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!).

What a brilliant result @amr78 - pleased it all came back together in the end. Hope he's very proud of himself.

Still 2 weeks until DS's grade 7 flute- which isnt a bad thing in terms of polishing the final bits but is also starting to feel very late in the session!

@northerngoldilocks @minisnowballs @horseymum @yodaforpresident @QueenMabby thank you - one very happy and emotional boy this morning when he opened his envelope! I need to try and catch up on some sleep now!

@northerngoldilocks hope the final preparations go well for your ds.

For ARSM I know that 20 minutes of the programme has to be from the list but for the remaining 10 minutes, which are self chosen, is pre-approval required from ABRSM to check whether they are acceptable?

@yodaforpresident I'm afraid I don't know - DD2 is doing ARSM but I leave the programme to her teacher.. surely it is on the website somewhere though I find it hard to navigate.

DD has just sent me a screenshot saying she passed G6 singing with distinction, but no idea of the mark as it's in the school office... sure we'll find out at some point. First trinity exam - really quick result!

Well done mini mini!

Amazing mini Mini! Especially after the concert!

@yodaforpresident ABRSM Qualification Specification: ARSM link to the requirements - no pre approval is given but pieces must be at least grade 8 standard.

Great result for DD @minisnowballs

DD has chosen a bow - having tried 4 she liked the Codabow Prodigy the best - so thanks to @thirdfiddle for the recommendation as one to try. Her teacher preferred the wooden one but overall didn't mind which she chose and as DD had a preference was happy to go with it. Think she was encouraged by my comment that it didn't have to be forever and if she progressed beyond grade 8 and it wasn't good enough then we could upgrade. Should be good for a while though and a really decent spare in future if she carries on.

Great news @minisnowballs ! 🎊

More great exam results! Although the annoying thing with trinity is you have to print your own certificate. Was a bit miffed about that for the price. I know Abrsm are going to that soon as well.

Yes @horseymum I've just realised about the certificate - DD2 will be grumpy (I just have one frame per instrument and put the certificates on top of each other so it will displace a nice shiny old ABRSM one!). Given the price it's a bit rubbish.

Yes that's right @horseymum from August this year its either print your own or pay an additional fee for ABRSM. Hopefully DS will pass his flute exam and that will be the last 'included' one we'll have. In the scheme of things its not much, but is just another price rise really. Thankfully anticipating minimal exams in future for my two !

@minisnowballs well done to your DD. Trinity have a really quick turnaround - when my DS did his grade 6 sax exam face to face they emailed the results through 24 hours later. Very annoying having to now pay for certificates although at least they’ll hopefully arrive in a hardbacked envelope to keep them flat - when DS has been presented with them at school, he just shoves them in his school bag and they end up all crumpled 😬

@minisnowballs a congrats to your dd - fantastic result!

Thanks all! Poor child texted me from her house to say they'd let her sit out of an academic period today as she'd been singing opera all morning and had to play contrabassoon all afternoon. She says she's quite lightheaded. Given the heat, I'm not surprised!

Congratulations @minisnowballs that's a fantastic result for your DD. That's quite a lot of exertion for this level of heat.

Thank you and @northerngoldilocks for the insights on ARSM. Two of her pieces are actually on the diploma list/ non-current Grade 8 list for Trinity and they state for their diploma that pre-approval is needed if it's not on their current syllabus list. I did read the ABRSM page and saw the reference to Grade 8 standard but nothing about using songs from the lists of other exam boards or even past lists?

@yodaforpresident yes, it just says 'at or above ABRSM grade 8 standard' You'd think though that other boards pieces would be fine, If i use the new Grade 8 syllabus for piano as a guide - there are pieces in there that were considered grade 7 in the past (eg the Debussy) , so can't imagine Trinity Grade 8 pieces not being considered sufficiently challenging! I can't recall what instrument your DD plays though -sorry.

Thank you @northerngoldilocks this is for singing. That is my concern about ABRSM treating songs differently - for example she has just done her Grade 6 clarinet and one of the pieces she played is also on the Trinity clarinet list but at Grade 7.

@yodaforpresident - and singing is different with trinity to abrsm (as I have just learned) as you have to do four pieces rather than three in an in-person exam, so perhaps they might be shorter, or easier, or something? Goodness knows...

Dd got her mark sheet back for her exam. On one of pieces the examiner said her German pronunciation needed heavier emphasis on the consonants. All fine - but she was singing in Norwegian! It did make us both laugh.

Congratulations on exam results so far! QueenMabby's DD, amr78, minisnowballs

That's funny QueenMabby! How's Norwegian for consonants? I know Danish you barely hear any of them, but I don't know how related the languages are.
Very impressed at the singing in Norwegian, consonants or not. Good thing her result was good so it's just a funny story not a serious gripe (hopefully).

Exams coming up next week for my two. G6 for DS, G7 for DD. We've had a bit of a break - last ones taken were 2+ years ago - so I'm feeling out of practice at it all, don't know about the kids!

@thirdfiddle - no idea about the Norwegian but dd has a pretty good ear for languages so I expect she's fairly accurate.

Best of luck for your two!

DS’s clarinet teacher has suggested today that he considers applying for NYO next summer once he’s got a bit more orchestral experience under his belt. I know competition is very fierce but I guess the application process alone would be good experience. If he were to be successful at the first attempt (and I realise it’s a big IF), he would have a place in year 11 so would have the 2 week spring residential before his GCSEs which is a slightly daunting prospect to say the least. Am sure it’s not an uncommon scenario for NYO musicians to be heading towards public exams during their tenure but don’t honestly know how teenagers juggle the music and academics given the NYO commitment seems pretty hefty. Anyone got any experience of this or know of others that have?

DD passed her viola exam too, hooray!
No more music for her this term as off on a sports tour.
other child still has an end of term service with orchestra and small ensemble.

Well done to her

A bit of an unexpected turn of events for Ds this week. He was meant to be playing in the band at the conservatoire musical this week but last weekend got a message asking if he could go to a city with a well known theatre to do some work on a new touring production that opens this weekend.
A tense 24 hour hours when he spoke to the MD at the conservatoire about the situation who said it was too good an opportunity to turn down and they would try and find a replacement.

So the production paid his train fair and accommodation and he spent most of this week creating & programming keyboard sounds, making any changes the music director wanted during the end of the rehearsal process. He’s loved it & has done lots of networking.

He was invited to official press night next week but it clashes with something he absolutely can’t change.