Today I've mostly bin...

[BassBloke]

You are seriously most welcome. As is everyone else.

Drop me a PM with your starting point and I'll give you directions and an estimated travel time.

I don't want anyone turning up before about 9ish though. Why? Coz I've run out of Frosties. I need to go out early and buy some more.

Seriously. Everyone welcome to breakfast at BBs place. Tomorrow Friday 26th.

Cheers. BB.

[giraffe]

Today I've mostly bin..... tearing my hair out!

Lally has a music exam first thing Saturday morning and I just realised today that she doesn't have the original of one of the pieces, just a copy that has been downloaded off the internet. Her teacher has the original book with it in. Unfortunately he has cancelled the last two lessons as he has been in hospital, and might not be out before the exam. I can't find a local music shop that has it and if I order it off the internet it won't get here in time. You are not allowed to use a photocopy and I'm not sure what they think about downloads. (It looks like a photocopy) I have just arranged to meet someone on a street corner tomorrow morning, (mother of another pianist) who says they have a copy. So fingers crossed we manage to meet up.

[Laura]

What is the piece?

www.musicroom.com have got stuff to me on a wednesday morning when I've ordered on a monday night, so if you're absolutely deperate you could try them.

[Laura]

Oh, and today I've been doing the first installment of my show!!! It all want amazingly well, considering the number of possible problems there could have been. Only a couple of microphone problems that hopefully we'll get sorted for tomorrows show. yay!!!

[giraffe]

Thanks Laura, I use musicroom a lot, but the exam is at 9.30 Saturday morning, it won't get here by then. If I'd realised yestreday I could have ordered it, but I didn't know he'd been rushed back into hospital

(It's Burgmuller Ballade Op 100. Grade 4 LCM) Hopefully I'll find Margaret tomorrow standing on a street corner with it in her hand.

[Scurra]

Hopefully I'll find Margaret tomorrow standing on a street corner with it in her hand.

Or at least that's what you'll tell the magistrate, anyway.

I'm surprised they are so picky about "copies" - do they think they'll contain secret instructions or something?

[giraffe]

No, they are protecting the income of the composers and publishers. The publisher of most of the music is the exam board itself, so they are making sure they don't lose out. The problem in this case is that she picked a piece that wasn't int the selection the board prints, so she has the board's book and needs a different book for this particular piece.

She looked horrified when I suggested she could memorize it!

The most annoying thing is I have a copy of the piece in a book, but it's for clarinet, as Kingsley did it for Grade 4 clarinet.

[Bunnylump]

Oh yes, we've had to spend HUNDREDS and hundreds of pounds on sheet music. You wait until you're having to buy the virtuoso level stuff. It's horrendously expensive. The only time we were able to get away with a photocopy for Katherine's last assessment was when her piano teacher knew the composer personally, and got his permission!! Do wish Lally well with the exam.

So glad your show was a success, Laura, you must be chuffed to little green pieces. Well done! . Good luck with the rest of the performances!!

BB - are you MAD??

and today I've mostly bin...

Going to see my daughter graduate!

They did the actual ceremony in the cathedral - there were 220 graduands from a couple of the faculties in there today ( these are going on all week!!). We were very lucky and managed to get seated right at the front on the left, so got a perfect view of everyone coming back down the steps. It was wonderful to see such a diverse selection of people coming down those steps, beaming all over their faces, with a mixture of pride, relief and achievement radiating from them. There were obviously a lot of your so-called "typical" students - white, middle class, dressed in suits. But there was also every different culture represented that you'd care to think of (the Chancellor said there were people from 130 countries). Some were wearing traditional dress (a japanese student in a kimono with those funny little built up shoes (don't know what they're called) and flowers in her hair, a Scotsman in a kilt, various African-looking students in brightly coloured robes. But there were also mature students (the oldest was 76!), disabled students, and even a heavily pregnant lady. All had had the same opportunity to study, all been treated equally, and had all achieved what they wanted to achieve. How great is this country? It reminded me that we are SO lucky.*

Afterwards they had a reception in a big marquee with a live band, and lots of lovely food, Pimms, etc., and we even had scorching hot sunshine! Another great day!

[giraffe]

That sounds great Bunnylump. I bet you were SO proud.


Well done Laura, all the hard work was worth it.

With them having taken 4 exams this term between them I can see I'll be forking out for more new music soon.

[kathlyn]

what a proud mummy bunny you must be and the rest of the family too especially daughter.

[clvrlad]

Only a couple of microphone problems

should have got a bloke in

congratulations btw

oh and i hope the sheet music is found and it all goes swimmingly

[giraffe]

Panic over!

I found Margaret and I am now in possession of a very tatty copy of the music. Phew!

[Bunnylump]

Thank goodness for that!

Oh and Clvrlad

should have got a bloke in

Just how dangerous a comment do you think that was?? There are axe weilding dolls and the like on here you know.

[clvrlad]

well just saying that a very nice and innocent bloke did get offered to help........


specifically with the mics and such

[Bunnylump]

Ok, in that case I forgive you. Laura I think you need to make use of this - someone offering to help!!

[chazzie]

Panic over!

I found Margaret and I am now in possession of a very tatty copy of the music. Phew!

Glad you made it..... let us know how it goes

[Laura]

Well, I had three blokes and a woman all helping at different stages, who all said 'well, why have you set it up like this????', at which point I told them that I hadn't done it, and wouldn't have known which end of a cable to plug in where. But still.

Today's performance was not quite as smooth as yesterday's! We had the video man recording it. So some bright spark decided to close all the curtains. Fine until the song which is just lit by candles, at which point I was absolutely blind - couldn't see the piano, my hands, or the book, let alone the actual dots on the page, so had to try to make the whole thing up and keep going. It was the most horribly scary performance of my life. (And I've had a couple of pretty rubbish ones before!!)
The only time I could see anything was when people took pictures which was like little flashes of lightening.

Never mind. All done now. Just the prize giving at the end of term. And hopefully I'll be able to see the music for that one.

[giraffe]

Laura ask them to invest in one of those little lights that they use in orchestra pits to light your music for next time!


Well done, I'm bet you're glad it's over.

[Bunnylump]

That all sounds horribly familiar. I remember having to play a guitar quartet with no lights (bleeping stupid lighting person). Fortunately for me I knew my bit off by heart but two of the other three didn't. Absolutely terrifying. And my OH is doing a show at the moment - they always come up with some bright idea for a totally stupid costume he has to wear right at the last minute which is totally unsuitable for drumming in!!

Anyway, Laura, congratulations! A lot of hard work went into that and you deseve a real pat on the back. That's the kind of thing those kids will always remember doing, and they couldn't have done it without you!

[Laura]

I have lamps. It was a considered decision not to use them, because the effect was better without them, and I could see just well enough to be able to play it. I do know bits of it well enough to make it up, but not the whole thing. The problem was other people changing things without me knowing! (isn't it always).

And I had a little girl page-turning for me, and she couldn't tell how many pages she was meant to be turning over, and it has repeats, so we had to go back as well! Poor little thing didn't know where she was either!!