Autumn / Winter 24 - music thread

[northerngoldilocks]

Feels like time for a new thread for the new school year!

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.

Mine loved English schools orchestra.

Stark reminder of how competitive wind instruments are MockCroc, grade 8 at 12 sounds brilliant to me. It's great to see how many options there are, sure you'll be able to find her something cool. And have you got NYO Inspire on your radar?

I have ESO earmarked for mine but it's 13+

This has been so brilliantly helpful. Thanks everyone.

Having been through the options I think we will apply for NCCB. I have also reached out to NYO Inspire because they cater to her year group at 13+ but she is young in her year so I have asked them whether she can get involved.

ESO looks amazing but she is too young and also the standard looks very high so I think that's one to think about in a few years' time.

DD was very keen on the idea of the Scout and Guide CB but the dates don't work with a Scout camp she is doing. Again it looks a great one to revisit in the future too.

I really liked the look of NSSO until I realised that their summer Philharmonic residential is arranged in early July when the private schools have broken up but the state schools haven't. Although I think my daughter would be Sinfonia level I was a bit 🤔about it and it put me off. I went to a private school and I'm not generally chippy about the state / private distinction, but that felt a bit of an odd thing to do.

DD was also keen on the Gloucestershire Academy of Music course because it combines outward bound activities with music which she would love.

So lots to look at and she has been cheered to know there are other options that look fun. We have rejected the Projects Place and will start planning for more auditions!

Just on the term time courses- annoying but I have found that our state school is willing to let mine have authorised absence for orchestra courses. The most I've asked for so far is 2 days this Christmas where the holiday course for south London Youth Orchestra overlaps with state school term time but it has been granted with no problems.

We also missed out on a main orchestra place and rejected a projects place. I did feedback to NCO that the social side is important as DD said that Projects looked very KS2 and she wanted to be with people her own age. However, we’re lucky as I’m on the edge of a large county so checked out what the other local music services offered, she’s now playing in county wind orchestra of a different music service (not ours!) which is course based and not weekly (grade 7 plus so decent standard). So if there are any other services within a reasonable commute, it might be worth seeing what they offer.

I have a DD who did the first year of Projects - she didn't get into U13s and was offered it. She was initially exceptionally grumpy about it - didn't want to go, missed some of her saturday music school lessons etc. BUT, it was actually excellent and not only did she make friends despite being an 'older one'., but met the lady who is now her (wonderful) main instrumental teacher and was accepted into the Main NCO orchestra the next year.

So it may look a bit KS2 but for her it did open doors. And she was far from being the oldest kid on it - particularly, as @thirdfiddle says in the more popular wind sections where there are few places and many at the right standard. She was mostly really cross that they wouldn't let her go back on her own on the bus given it was ten minutes journey from our house.

We've just got back from DD's Inspire Day. Was miles away (thank heavens we have friends nearby) and she was out of her depth running all the icebreakers etc as an 'ambassador'.

The music itself I think wasn't thrilling for her, but she is spoilt nowadays and already knew the part she was playing so I don't think felt she was tutored at all, but the orchestra itself was very well done. The organisation, less so, and I thought the children who were invited to NYO Open (local music hub children) were rather let down by the 'creative' piece they were given to do at the beginning. It all felt a bit like 'classical music is not for you', and it was very exposing for some children at quite an early stage in their musical journey.

Inspire is interesting, I'm not sure they get it all right, but I really appreciate what they are trying to do!

This is reassuring as my 11 year old DD (yr 7) has got a place on Projects. I was fearful she'd be oldest by miles. She's an oboist and only started Jan 22 so she's doing ok but not at the standard of some of your wonderful offspring. It doesn't help that I am not remotely musical (finally scraped grade one piano after five long years of lessons).

I see you have a bassoonist too - my other DD is one. But she's only just moved into big bassoon and still has lolly sticks on bottom keys as her hands aren't big enough, so we will try NCO next year for her!

I think Projects has a bit of an image problem that the old NCO regional orchestras didn't have @londonlivvy - they should probably work on that. SAhe won't be the oldest At All. There were plenty of kids who were old enough for the main orchestra when DD2 did it. They should be proud of being offered it, not see it as some kind of 'consolation prize'.

Sounds like your DD is doing amazingly!

Love the idea of the lolly sticks. DD2 is still on a short reach at 15, but reckons she MIGHT be ready for a fullsize soon. She had a mini bassoon when she started, even though she was nearly 11 at the time.

Thanks for the reassurance! Her oboe teacher suggested we apply (I didn't even know NCO existed). Hope she enjoys it and is inspired.

My DD2 started on minibassoon aged 7 and now on short reach aged 9. Her teacher is a small adult and has stayed on short reach. I'm guessing it doesn't much matter from a sound perspective? Have you bought the instrument? We are still renting but thought we might try and buy if/when she gets to the full sized instrument but MY GOD they are pricey. I had no idea!!

Wow, aged 7, she'll be an absolute prodigy by the time she's my DD2's age! How did she choose it so young?! We have not bought a bassoon - DD2 is now at specialist music school and they hire her one, and I think are quite adept at 'finding' bassoons from trusts etc when needed. Hoping so anyway. There seems to be talk of her having the one currently being used by an Upper Sixth girl who is leaving in summer. They are insanely pricey, we could not afford it.

Last year in the Projects there were quite a few children who looked 12 or even 13yo (maybe just tall) so definitely not just the younger ones.

Meanwhile here DD2 has the piano bug badly. She is supposed to be revising for her GCSEs and practising excerpts for auditions and a technical assessment. Instead,she's learned four grade 5 piano pieces and I have to keep kicking her off the piano at 10pm.

I know she won't play when she gets back to school, but it is nice to see her enjoying it.

I was assuming she might do a recording in the summer - maybe she'll actually get it done by Easter. Piano really is such a different beast to the other instruments she's learned - she loves that you can play it for ages without getting tired. Can't really do that with a bassoon.

Meanwhile here DD2 has the piano bug badly. She is supposed to be revising for her GCSEs and practising excerpts for auditions and a technical assessment. Instead,she's learned four grade 5 piano pieces and I have to keep kicking her off the piano at 10pm.

I get you there. In his first year at conservatoire ds did anything BUT practice for his technical assessment which he then failed! But as the mark was aggregated with his recital which he absolutely smashed he passed overall!!!!

School show them all the instruments and let them try them out and she picked bassoon. DH and I were astonished when she came home saying she wanted to play it. I think school encourage the more unusual instruments to broaden the orchestra. We are very lucky to be able to send them to that school.

@londonlivvy that's brilliant! She will have many opportunities ...

@londonlivvy Just double checked with DD and she says there were two children in wind section of her project who were so tall she thought they were 14. She's not in wind so doesn't know their age.

DD also says the older ones socialise with their peers from other sections.

That's really helpful. She loves her oboe but is also motivated by social stuff (I guess we all are?) so if there are folk she likes I think that would improve the experience for her.

@londonlivvy my eldest - the one I posted about - has done two years of projects in year 6 and year 7 - and enjoyed it both times. By growing out of it I just meant that she’s done two years of it and the repertoire is great but it has to cover a range of children so she felt there were other things she would rather do this year. She’s keen to do a week long residential rather than just a couple of days. DD2 on the other hand is in year 6 and super excited to be going again this year. I am sure your daughter will have a great time and it is a real achievement getting a place in any of the NCO options.

Hi sorry off topic- please can anyone recommend a grade 5 level clarinet piece to contrast with a jazz piece for an audition (short notice but enough time to learn something) ??

@Alakazam8 third movement Mozart Clarinet Quintet (minuet and trio) or Forlana from Finzi's Five Bagatelles. Last one technically grade 6 but a musical child should be able to pull it off as its one of those not too difficult pieces that just needs to be played with sensitivity etc. Music for both is on IMSLP so free to look at.

Thanks @Londonmummy66

The Lefevre sonata is straightforward and not too long so that would be another option

@MockCroc is there a number for the sonata. I had a look and seemed to be 58 pages of music but I’m not musical at all so may have been mistaken.

dd away with friends so I said I’d look- for future reference is there anywhere that has a list of good repertoire for different instruments at different levels, to aid a student when selecting new music?

I could ask her teacher but we are on half term!

Sorry - the first movement of Sonata No 3 is on the G5 syllabus.

while I think about it the Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite by Paul Reade is always a crowd pleaser. I think the movement Summer used to be on the G5 syllabus. My daughter played the prelude for G6 but I think that had previously been on G5. There is a recording of Emma Johnson playing them on Spotify.