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.

Busy term coming up here too. Last NYO audition was on Wednesday 🤞🏻. Back to JD on the 21st. Then JD Concerto comp to work for and Conservatoire auditions. Trying not to get stressed so I can help DS keep calm! Although, will be nagging him to write his personal statement this weekend 😬

Hi all - signing in for the new music thread. Thanks for bringing us into autumn northern!

Our aims for this term are a possible g6 piano for DD (if she'll learn the scales, she is rather inclined to making up fingerings as she goes along), and GCSE performance recordings for DS.

chickentikkasalad, everyone I know who has used Benslow has been very pleased with what they're offered. Not knocking primavera but sounds like he's at a level to enjoy and learn from a violin that has more tone in it. He'll love it.

Hi compsearch, nice to meet another small violinist - sounds like he's making a stonking start. Not that mine's small any more! more of a lanky 12 yr old these days. Off to local music centre today where she's been going since year 2. Does your DS do any ensembles yet? Our centre run them for complete beginners up, they have a lot of fun.

Getting serious horseymum and pollyanna, good luck!

Glad to be back for a new term.

Not sure what we'll be doing with regard to grades. Dd will start preparing for g8 piano but she's not coming down onto it so I'm not sure how long it will take. She also has a new "8 hands" group which she's excited about.

Cello-wise - maybe g7? Her teacher doesn't seem to be very grade minded (the last one she did was g4) but she's currently working through Bach's Cello Suite number 1 but I have no idea what level that is along with a few other things. She's been invited to join a new chamber group but it clashes with the play she's doing so she can't join that until after half term.

She has entered a music festival for her singing which will be the first time she's done that so it'll giver her something to prepare for this term and then next term will be auditions for music scholarships for sixth form.

That actually sounds pretty busy now I think about it!

Glad to have found the new thread!
DS leaves to start conservatoire in London next weekend, so we're deep in organizing and packing - so much to think about!
He'll be straight into instrumental lessons and orchestral rehearsals, alongside freshers events, so I'm hoping he can keep up with the pace in the first week.

@northerngoldilocks your poor DD - hope she recovers quickly.

@noteventhebestdrummer he’s having private lessons and has just finished Fiddle Time Joggers and moving on to the next one (Runners?). He isn’t doing any ensembles yet but he’s signed up for the Benedetti Session in saffron Walden in October which will be his first experience playing in an orchestra. Will be a steep
learning curve so I hope it’s a positive experience for him - even having to cope by himself without knowing other kids etc for a day might be tough!

On the last thread I was trying to find a musicianship class for him - I managed to get him a slot in the CYM primary years programme but on recorder. They wouldn’t let him do violin as he’d already started lessons so I hope 2 instruments isn’t too much. He’ll be having a group lesson, ensemble and then musicianship. He’s doing recorder at school anyway this year so I figured could be handy.

Hi everyone, signing in for the autumn thread. Hope the start of term has gone well. DS is starting Y10 and got in a bit of a panic at the end of the summer holidays about how he was going to juggle all of his musical commitments alongside working towards GCSEs. It’s difficult for him to drop anything in school as he’s a scholar so we’ve sadly had to drop the evening school where he does small ensemble playing & general musicianship. Now grade 8 clarinet is out of the way, there’s thankfully no more exams on the horizon until later in 2025. He’s starting county orchestra on Saturdays and is working towards a competition in November which feels like it’s coming round very quickly!

It sounds like everyone has busy terms coming up! Good luck to those off to conservatoires this month.

My youngest has agreed to do her G2 double bass this term, she’s been pootling about on it for years, and needs to get her teeth into it really. She’s not great at regular practice, but when she does sit down to play she’s reluctant to stop, so I’m hoping to get her into a good routine this term.

My ds also needs to record his pieces for GCSE music. He’s really enjoyed the composition aspect so far, he’s upstairs now writing something on his guitar.

Dropping a pin here so I don't lose you! We've had a summer of piano exam prep, with the promise of a holiday at the end of this month. DD2 has submitted her grade 3 performance grade (she won't perform in front of an examiner, so this option is amazing for her). I'm not holding out a great deal of hope for anything but a pass, but we might get a kind examiner 🤞

DD1 has been polishing her ATCL performance, after a frustrating plateau where she just couldn't play it cleanly, she has turned a corner this week. Fingers crossed she's finally exam ready. She was also featured in our local paper about her Chetham's admission, which was very exciting!

@mustardrarebit i hope she loves Chets as much as my kid did.

Thanks. She's so excited, but doesn't start until next September.

Hi, I'm a newbie to this very interesting thread. An 18 year old boy that l know is off to a Conservatoire this month. He has been in local orchestras etc and at a state comprehensive school.
I am wondering what the difference is in his music knowledge and that of children that have been educated at music schools from an early age and are on the same course.
Is he at a disadvantage, do you think?

Hi everyone- I thought I’d join this page as there seems to be a little clarinet ensemble here! Buffet player here too. Dd just gained G5 and aims for G6 next year. In meantime can anyone recommend any fun books/music that would still challenge her, or not be too easy at this stage. Have tried over the summer but not found anything! Had suggestions before (not from here) but none been quite right

@Carthorses he will absolutely be good enough if he's got in, it's super competitive. I suspect other conservatoires are similar - the one I know about as friends work there tests music theory on entry ( or maybe before) and you do extra classes if necessary.

Autumn is sounding busy all round. Good luck to all those doing auditions - fingers crossed for NYO and conservatoire applications.

I auditioned both my two for NCO, but in a very much 'it will do' way - as they were both exhausted at the end of term. Not holding out much hope for main given the level they play at and wouldn't accept projects for either of them as we are so fortunate to have a very good local youth orchestra in the holidays and it would mean missing Saturday school including 1:1 lessons for both of them so the trade off isn't worth it. Had DD not moved up to full orchestra locally though I think it might have been good for her if offered.

This term I think that DD might do Grade 8 piano if she can sort out scales properly. Her teacher is (understandably) very keen on her not using the loose approximation of the standard finger pattern so its something to work on. Thankfully her bike injuries aren't bad and she's on the road to recovery and was able to play piano and violin this weekend. She'd have been in trouble if she played woodwind or brass as her lip is still really fat! She might also finally do a violin exam, but will depend when her teacher thinks she's ready and what grade. Maybe 6 or maybe skip that too. I do really feel like she should try one at some point though. She's also starting singing lessons at school, which is new and exciting for her.

Not sure what DS will do this year - last year I thought it might be an exam free year and he ended up doing Gr 6 piano and Gr7 flute, so think i'll just play it by ear. Feels like ages until he actually starts back at Saturday lessons as there are still 2 weeks to go. He's actually done quite a lot of playing over the summer and has made a decent go of 4 new pieces so will see how his teacher feels about them. He's having slightly longer lessons this year too which should help him get through more each week as Gr 8 pieces on a 30 min lesson is just quite tricky to fit in.

@Alakazam8 what kind of things does your DD like? DS played pieces from the Mosaics book at a similar level on flute just for a bit of fun over the summer, but his current teacher really isn't a fan so quickly moved him on from it!

She likes anything really- got some jazz she’s trying so maybe not that,
pop, mt, classical…. I’ll google mosaics to see if they do clarinet ones!

@StuntNun Thanks for your advice re clarinets! Very interesting to hear that the clarinet tech recommended that you refurbish your existing one instead of buying a new one. Are you pleased with how it plays and sounds after the refurbishment?

Yes @PurpleStarrySocks it plays like it did when it was new. I took it to Dawkes in Maidenhead because that's where I bought it from and they do a 10% discount on repairs if you bought it from them. I was quite impressed that they still gave me the discount on a 30+ year old instrument!

@MockCroc @northerngoldilocks Thanks again for the advice on what to play when testing clarinets, which was very useful when DS was testing clarinets this weekend. DS tested a new Buffet R13, R13 Prestige & RC Prestige, a pre-owned R13, a new Yamaha YCL-CSVR and seven Vandoren mouthpieces! I must say that I didn't think the sound he made on all of the various different combinations of clarinets and mouthpieces was vastly different, but I think the pre-owned R13 had the most beautiful tone. It's hard to know if it's worth buying a new clarinet when it will sound different once it's been played in.

@amr78 Thank you for recommending John Packer and Alice was indeed very helpful. Some of what DD tested was sent out by her on a 'try before you buy' basis, which has been very helpful.

It sounds like a busy term ahead for lots! DS1 (pianist & clarinettist) & DS2 (pianist & cellist) are starting at a new JD in a couple of weeks' time, so fingers crossed they'll be matched with teachers they'll get on well with!

DS1 started working on his ARSM piano pieces after the Easter holidays and has been working on some ARSM clarinet pieces over the summer holidays as well.

DS2 is hoping to take his grade 7 piano this term and has started to play some grade 8 pieces to give himself a challenge over the summer holidays! He's been practising the Prelude of Bach's Cello Suite no.1, which is one of my favourite pieces, so it's been lovely hearing him practise that at home. 😊

Glad you had such a useful trip @PurpleStarrySocks

Which JD are your children starting at? My clarinettist has announced she wants to apply to RAM and RCM JDs this year. My youngest is at RAM PA but it is quite separate from the Junior Academy so I don't really have a sense of it and I don't know anything about the RCM programme. I don't know whether they are realistic for her but I am mostly keen that she is happy and enjoys them. The motivation for applying is that the local music where we live is really limited. She's at a state school where there is very little orchestral music and our Saturday music centre is struggling for members. She really wants to be around other kids with similar interests playing at a decent level to have fun with.

My DS is about to start conservatoire. My DH and I are both pro musicians and DS has just finished 6th form at a specialist music school.
However, his theory/ academic knowledge doesn't extend beyond grade 5 theory and GCSE/ A level music, because the focus has always been on playing.
He had to take online tests for his Conservatoire last week and said they were hard, so I suspect your friend's DS is in no way disadvantaged.

Thank you both. Yes, he has Grade 5 theory and GCSE and Alevel Music. But playing is his thing. That is reassuring to know..

@MockCroc good luck for applying this year. I can totally relate to the reason of applying. We are in a similar situation. DS in state school with no music and poor local music facility.
However he's got a place in a virtual musician training scheme with his dream school. I'm debating whether he stays with the virtual training or apply for a JD for next year. They're both on Saturdays. If it wasn't for that specific school I'll definitely go for the JD. But it's his dream school for the future I'm wondering whether it gives him some help for the audition by staying with them.
With the virtual school he'll do musician class but miss orchestra or ensemble play and choir etc. maybe mainly the atmosphere.
I guess I'll see how it goes this term and decide whether to apply.

Any ideas anyone?