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.

@herbaceous mine have done a few competitions, we always go into them with the main thoughts of it being good performance opportunity. They will usually have a goal such as playing from memory, remembering to look up or something that is in their control. The ' result ' depends on so many other things. The adjudication can be quite variable, never quite sure what they are looking for so easier not to focus on 'winning'. We have one festival where it's split into grades rather than ages so it feels more like they play with similar levels.

I am popping back after a bit of a break but suspect that will be the repairer based in my village! ( PE?)!Technically we’re near Bristol but in reality nearer Bath. Public transport is abysmal but if I can help at all let me know.
DD1 did her grade 8 violin this morning. She’s worked hard but in year 13 so being pulled in lots of directions and her scales weren’t really ready so we shall see!

well done to your dd @Soundofshuna ! And thank you! we have sorted the flute repair by taking it home with us after DD's lunchtime concert yesterday - she'll have to borrow for a few days. This does include a concert, so non-ideal but she'll have to cope.

lunchtime concert went really well yesterday - I find them nerve-racking - but she did a great job and did the introducing too. Pointless competition tonight, but at least it gets her a night out of school to spend with her old mum, and she's buoyed up by her acceptance into the next stage of the national youth choir (Training).

She was very nervous about this as she loved Girls Choir so I'm thrilled for her.

Hope the results are out quickly @Soundofshuna - the waiting is the worst!

@minisnowballs congratulations to your DD on the NY Choir place - that's very exciting for her. Hope the competition goes well too.

We've had another week of lots going on at school. They've started a 'young musician of the year' competition so both my DC did the first round. DD is now thorough to the final next week - she's playing the piano in it. DS didn't get through to the final which is a shame for him, but he's yr 9 and they did it by Key Stage so the finalists in KS4 are all year 10. Maybe next year for him! And maybe another 'competitions are hard to predict' moment too!

Last night they also had a year 7 music concert where the whole year sang and DD did a duet with a friend on the violin and then played a piano solo. I was really nervous for her which is odd as thought i'd stopped doing that - perhaps it was the new school element and i was a bit concerned as it was a stage piano rather than an acoustic one so wasn't sure how that would go. Seems she was way calmer than me though and she played brilliantly (biased!).

@Soundofshuna well done to your DS for getting her grade 8 done today. Fingers crossed for speedy results.
@minisnowballs hope the competition goes well tonight and you’re not feeling too nervous - think it’s often worse for us than it is for them! Great result re: national youth choir.
Been a busy music week here too. DS has made it through to the school young musician of the year comp in Jan. His heat was near the start of term when he was in a stand off over practise. He played Schumman and had only had one run through with the piano - he also warmed up the wrong clarinet, only realising during the performance before his so he felt he was slightly out of tune. He’s had a school small ensemble concert this week which was lovely but in a freezing cold church then auditioned for the youth orchestra concerto competition last night. He was quite relieved that the ‘panel’ was reduced to one person recording the performance due to staff sickness! 16 entrants though so we’re not holding our breath. Not sure my nerves could really cope with him playing a movement of a concerto with an orchestra in a big concert hall!

definitely a positive competition last night- dd2 didn’t win- and it would have been a travesty if she had- but it was good to see her up there with her school peers performing. I think she’d do it again so in balance very good as an experience.

some of her peers really are terrifyingly talented- it is always good to hear them and realise how lucky she is to study with them!

@minisnowballs congratulations for a positive experience for your DD. Really good sign that she wants to do it again!
DS has a violin exam next Friday, then he's in a local music festival, playing the violin and the piano. Hope he'll enjoy it too! The piano class is graded so it'll be level fielded. The string class is open to any primary aged kids and he's only just turned 8. So don't have much hope of winning but I hope he'll enjoy the experience and learn from it.

good luck to him @chickentikkasalad - sounds like a lot going on!

Made it to DD's evening concert last night despite it being far away in foul weather. Meant she got her flute back just in time to play the solos in a really nice piece for flute ensemble.

The piccolo jazz bit - where she'd been handed the school piccolo an hour or so before having not played one in years - was less successful. Apparently the HoD said it was 'nearly there'(!) Poor audience...

Grade 8 pass achieved! Very quick results..
Lots of Christmas music to be played then piano grade 8 next term.

Wow @Soundofshuna two grade eights so close together is good going. Congrats to her!

She’s in year 13 so time is ticking!

Fantastic news - congratulations to her @Soundofshuna

@Soundofshuna that's brilliant! Good to get results back so quickly. We're waiting on the outcome of a few things and it's the worst bit!

@Soundofshuna Congratulations!! My DS is also in Y13 and wants to get Grade 8 in both of his instruments done before exams... so I very much feel for you!

@Soundofshuna - congrats to your dd on her g8 result!

@minisnowballs - glad DD's concert went well and good on her for playing the piccolo on such short notice!

Dd has a concert this week - all the school's ensembles so lots of extra rehearsals.

She's also gearing up for an informal concert next month too where she's playing Saint Saëns' Allegro Appasionata. She's only had it two months and it's her first grade 8 piece. It's mostly there but still a bit unsure on the higher bits so more targeted practice needed. Fortunately her piano teacher has said she's accompany her which should help the nerves a bit!

@PhotoDad it's all I can do to get my year 13 to revise no matter take instrumental exams so I'm well impressed by that!

@QueenMabby that sounds brilliant - we love a bit of Saint Saens here. Good luck to her!

Hi, does anyone have experience of both NYSO and NSSO at Sinfonia level? How do they compare for violins, which one plays more challenging music?
DD is G8 but young so I want her to be with her age group, but we are looking for more challenging orchestras. I guess NYSO would probably be better as it's specialist, but it's quite expensive so I'm still hesitant... Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Had an 'interesting' evening last night - a concert of musical theatre pieces. Some were amazing, from kids who are always good, some were amazing, from kids I'd never even seen before, and some were so appalling I wanted to rip my ears off. Out of tune, and seemingly e-n-d-l-e-s-s... One boy murdered Stars so badly it's going to be a while until I can listen to the real version again.

Friday night DS's barbershop group is entertaining the Law Society, next week it's an unplugged concert where he's singing in rock band, orchestra and barbershop, and then the usual round of endless Christmas concerts.

Oh and diploma piano, and g6 French Horn. And mock GCSEs.

Does anyone know when LSSO results will be out? Feels like we've been waiting for ages.....

This week apparently @se22mother - though DD2 can't do quite a few of the dates so I'm not expecting much in the way of 'membership'.

Thank you @minisnowballs . I just want to be able to plan

@se22mother don't we all!

Does anyone have any recommendations for summer schools please? Ds (will be 16 next summer) has done Chet’s for the last couple of years but fancies a change this year. He plays viola at G6 going into G7 level.

Viva Strings is pretty amazing tbh.

I've heard good things about EYSM from quite a few people.