Spring /Summer 25 - Music thread

[northerngoldilocks]

Time for a new thread for spring!

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.

@WheelySquirrel I absolutely get this, it's so nerve-wracking waiting outside. I'm sure she will do well and hope she enjoys her recorder playing. I have all different sizes of recorders and love the sound.

@horseymum Thank you! She does enjoy the recorder and is keen to continue it despite having taken up a second instrument which I expect will become her main one.

All seemed to go well apart from one scale which to be honest she hadn’t ever quite nailed so I’m not that surprised! Hopefully she’s done well enough on the pieces though.

@WheelySquirrel that sounds really positive. I really hate listening to exams from both my DD's so completely get the stress. I wonder if that ever goes away?

I love the recorder @WheelySquirrel - I’m sure your dd has done amazingly.

My dd has always done her exams in school so I’ve never had the crazy nerves whilst waiting but I do feel a bit sick with nerves every time she performs a solo!

None of those this week, just a choir outing and a strings concert where she’s in a couple of groups but no solos. I shall be glad of the breather!

Last orchestral concert of term here tonight - really looking forward to it after a cracking jazz concert last week that lasted a mammoth 2.5 hours. Well done to all on the exam results! I thankfully have never had to wait outside during an exam as they have all been done in school but I too feel anxious when DD has a solo @QueenMabby- I can't even look.

Thank you @hidingmystatus that's interesting about the vibrato as my DD's singing teacher and school music director did have different views on what 'too much' was - she is a soprano but has good vibrato for her age.

Hate to disillusion you all but I'm nervous as one of DDs pupils has her G2 piano today. Not sure it will ever go away!!!

Thankfully DS has his exams at school, tho that doesn't stop me obsessively checking the ABRSM website for the results! His g8 took about eight weeks to come back last summer - fortunately his teacher did the chasing, or my refresh button would have been completely worn out.

We have an end of term concert on Wednesday too. Think DS will be in six of the ensembles in one form or other! I've been drafted in to play the bassoon in the orchestra, and won't get a chance to go to the rehearsals! What can go wrong!!

Oh and then his has his GCSE drama practical all day the next day. Fortunately he apparently knows all his lines, and there's much eye-rolling at the thought of maybe rehearsing.

We had Grade 8 back in two days last March, so same turn around for all the other grades done here.

Interestingly, we have just had a LAMDA result back in a record 15 days (Grade 7, but again I’m not sure that makes a difference) which is a huge improvement.

Good to know I’m not alone with the parental nerves!

On a slightly different note, those of you with older/more advanced musicians, would you recommend working through the theory grades or just doing grade 5 as and when needed? I’m wondering whether to get one of the workbooks for my DD (she is quite mathematically minded so I think it might suit her) but equally don’t want to overwhelm her if really there’s no point for a while yet.

I would say work through them, though no need to do the exams for each grade. Then the knowledge builds and is more likely to stick - in my opinion anyway.

My DD is a mathematician too so worked through the books quite quickly. We used the poco music series initially, which I would recommend.

LAMDA used to tell you in person at the end of the exam - pretty scary....

Dd who is also mathematically minded and liked to check things off did all the books but only took the g5 theory exam.

Goodness, that’s intense!

Still waiting for results from Thursday exam. Google mocks me by telling me "you visit often" when i go to abrsm website!

Thank you - these look good and I think we’ll try them and see how she gets on.

Absolutely - quite scary!!!!

DD was once the very last person for the exam period in a particular centre and her teacher rang up with the results a couple of hours later. Saved all the frayed nerves caused by waiting (mine at least).

@WheelySquirrel DD also used ABRSM theory app.

Hi I hope it is okay to join the thread. I have one dc, who is currently getting the jitters about recording his Grade 8 piano performance exam. I must say I will be pleased when it is over and done with. With all exams and performances, the week or two before, it all seems to unravel. Goes well in the end though.

I noticed a child wearing loop earplugs at a concert recently that one of mine was in and it got me thinking. Have any of you invested in something similar? Cellos were in front of brass and percussion so not probably great for hearing! 2 hrs of weekly rehearsals too. Thanks

@Happydaysandhappysmiles my dd2 has loops - I got her the ones where you can twist them to change the amount of noise they block as she often uses them for general life as well as music. You can only use certain types of earplugs when you're playing I think, but I'm glad she does as she's often in front of the percussion!

I wanted some of those when in a very loud cafe at the weekend!

Have minor complications here - final diploma recording supposed to be same day as all-day GCSE drama practicals. Hmmm...