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 fantastic opportunity!

@amr78 - can't help you as it's never been on our radar but I'm sure others will be able to help. It's a great achievement to even be at that level to apply.

@Soundofshuna - well done on your DD's exam success and you're right - it's lovely also not to have to hear the pieces again!

@Comefromaway - gosh that's exciting. Sounds like he had a great time.

@amr78 I'm sure some of the social media posts showed kids revising between sessions- imagine it's pretty organised re them having time.

@Soundofshuna - brilliant news on the viola exam

@Comefromaway - how exciting- your DS seems to be getting some fantastic opportunities!

@amr78 hi, my DS is in NYO and was in year 11 last year. There are revision sessions scheduled in the daily schedule in the Winter and Spring residencies to cover anyone that has January mocks as well as the actual GCSEs. One thing to look at is when Easter is in relation to when the exams start. Last year, I think there was a gap when he got back where he could revise at home.m before the exams. DS didn't do much revision when he was with NYO, but I know alot of them do.

@amr78 Definitely go for it, the whole audition day is a good experience. I'd recommend doing inspire if eligible. Some of the inspire musicians are playing in the prom this summer. Exams come very soon after the Easter course for Scottish members!

amr78, DS is in NYO and just taken his A levels. Yes, it's a bit of a juggle ( he had mocks straight after the Winter residency too), but there is time and physical space to be able to revise on the courses.
it's such an amazing exoeruence, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend applying. Also, DS only got in on his third try, but the previous auditions definitely helped page the way - he was asked to be involved in various projects and then called up last summer to take the place of someone who dropped out, and ended up playing at the Proms!

pave the way.

@Alwaysplayspicc thank you. It does sound like an amazing opportunity. I’ll see how DS gets on over the next few months juggling his music and year 10 work as he’s not the most self-motivated when it comes to studying! It may be worthwhile auditioning next year in the knowledge it will likely be a practice run but all good experience.

@Alwaysplayspicc @amr78 I'm feeling so guilty that we didn't manage to put in an audition for DD2 for NYO - her head of department was v encouraging and suggested she should particularly given that she had been offered this two week tour and the Proms with them anyway - but then her teacher (who has now left) was REALLY odd about it and said that he had loads of complaints about NYO and didn't think any of it was a good thing - and especially Inspire, which she has had really good opportunities from before. So obviously he wouldn't help DD prepare for it, even though I'd explained that it wasn't that I thought she was going to get in, just that they'd asked her to audition and provided the mentoring etc etc. Awkward - particularly when she's 100 miles away.

Sometimes I find the whole music parenting thing very hard to deal with - I cannot get anything right! They clearly think that anyone who isn't a musician is an idiot - and I'm not - I'm well-educated, well-known in my own field and generally a pretty competent person - I'm just not particularly musical.

On the plus side, DD2 just had her singing marks back for her G6 - 91 out of 100 (Trinity). She's pretty pleased with that and had a lovely time singing in the school opera at the weekend. Just a mega Symphony concert to go in which she will be mainly hiding behind a contrabassoon, and then we can take her home! She's already nearly packed. I can't wait to have her back...

@minisnowballs it is really challenging navigating all of this as a parent, particularly when teachers have very polarised views. Did your DD’s teacher expand on what the complaints were? We’re not eligible for Inspire so can’t get onto NYO’s radar unless we just bite the bullet and audition.
Congrats on your DD’s result. You must be very excited about having her home for the summer. DS is on his D of E bronze expedition until tomorrow then has his county orchestra audition on Wednesday - timing less than ideal as am sure he’ll come back broken 😬

I don't think parents like me are considered worthy of an explanation @amr78 - he was a very grand teacher (though I should stress always kind and supportive to DD2) ! I've never heard the same from anyone else though so I suspect it is just some random reason of his own.

.. I don't really understand how the Inspire eligibility thing works any more to be honest. DD2 was state when she started, but isn't now (though obviously she's government supported at school) but is still very much invited to do stuff. She has really enjoyed the courses - which also had the merit of being completely free. We have always felt very lucky she is allowed to do them!

Hope the expedition goes well - at least it won't be cold - DD2's school had snow for their Silver practice - I was so glad she'd pulled out of it beforehand. Good luck for audition!

DD1 punching the air this morning as one of her little piano pupils got a merit in their Grade 1 - first one she's taken all the way from beginner so very much "her result". I think she was more pleased with that than the first she got for her end of year recital. Perhaps she will now start to understand the terror with which we parents face our children's music exams.....

Well done to all the DC with good results. @minisnowballs you know where I am if you ever want sympathy with the remote parenting! Just count the hours til you get her back!

That's a real pity, mini. Sounds very much like some personal politics at play, rather than a genuine problem with NYO. Obviously, no organization is perfect, so people might have niggles with certain aspects, but a blanket refusal to support a student in their application feels very wrong, particularly in a specialist setting.

One of DS 's friends at school had offers from all the London conservatories and their teacher tried to insist on them choosing a particular one by forbidding them to go to another. Thankfully, the student made their own choice and accepted the forbidden one!

@londonmummy1966 very well done to her! My brother teaches and I know he gets as nervous as the kids do about the results. And yes, I am indeed counting the hours.... she's been stuck in Cedars Hall every day for two weeks now - literally hasn't been to an academic lesson.

@Alwaysplayspicc yes definitely sounded personal. But not much I could do about it from here - and as I say, he's left now so all change anyway.

You must be feeling weird - end of an era, no? I can't believe DD2 has been there a year, so goodness knows how it is from your perspective!

It's a very strange mix of emotions, for sure, minisnowballs.
We went over on Friday night for his final solo performance - a very special evening of incredible performances from the year 13 strings, and DS played the best we've ever heard him.
He has grown so much, as a person and as a musician, and I know he 'd say he's had some amazing experiences (not least, getting into Glastonbury at the weekend...without a ticket!), but also some really hard times.
It will be very sad not to visit the city regularly - we've loved our trips there and feeling involved in its musical community.
And, of course, it will be a wrench when he moves to London and we have no contact with teachers, friends etc he may have there.

he's playing principal in the concert on Thursday, and then we have to get through the leavers service - I cried last year and it wasn't him leaving!!! (Be prepared....it's very moving when the leavers walk down the aisle and out into the green, and they are symbolically locked out of the cathedral. 😢😢)

@Alwaysplayspicc - sympathy - it was indeed a very poignant service when DD left Wells. She was only there form 6th form and some of it through COVID which meant we got to go there somewhat less than might have been. The good thing is that they form such strong bonds with each other that their school friends always seem to be around to our house in the holidays (especially the internationals).

@Alwaysplayspicc @londonmummy1966 if I cry I think it might be exhaustion from watching the election in the Premier Inn with my politics-mad older daughter, who is with us at the concert as she's off to a Uni open day in Wales on Friday. But it does indeed sound very moving!

DD2 is fairly grumpy about all the symphony rehearsals as the rest of her year are off to the beach today and she's in both of the concert pieces when hardly any of her friends are and struggling with the beast that is the contrabassoon - and swapping it to bassoon in the 'quiet bits'. She was in the opera all last week so I don't think has attended an academic lesson for many days. Also last night had no dinner as nobody told them dinner closed early for the sixth form leavers thing.

I shall look out for your DS as principal. What a journey he's had! Hope he is excited by the next steps.

DS has grade 7 flute tomorrow - think the stress has hit and he keeps blowing raspberries at the top of scales where he's closing his lips too much, which is in turn causing more stress. Am trying to take my own advice re things falling apart before the exam. He's overall fine though, his pieces are good, his scales are (raspberries aside) solid and his sight reading is also good. Aural is as ever a challenge. Hoping can put dubious singing down to his voice starting to break 😂. Feels really late to be doing the exam though as most people seem to be finished for the summer. He had his school music concert last week which was really nice - lots of variety and opportunity rather than being an amazing standard, but lovely and inclusive. His flute ensemble is really coming on though so that was nice. Think he can have a break after tomorrow until after his school residential trip the week after - then its full on rehearsal and the trip to Austria for LYWB.

DD is leaving juniors this time - we have the end of term music show this week and then the production the week after and then the leavers assembly. DD is playing violin in 2 of those but in line with the batshit-ness of her school, isn't allowed to play in the leavers assembly because she doesn't learn at school. I'd suggest that she is however leaving, and there are lots of things she's been allowed to do that she hasn't learnt at school - like swimming, but i also know hiding to nothing, they don't welcome feedback really and it feels like she's leaving so i'll just let it go. Hopefully secondary will be less insane on this stuff.

That is utterly batshit about the school/non-school lessons @northerngoldilocks

Often the best musicians have out of school lessons - either JD or with particular teachers. Madness! Fingers crossed for a more inclusive experience from September.

We had DD's last chapel service of the school year last night together with the farewell to their choral director who is leaving. It was a lovely service and he was very moved to be conducting them for the last time. He's been in charge since dd joined the choir six years ago so big changes ahead.

This week also marks DD's first music tour - she's off at 5am on Thursday morning 😱😱. There's the pre-tour concert before they go and a multitude of last minute rehearsals. This year has flown by.

@northerngoldilocks does your DS know that he can whistle (or hum) instead of sing in the exam if he wants to?

That is crazy re the school leaver’s thing - how annoying. Their loss!

@northerngoldilocks it is indeed bonkers - although DD2 was also never allowed to play at primary as she learned externally either (even though it was her school lessons that led to her recommendation for her saturday school). You're right re swimming, also football, which are somehow fine to learn externally.

DD2 is home from first year at specialist school. Which is very lovely, though the house is now a tip. She declares her decision to leave home a 'huge success' and her report certainly suggests she's done pretty well with Year 10, and with her music studies. However I am still laughing at the music teacher's report which says that she 'has to be persuaded that not every composition needs to include a bassoon, even if it is a wonderful instrument' and her houseparent's comment that 'it is a relief to find that someone loses and breaks as many things as I do' and that 'milkshakes belong in the fridge, not the wardrobe' ...DD2 is indeed, quite clumsy and forgetful, and I suspect the pervasive smell of off milk took some time to be removed from the house carpets so I can't really blame her for mentioning it.

Symphony concert was amazing, though she now has MASSIVE ulcers from a week of contrabassooning. Fortunately a few weeks until her music tour - also Austria.

Meanwhile DD1 has now finished for good with CYM, which was a very odd feeling on Saturday. She 's far from being as interested in music as her sister, so it is impressive that CYM managed to contain two different children and challenge them for so long. She was on the front desk of the violas for the symphony orchestra saturday am and remarked 'maybe this is the last time I'll ever play in an orchestra' when she'd finished. I suspect it won't be though.

@QueenMabby hope your dd's tour is brilliant!

Thanks- yes, but that might make obvious he doesn't have a clue...

He can actually whistle in tune though so will suggest it to him if he wants

More worried about the sudden appearance of blowing raspberries in scales to be honest ...

Hello. I've not posted in ages but thought you guys would know the answer...

My daughter has her grade 8 exam today. (in a few hours!) How long are results taking now?

Think it depends on how they're entered and whether they get sent for moderation, but abrsm Facebook page seems to be showing 3 days or so for some people.

Ds is entered via his music school so results go to them first and then are released to parents