, exams, auditions, specialist schools, orchestras or whatever other music activities are going on. Everyone is welcome, from those with total beginners to those whose children are studying music at advanced levels. Ask for advice or share successes or struggles. There's loads of experience across a wide variety of instruments too(though bassoon's are weirdly popular on here - you'd think that every second child plays one!).

@minisnowballs glad she’s loving it but imagine it must take some adjusting to as a family. We’re in the South West so your DD’s school is our nearest specialist music school but sadly not close enough for it to work as a day pupil. DS has been to a couple of summer residentials there and the head of woodwind has been very keen for him to audition. May possibly be something we revisit for sixth form if DS shows any inkling of wanting to take his music further but he’s not really sure at the moment.

amr78, my DS is at the same school. He went in year 12 and has just finished A levels.
He moved from another cathedral school where he was a music scholar and had the same juggle as you describe, with lots of school music, county youth orchestra, junior conservatoire etc.

He's really enjoyed his time there, despite some pretty major issues, and has particularly loved the boarding side of things.
As parents, it's taken some getting used to not having him at home but he feels it's been the best learning and life experience he could have had.

@amr78 - my DD went to that school for sixth form. Best thing we did for her - she went from a stressed out mess who was bullied by her teachers for spending too much time on her music to a very happy conservatoire student.

@amr78 I think Sixth Form is probably a great entry point for nearly all kids. When we went to see the school, Sixth Form was what we were looking at really, if anything, but because DD2 was not at a school with really any music or attending a high-level JD, the HoD was pretty clear it was 'now or never' for her.

Now she's there, I can see that Year 12 would not have given her enough time to get the most benefit from the place given her starting points. She wasn't rubbish or anything before - but it has been a step change in terms of practice expectations, ensembles etc. As we come to the end of the year I can't quite believe how much she's changed and improved.

The school isn't perfect - but what school is - but we are on balance pleased she's there.

@Alwaysplayspicc @londonmummy1966 @minisnowballs It does sound fantastic and so glad you’re children have had/having such a positive experience. It caused some division between my husband and I as we both went to boarding school and didn’t have overly positive experiences so he is very against it full stop. I’m more open to the idea if DS really wants to go but he seems pretty content with his current set up and has some pretty inspiring teachers in his camp so he is very lucky in that regard. It’s just very challenging juggling it all in a non-specialist school where no provision is made in the timetable. He’s quite a young 14 year old in terms of his maturity (he’s an April birthday) and doesn’t have any aspirations for a career in music currently, mainly because he doesn’t think he’ll make any money 😂 So I guess we’ll see whether there’s a shift in his aspirations over the next 12 months or so.
Thankfully he has had a much better practice today - I sense the grade 8 fear has finally kicked in!

Goodness that sounds full on @minisnowballs - she will need the summer break after that!

@yodaforpresident I think she's getting through it by not going to any actual lessons. Which is a bit of a worry in year 10, but we'll regroup and see where she's at in the hols.

Argh! Dd has her g4 singing exam tomorrow and has developed a sore throat and a dry cough! It's not bad and she doesn't feel poorly or anything (it might be hay fever related as she does get trouble with this) but...timing!

I've given her honey and lemon to drink. Should I be doing anything else?

@QueenMabby oh, poor love. I'm no expert, but the kids at DD2's school seem to spend an inordinate amount of time in the boarding house with their heads over a bowl of steaming water though - particularly the singers. Could try that?

Good idea. Thank you.

@QueenMabby good luck to her today !

Lots of cough sweets!

I sent her in this morning with a water bottle full of honey and lemon. She's got a blocked nose so decongestants and tissues too! Fingers crossed indeed.

Hope your DD made it through the singing exam ok @QueenMabby - singing and woodwind are hard in that respect as the effect of having a cold can be quite significant. Hopefully the adrenaline saw her through!

Oh no @QueenMabby what horrible timing -I hope today went okay for your DD. We use strepsils and a pomegranate lemonade for a big vitamin c boost.

How was she afterwards @QueenMabby - hope she felt it went ok.

She said it went ok. Apparently the exam was in the one room in the music school that makes her "sound great"! She got through the songs ok despite the fact that her singing teacher who was her accompanist was off sick so she had to have a stand in. Says the rest was a bit dubious in places but she seemed happy enough.

A good acoustic is definitely good for confidence @QueenMabby . Sounds like it went well! Now she can relax a bit, I hope!

Grade 6 viola done today! Apparently the scales were bad very bad but the rest okish. A pass would be fine as it just needed doing and we were all bored with the pieces..

Grade 6 clarinet and cello done this week and we are hoping for the results today. DD is unusually anxious as she thinks the clarinet went badly; she has yet another cold and is feeling quite under the weather at the moment. I am just glad they are done as it seems a good finishing point for her last term at her current school.

They really are the worst judges of their own performances though, I'm sure it will be fine. Youngest thought her exam hadn't got amazingly but got a very good merit.

Well done to her @horseymum and fingers crossed for the others. @yodaforpresident they seldom have any idea how they've done in my experience. Sure it has gone fine.

DD2 has finished her 9am woodwind assessment for school (harsh) and seems happy. Apparently her head of dept said she has 'made huge progress this year', despite the perennial bassoon issue - tuning.

She was only slightly put off by the external assessor, who is the sister of her old bassoon teacher - and apparently 'looks exactly the same'!. She's now speeding towards us in a glittery dress for tonight's Taylor Swift concert. Total excitement.

DS is doing his grade 8 clarinet today at 0930. I’ve felt a nervous wreck for him all week - it’s taken me by surprise just how nervous I am! His lovely accompanist has said she’ll stay in the waiting room until the end and I will meet them outside. Definitely wouldn’t be able to cope with hearing any of it! Just hoping his aural goes OK as it doesn’t come easily to him.

@amr78 hope it has gone well - I'm sure it has. I had to listen to DD2's grade eight - hated every minute! She's not great at aural either.

@minisnowballs he seemed pretty happy when he came out. His accompanist was texting me updates from the waiting room - she said the 2 accompanied pieces were the best she’d ever heard him play. I think the examiner was grooving along when he was playing his Malcolm Arnold 😂 Aural went better than expected so hoping he doesn’t get comments about his wayward singing like he did for his grade 6! Now the waiting game starts……