Last Week, At Music Camp

11-yr-old girl was away one week because she was on music camp - one that requires an audition, and the honours camp gets to go away to music camp for a whole week.  It's exciting.  She also just got a new violin, about 4 weeks beforehand.  The week after camp, in her lesson:

Girl: Oh yeah, last week at music camp-
Me: Oh!  I forgot!  How was it?
Girl [smiling]: It was really good... But, my peg... broke.  Like, um... [demonstrates a really stiff tuning peg being moved] yeah.  Snapped.
Me: Wow.  That doesn't happen often.
Girl: I asked the guy if he could fix it, but [disdainfully] he said he couldn't, we'd have to take it back to the shop we bought it from, so they could... get me a new one?
Me: Yep.  They'll have to take it out and - well, you can't really fix them.  Once they're snapped, they're snapped.  You'll need a new one.  How many weeks have you had this violin, anyway?
Girl: Like, four. ... Or so.
Me: Will your mum be able to take it in this afternoon?
Girl [raised eyebrow, shaking head]: No.  Um, no.  Oh, and then, the day of the concert, my chin rest fell off.  But that was easy to fix.
Me: Oh.  So, apart from your violin falling apart, was the rest of it okay?
Girl: Yeah, it was really good.  Well, actually...  It was a bit boring.  All we did was play, and eat.  But the playing bit was good.
Me: What music did you play?
Girl: Well, we played this piece by Adele... And a thing from Carmen... Arra-jonny-aze [actually, Aragonaise]
Me: Can you sing it for me?
Girl [singing and humming]: Da da da da da [etc - I almost picked up the tune].... [faster, in time, head bopping] nn pluck pluck nn pluck pluck nn pluck pluck

I guess she was in second violins.

Biggest Instrument

On Wednesday, the grade 3s had their first ever concert (for their parents).  The next day, I was talking with a violinist from the junior quartet (grade 5).

Girl: How was the grade 3 concert?
Me: It was good.
Girl: Now, be honest - did some of them sound terrible?
Me: Ummm... I don't think so... But I couldn't hear all of them, so I can't say with certainty.
Girl: Oh, now, are they going to play for the grade 2s at the end of the year?
Me: Yes.
Girl: Man, I loved that!  It got me so pumped up!  I really wanted to play the double bass.  I wanted to play the biggest instrument in the class.
Me: So, uh, how's that working out for you?
Girl: Yeah.  Not so great.

Shoulder Devil

One of my junior quartet violinists came to see me first thing this morning - before rehearsal - to organise a lesson time for the first week back.  The violist came in as well.

Violin: So, can I organise a lesson time?
Me: Sure.  What time would you like?
Violin [looking at the blank page]: Ummm...
Me: Really, you can have pretty much any time.  Does Tuesday work for you - same day as quartet?
Violin: Yes.  That would be good.  Umm...
Viola [peering over her shoulder]: You should do 12:30.  Then you don't have to last until lunch.
Violin [shaking her off]: No.  Um.
Me: Do you want 12:30?
Violin: No.  Um.  When else would be good...
Viola [whispering]: 12:30 12:30 12:30 12:30 12:30 12:30
Violin [actually batting her away]:  No, not 12:30.
Me: When would you like then?  Before morning tea?  Before lunch?
Viola: 12:30 12:30 12:30 12:30 hee hee hee I'm like [giggle] one of those [giggle] shoulder angels... oh wait... um... shoulder... devil...
Violin: Could I have... 9...?  Or 9:30...?
Me: Sure - which one?
Viola: Pick whichever one you want [whispering] 12:30 12:30 [normal] pick whichever one [whispering] 12:30 12:30 12:30
Violin: Agh!  Um -
Viola:  Pick whichever one you want [whispering] 12:30 12:30
Violin: Oh shush!  9:30 please.

You Said It

Junior Quartet yesterday morning.  I'm recovering from a cold - so, odd voice (if present at all), sneezy, sniffly, and grumpy.  Only 2 girls were there on time.  They were actually taking initiative and tuning their violins on their own.

Violin 1: Oh, Viola isn't here today.
Me: Why not?
Violin 1: She's at...
Me: Is she doing some... Sport... thing?
Violin 1: She's at [insert some regional thing] cross country.
Me: Okay.  Now.  You hear how my voice is still a bit weird? 
[Girls both nod, wide eyed]
Me: Well, I still have a cold.  So.  I need you all to behave.  Really well.
Violin 1 [giggling]: It's a good thing Viola isn't here then. [Viola is very chatty]
Me: Yes. Oh.  Well, you said it...

Violins in Cellos

9-yr-old boy, uses a school violin.  The string department at school (including the instrument storage space) is housed in an area called the chalet (I'm not quite sure why).  This was while he was packing up.

Boy: I'm going to Sydney for the whole holidays.
Me: And are you taking your whole violin?
Boy: Nnnnoooo... Unless I have a smaller case.  Can I get a smaller case?
Me: You'd only be able to get a smaller case if you detached bits of your violin.  [Unfortunately, he looked enthusiastic with this prospect].  Which is the same as breaking your violin.  So, don't...
Boy [all packed up]: Oh... I'm going to put my violin in the cello now.
Me: In the ... chalet?
Boy: Yep. 
Me: Yeah, don't try to put it in the cello.  They... wouldn't like that.

[Cue giggles as he leaves the room, encountering a mate who had just finished his cello lesson].

Necklaces

11-yr-old girl.

Last week:

Girl: Um... [looks anxious] Is your necklace... Well, is it meant to look like squished up lady bugs?
Me: Oh - do you think so?
Girl: Yeah, that's like the body, and those bits are like the shells, with the dots, you know?
Me [taking it off]: I see your point.
Girl: Why are you taking it off?
Me: Because I need you to focus on violin, and if you keep looking at me and all you can see is squished lady bug, we're not going to get very far.

This week:

Girl: Your earrings look like - they are! - red roses.  That's so pretty.  And - wow! - is that? Is that a red rose on your necklace?
Me: Yes.
Girl: Ooh... That's so pretty!  Much nicer than the squished beetles you had on last week.

Thanks, kid.  Anyone want to buy a handmade necklace that looks like it might possibly be squished lady bugs...?

Hypothetical Odd Couples

Continuing Quartet (10-yr-old girls) this morning. 

Cello [in the middle of working out a fingering pattern]: Oh!  Hey.  Wouldn't it be, like, so weird, if there was, like, a couple, and he played violin and she played cello?
Viola: Oh, yeah...
Me: Er - why is that?
Cello: Because, well, a violin is, like, a small instrument... and a cello is so much bigger... and so it would be, just, so weird for the guy to be playing the small one like [high pitched imitation of violin playing, similar to Psycho] and she's all [deep gruff cello imitation].
Violin 1: Even weirder - if the girl plays double bass!
Girls: Whoa!!  That would be ridiculous!!

Second Fingers Sorted

Looking at a new piece with an 8-yr-old.

Me: What's the key signature?
Girl: C..No, F sharp.
Me: So, wh-
Girl: Do is G.
Me: Good... How are you going to do the first note?  High two or low?
Girl: Um... [thinks a bit]... High!
Me: Why? [this often makes them change their mind, regardless of whether or not they're correct]
Girl: Because it's a mi.
Me [delightfully surprised]: Yes!  How about on the D string?
Girl [slight thinking pause]: High.  Because it's a ti.
Me: A string?
Girl [takes a little while, I think she's thinking up the G major scale from the open G]: Low.  Because it's a fa, and fa is best friends with mi.

Yay!

Perfume and Chin Rests

I was tuning the violin of an 11-yr-old.  When I gave it back, she sniffed the chin rest.

Me: [raised eyebrows]
Girl: Just checking...
Me: Mmm?
Girl: Sometimes, when Ms T tunes my violin... well, she wears perfume and it's really strong and you can smell it on the chin rest.  Yours though - it's much nicer, not nearly as strong.
Me: Oh... good... It could be worse though [thinking of past teachers who were smokers, or with old coffee oozing from their pores]
Girl: Yeah, it could be cologne.  Yerk.

Purpose

A 10-yr-old functional first-born was having a double lesson to catch up on one missed.  She came in all business.

Girl: Um, can we, like, have a to-do list and go through that and then, if we get to the end, can we do some fun stuff?
Me: Sure.

The list went something like Scales, Pieces, Exercises, Theory Questions, Pack up, Goodbye, Go!
She wrote the list on the board, really on tippy-toes to reach as high as she could for the first items.

Me: Ok, unpack - I need to see your violin.
Girl [startled]: What?  Oh, right.  Yeah.  That's why I'm here.

How Hard is Grade 6?

A girl in grade 9 (14 years old?) asked me if she does violin exams, does that really help her OP?  Yes...from next year.  She did a grade 5 exam last year, and was a little disappointed that wouldn't count.  She was quite happy that she just had to pass the exams, not get an A.  Looks like we're back to doing violin exams. 

Me: We should start grade 6 material now, then.
Girl: [shakes head vigorously]
Me: Yes.  [I then explained timing of exams, won't bore you with that here].
Girl: But.... won't it be hard?
Me: [sigh].  Let's have a look, shall we?  [I pick up the newest grade 6 book].  A major.  Not that hard.  Goes a bit high, but you can cope?
Girl: [nods]
Me: Good.  Next one.  Just arpeggios.
Girl: wah?!
Me: You can cope.  Next.  Oh look.  The first movement of Eine Kleine - which I know you can already play.  [girl nods].  Next.  Fantasia on Greensleeves.
Girl: Oh, I did the solo part for that last year in orchestra.
Me: Yep.  Exactly the same.  Next. 
Girl: Agh!  No!  Too many flats!
Me: hmmm... Next.  Ooh, Csardas.  [I sing the main bits - admittedly, a bit on the fast side]
Girl: Oh, it's just like Hungarian Dance!
Me: Yes. 
Girl: But it's so nnnnnnn-nnnnnnn-nnnnnnn [don't know how else to transcribe that - that's what she sounded like, though].
Me: Well, it's not really that fast... Just move your fingers and bow a bit fast and you'll be fine. 
Girl: Can we do Greensleeves first?

And then she proceeds to play it perfectly, the first time.  I guess grade 6 isn't so unattainable after all.