Autumn / Winter music thread - 2026/2027

[northerngoldilocks]

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.

Thank you and great to hear 🥰

At the moment his long term goal is to be an orchestral tuba player but he loves the broader musicology too so is torn between uni and conservatoire routes - lots of research to do!!!

NervesAreShot my DD plays Violin and goes to JD and would to be a Musician.

Hello all! We’re going to pick up my little one’s rental cello tomorrow - exciting day! I realised we don’t have anything appropriate for her to sit on - she can’t quite get her feet to the ground on the piano stool at its lowest yet. Does anyone have any recommendations of adjustable chairs/stools that would work for little ones? Are drum stools what we should be looking at?

So exciting incertus. When DD started bassoon and chairs weren't right her teacher used to make her put a large book under her feet. Used the mirror and the light for years - never actually finished it as in my mind it's now a footstool.

Don't know if that's helpful

I think that the problem with raising their feet is that they’d reach down to the cello? Do you have any kids chairs she could use as would have thought a children’s chair would be best?

Very exciting!

There are some purpose made solutions, but they tend to be expensive. Adjustable shower stools (from mobility aid companies) can be good.

Lovely to get a new instrument. You can extend the spike to make the body higher so raising the feet not such a problem but I've seen the cello teacher near us use those extendable camping stools, you can get some with adjustable height. They're like a cone with a seat. I'll find a link but you need to check heights.

https://ebay.io/m/FmhtCGCamping stool

They are sold as fishing stools too.

Dd has a tiny cellist student and helps at a beginners orchestra with players who can’t reach the ground on regular chairs! Most of them have little plastic stools - maybe Ikea?

Thank you all for the suggestions! She’s outgrown our kids chairs but too small to have feet on the ground with any of our others! I think will go with what you’ve suggested @horseymum - cheap and cheerful so worth a try!

We do also have an (unread!) hardback copy of The Mirror and the Light @achangeofnameisasgoodasarest so that will be a good backup! I haven’t had a response from my friend on the theory q yet btw.

My 13-year-old DS has decided to take a break from piano after doing his grade 6 so he has started cello lessons today at school. There are only two students having lessons so it seems a bit precarious but we’ll see how it goes. On piano, he’s learning music from Minecraft and the Amazing Digital Circus while his teacher gives him exercises to work on his technique, rather than pressing on towards grade 7. My 11-year-old DS has started brass lessons again, on trumpet this time after doing cornet then tenor horn, but is rather hampered by a complete lack of practice. It’s such a shame as we’re a very musical family so he almost certainly has the ability to do well, if only he would put some effort in.

These stools are quite popular with the little cellists dd sees - they are adjustable and pack down to very little which would be helpful if he has orchestra etc later on. https://caswells-strings.co.uk/product/minimax-cello-stool/?srsltid=AU7gw4WCO6wN4Okl5IQaSmuxgWEyZMZEDwVuTwTmnVtUPUoVrdzK5XEH

I wonder what the difference between the caswells £35 one and an eBay £8 is? Unless it's better had having the spike rest t thingy underneath.

I’ve gone with this one - splashed out an extra £4 for a rainbow version which she will love. Will report back!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/WedDecor-Collapsible-Telescopic-Adjustable-Lightweight/dp/B0DDTVXHR9/ref=sxin_21_pa_sp_phone_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.3bd9bc47-57a3-4f93-b4e8-750ec81f798e%3Aamzn1.sym.3bd9bc47-57a3-4f93-b4e8-750ec81f798e&crid=3VWLGTYQTJDID&cv_ct_cx=telescopic%2Bstool&keywords=telescopic%2Bstool&pd_rd_i=B0F9KNKDXH&pd_rd_r=2c3ed726-7285-407d-a778-af71ff50d080&pd_rd_w=BEom5&pd_rd_wg=sAV9t&pf_rd_p=3bd9bc47-57a3-4f93-b4e8-750ec81f798e&pf_rd_r=3JWHK0JNEMTYY1B6BS1F&qid=1789735199&sprefix=telescopic%2Bstool%2Caps%2C145&sr=1-1-fbc3951e-6c4e-4104-85d5-8dff376e781b-spons&aref=GaMXHUZoRN&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1&th=1

Telescopic stools are great @Incertus , DS9 is still using his. Good posture makes such a massive difference to tone, so the right seat height is quite important.

DS played at a competition last weekend that had lots of string players (he was in the under-16 categories, so a large range from about 7 to 15) and it was blindingly/ deafeningly obvious which students had been successfully taught proper posture and which hadn't.

I say successfully taught, as a couple of DS's friends go to the posture-specialist university level cello teacher who charges $100 an hour to give them the same set of exercises every week for years, but these kids don't get any parental supervision of practice so they never fix anything. When DS went to her, he did the exercises supervised every day for 2 years, applied them to his playing until it became automatic, made good progress, and then I stopped those lessons and went back to the Suzuki teacher full time, since i realised the posture teacher wasn't going to come up with anything new to say.

Also saw people using these at the (quite muddy) arts festival we were at over the bank holiday @Incertus - so dual purpose and you could get more use out of it.

DD's posture is awful on bassoon. But mostly she stands to play now so it doesn't matter.

Stool has arrived - very nifty little thing and perfect for our purposes - thank you all for the recommendations!

Also, just got an email saying DS has been offered a place in NCO (weekends) - much earlier than I was expecting to hear! Pretty surprised as he’s on violin, is the youngest and it was his first attempt - he will be over the moon (once he remembers what it was all about). Best of luck to others waiting 🤞🏻

Harp u12s NCO place email received! She’ll be beyond happy! So chuffed for her. Good luck everyone waiting!

Also NCO place here too, first time and also quite young I think. She will be thrilled (I hope). We just got a stool from Amazon from memory, probably the same as yours! Got two and only broken one so far!

Sadly a no for DD for u14s. She will be so sad

Is it just NCO or are folk seeing NYO coming out too? Congratulations and commiserations to those with results so far. This seems like just as much of a rollercoaster as the world I know with my eldest (acting).

Oh no sorry to hear that @northerngoldilocks - I’m sure the competition for U14s is intense and must be something of a lottery with likely so many great applicants. Not long before she can try for NYO.

Congrats to others!

Yes must be so much harder as they get older. Was rather hoping for a no first time in a way as every year now will be harder, assuming they enjoy it and want to re audition!

Sorry to hear that @northerngoldilocks

NYO is next Mon I think?