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.

@northerngoldilocks great news re singing - and all of that music. I'm currently slightly fuming having seen the big ad my DD2's former school has paid for in a local mag trying to persuade people to join the school - featuring a bunch of well-behaved looking children playing piano and classical guitar.

This is a school that lost five music teachers in two years, canned GCSE music for DD2's year and now has one child taking A-Level in year 13 who is teaching herself - poor kid applying to conservatoire with no help, and has just rearranged all of its afternoon lessons so that Year 11s are in for an extra period and therefore there is no space for the remaining after-school music clubs the peris were still providing. They also canned the winter and summer concerts - so there hasn't been one for a year - also the school production...

I don't mind in that I know they do lots of other things well and budgets are stretched. (DD1 is still in the Sixth Form) but then don't advertise it as if music is your thing when you've failed to prioritise it so spectacularly (for contrast they've had three dance shows in this time)

That is pretty galling @minisnowballs - suspect the advertising shots done completely separate from the decisions on timetabling though. But yes, seems disingenuous. Also means that your decision to move DD2 to music school has very much looked like the right one for her.

How did he manage with puberty, @herbaceous? My DS is nearly 12, about to do his grade 3 musical theatre exam, and it's noticeable how much his voice has already dropped since he started preparing for the exam last term. His teacher says they might have to transpose one of his songs as he can't quite manage it in either octave. He's really worried about how puberty is going to affect his voice, especially as his dad and both granddads are baritones.

They're supposed to schedule regular breaks into their studies. Could be do something like 30 mins academic study/recision, 15 mins music practice, 15 mins break time in each hours?

The maturity indications are to flag up content that might not be suitable for children or could be considered offensive. It's just a warning for teachers and parents and won't affect the marking in any way.

I notice Ring of Keys has the marking. The song was written for and is performed by a 10 year old. (who shock horror just happens to be gay).

He just gradually slid from treble, via alto for a term, to tenor/baritone!

About halfway through his 13th year he was singing a treble solo, a top F cracked, for the first time in his life, and he declared that was the end of his treble career. I was heartbroken for a bit, as his voice was so extraordinary!

He had no 'yodelling' phase, just couldn't get the top notes. His range got smaller, but lower, and is now expanding again.

I believe current advice is to keep singing, particularly in ensembles. It helps the ear tune the emerging voice, and keeps the confidence up. I think it's why so many boys stop singing - they give up when their voice is changing, then when they start again it's like having to learn a new instrument.

Sorry, meant to also say that I think he had it quite easy as his voice was very 'trained' from being a chorister. So he knew what to do to correct any tuning stuff that happened as he went along.

The first school production in year 9 he was Gavroche in Les Mis; the second, in year 10, he was Mr Bumble!

That's great to know @herbaceous thank you very much. My DS has two singing lessons a week and does choir, LAMDA and musical theatre so hopefully he'll be similarly able to compensate.

have you all seen this slightly depressing thread?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5167770-music-lessons-are-a-waste-of-time-for-most-kids?page=1

The OP gets fairly firmly taken down! Methinks a bitter professional musician....

Is anyone’s dc on this thread doing gcse music this year. My dd is and trying to help as much as possible but don’t know how much or little to help. Just started to look at the composition element that was published this week. Would anyone like to discuss?

DS is doing GCSE music, and has just started the composition bit.

But as my tentative forays into 'so, what sort of thing are you composing' were shot down with a 'just a simple piano piece mum FGS, not a four-part fugue' and some eye rolling I could feel even when side on (car chat) I'm not sure I'll be much use!

It’s actually pretty heartening to see the unanimous disagreement!

I think it’s true that there is an unfair gulf between the levels of talent and dedication needed to become a pro musician and the financial rewards that come with it. But there are so many other reasons to learn an instrument (obviously!).

Has anyone been watching BBC young musician?

@Alakazam8 Dd is doing it - she tells me very little except that she's doing a theme and variations and has completed some sheet that was required of her...

She showed me her other one, which is a bassoon duet - but her teacher told her to 'stop putting bassoons in everything' so she's gone for something different for the second piece.

That's all I know - but I didn't get involved with DD1 either - I don't think it needs to be wildly complex but i might be wrong.

I interviewed the person who set this up once (for work) though and it looks like it might be helpful https://www.icancompose.com

DS said his teacher said you don't get marks for complexity, so to keep it simple!

Thanks so much for that dd doesn’t tell me anything either- perhaps for different reasons- she is attending a different school for music from her secondary school so difficult to get info from the teacher. Keep it simple sounds great. Thanks for the composition app, I’ll have a look before she comes home!

@Compsearch yes, I loved watching the young musician auditions - lots of kids DD2 has played with - all of them amazingly talented and great to hear their stories too. Don't envy the judges!

Thanks @minisnowballs think I’ll get one of the courses for her. We can work on it together perhaps, if she has time!

I kind of agree with that topic's OP in that it's very difficult to make a living as a musician/dancer/artist - maybe abroad it is slightly better as the CoL is lower, but not in the UK. Teaching is OK but the market is also shrinking as people have less disposable income. Arts are becoming more the pastimes of the elites (and the tech elite is not that interested - just look at SanFran classical music scene).

OP is a cellist and yes, for cellists grade 7 at 14 is not promising for a solo career. But a real soloist talent is a rarity anyway as it's not about technique.

I think to be able to make a living as a musician today you have to be versatile. And being a soloist is not what everyone wants anyway. Ds worked with some classical musicians from RNCM last weekend. I bet they never thought they wold be playing with a rock band but if it pays a bill then so be it. Today he is accompanying for some auditions at a theatre, well paid and needs good sight reading. Versatility.

@Comefromaway I love hearing how your DS is doing - it is always great to hear about so many different facets to a musical career. We had to go to a 'specialist musician parent' talk when we dropped DD2 off this time - mostly about portfolio careers and how to prepare the children for them. Very sensible, I thought...

Agree. But this lifestyle becomes harder when you get older. And doing multiple jobs as self employed is not considered a stable income for mortgages etc.
It is all very enjoyable of course when you're young and have no family, it's great your DS is having lots of opportunities to enjoy it.

They just need to find a partner with a traditional stable income - that’s what my DH did 🤣