Wednesday is music day
First the children have solfège, which being interpreted means theory of music.
Then Gwilym's saxo lesson. His teacher is a really nice guy and he'd given Gwilym a piece to play along to an MP3 accompaniment. It's a very simple piece, but extremely effective. Anyway he said "So can you do a couple of extra lessons to practice with the pianist, and it's for February at la Salle Royale, do you know where it is...?" All was OK, except that I was sure that Gwilym had not entirely understood that it meant he'd be playing in a concert. I was right. When Gwilym understood he went forty shades of white. He's not a natural performer, our lad. So will he play ? We'll see.
Then Catrin's flute lesson. Catrin's teacher is really nice, too. She's of Breton origin and her name means Catrin. Catrin is using a method where you play along with the computer and it really works very well. Have you been practicing ? Has you dad been helping you ? Well she does practice and I have helped her a bit, and occasionally we play together.
Then my trombone lesson. My teacher is a really nice guy, too. He said 'Oh, you've been practicing.' Well yes. I try and do a couple of minutes each day at least. That's for various reasons. If you don't practice you're wasting your teacher's time and your own time and money. The town music schools are cheap but not free (except if you live in Talence, apparently, where music lessons are free ! ) Not only that but one reason I am doing trombone is to help my lungs. I am asthmatic and I don't like asthma attacks. Well that only works if you actually blow through the thing. But I do have an advantage in that I know what you need to do. Scales, arpeggios, big intervals for flexibility, long notes for tone. Etc. etc.
I need a French/English dictionary of musical terms. Hardly anything is the same. Duet - duo, quartet - quatuor, triplets - triolets, a bugle is a clairon and a flugelhorn is a bugle. Meanwhile a clarino trumpet is a piccolo trompette. A cornetto is a cornet à bouquin, for some reason... We stare at each other baffled sometimes, Ronaud and me.
Then Gwilym's saxo lesson. His teacher is a really nice guy and he'd given Gwilym a piece to play along to an MP3 accompaniment. It's a very simple piece, but extremely effective. Anyway he said "So can you do a couple of extra lessons to practice with the pianist, and it's for February at la Salle Royale, do you know where it is...?" All was OK, except that I was sure that Gwilym had not entirely understood that it meant he'd be playing in a concert. I was right. When Gwilym understood he went forty shades of white. He's not a natural performer, our lad. So will he play ? We'll see.
Then Catrin's flute lesson. Catrin's teacher is really nice, too. She's of Breton origin and her name means Catrin. Catrin is using a method where you play along with the computer and it really works very well. Have you been practicing ? Has you dad been helping you ? Well she does practice and I have helped her a bit, and occasionally we play together.
Then my trombone lesson. My teacher is a really nice guy, too. He said 'Oh, you've been practicing.' Well yes. I try and do a couple of minutes each day at least. That's for various reasons. If you don't practice you're wasting your teacher's time and your own time and money. The town music schools are cheap but not free (except if you live in Talence, apparently, where music lessons are free ! ) Not only that but one reason I am doing trombone is to help my lungs. I am asthmatic and I don't like asthma attacks. Well that only works if you actually blow through the thing. But I do have an advantage in that I know what you need to do. Scales, arpeggios, big intervals for flexibility, long notes for tone. Etc. etc.
I need a French/English dictionary of musical terms. Hardly anything is the same. Duet - duo, quartet - quatuor, triplets - triolets, a bugle is a clairon and a flugelhorn is a bugle. Meanwhile a clarino trumpet is a piccolo trompette. A cornetto is a cornet à bouquin, for some reason... We stare at each other baffled sometimes, Ronaud and me.
Comments