Last night was flute choir's end of year performance. There are seven flute players currently and four parts. Beth is the youngest but one of three who have passed Grade 5 although she is the only one of the three for which flute is her principal instrument. The rest are all Grade 8 or post Grade 8 standard.
Beth played part four alone. Last year she played part four with one of the senior students so that is a big step for her.
I thought they all sounded lovely. Last night I got an email from her teacher praising her developing maturity and performance.

Last week she played at her former piano teacher's annual concert. She played, without any pause apart from to switch instrument, the sax, the piano and the flute. It doesn't seem to be a problem for Beth but I'm amazed she managed it. To put it in context she is 12 and played a Grade 6 piece on the sax, a Grade 4 piece on the piano and a Grade 7 piece on the flute.

It has been a good year.
Dora

What a great way to round off a good year - good stuff for Beth personally, and good that she has other people to play with.

Am I right in thinking that if she is 12, she has a new school next academic year? (Not too sure about the UK school system...).

Hope you have a nice summer ahead of you, and that there will be opportunities to hear or play new music before the autumn term!

Son is now in senior high school, and I notice a big difference in music-making - it's almost all student-led now, and they are just negotiating the whos and whats of performances for the autumn school festival.

Beth started secondary school last September. It was a tough few months for her. She found it harder to make the adjustment than her brother did the year before and she was undergoing diagnosis for her learning difficulties at the same time. In the end the school has proved to be an excellent choice for her with support given for music as well as the things she finds difficult.
We live in Lichfield and the Arts Council has funded a scheme to set up a folk group which both my children are loving. They will perform with that group at the beginning of July. We are away for most of August and Beth's flute teacher is adamant that Beth needs a complete break from playing each summer so we will take that in at least some of August but we will try and listen to lots of music too.
Yes I can see that Beth and her friends will become much more independent in the next few years. Which is going to be essential if she wants to be a musician. In many ways it is already happening. Last year she needed me to decide what she was going to play at the piano teacher's concert. She didn't need any such guidance this year. I'm also rarely asked to comment on practice now, last year I had to pass judgment on ever scale. Phew.
I hope you have a good summer too.
Dora

Not too far from me...never noticed that before...

I've got a couple of concerts coming up soon in Lichfield...one at the cathedral and one in the town (I don't think it's big enough to be a city but I get so confused...) centre...

Staffordshire Performing Arts is great
I've never tried anything like flute choir though...
Does Beth do anything like Talent School? I don't know if there's one in Eastern region but there's one for central...

Not too far from me...never noticed that before...

I've got a couple of concerts coming up soon in Lichfield...one at the cathedral and one in the town (I don't think it's big enough to be a city but I get so confused...) centre...

Staffordshire Performing Arts is great
I've never tried anything like flute choir though...
Does Beth do anything like Talent School? I don't know if there's one in Eastern region but there's one for central...
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Beth plays with SPAs on Monday evenings. When is Talent School? She is busy on Saturdays at Birmingham Junior Conservatoire but we are always looking for new things to try. Flute choir is at the Conservatoire.
Lichfield is a city, although it is small. I guess it is because it has a cathedral.
Let me know when your concerts are and if we can make it we will.
The folk group is called Wildfire and I'm sure you would be made very welcome there if you could make it.
PM me for details if you'd like them.
Dora

http://education.staffordshire.gov.uk/cgi-...=School+Talent+

Well I've learnt something new from reading this! We rehearse at the same time as Talent School (thursdays) and it's always seemed to be playing and singing...but now I see they do all sorts of things- don't know if this is Beth's kind of thing, but there seems to be children as young as 7/8 when we're there, right up to 18...so it must have something about it!

we're playing at the recorder festival evening on the 30th? June (the tuesday of that week anyway)- I play in the recorder ensemble by the way! (and we're always looking for new peoples too!)

The Cathedral is a wonderful place to play in.

We're also about in the pipe and tabor festival on the 11th july...

Have you ever been to the final of the Staffordshire Young Musician? That's always a very good and often inspiring concert to be at- whethere you're in the audience/orchestra/judges or soloists. Last year there were 2 flautists in the final and one won (in fact I think she was from Lichfield so you may even be aware...)can't think what her name was though...

Her name is Katie Miner. She is fantastic. She teaches Beth the sax.
I've had a quick look at the Talent School in Stafford. I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it. I wonder why no one has suggested Beth went there.
Anyway it sounds as if it would really benefit Beth. She does Aural and Theory at the Conservatoire. Her Theory is fine but Aural is a constant struggle so I will investigate what I have to do to get her into the group in Stafford.
Thank you so much for the information.
Dora

Well done to Beth!!

Not got to our end of year concerts yet. The Music Service Senior groups don't really do formal concerts at the end of summer term, they go round and play for the local primaries instead.

Lots of concerts though over the next few weeks including Recorder group, Bandstand with several groups, the Halle "Blow" Project, the BBC Proms with the Philharmonic and in August the Halle Harmony. So a really, really busy time!

The School+Talent project looks really good.

Busy but sounds like tons of fun and fantastic experiences. Enjoy.
The project looks really good doesn't it. Beth does Theory and Aural at the Conservatoire but she is determined to build a break into her morning and I know some student's timetables don't let them have a break. If Beth was doing the School Talent project and got a bad timetable it would give me the option of taking her out of Aural or Theory on a Saturday. It obviously isn't ideal and I don't want to give the impression that I don't think they are important because I'm sure they are but it does give me options.
Dora

Don't really know anything about Conservartoire life but I think having options is always good