Bishop's "Lo here the gentle lark"
It's good to have a spot of culture. We used to try to bash our way through this in Cardiff, but it's hard not to laugh while going "tweet tweet tweet tweet".
A bit about music exams in UK and France
They're really different. I think I have already mentioned that while in the UK people generally find a private teacher for their instrument, or do it through a school scheme, here there are municipal music school, conservatoires and so on. The situation is a little more complex than I had first understood, because the schools vary in the rigidity of their organisation: the most, the conservatoires, next the municipals, then the associations. Our music school is an association, but it tends to apply the standards of the municipal schools with its programme of cycles, etc. Britain - grade 1 to 8, grade 8 being roughly equivalent to A-level, pre university/conservatoire. France - 3 cycles, each taking about 4 years, with 3ème cycle being roughly equivalent to grade 8. Theory of music - UK to take grade 8 you need theory grade 5. In France you study theory alongside your instrumental studies, very slowly. Catrin's flute music is MUCH more difficult than the stuff she does in theor
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And when you play flute your mouth is already in a silly smiley shape. Hard not to laugh indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A33Y9qqRC8I some warbler called Amelita Galli-Curci