Music education

Here's an update about what the girls are doing for their music:

So, in January Mulan and Miya attended the West City Youth Concert Band Camp.  It was so much fun that we asked about the girls joining the band itself.

The answer was yes, and the first band practice of the year was on Monday evening.  We'll go every week, and there'll be playouts throughout the year.  Mulan plays her flute, while Miya plays her clarinet.

Miya has fortnightly private clarinet lessons, and is preparing for the Grade 5 exam later in the year.  For now she has dropped her other instruments (trumpet, saxophone, keyboard, violin, recorder) to focus on clarinet.

Mulan has also joined the Westlake Symphony Orchestra, playing cello.  This is the main Westlake school orchestra, and combines both the boys and girls schools.  They also practice once a week and will have a camp and performances/competitions during the year.

We weren't planning that Mulan would join this orchestra.  But when Mulan asked about the other school orchestras/bands, she found that this year their practices all clash with her other scheduled activities.  Fortunately this orchestra practices during one of Mulan's few timetable gaps, and they were in need of more cellos.  So they invited her to come along.

Suddenly, we were overwhelmed with emails to read and Google forms to sign.  It's all taken very seriously by the school, and we're required to sign that Mulan will follow their rules, promising in writing that she will be there for every session throughout the year.

Prior to joining the orchestra, Mulan had signed up to her usual swimming lessons at NZL Swim.  The orchestra practice just squeezes in before the swimming lessons.  Since the orchestra is from 3:30pm to 5:15pm (and the swimming lesson starts at 5:30pm), it would be ideal if Mulan could leave orchestra practice five minutes early to get to swimming.

We thought Mulan may as well ask the orchestra leaders if she could leave early.  Before asking, Mulan observed to me that if it was any other activity it would be no problem, but being school ...

Sure enough, the orchestra leaders declined to allow Mulan to leave early.  For the past couple of weeks Mulan has been jumping into the pool a few minutes after the swim lesson has started.  (She then leaves swimming early to get to dance lessons.)

As a requirement of joining this orchestra, Mulan also has weekly private cello lessons during school hours.  At today's lesson the teacher raised the idea of Mulan sitting the Grade 6 exam this year.

Despite playing both flute and cello in these groups, up until now we've still treated the recorder as Mulan's number one music instrument.  For now she is continuing with her private recorder lessons every fortnight with Kevin Kim.  Mulan is now at the playing level where Kevin is recommending that Mulan practice every day with, at least, a few longer sessions of 45 minutes and the other sessions about 15 minutes.  We're a little concerned that there are not enough hours in the day for Mulan to fit everything in; it would be a shame to stop the recorder, but Mulan does need to think seriously about her activities and timetabling if she is not able to put the time into practicing.

Finally, Mulan is sitting NCEA 1 Music this year at school.  I think I am right to say that there are eight girls in this class.  Delightfully, four of them have joined together to form a string quartet for some of their assessment work.  A couple weekends ago the four met at our home (with one of the girls' private teachers) for a practice session.  It's sounding really nice and very promising.

Currently, two or three times a week I'm walking with Mulan to and from school, carrying her cello while she carries her bag and computer.  I'm not sure what we would've done if we had lived more that the 5-10min walk from school.

Yesterday, I asked Mulan to compare and contrast West City Youth Concert Band and Westlake Symphony Orchestra.

She said the Concert Band is more fun, with an interactive jokiness amongst everyone.  There's a different atmosphere in the school Orchestra; while the conductor makes jokes, the musicians don't.

My opinionated interpretation to date: this is typical school subtle authoritarianism in action.  While I have no doubt the school orchestra is excellent, and Mulan will learn lot, I suspect there is an added unnecessary layer of teacheryness to the proceedings, which long-term may possibly reduce the inspiration and self-motivation levels of the learners.